Crystal Bones is the exciting beginning to what I hope spans out to be a fantastic series. The tale centers around Diello and Cynthe, faelin twins, whose lives are turned upside down upon their thirteen birthday. On a day that should be nothing but celebration, the twins lose everything and must come to terms with all they thought they knew.First things first, the plot. Loved it... simple as that. Faelin twins who may or may not have certain powers in the future are forced to grow up over night and fight to discover the truth about their parent's past. Now you may be wondering what the heck is a faelin. Don't worry, when I first started the novel, I was doing the same thing. Faelin are basically people who come from mortal and Fae parents. So in the twin's case, their father was mortal, mother was Fae. Although, I have read numerous half-fae novels in the past, Crystal Bones does it a little different. The tale is set in a kingdom where basically anything is possible. Goblins, talking wolves, Fae.. it is a plethora of fantasy creatures, all in one tale.As for the setting, this is where things get a little tricky. You know those novels that sometimes have maps in the beginning? Sometimes they are really helpful.. sometimes not. Well, for me, Crystal Bones really needed one. C. Aubrey Hall draws her world in such a way that while beautiful and engaging, is a little confusing. And I must admit that I found myself lost most of the time. As an example, the tale makes numerous mentions of the Fae world, Embarthi, but regardless of all the mentions of location... I still have no clue where it is. One passage, the characters speak as if it is located in the sky. Fast forward a few pages, and now it is talked about as a neighboring kingdom. Fasting forward again... we are back to the assumption it is in the sky. Granted this is an advanced readers copy, therefore, at this time, I can only hope that the finished copy with provide more clarity.Some setting flaws aside, Crystal Bones was a very engaging read. Fantastic characters. Fun adventures. And plenty of promise. I cannot wait to see what C. Aubrey Hall has in store for the next novel of the series.
