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Sea of Crystal, Sea of Glass
Originally published as Seascape
When faced with the impossible and the unthinkable, choose the impossible.
All that fifteen-year-old Einur Landman has left in the world are his flock of sheep and his beloved little sister. The entire purpose of his life is to keep Lody safe from the Illyrië. But what he never expected was that it would be his own name that was drawn for the child sacrifice. Leaving Lody with his promise to return, Einur escapes into the wild where he meets a stranger who outlines a way to bring down the Illyrië. Forced to choose between the unthinkable – Lody’s probable death – and the seemingly impossible, Einur takes the latter.
In his quest from his mountain village, through countless dangers, to the sea itself, everything Einur believes will be tested. For Lody's sake, can he make a final crucial choice and stand firm to the end?
When faced with the impossible and the unthinkable, choose the impossible.
All that fifteen-year-old Einur Landman has left in the world are his flock of sheep and his beloved little sister. The entire purpose of his life is to keep Lody safe from the Illyrië. But what he never expected was that it would be his own name that was drawn for the child sacrifice. Leaving Lody with his promise to return, Einur escapes into the wild where he meets a stranger who outlines a way to bring down the Illyrië. Forced to choose between the unthinkable – Lody’s probable death – and the seemingly impossible, Einur takes the latter.
In his quest from his mountain village, through countless dangers, to the sea itself, everything Einur believes will be tested. For Lody's sake, can he make a final crucial choice and stand firm to the end?
206 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2016
1 person is currently reading
464 people want to read
About the author
Benita J. Thompson
59 followersBeauty – all kinds of it – tugs at my heart. There’s beauty in everything, joy in every moment, however hidden. Although I fail frequently, I try to root myself in both the duty and the joy of the present moment. My past and present struggle with anxiety finds healing in this, putting aside both past regrets and future fears. But most of all, I am learning to trust in God. I seek to reflect this in the stories I tell, to share the peace I’m learning to find. That’s why my Instagram bio calls me a “writer of faith, trust, and pixie dust”: my stories’ heart comes from my Catholic Faith, flavoured with a dose of fantasy and a sprinkle of magic.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 2, 2016
First off--gorgeous cover! I was often surprised and delighted by the author’s fresh descriptions especially of weather, and the worldbuilding and names felt very real. My favorite character was Einur (though Lody, Gernhr, and Haledon were awesome too), and his first meeting with Eigion was veeery interesting. Talk about shaking up the usual fantasy stereotypes! While a few of the plot twists were somewhat predictable, the daring escapes/rescues () were really cool. And the !!! Not recommended for younger readers because of some intense action including . Also, all magic (and some hypnotizing) was portrayed as evil but it was still present and there were a few mythical creatures including .
Best quote: “He’s not a baby, he’s six thousand years old,” said Einur defensively.
Altogether, I enjoyed this fresh fantasy, and I really want a Naha’k dwarf now. ;)
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Best quote: “He’s not a baby, he’s six thousand years old,” said Einur defensively.
Altogether, I enjoyed this fresh fantasy, and I really want a Naha’k dwarf now. ;)
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
April 5, 2017
Overall Impression
Benita is a self-professed lover of Fantasy, especially Tolkien. Something clear in SOCSOG to an occasional fault, more on this in Plot.
While I know several people on Goodreads who thoroughly enjoyed this book, for me it was dry. I wasn’t compelled to finish it.
If you love anything fantasy I would recommend this book to you. If you are hesitant towards fantasy already, this is probably not for you.
Appropriate for older-readers and some families. I would, however, advise discretion towards parents reading to their little children. This book includes child-sacrifice and some intense/scary scenes.
Characters
To be honest, I wasn’t particularly attached to any of the characters in this book. In a lot of ways the character development was inconsistent and unrealistic. As well as to many extraneous characters being brought in.
Einur, to me, was rather annoying. His thought processes didn’t make sense and he had a rather cynical/snarky feeling to him overall.
Lody was sweet, I liked her. In fact she was probably my favorite.
Plot
As I said before, Benita is a lover of Tolkien-who isn’t, am I right?But this could go too far: there was a feeling throughout the entire book that Benita was grasping to make it similar to the works of Tolkien, many names such as, Alarandil, that were obviously modeled after LoTR, and one part where there was a sentence* practically taken out of Fellowship of the Ring.
*”A fell voice-there is a fell voice on the wind. As though someone were cooking up a sorcery.”-Einur
Here is what I would say about that…it’s not bad to model your books after books you love, the key part is to do it in moderation. When writers work so hard to make their books Tolkien-ish, or similar to the works of C.S. Lewis etc. they get in their own way. The only way you are going to be a truly successful and original author is if it is original!
Another thing that was hard about this book was that it was hard to follow. The characters, plot, flow all of it! There was much that was never fully explained (All the stuff with Berwyn and Eldrast, like, what the heck was going on there?!?) and much that was very confusing. Not a good mix. I believe had Benita dropped some more unnecessary bunny trails and stayed within the essential parts of her story it would have been clearer.
One thing I liked very much was the essential idea behind the plot. It was good, quite stereotypical fantasy, but who cares! I like all the cliché that can come along with fantasy! I think that in time, if Benita adjusts her approach to writing in some ways, she could be a very good storyteller! Part of it is just experience.
To Benita I would say, keep working and persevering! Try not to write the best Tolkien-ish book you can and instead try to write the best book you can.
Also, may I just say, beautiful cover!
Warnings:
Language/Profanity: Characters take a fake god’s name in vain-didn’t really bother me.
Violence/Frightening Scenes/Gore: As there is child sacrifice in this there is going to be some creepy scenes. The Illyrie’s practices are creepy, there is a creepy guy who hypnotized a main character, several scenes where either they were dreams or real, not sure it was hard to tell. A big mist monster is fought. A very little bit of battle, not intense in the least. On the conservative side I would rate this 13+.
Sex/Nudity: None
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Benita is a self-professed lover of Fantasy, especially Tolkien. Something clear in SOCSOG to an occasional fault, more on this in Plot.
While I know several people on Goodreads who thoroughly enjoyed this book, for me it was dry. I wasn’t compelled to finish it.
If you love anything fantasy I would recommend this book to you. If you are hesitant towards fantasy already, this is probably not for you.
Appropriate for older-readers and some families. I would, however, advise discretion towards parents reading to their little children. This book includes child-sacrifice and some intense/scary scenes.
Characters
To be honest, I wasn’t particularly attached to any of the characters in this book. In a lot of ways the character development was inconsistent and unrealistic. As well as to many extraneous characters being brought in.
Einur, to me, was rather annoying. His thought processes didn’t make sense and he had a rather cynical/snarky feeling to him overall.
Lody was sweet, I liked her. In fact she was probably my favorite.
Plot
As I said before, Benita is a lover of Tolkien-who isn’t, am I right?But this could go too far: there was a feeling throughout the entire book that Benita was grasping to make it similar to the works of Tolkien, many names such as, Alarandil, that were obviously modeled after LoTR, and one part where there was a sentence* practically taken out of Fellowship of the Ring.
*”A fell voice-there is a fell voice on the wind. As though someone were cooking up a sorcery.”-Einur
Here is what I would say about that…it’s not bad to model your books after books you love, the key part is to do it in moderation. When writers work so hard to make their books Tolkien-ish, or similar to the works of C.S. Lewis etc. they get in their own way. The only way you are going to be a truly successful and original author is if it is original!
Another thing that was hard about this book was that it was hard to follow. The characters, plot, flow all of it! There was much that was never fully explained (All the stuff with Berwyn and Eldrast, like, what the heck was going on there?!?) and much that was very confusing. Not a good mix. I believe had Benita dropped some more unnecessary bunny trails and stayed within the essential parts of her story it would have been clearer.
One thing I liked very much was the essential idea behind the plot. It was good, quite stereotypical fantasy, but who cares! I like all the cliché that can come along with fantasy! I think that in time, if Benita adjusts her approach to writing in some ways, she could be a very good storyteller! Part of it is just experience.
To Benita I would say, keep working and persevering! Try not to write the best Tolkien-ish book you can and instead try to write the best book you can.
Also, may I just say, beautiful cover!
Warnings:
Language/Profanity: Characters take a fake god’s name in vain-didn’t really bother me.
Violence/Frightening Scenes/Gore: As there is child sacrifice in this there is going to be some creepy scenes. The Illyrie’s practices are creepy, there is a creepy guy who hypnotized a main character, several scenes where either they were dreams or real, not sure it was hard to tell. A big mist monster is fought. A very little bit of battle, not intense in the least. On the conservative side I would rate this 13+.
Sex/Nudity: None
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
February 17, 2017
About this book:
“When faced with the impossible and the unthinkable, choose the impossible.
All that fifteen-year-old Einur Landman has left in the world are his flock of sheep and his beloved little sister. His entire life's purpose is to keep Lody safe from the evil ruling class. But he never expected that it would be his own name that was drawn for the child sacrifice. Leaving Lody with his promise to return, Einur escapes into the wild where he meets a stranger with a plan to bring down the Illyrië. Forced to choose between the unthinkable – Lody’s probable death – and the seemingly impossible, Einur takes the latter.
In his quest from his mountain village, through countless dangers, to the sea itself, everything Einur believes will be tested. For Lody's sake, can he make a final crucial choice and stand firm to the end?”
Series: As of now, no.
Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are said/quoted, mentioned & a chapter’s title, but not referenced as such; Prayers; Whispers from the Master of Harmony; Talks about [God] & trusting Him; ‘H’s are not capital when referring to [God]; Mentions of the Master of Harmony [supposed to be God]; Mentions of prayers to the Master of Harmony; Mentions of blessings & good-bye bless you/keep you partings; A couple mentions of a tabernacle to praise [God] in;
*Note: Many mentions of a fake god (the Great Achie) & it’s demonic cult of followers (because that’s how Einur was raised, he does say prayers to it before most times correcting himself); Mentions of child sacrifices to the Great Achiel in a temple; Mentions of evil; A few mentions of certain leaders who have the ability to see the past; A couple mentions of other false gods; A couples mention of sorcery; A mention of an aura.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, two ‘shut up’s, four ‘idiot’s and 8 ‘stupid's; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Killing two dragons (barely-above-not-detailed); Fighting & punching (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of child sacrifices & the altar (no true details, hints are barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of deaths & dying (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of wars & killing (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of fighting, kicking & mobs/armies (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of executions; Mentions of pain & thinking he’s going to die (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of being overworked, threaten wrongly, threats of beatings, beatings & sores (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of potions & poisons; Mentions of thinking about & almost killing a rabbit for food (he does not, though, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of hatred & cruelty; A few mentions of threats of murder; A few mention of lies & liars; A couple mentions of those who had too much to drink; A couple mentions of cheaters; A couple mentions of eye rolling; A mention of wine; A mention of jealousy;
*Note: Being hypnotized (barely-above-not-detailed).
Sexual Content- A few mentions of a girl who has a crush on Einur.
-Einur Landman, age 15
P.O.V. of Einur, Lody (4) & a couple others
{Fantasy}
204 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Three Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
Older High School Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
“Fantasy is not my favorite nor preferred genre.” I’ve said it before, and yet I keep review them. Maybe it’s because they keep luring me in with different plotlines. ;)
I would have liked more Christian content, but it was a decent amount with the whole fighting-the-evil plot. Different creatures, sea fairies, and dragons add to the fantasy feel. The writing was good and not overwhelming like some past fantasies I’ve read. I was able to follow along and paint a semi-clear picture of what was being shown/said, which I give as a high compliment as I don’t see too many fantasy authors not get a bit detailed happy in talking about everything.
I do have to comment on how much I loved reading about Einur caring for his little sister, Lody. Even though I picked up on the few hints about it, that ending still got to me. It was so bittersweet, and that’s all I’m saying! ;)
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Author for this honest review.
“When faced with the impossible and the unthinkable, choose the impossible.
All that fifteen-year-old Einur Landman has left in the world are his flock of sheep and his beloved little sister. His entire life's purpose is to keep Lody safe from the evil ruling class. But he never expected that it would be his own name that was drawn for the child sacrifice. Leaving Lody with his promise to return, Einur escapes into the wild where he meets a stranger with a plan to bring down the Illyrië. Forced to choose between the unthinkable – Lody’s probable death – and the seemingly impossible, Einur takes the latter.
In his quest from his mountain village, through countless dangers, to the sea itself, everything Einur believes will be tested. For Lody's sake, can he make a final crucial choice and stand firm to the end?”
Series: As of now, no.
Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are said/quoted, mentioned & a chapter’s title, but not referenced as such; Prayers; Whispers from the Master of Harmony; Talks about [God] & trusting Him; ‘H’s are not capital when referring to [God]; Mentions of the Master of Harmony [supposed to be God]; Mentions of prayers to the Master of Harmony; Mentions of blessings & good-bye bless you/keep you partings; A couple mentions of a tabernacle to praise [God] in;
*Note: Many mentions of a fake god (the Great Achie) & it’s demonic cult of followers (because that’s how Einur was raised, he does say prayers to it before most times correcting himself); Mentions of child sacrifices to the Great Achiel in a temple; Mentions of evil; A few mentions of certain leaders who have the ability to see the past; A couple mentions of other false gods; A couples mention of sorcery; A mention of an aura.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, two ‘shut up’s, four ‘idiot’s and 8 ‘stupid's; Mentions of curses (said, not written); Killing two dragons (barely-above-not-detailed); Fighting & punching (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of child sacrifices & the altar (no true details, hints are barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of deaths & dying (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of wars & killing (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of fighting, kicking & mobs/armies (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of executions; Mentions of pain & thinking he’s going to die (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of being overworked, threaten wrongly, threats of beatings, beatings & sores (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of potions & poisons; Mentions of thinking about & almost killing a rabbit for food (he does not, though, barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of hatred & cruelty; A few mentions of threats of murder; A few mention of lies & liars; A couple mentions of those who had too much to drink; A couple mentions of cheaters; A couple mentions of eye rolling; A mention of wine; A mention of jealousy;
*Note: Being hypnotized (barely-above-not-detailed).
Sexual Content- A few mentions of a girl who has a crush on Einur.
-Einur Landman, age 15
P.O.V. of Einur, Lody (4) & a couple others
{Fantasy}
204 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- Three Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
Older High School Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
“Fantasy is not my favorite nor preferred genre.” I’ve said it before, and yet I keep review them. Maybe it’s because they keep luring me in with different plotlines. ;)
I would have liked more Christian content, but it was a decent amount with the whole fighting-the-evil plot. Different creatures, sea fairies, and dragons add to the fantasy feel. The writing was good and not overwhelming like some past fantasies I’ve read. I was able to follow along and paint a semi-clear picture of what was being shown/said, which I give as a high compliment as I don’t see too many fantasy authors not get a bit detailed happy in talking about everything.
I do have to comment on how much I loved reading about Einur caring for his little sister, Lody. Even though I picked up on the few hints about it, that ending still got to me. It was so bittersweet, and that’s all I’m saying! ;)
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Author for this honest review.
March 14, 2017
Sea of Crystal, Sea of Glass is an epic book! Einur is a super main character, and Lody is the sweetest thing you will ever see. (Or read about, rather.) Benita's writing is really easy to get into, and her descriptions are often unique (not to mentions the similes). SOCSOG is a pretty short read; this is actually not a bad thing because it means you get to the heartrending, beautiful ending all the sooner. I absolutely recommend this book.
May 30, 2016
This second book by Benita J. Prins is even better than her first book Starscape! I planned to take my time on it, but I read it in one afternoon due to the fact that I couldn't wait to see what happened next. The new characters are so realistic and lovable. The plot is fast paced and full of action. This book is not at all predictable. The Christian themes are present, but not preachy. This is a must read for any fantasy fans!
February 5, 2017
3.5 stars, so 3 here and 4 on Amazon. This Christian fantasy for teens should appeal equally to boys and girls. Pacing is good in this short novel so it's a quick read. I received this book as a prize at a Facebook book party.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews