Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Crystal Shade: Angeni, Volume 1

by István Szabó Ifj. (Goodreads Author), Orlanda Szabo

4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 · rating details · 19 ratings · 11 reviews

“Thousands of stars could tell thousands of stories.”

Seven year old Grace always dreamt of becoming a guardian angel; like those who guarded and guided her people and prepared to bravely fight in a dreaded mythical event, the Crystal Shade – which never came. It's not like Grace ever wanted to see Demons. Or wants to know what evil and darkness is – things that no one ever...more

Kindle Edition, First

Published November 11th 2011

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 48)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Apr 29, 2013 Virginia Ripple rated it 3 of 5 stars

I received this book free in return for an honest review.

The Good...

The beginning sets a great mood, making the reader want to know what the bogey in the dark is.

Most of the really good writing occurs near the end of the book. For example, there is some very good description of everyday animals we take for granted, which Angeni has never seen. It makes it easy to figure out what the creature is without the author having to name it.

Theme plays a major role in the entire book, leading to some thou...more I received this book free in return for an honest review.

The Good...

The beginning sets a great mood, making the reader want to know what the bogey in the dark is.

Most of the really good writing occurs near the end of the book. For example, there is some very good description of everyday animals we take for granted, which Angeni has never seen. It makes it easy to figure out what the creature is without the author having to name it.

Theme plays a major role in the entire book, leading to some thought provoking messages. I love stories that make me think about what I believe and what may be true. This book has a lot of passages that do that.

The Not-so-good...

The author warns in the description: "IMPORTANT: Please be advised that Crystal Shade: Angeni and its episodic release, Crystal Shade: Episodes is not a fast and easy mainstream read. You can't quickly skim through and read it in one night, but you have to absorb the words and create the fantasy in your mind. Therefore, if you don't like slower-paced books or non-mainstream storylines, please read the excerpt before making any purchase."

If you're looking for a book that begins with conflict or is paced faster than a snail, look somewhere else. This is an epic tale and, as the volume number indicates, will be told in more than one book. In fact, the story ends just when the conflict begins. I like to call this the Soap Opera Gimmick: end every book in the middle of a fight so the reader will buy the next one to see what happens. I don't know about other readers, but I feel cheated when authors do this. Leave me with questions, but don't leave me in the middle of a conflict.

Another complaint I have is the overuse of some words, especially the words "shy" and "cold." It made me think of what Inigo says to Vizzini in the Princes Bride: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

Lastly, there are entire scenes that seem to be unnecessary. For instance, why does it matter to the reader what the names of the gods and goddesses are and what provinces they supposedly rule? The author spends an extrodinairy amount of time on world building, using specific names and stories to explain the placement of each province. Perhaps the information will come into play in another volume, but it was tedious in this one.

The Overall...

Take the author's warning seriously! While I enjoy books that make me wonder about truth and reality, I also like them to balance that with action and external conflict. Crystal Shade has very little of that, which often bored me. There is plenty of action near the end, but it left me unsatisfied because the story itself didn't end. My suggestion is this, read Crystal Shade if you enjoy long, slow tales and don't mind a cliff hanger ending. If that's not the type of story you like, then you'll probably want to pass on this tale.(less)

like · see review

Mar 31, 2012 Urban Fantasy Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

To see this review and more like it check out my site at www.ufreviews.com

This was such an interesting story concept for me, I remember when I received the book for review, and I remember thinking to myself how is a story being told by a seven year old going to work. I mean even in the YA genre seven is a little young, I wondered if I was going to be able to identify with the character, and for me as a reader I need to be able to identify with the characters in the book. But the book is really...more To see this review and more like it check out my site at www.ufreviews.com

This was such an interesting story concept for me, I remember when I received the book for review, and I remember thinking to myself how is a story being told by a seven year old going to work. I mean even in the YA genre seven is a little young, I wondered if I was going to be able to identify with the character, and for me as a reader I need to be able to identify with the characters in the book. But the book is really so much more than I thought it was going to be.

To begin with I have to say that the writing was very captivating, as well as very vivid in its descriptions. I could easily take the descriptions of things from within the book and then imagine it in my head. The writing was really well done but the only down side to the writing in the book was how it was paced. There were definitely times when I wanted the book to pick up a little bit more because felt like the book was lagging a bit.

As for the little girl, who I was concerned about her age and my ability to connect with her, it really wasn't that hard to connect with her. She was a well written character, and it was a really interesting concept to read about. It's interesting to think about all the things that children want to be when they grow up, and I don't think I have ever heard a child wish to be an angel so it was certainly unique to have a child who really wants to be an angel.

I'm not sure that Grace knew what exactly being an angel entailed, but while she learning about how to be an angel you start to get a clearer picture that not everything is happy, there is clearly something going on that is not all good. So over the course of time you get to see not just the good side of being an angel but you also get to hear about the darkness of the Crystal Shade. The entire tone of the book changes, which is kind of an interesting twist to the book.

Overall, I would say that the book is a pretty good book. I think it has an interesting concept and had a good tone to the book. My only major complaint was that I wish the book hadn't lagged so much, that maybe it was faster paced. But other than that I think the book was pretty good and you might be interesting in giving it a try if you like angel books. (less)

1 like · like · see review

Mar 27, 2012 Krista (CubicleBlindness Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars

A story about a girl who is an angel in training. This story unravels from training sessions into more intense battle scenes and along the way we learn the story of the Crystal Shade.
At about 350 pages it was a detailed, descriptive and imaginative fantasy story that the reader. The author is an artist as well, if you take one minute to look at the website you will tell immediately there is a lot of detail and passion in his work. His writing is like art put into word form. It is descriptive in...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 24, 2012 Virginia rated it 3 of 5 stars

At first I had a hard time getting into this story, but once I did I enjoyed it. This is the story of a seven year old girl, Grace, who longs to become a Guardian Angel. The story starts talking about Grace and her dream to be a Guardian Angel. It then goes into Grace becoming an angel, her training and the story of the Crystal Shade. Along the way Grace learns that training to be a angel is not as easy as it seems, she begins to question things and people, and she realizes there is bad as well...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 25, 2012 Tdewhirst rated it 4 of 5 stars

Seven year old, Grace, wants to be a guardian angel with all of it's nobility with, in typical child fashion, not thinking about the downside.

I finished this book last week and thought long and hard about the review I would write. This was an interesting read and beautifully written. I didn't think, reading the description, that I'd buy Grace as a 7 year old but I do. The writing style and setting were very vivid and alive. While reading this book I was constantly reminded of "Dune" by Frank He...more

like · see review

Mar 02, 2012 Sitt rated it 3 of 5 stars

The first novel introducing us to a fantasy trilogy upon we get to learn about the crystal shade and the main heroine of the story. How do I know it's a she? Let's take a look. From the cover there are some hints that might give some mental notes to some connections that I keep in mind for later on.
From the title I derive one of the keywords Angeni , it is an abbreviated girl name for angel. So the figure in the center is a girl with angel wings. Also we see the number 11 showing 3 times. Not on...more The first novel introducing us to a fantasy trilogy upon we get to learn about the crystal shade and the main heroine of the story. How do I know it's a she? Let's take a look. From the cover there are some hints that might give some mental notes to some connections that I keep in mind for later on.
From the title I derive one of the keywords Angeni , it is an abbreviated girl name for angel. So the figure in the center is a girl with angel wings. Also we see the number 11 showing 3 times. Not only does this number shows the publishing date it is also versed inside the beginning of the story. We might also consider some symbolism or spiritual meaning behind the number and what I found out in some resources, which tell that one understanding of the number 1 is a new beginning and purity , in case the number occurs doubled then the power of the attributes are increased, no guarantees provided.

In the first chapter there is an old man indulging in his old memories, playful children come along and want to hear a story, so he tells the story of the person most dear to his heart, the one who he met long time ago and became one of the legendary guardian of the crystal shade. Displayed to us is a small glimpse into the childhood of Grace Sessa Aredia from the outskirts of Odessiana in the valley of Seradelphia. Her ultimate dream is to become an aresian guardian with white wings. Every person has a guardian angel for a lifetime, it guides the holder in giving hint of notions to which way to follow but in the end the holder must decide for him -/herself. The story continues where Grace actually becomes chosen by a higher mother to become a guardian, at first it is very hard for her to leave her family behind at such a young age, which symbolizes her pure soul and a start to a new beginning as Angeni. She has to learn about suffering, good and evil to be able to protect the people in Sachylia, and foremost will learn something on the crystal shade. Follow Grace in her search for the truth.

I liked the idea of the storytelling as well as the graphic style in the cover image that gave hints to the story. But the story line was kept on a slow pace, too slow for me to keep up with the mystery.(less)

like · see review

Jul 05, 2012 Betsey rated it 5 of 5 stars

The first book in a trilogy of a little girl who becomes a guardian angel as she has dreamed of becoming in her short life.
The story starts out describing who she is, the area she lives in and her dream of becoming a guardian.
Parts of the story are told by an elderly gentleman relating the tale of Angeni to two small children.
The story revolves around her learning to become a guardian, the training, the elder guardians and a story of the Crystal Shade which most guardians in training do not be...more

like · see review

Apr 08, 2012 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars

I haven’t read very much high fantasy, because the genre intimidates me. For years, I have avoided reading it, and I’ve read very few high fantasy novels. After reading Crystal Shade, I feel mostly confused and still intimidated by high fantasy.

I’ve always avoided high fantasy because I’ve always believed that I won’t understand it. The confusion I have over Crystal Shade doesn’t just deal with being confused about the story, although I do admit that I was confused throughout parts of it. I’m al...more I haven’t read very much high fantasy, because the genre intimidates me. For years, I have avoided reading it, and I’ve read very few high fantasy novels. After reading Crystal Shade, I feel mostly confused and still intimidated by high fantasy.

I’ve always avoided high fantasy because I’ve always believed that I won’t understand it. The confusion I have over Crystal Shade doesn’t just deal with being confused about the story, although I do admit that I was confused throughout parts of it. I’m also confused because I’m not sure I really understood it. For me, I felt like the story was slow, and during those times (e.g., the angels' training), I wondered what the point of it was. What I’m really confused about is: am I right about the way I feel, or am I wrong? I haven’t read enough high fantasy to be able to compare Crystal Shade to anything, so I don’t know if high fantasy tends to be slower in terms of the story and whatnot. If it does, then Crystal Shade is probably the right pace for a high fantasy novel. I'm starting to think that I truly don't understand high fantasy, because even though I overall understand Crystal Shade (well, mostly), I kind of feel like I just didn't get it, and I think that’s because of me, not because of the book.

Despite my confusion, there were moments when the writing was so great that I didn’t care whether or not I was understanding the story as a whole. As long as I understood those good moments, I was happy. The idea of the story is interesting and when the writing really supported the story, I felt like high fantasy is a genre I might start reading more of. I liked Angeni as a character; I liked her inquisitiveness and her desires to be good, not just at what she did (like art), but as a guardian. She was very easy to like. I also liked her sister Aurora, and her playfulness, but Angeni was easily my favorite character. The other thing I really liked was the three seasons, Slumberous, Deciduous, and Prosperous. They were obviously the same as some of our seasons (winter, fall, and spring), and I enjoyed reading about them. Finally, I enjoyed the storytelling aspect of the novel; storytelling fascinates me, and I like it when is shows up in novels.

The final verdict: I didn’t fall in love with The Crystal Shade the way I hoped to, but I also didn’t hate it. I assume that for the high fantasy genre, this is a solid novel. I’m still not convinced that high fantasy is the genre for me, but I think that people who like high fantasy more than I do and who have more experience with the genre than I do will really enjoy The Crystal Shade.(less)

like · see review

Apr 07, 2013 Kana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-galley, ebook, fantasy, my-all-time-favorites

Summary
Disclaimer: Received copy from Author.

First off, I'd like to say that I just can't get over how beautiful the language is in this book, it sets the tone of this otherworldly society so well. It's familiar and yet foreign. That right there takes a great deal of talent.
The imagery that's described is just breathtaking. The author makes you think of how life would be under an older (sapphire) sun. To me... that's what gets me. That's what sci-fi is.
Now don't take this as being a fully fled...more

like · see review

Jun 14, 2013 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars

"Thousands of Stars could tell Thousands of Stories"

The story of a girl who wants to be an angel, not thinking about the downside. A beautifully written, interesting, complex and unique tale, a very strange mix of fantasy and science fiction. The storyline is not like anything I have read before and the descriptions created in this novel are so realistic and vivid, and appear almost as fine art.

like · see review

Jan 24, 2012 Rebecca McKinnon rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is a change from everything I've read recently. The story itself unfolds more gently, the action moving at a slower pace most of the time. The writing is beautiful. Elegant, even.

I love the way every person has their own guardian angel, who not only protects them, but can float around them as a tiny ball of light, hide in plain sight, make a flower blossom.

like · see review

Jun 14, 2013 Kevis Hendrickson marked it as to-read

Shelves: indie-book, fantasy, novel, series

Jun 14, 2013 Vicks Avarian rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jun 14, 2013 John rated it 5 of 5 stars

May 02, 2013 D.J. Lowbridge marked it as to-read

Shelves: review-self

Dec 25, 2012 Jessica - The Midnight Bookworm Woodward marked it as to-read

Shelves: reviewrequests

Oct 03, 2012 Kathy Harrington marked it as to-read

Aug 28, 2012 Aurora rated it 5 of 5 stars

Aug 01, 2012 Ronni rated it 5 of 5 stars

Aug 02, 2012 Kathy marked it as to-read

Jul 09, 2012 Andre marked it as to-read

Jul 09, 2012 Julie marked it as to-read

Shelves: to-review

Jul 05, 2012 Joy marked it as to-read

Aug 14, 2012 Sarina Asheford rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jun 26, 2012 γυкί (Lorrianne Austerford) is currently reading it

Jun 22, 2012 Eunice rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jun 22, 2012 Elizabeth(The Book Whisperer) marked it as to-read

May 01, 2012 J.A. Beard marked it as to-read

Jun 15, 2012 Anne marked it as to-read

Feb 29, 2012 Jade Eby rated it 3 of 5 stars

« previous 1 2 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (2)

Genres

Fantasy

2 users

See top shelves...

About István Szabó Ifj.

Based out of Budapest, Hungary, Istvan began his writing and art career at a young age. His strengths include Science Fiction, Fantasy, Thrillers, as well as Spiritual, Romantic, and Political works. At the beginning of his career, two companies entrusted Istvan to create and write the stories of two of their video games. Since 2007, working parallel on several different projects, Istvan mostly de...more

More about István Szabó Ifj....

Books by István Szabó Ifj.

Anno Humanae Salutis (7 Post Meridiem XSS #1)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Crystal Shade: An...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Crystal Shade: Angeni, Volume 1
avg rating	preview: Crystal Shade: Angeni, Volume 1 Goodreads rating: 4.00 (19 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13043347-crystal-shade?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333783594l/13043347.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13043347-crystal-shade?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Crystal Shade: Angeni, Volume 1 by István Szabó Ifj.[/url]

Crystal Shade: Angeni, Volume 1

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (2)

Genres

About István Szabó Ifj.

Books by István Szabó Ifj.

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Crystal Shade: An...

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (2)