Crystal Doors #1 Island Realm (hardcover) (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Kevin J Anderson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8–Gwen and Vic are cousins who were born within five hours of one another. Their mothers were sisters who mysteriously showed up out of nowhere in the Yucatan jungle, where their husbands-to-be, two brothers, were working at an archaeological dig. Now Gwens parents have been killed under strange circumstances and Vics mom has disappeared. The boys father is obsessed with finding his wife and figuring out what happened to his brother and sister-in-law. After he tells the kids that they are going away, they find him in a room surrounded by strange crystals, and suddenly Gwen and Vic are transported to another world. Elantya is a way station and an educational center that travelers from different worlds can visit through crystal doors. No one is quite sure how the cousins arrived there, but everyone is anxious to help them return home, until the teens and the rest of Elantya are forced into a war with the monster merlons. Crystal Doors is a fun fantasy adventure. It starts off a little slowly, but once the adventure in Elantya begins, the pace picks up considerably. Some of the foreshadowing is a little heavy-handed, but the protagonists are realistically drawn and the adventures exciting. The ending leaves open the possibility of a sequel or two.–Saleena L. Davidson, South Brunswick Public Library, Monmouth Junction, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-9. Fourteen-year-old Gwen and Vic are "twin" cousins. They were born on the same day, their fathers are identical twins, and their mothers are sisters. Gwen has been living with Vic and Uncle Cap since her parents died and her aunt went missing. When the cousins walk into an experiment that Uncle Cap is performing with an elaborate crystal setup, they are swept into a parallel world. The portal, which leads to the island world of Elantya, a hub between many worlds, has been sealed for many ages to prevent an evil sorcerer from conquering all. Elantya hosts a school of powerful sages and gifted apprentices who use written magic to fight merlons, water-dwelling enemies who are disrupting the travel between worlds and aggressively attacking the Elantyans and their visitors. Joined by Sharif, who flies on a magic carpet, and a telepath named Lyssandra, Vic and Gwen must face dangers such as flying piranhas and armored sea serpents in order to set things right. This is a fast-paced beginning for the Crystal Door trilogy. Diana Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (June 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316010553
• ISBN-13: 978-0316010559
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,175,873 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Interesting Fantasy, June 20, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Crystal Doors #1: Island Realm (Crystal Doors) (No. 1) (Paperback)

I think this a great book!it had all the stuff i want in a book Magic,Imagination(on the part of the Authors),Some Fight scenes, And of course Suspense!I would certanly recommend this book.i think it probably for kids/teens around 10-13.the only problem i have with this book is the fact it's so short.Other than that i say bring it on!

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, July 18, 2006

By	TeensReadToo.com "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

Fourteen-year old cousins Gwen and Vic Pierce are almost nothing alike. Where Gwen is serious, scientific, and analytical, Vic is fun-loving, spontaneous, and outgoing. Older by a mere five hours, Gwen likes to think of herself as the one in charge. Vic likes to use his love of fun to rile his cousin up. Since they both live with Carlton Arthur "Cap" Pierce, Vic's father and Gwen's uncle, things often times get interesting. Gwen's father, Reginald "Rip" Pierce, was Uncle Cap's twin brother. And her mother, Fyera, was the sister of Vic's mom, Kyara. The two brothers met the two sisters on a dig in the Yucatan Peninsula and were instantly smitten. They soon married, and Gwen and Vic arrived on the same day, only hours apart.

Now Gwen's parents are gone, victims of a mysterious car accident. Even Vic's mother, Kyara, is no longer in the picture, having vanished into thin air two years ago only one week after the death of Gwen's parents. Now it's just Cap and the cousins, and the three attempt to make the best life together that they can. Gwen and Vic are raised almost like brother and sister, with Cap as their father. Although Gwen sometimes feels guilty for this new "family," her dreams of one day being a marine biologist keep her reaching towards her goal.

After a nearly disastrous trip to Ocean Kingdoms, the kids are surprised by Cap's strange behavior. He informs them that their family will be leaving the very next day, to avoid danger. Having no idea what he's talking about, Gwen and Vic spend a night of fitful sleep wondering what's gotten into their uncle and father. They awake the next morning to a solarium full of mirrors, crystals, and prisms, and suddenly their world gets a whole lot stranger.

Gwen and Vic find themselves falling through the light that Cap has created, almost as if it were a door. And when they land, they're no longer in a place that they recognize. The kids have come through a crystal door and ended up on the island of Elantya, the center through which all crystal doors unite. Although both bewildered by this new place and uncertain as to how they'll return home, Gwen and Vic are both excited by the people they meet on Elantya--Lyssandra, an interpreter and a telepath; Ali el Sharif, a novice at the Citadel who comes from the flying city of Irrakesh; and Tiaret, a young warrior girl who came from Afrik to also study at the Citadel.

As Gwen and Vic learn that the Elantyans are in the midst of a war with the Merlons, vicious creatures of the sea, they realize that getting back to Earth may be the least of their problems. The two teens will have to work together with their three new friends to protect Elantya from its enemies--and one such enemy might just very well be someone within the Elantyan's own midst.

The first in a trilogy, CRYSTAL DOORS is a highly entertaining contemporary fantasy that readers of all ages will enjoy. I look forward to reading more about life in Elantya, and finding out the reason that Gwen and Vic were brought there. A great read that you'll definitely enjoy!

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Crystal Doors was GREATo!, June 12, 2006

By	unknown child "......" (florida) - See all my reviews

This book is just the first book in the trilogy. It starts off when Cousins Gwen and Vic fall through a mysterious crystal door to an island of magic, Elantya. From there many journeys start to open new doors for them. As the frantically try to get back to earth to there home and their father they get caught in a war with the hideous sea-dwelling Merlons. Only to find out that Elantya is the safest place for them as an evil magician Azric is trying to destroy their family and go through closed door that were said to be closed locking him away from his powerful army. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait until the next two books of the trilogy come out!