Island Realm

by Kevin J. Anderson, Rebecca Moesta, Joshua Swanson (Read by)

Overview

Fourteen-year-old cousins Gwen and Vic have lived together ever since the mysterious deaths of Gwen's parents and the disappearance of Vic's mother. But Vic's scientist father accidentally transports them through a magical crystal door to the island of Elantya. Cobblestone streets and silver towers mark the picturesque island, a trading hub and center of knowledge that runs on advanced physics and sorcery.

Vic and Gwen are soon caught in a tempest of ancient magic, vicious creatures, fierce battles, and a territorial feud with the sea-dwelling Merlons.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781522698951
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	08/02/2016
Series:	Crystal Doors Series , #1
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 6.90(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	9 - 11 Years

About the Author

Kevin J. Anderson has over sixteen million books in print in 29 languages, including the bestselling prequels to Dune, cowritten with Frank Herbert's son Brian, and numerous Warner Aspect titles.

Rebecca Moesta (pronounced MESS-tuh) is the author or co-author of more than 25 books. A self-described "gadgetologist" Rebecca enjoys learning about (not to mention collecting) the latest advances in electronics.

Rebecca and Kevin live in Monument, CO.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 5-8-Gwen and Vic are cousins who were born within five hours of one another. Their mothers were sisters who mysteriously showed up out of nowhere in the Yucatan jungle, where their husbands-to-be, two brothers, were working at an archaeological dig. Now Gwen's parents have been killed under strange circumstances and Vic's mom has disappeared. The boy's father is obsessed with finding his wife and figuring out what happened to his brother and sister-in-law. After he tells the kids that they are going away, they find him in a room surrounded by strange crystals, and suddenly Gwen and Vic are transported to another world. Elantya is a way station and an educational center that travelers from different worlds can visit through crystal doors. No one is quite sure how the cousins arrived there, but everyone is anxious to help them return home, until the teens and the rest of Elantya are forced into a war with the monster merlons. Crystal Doors is a fun fantasy adventure. It starts off a little slowly, but once the adventure in Elantya begins, the pace picks up considerably. Some of the foreshadowing is a little heavy-handed, but the protagonists are realistically drawn and the adventures exciting. The ending leaves open the possibility of a sequel or two.-Saleena L. Davidson, South Brunswick Public Library, Monmouth Junction, NJ Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

The world called Elantya, a wannabe Atlantis with some faux Greco-Roman nomenclature, runs on telepathic powers that are magnified by special crystals. Fourteen-year-old cousins Gwen and Vic are transported there and become the focus of a group of five gifted teens, all from different universes. As can only be expected in this formulaic Heinlein juvenile, they save the world from the bad guys, leaving plenty of loose threads to set up the next in the series. Characters are predictable, harking back to earlier science fiction and fantasy styles, and including a villain so obvious that youthful readers will be hooting and pointing as they read on. And read on they will, because once the story takes hold, the suspense builds and builds. This tension-filled work by the authors of the "Star Wars: Young Jedi Knights" series, with its likable teen characters and exciting plot, will appeal to readers of tween SF/fantasy series fiction. Unchallenging but entertaining fare for middle-schoolers. (Fiction. 11-13)

Kirkus Reviews