Kathryn Sullivan Reviews

Added July 6, 2006

The Crystal Throne

Author: Kathryn Sullivan
Publisher: Amber Quill Press
Available At: www.amberquillpress.com
Publishing Date: Available now
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Trade Paperback, Ebook download in PDF/HTML/LIT
Price: $14.50 Print, $7.00 ebook
ISBN: 1-59279-942-6 Print, 1-59279-085-2 ebook
Author Email/Website: kathrynsullivan.com
Reviewer: Kathy Martin
Rating: 8 Gargoyles

Jeanne Tucker is a teenage girl who tries to hide from everyone because of her "gift" of being sensitive to others' feelings and emotions. Over the years, Jeanne has been teased and ignored because some of the other kids in town thought she was strange.

One afternoon while she is riding her horse, Jeanne sees one of her classmates, Peter Burns. He is out by the woods inspecting an ancient oak tree, which is rumored to be haunted. Peter is studying the tree as one of their teachers has told them to write an essay about it. Suddenly, when the horse gets close to the old oak, it bucks and throws Jeanne off. In an effort to catch her, Peter moves closer to the tree. With the blink of an eye, the two are transported through the tree to a different world.

This world is under the curse of three cruel witches. Jeanne and Peter find that they were brought there by the ancient oak (a "Watcher") to help the people of the Free Lands regain their freedom. As their journey goes on, the two have to face life-threatening situations. They also learn of the power they both have inside, just waiting to be tapped for this one quest.

This was a great fantasy story, perfectly suitable for both adults and teenagers. While Jeanne's sensitivity is perceived as "empathy" in her world, she is actually clairvoyant and can read people's emotions and pain as well as heal their injuries. I found it interesting that a main character (Peter) is written to not believe in magic. Usually in fantasy it is just accepted that magic just "is" and there is no way around it. His skepticism turns out to be his greatest strength.

The array of characters are delightful. I was able to get a good feel for all of them by the way they spoke and reacted to each other. Not only are they entertaining, but I was privy to the old feuds between different races (i.e. elves, humans, dwarves, trolls). The old animosities are always under the surface and many times have to be dealt with. These are just two of the things that keep the story fascinating, and kept me turning page after page as fast as I could.

Anyone who is enthralled by the current popular fantasy characters out there would like this book.

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