During his search for his missing twin sister, Will Cleary finds himself drawn into a mysterious crystalline world parallel to his own. This world is populated by Echoes, reflections of the Sounds residing in the living world. When a person (or sound) dies, their echo is killed to maintain balance, but someone kills the echoes before their sounds die. It's up to her to not only find her sister, but also find out who is behind the murders so that she can restore order to Echoland. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Dew Pellucid's novel, The Crystilleries of Echoland, has won several awards, and it's easy to see why. The worlds of Sounds and Echoes are intriguing because they take the visual of a mirror world and modify it to fit sound rather than image. Instead of Echoland simply being the other side of the sound world, it’s its own set. Pellucid's description of this crystal realm reflects the fragility of human ego and power while emphasizing the potential for strength and resilience. I appreciated the originality of this novel. Usually parallel worlds are too similar, but Echoland is totally different, both in physical description and in the social structure of its citizens. Although each sound has its own resonance, the roles they play are very different, and not just because of the decisions they make. I like how Will takes matters into his own hands and embarks on his journey. Even though he is only twelve years old, he shows great maturity and is a role model for adolescent readers. He struggles with the loss of his sister and the lack of attention from his parents, but he uses these struggles as a springboard for his mission and never lets fear overcome him. I have two complaints about this book, neither of which really impacts the rating. The first criticism comes from my own inexperience with fantasy novels. The plot interested me and I regularly study children's and children's literature, so I decided to read this book. I had some difficulty keeping track of characters and locations, but avid fantasy readers should not have this problem. My other complaint is also minor; I feel like Pellucid overuses the word “lucid” as a descriptor. It's not a common word, let alone one that young readers will know, but it can inspire them to expand their vocabulary. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a personalized article essayOverall, I rate this book 4 stars out of 4. I didn't notice any spelling or grammatical errors, which is an extremely rare feat, and the language is appropriate for the target audience (even with abundant use of "lucent"). I recommend this novel to adolescent readers and fans of fantasy-mysteries...