Monday, June 29, 2015

Review: Crystal Kingdom by Amanda Hocking


Crystal Kingdom by Amanda Hocking
Book Three of the Kanin Chronicles
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: August 4, 2015
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

Bryn must decide: follow her head or her heart. Thrown into a world of suspense and intrigue, Bryn now has to fight to clear her name. But she's not alone. With help from the Trylle - including Finn Holmes - she's on a quest to discover the truth.

With her life and her world on the line, will Bryn be able to risk it all?

What I Liked:

Possible spoilers if you have not read Frostfire or Ice Kissed! But I think I kept things vague enough about this book particularly. You're on your own, in terms of books one and two.

I rather enjoyed this book! I had hoped that this book would be a bit better than the previous book, Ice Kissed, which I gave three stars. I found that one to be a little boring, which wasn't a problem with this book. This one was nearly a hundred pages longer than the other two books, but the length didn't show at all. 

This one picks up right where Ice Kissed left off. Bryn is on the run, as she is a wanted person in Doldastam, among the Kanin tribe. She flees, and is tracked down by none other than Konstantin Black. She and Konstantin work together to try and rally support from other kingdoms, but it isn't easy at all. They will have to turn to unexpected sources for help, as well as fight on their own for what they lost and what they will lose.

This conclusion was one of high energy, but a slow-build high energy. It felt like another novel in the series, but it was clear that the stakes were very high throughout the book. I kind of liked how Hocking set this up! The pressure didn't feel super high, though it really was. War is brewing from Kanin, and the danger is inescapable. Bryn is on the run and needs amnesty and an army, but she doesn't want to take on the very people of her home, her fellow Kanin trolls. So much is at stake, but something must be done about the deception and false accusations and schemes and betrayals in the Kanin royalty.

Bryn is such a kickbutt character! I mean, a lot of YA heroines are kickbutt in their own way, but Bryn is physically and mentally and emotionally strong. She is constantly steeling herself for difficult decisions, or trying to save everyone. And when she's frustrated, she does push-ups! Sometimes she runs laps too, but push-ups! That's hardcore. And she proves herself to be a kickbutt character over and over, taking on the Omte (giant ogres) head-on, protecting her loved ones, even fighting with and for Konstantin Black.

I feel like I understand Konstantin more, after reading this book. He was made out to be a villain in Frostfire, which he kind of is - he tried to kill Bryn's father. But we find out that, as he said throughout the series upon meeting Bryn (in unfortunate circumstances), things aren't as they seem, and Bryn doesn't know everything that is going on in. I felt bad for Konstantin, though he isn't innocent by far. 

The plots and twists in this book are surprising and shocking and not too predictable, which is good. I didn't see most of them coming. I love the direction Hocking takes the story, with all the traveling and visiting the different kingdoms and whatnot. We get to see some characters from the Trylle trilogy, like King Loki (who has not changed a bit) and Queen Wendy, Finn Holmes and his wife and kids. Remember, this Kanin series is occurring like six ish years after the Trylle trilogy.

The story is very engrossing and I never felt bored as I was reading. I had no problem zipping through the 400+ pages. I love Bryn's character, the strength of her personality. I liked Konstantin - he becomes a friend to Bryn, even though he was once her enemy. Other character pop back into the story, like Ridley, Tilda, and Finn. Ridley isn't as present in this story, but when he is, emotions leak off the page. All kinds.

Which leads me to the romance. Bryn spends about a third of the book missing Ridley, feeling pain every time she thinks of him. She doesn't know that he was taken and tortured after she escaped. When he and Tilda find Bryn, he seems cold and distant. It's his own way of dealing with what happened to him, but it hurts Bryn. Nevertheless, I like their relationship, despite the obstacles in this book. They grow stronger even as they hurt each other and come back together and hurt each other and come back together. There are one or two hot scenes in this book, prepare yourself!

There is NO LOVE TRIANGLE. Konstantin never was a romantic player in this book. I saw someone say something about that, and I can't agree with the statement. There is no love triangle! Konstantin and Bryn develop a strong friendship, but Bryn has no romantic feelings for Konstantin. 

The ending is slightly sad (there is a shocking death, though I somewhat expected that person to die), but it's a satisfying and happy ending overall. Like I said, there is a big death, and other people die too, but I think the ending is a good one. I like the ending a lot! This series ends so well.

What I Did Not Like:

I wish for a happier ending for some people, but they ended up dead, so I guess they can't get their happy ending. But that happens in books involving war, especially in conclusion novels! The deaths didn't bother me too much though. I just wish a certain character or two could have gotten a nice ending. Maybe death is a nice ending though.

Would I Recommend It:

I liked this book a lot! Frostfire might be my favorite, or maybe this one. The series stumbled a tiny bit with Ice Kissed, but overall, the series was great. I enjoyed the Trylle trilogy too, and this spin-off series did not disappoint. Interesting take on trolls and changelings!

Rating:

4 stars. Hopefully I've not only kept this review vague, but I've also somehow convinced you that this is a great book and a wonderful conclusion novel. Not an easy review to write! But a great book about which to write a review. I'm interested in seeing what Hocking has next for readers!


Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

14 comments:

  1. I immediately saw the word "spoilers" and scrolled all the way to the bottom in my efforts to avoid spoiling the books for myself.. but first, I read your Frostfire review... And I need to start this series! Looks so good! I'll come back and read this review once I get to this book. :)

    -Grace :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hopefully nothing from the previous two books was spoiled for you, Grace! Thank you <3

      Delete
  2. Glad to hear that you enjoyed this final installment of the series so much and that it redeemed the series after the rather meh second book!
    Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh nice review! Started this one yesterday but didn't get very far. Now I'm wondering who's going to die! Seriously only at chapter 7 and wondering! Though my memory of the last two books is poor. I can't recall much at all and there hasn't been enough recap yet to get me remembering! Doing my best to just carry through! LOL! Glad to hear you enjoyed it! Great review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOLOLOL YOU WILL FIND OUT SOON >:D Hopefully you love the book, Jessica! Thank you!

      Delete
  4. I wasn’t really a fan of the first book, but I’m hoping the second one will be better! Glad you enjoyed this series overall though :) Great review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awww! Hopefully you like the entire series. This one was probably my favorite!

      Delete
  5. Gorgeous review Alyssa. <3 So happy you liked this book :D And that you are enjoying this series. That is awesome. <3 Still unsure if I want to read them. But looks so gorgeous, sigh. And yay for no triangle :) Thank you for sharing your thoughts about it sweetie. <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a good series! And no love triangle indeed - a bonus! You're very welcome - and thank you!

      Delete
  6. I own a copy of this one too, the covers are sooo sooo gorgeous. I LOVE the contrast in this one though, I just hope the final book is worth it. Thank you for the helpful review <3 Benish | Feminist Reflections

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You should definitely read it soon, Benish! Thank YOU!

      Delete
  7. I love how pretty the covers are of this series. I'm excited to hear that this series was love triangle free and that the ending was satisfying. I'm going to binge-read it when this one comes out. Can't wait to meet Bryn and the gang!
    Great review, Alyssa!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aren't they lovely?! The first one is my favorite, and then this one. Binge-reading the series sounds like a great idea! The second book was tiny bit of a sequel slumper (for me), but if you binge-read the series, you might not even notice it :D

      Thank you, Nick!

      Delete

I love comments! I will always try and reply to your comments, as well as leave some comment love on your blog! :)

Also, this an award and tag free blog. While I am flattered that you would think of me, I really do not have the time to follow up. Thank you!