The Crystal Key: The Dream Rider Saga, #2 by Douglas SmithMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Contemporary cosmic fantasy is not my usual fare. I tend more to cozy and secondary-world at the moment. But I had read, and enjoyed, the first in this series, so when it popped up on BookBub I grabbed it. I was not disappointed.
It's that rare thing, a supers novel (more or less) that's had good and thorough editing, though there are a few basic errors here and there that the editor presumably missed. (Even very good editors do miss a small percentage of errors.)
It's also a good story. Everyone gets to step up, even a couple of minor characters, and the main characters grow and develop. Even though their powers are considerable by the end, they never make the challenges feel trivial or take away the tension and danger and the need to make smart choices. They're characters I could feel for and cheer for, despite their flaws.
The relationship dynamics between the characters, and their personal issues, are also well developed and help to drive the plot, even though the main plot driver is the machinations of external parties. There's a twist that I absolutely did not see coming, too, which still made sense even though it recontextualized a lot of what had gone before.
It's a strong piece of work, and while it doesn't have the extra depth of reflection that would propel it into the Gold tier of my annual recommendation list, it's firmly at the top of Silver: soundly constructed and enjoyable.
View all my reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment