Book Review: Captured in Crystal / Fantasy

By M.J. Moores on July 12, 2015 • ( 0 )

Captured in Crystal – A Tale from the Six Kingdoms

Author: Melanie Card

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars.

Recommended Reading.

Genre: Fantasy / Romance.

Thea’s quiet existence apprenticing as Librarian for the Amber Order is shattered when she’s thrust into a partnership as a Knight Key to a Blade of the Amber Order. But this is no average Blade… he’s a womanizer and is rumoured to have murdered his last Key. Brand and Thea are sent on a mission for the Order before their new bond has time to settle, making the task of understanding the intensity of their link doubly difficult. What they find out about their mission and each other threatens not only their lives but the existence of an entire race.

Captured in Crystal gave me exactly what I was looking for: a romantic fantasy adventure replete with suspense, mystery and unrequited love. I was immediately submersed in a believable and intriguing new world I wanted to learn more about with every turn of the page. Thea and Brand are striking and the secrets they both knowingly and unknowingly withhold (from themselves, each other and the reader) create a palpable tension you can sink your teeth into.

The new world that Card brings her readers inside of exemplifies pure fantasy even as it entices the senses between an inner battle of fire and ice as Thea and Brand spark over what should or shouldn’t be done about discovering the truth behind their mystery of their fallen comrades. The intrigue and journey self-discovery intertwine as the suspense and danger rise to intense heights.

The only reason I haven’t awarded Card’s gripping tale with a perfect score lands solely on my appetite as a romance reader. The fiery bond between Thea and Brand begins with a high intensity that the reader is reminded of perhaps a little too often. Once I firmly know what each character is thinking about the other, that fire looses its intensity for me and turns into a waiting game for who will be honest with themselves first. I think if one of them maintained their self-delusion toward their feelings longer, then that wonderful love/lust/bond question unleashed at the beginning would be more substantive in the long run.

Regardless, Captured in Crystal is an adventurous and enticing read for young adults and adults alike who take a sugar cube of romance and dash of hot & sexy with their magic tea.

Review by M.J. Moores, OCT. Author. Editor.