Chrystallia and the Source of Light

Written by P.M. Glaser

Narrated by P.M. Glaser

On the eve of their last Christmas with their dying mom, two squabbling siblings find themselves trapped in a magical underground kingdom where everything and everybody is made of glowing minerals and sparkling crystals infused with light.

With their house about to be foreclosed on, thirteen-year-old Maggie is hurt and angry at being so helpless; she doesn’t believe in anything she can’t touch or see. Her nine-year-old brother, Jesse, lives in hope; he believes in the need to believe.

On a quest to find the Wizard of Iz beyond the Lands of Magma and the shadow forests of Fossilia, Jesse and Maggie must evade the evil Red and Orange Sapphire princes, the formidable King Beryl the Bloo, and the wrath of the powerful Holy Clear in order to find the source of light and the truth about themselves so they can find their way home.

With the help of the wise and beautiful Princess Amethyst and an unlikely band of crystal creatures, Maggie and Jesse learn that the things that scare them most can waken them to their greatest treasures.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group
• Release date: Aug 6, 2013
• ISBN: 9781626348257

Reviews for Chrystallia and the Source of Light

[dk_phoenix_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

It sounded like a wonderful, fun read when I requested it, but I'm sad to report that it just didn't work for me. Honestly, I was unable to finish -- I simply couldn't get past the phonetically accented dialogue. It was over the top, unnecessary, and difficult to follow, pulling me right out of the story and making it nearly impossible to read. I also didn't connect with the author's writing style, I wasn't keen on the characters, and I didn't find the premise -- once underway -- all that believable. Things happen for no particular reason, and the world-building is... bizarre. Incomplete, maybe? It's hard to pinpoint, exactly. The cover, on the other hand, is fantastic. I do hope there are readers out there who will enjoy this book, but as an avid reader of YA and Middle-Grade fantasy, it simply didn't work for me at all.

[melanie_mccullough_4 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This may be just one of those books that wasn't really for me. I was excited to read it when I recieved it from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program. The premise sounded awesome and I love a good adventure story. I just failed to connect with this one.I didn't like the author's writing style. I didn't like the characters. It all just fell a little flat. Overall, I think that there will be middle grade readers out there who will enjoy this story, but I personally cannot recommend it.

[dranea_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Two kids happen to fall into a crystalline world and eventually start an adventure. I think the idea of this book was wonderful. Do all books have to be about the protagonists setting out to do something fantastic? No. BUT I believe in this case, I think the book would have been MUCH stronger had the kids actually set out to find a cure for their mother, not just happen to start on a quest to save their mother once they were already in this strange, new world. I think had the beginning been changed up a bit, it may have drawn me in more, but it just seemed that things happened just to happen and give the story a starting point. I also wasn't really sure how these crystal beings all had different accents. It just kind of threw me, not to mention that this was a book written for a middle school grade, and I think the phonetic writing will confuse many of them, as I even had a hard time following it from time to time. I think the plot lacked development, and the characters were very flat. The descriptions of the characters were quite unclear and it was hard to envision much of what was happening in the world. I wanted to love this book because I have been searching for something new and fun to really get into, unfortunately, this book fell far short of my expectations. The art inside the book as well as the color art on the dust jacket was superb, As always, this is just my humble opinion...

[jolerie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It is probably the last Christmas that Jesse and Maggie will be able to share with their mother, but constant fighting and bickering has soured the bittersweet festivities. Their discovery of a magical world filled with crystal kingdom inhabited with rare gems and jewelled creatures may be the very adventure needed to bring their feud to end, or else they may very well miss their last Christmas with their mother trapped in a world deep underground.Chrystallia and the Source of Light reads like a children's adventure story where the purpose of the story is to understand the moral of lesson through the eyes of the character's experiences. Although a solid story about forgiveness and truth, the descriptions of various rocks and minerals, and the random accents the characters adopted were a tad distracting to the overall story. Nevertheless, it was quick enjoyable read for the most part.

[jenreidreads · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I gave this book a sporting chance. Really, I did. I made it through about half of it before I just couldn't read any more of it. Like other reviewers have said, the fault is in the execution. The idea is intriguing, which is why I read as much of the book as I did. It's Christmastime (and I love reading holiday books this time of year), and Maggie and Jesse's mother is dying. Maggie has issues with faith. They find themselves underground in a world of living crystals. This book is SEVERELY lacking proper world-building. Somehow their Christmas tree leads them to this crystal world? Somehow their flashlight brings the crystal people to life? It's like Glaser saw too many bad movies where characters fall through a wormhole, and tried to recreate that in his book:"Images began to appear and spin past us. Images of people and places: recess at school, our unfinished house, Mommy and Daddy wearing birthday hats. And there were sounds! Sounds of laughter, a baby crying, horses neighing. There were more images: Nick at Nite, the Teletubbies, the 9/11 Towers collapsing; Mom holding us, playing with us, laughing, tickling us."Some of the writing truly made no sense whatsoever to me:"Thin blades of light sparked and spat off mica-skinned slabs that loomed above them. Brilliant streaks of blue-and-green light shot from jagged columns of blue and green crystal thrusting from crusty sleeves of rock...Playfully circling my feet, a froth of gold bubbles streamed a mane of silvery blue hair and snaked away with needly black clusters of crystals riding its back."Does that make sense to you??Even though I had a difficult time picturing the world (there are even pictures in this book! They didn't help at all!), I was still willing to go along with the story until the crystal people started talking. Each creature has a completely different accent, even when they are in the same family. One is German, one is French, one is Puerto Rican, one is Southern. (WTF) And Glaser writes their dialogue phonetically - kind of. It just looks like a jumble of mis-spelled words. It hurts my brain flipping through the book to find a good quote, so I'm skipping that one, sorry. Maybe if I wanted to read this book out loud it would have been better? I can't imagine a kid enjoying this.No matter how good an idea may be, if the writing is bad, the book is bad. This was very disappointing. Avoid it!

[amanda_r_26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A great story for young tween readers and anyone that just loves a well told tale. I enjoyed it and have passes it on to my 12 year old who is enjoying it also.

[jennyonfire · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a very entertaining book. It showed the power of love and hope. It is more for the younger crowd but in enjoyable all the same. It is full of details that make the book very worth while, it shows clearly the complexities of sibling rivalry. It is a good story for Christmas.

[the_hibernator · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Chrystallia and the Source of Light is a children's fantasy about two children who go on a quest through a magical land looking for a cure for their dying mother. It has beautiful cover art and a wonderful message. However, I found the pace a little slow. There were way too many exclamation points to emphasize the excitement of the action (better to give a good description of the action and forego the extreme punctuation). It also had characters that talked with weird accents. I generally find this annoying in books unless the author REALLY knows what he is doing. I feel that the accents are also inappropriate for the age range. Children would be confused by the accents and the book is too young for teens. It may be a nice Christmas story to read to your children, though.

[booklady123 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from LibraryThing's Early Review Program in exchange for an honest review.Chrystallia and The Source of Light by P. M. GlaserMaggie is a young girl who's life is falling a part. Her mother is dying. Her family is loosing her home. As the holidays approach, Maggie and her little brother Jesse find themselves in a strange new world - Chrystallia. and all Maggie wants to do is go home. What I liked about the book: I didn't like anything. OK, the concept was interesting, but the book just didn't live up to the potential.What I didn't like about the book: I hesitate to write this review. It seems everyone liked this book, except for me. I really did not like this book. It felt like a badly crafted mishmash of Alice and Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. The story was too hard to follow and quite frankly gave me a headache. There was either too many characters to follow. The flow of the story between the characters was too choppy. I kept losing the plot. This book is billed as a children's fantasy, but many of the characters have accents that are difficult for young readers to follow. A mangled mess of French, Russian and South Texas accents made the story even more difficult to follow. (And probably explains the migraine I got every time I read this book.)

[brie867 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Initially slow start, but worth continuing through. The inside cover art is amazing, will be passing it along to an 11 year old cousin who was fascinated with the cover! Made be hard to relate to for certain socio-economic stratas. Starts off on slightly sad footing but is soon off and running, a great adventure and perfect for a kid fascinated with rocks/crystals/geology!

[willowcove · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I'm sorry, but I just couldn't get into the book. I really tried; made about 1/3 of the way but had to give it up. It's a truly unique plot; which is very refreshing. I just couldn't relate to any but one character, Jesse, the male protagonist. Unfortunately, he just couldn't carry the book by himself. A decent first attempt though and I highly encourage Mr. Glaser to keep plugging away. And, BTW, the illustrations were wonderful!

[tavaresden · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is told in the point of view of Maggie, a young girl frustrated with all the things happening around her. Her mom's dying, they're losing their house, and now she and her brother, Jesse, has wound up in a strange new world. Enough is enough! Maggie wants to go home and she'll do whatever it takes to do that. Glaser has written an original read filled with unique characters and an interesting world made of crystal and rock. The story was concise and fast-paced so that you'll be halfway through the book before you know it. I was impressed with Maggie's character development and it was nice to see her grow up from the pouty girl in the beginning. The ending was sweet and meaningful and carries a very significant message.Although the characters were fun and unique, there was either too many or Glaser didn't do such a great job juggling them. For example, when we are first introduced to all the crystal people, Maggie and Jesse is shoved to the background. Every now and then, they'd yell out, "where are we?!" but are completely ignored. It's never a different question either, by the way. A few chapters after that, the siblings take center stage and Pytrope and Scheelite are silent. I might have missed something but it felt like they were forgotten until the very end of the book. Also, a lot of the characters have accents which can be difficult to follow along (ranging from texan to french and so on). I had trouble, anyway. Another issue was that the characters are mainly reactive. This and this has happened to the group! We must run! Oh no, it happened again! Run some more! It's not until two-thirds of the book is through before we see someone do something productive. Pro: interesting characters with quirky traits, unique plot, character development, sweet and meaningfulCon: reactive rather than proactive, characters "disappear", Maggie is very annoying until she matures, accents (depends on the reader whether you'll like it or not)Overall, this book was nice and sweet. This book is best suited for our younger readers but anyone can read and enjoy it. However, I would like to point out to parents that when we meet King Bloo, there is an overly dramatic scene where he is snuffing gold dust. Whether or not you mind you or your child reading something like that is up to you. Aside from that hiccup, the book is very kids-friendly and fun to read. Won from the Early Reviewers Giveaway in return for an honest review

[pamela325 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Chrystallia and The Source of Light' by PM Glaser...It's more than just a book...it's a fun, fantasy adventurous journey, as well as a beautiful journey of the heart...hold the book close to yours when you read it or just hold it and 'reflect'...you may feel empowered within...and every time you read it, and I think you will read it many times...you will find something new and that's just one thing that makes this book so extra special.Chrystallia and the Source of Light is heartfelt, often whimsical and very moving (got tissues??), it’s a story where a brother and sister, Jesse and Maggie, journey to a land never seen or even known before, a 'place' that you cannot even begin to imagine and just when it seems that there is no way out, and the end of 'Light' is eminent, there is a miraculous transformation which takes the characters, and subsequently the reader, to a 'place' within themselves and delivers them all to a realization of what life and our journey together is all about! It’s told through the eyes and heart of Maggie who takes in quite a bit of the atmosphere around her deeply into herself. Her survival instinct is projected by creating a `false,' tough exterior to her being. She questions her `self-worth,' judges herself harshly, and thereby, indirectly and unknowingly, others. Jesse is a sensitive young boy with the gift of the `positive power of belief.' He is full of unconditional love, and trust, belief in others and 'things.' And in this new 'land' of Chrystallia, it’s full of wonderful zany characters, made of crystals, are really cool and full of 'attitudes,' and 3D-personality, all 'living' in an incredibly colorful world of crystals where 'rules' govern the order of the 'moment.' I have no doubt that you will find and feel that some of them are 'a part of you’ too! I love Baz, he's one of my favorites...very dutiful, and dedicated, loyal…right to the end. Princess Amethyst for her glowing inner beauty and wisdom...Torri for her 'humor', honesty and inquisitiveness...certainly Pyrope...genuine in his innocence and hopefulness...ahh so many to enjoy and have fun with! King Bloo.. “AAAaaahhh, aaahh-CH-CH-CH-CHOOOOO!!” It will make a great animated film!Paul's vivid use of descriptive and figurative language is quite imaginative, inspirational, poetic and fresh. There is wordplay full of symbolism and mystery, like a puzzle loaded with laughter, subtle witticisms, terrific puns, comedy, and rhymes and riddles! There are cool messages, some in unique 'sing-song' fashion, of faith, hope, compassion, love, forgiveness, and valuing relationships throughout like a treasure chest full of the richest gems that you've found only after searching high and wide with an ancient world map encrypted with hidden code and symbols.Through the gift of Paul's narrative writing, you can feel yourself a part of the presence with Maggie and Jesse, and while you can truly feel them grow together in a bond that was deeply hidden within themselves, a bond they didn't even know they shared, you will actually witness how they discover their love for themselves, for each other and the awesome power that grows from 'within' during their journey.It's very apparent that Paul M. Glaser was able to dig into that very 'place' from deep inside, you know, that 'secret place' most of us have wherein you discover things you didn't really know about your 'self.' He explores the areas of the mind, heart, and well-being in a fun and imaginative, mysterious way that is poignant for anyone in any 'plane of time.' It's a novel for the young and not so young and one that children and young adults especially will identify with. I think you will agree that this is arguably one of the best of all family books, and destined to become one of those classics of world literature that children and adults will enjoy together for generations.There have been many other fantastic fantasy adventures written in the past, like 'The Wizard of OZ,' 'Alice in Wonderland,' the works of Charles Dickens and currently, 'Harry Potter,' and Twi-Light series etc, but now it’s time for them to move over…clear a neat space on your mantle…there are none like 'Chrystallia and the Source of Light.' So read on, journey on and discover your own new personal adventure by truly finding a unique way of 'thinking outside the box.' Discover ‘love’…...it’s a ‘big’ thing you know, it can ‘do’ a lot of things to us and Chrystallia will touch your heart in many ways and differently every time you read it! It will help you think about your own love(s), your own life and how, now matter what, there IS love and that you can (and should…don’t take people, things…life for granted) find appreciation for everything and everyone you have in your life, even if you have experienced some great sorrow that overwhelms you, changes you. That’s what Chrystallia IS about...‘love’…OUR ‘Light’ and maybe by reading it a few times, sharing your thoughts with others, you will find what that means for YOU and those around and in you and you will find ‘your way home.' And maybe, just maybe, Chrystallia can help deliver you from situations, feelings of helplessness, fear and deliver you into knowing, experiencing 'love.'Can’t finish my way too long review without mentioning the artwork by Dave Zaboski (check out his other illustrated books too)…it’s awesome! He really captures the vivid detail and passion of Paul M Glaser's 'world'...some of them would make cool mini posters...especially the inside dust jacket of all the characters...this alone would make a fun border to decorate a room with. Paint your room in Chrystallia fashion!! Hmmm…I think I will have some fun and paint my own wall murals like that!Love...it IS the `purest aspiration of humankind...it ties us all together'...Ohhhh. "You've got spaahkle, Mister!"Thanks for a sharing a part of your 'self'...your experiences...your journey...I hope You will find Your heart!Spread the Light!