The Crystilleries of Echoland

By: Dew Pellucid

Narrated by: B.J. Harrison

Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

An award-winning teen fantasy-mystery.

Described by fans as "complex", "intriguing", "imaginative", “gripping”, and “Harry Potter-like”.

Thousands of children disappear from our world. No one sees the kidnapping; or if they do, they forget. But one toddler returns after a week, riding a wolf with a falcon circling over him. That boy is Will Cleary.

Will tries to live a normal life. But his twin sister is still missing, and their parents never stop searching for her. Then, just before his 13th birthday, Will's pets reveal a secret to him. (Though how it happens will remain a secret, until you listen to the audiobook.)

A hidden world lies beneath our feet, a land filled with see-through trees and lucent people. They call us Sounds, and they are our Echoes; for each one of them is a reflection of one of us. It is a sparkling, beautiful place, a winter wonderland. But there is evil there, a terrible law, the law of death.

When a Sound dies in our world, his Echo is executed in Echoland. And there are those who reverse the order of things to achieve their wicked ends. They hunt the Sound of the Echo they want to kill. Then, the first death leads to the second as surely as lightning leads to thunder.

Is that what happened to the missing children in Will's realm? Did someone want to murder their Echoes? Or are these Sounds still alive, trapped somewhere in Echoland?

Will tries to escape the frightening answer. But dangers sweep him into that magical, see-through land. And there, in a fortress filled with castaway children, a 200-year-old riddle lies buried. The most important boy in Echoland will help Will solve it, with a handful of other kids. For the fate of Echoland, and of the Sound realm, depends on the answer.

An answer hidden in an ancient book...deep in a frozen lake of gems...beyond a buried door...at the foot of the greatest Crystillery of all.

But many men and monsters, crystal balls and spying eyes, will try to stop the brave teens. For how see-through your skin is is all-important in Echoland. And when this ancient hate will end, the realm of the Echoes will change forever.

"A young hero must ally with his alter ego in an intricate parallel universe in order to rescue his sister and save his own life. A gripping...fantasy coming-of-age novel." (Kirkus Reviews)

Winner of seven book awards.

©2018 Tal Boldo (P)2018 Nothing but the Story

Exciting story to listen to!

I really enjoyed listening to this story. The story itself was exciting, with colorful characters and many plot twists. The hero, twelve-year-old Will Clearly has a unique coming-of-age experience by traveling into a parallel world to find out the fate of his twin sister, and gets pulled political mayhem. The narration was a joy to listen to, with different voices for each character, and was charged with emotion so I could feel the story. I am planning on listening to this one again soon!

Great Audiobook!

Loved the voices in this audio book. I felt like I was right there with all the characters. The voice was calming yet exciting when the action picked up. Usually I get annoyed with audible book voices, but not this one! Great job!!

Enchanting YA novel

This was a very creative and original story about a boy who starts searching for his twin sister, and finds a land of Echoes that needs his help. It's a great story that both teens and adults can enjoy.

Great Family Fantasy Story

This is a great family story about a young boy, Will, who travels to the Echoland - a world where there is an Echo for every Sound in the human world. Will is trying to save his sister who was taken to Echoland, but he quickly finds that he is in the center of a conflict that could change the future of Echoland.
I really enjoyed listening to this story. It is about 8 hours long and the narrator has a wonderful voice. He reads at the perfect pace to follow the story, stay interested and really see the characters and scenes. He uses different voices for each character which I always appreciate when listening. It would be a great pick to listen to during a family trip as it will keep kids and adults both enthralled.

Unique exciting story albeit a bit choppy

I thought "The Chrystilleries of Echoland" was a very entertaining and unique tale. I was captivated the entire time by the plethora of fascinating ideas and surprising story turns. While it was thrilling, Dew Pellucid's creation of a completely new universe presented thoughts and concepts quickly, making it somewhat difficult to understand. Often, I had to read over certain passages again in order to fully understand the nuances of the story. I had a great overall experience, and I would gladly welcome a sequel despite its sporadic difficulty. I was left feeling both satisfied and curious for more because of the novel's distinct charm and the excitement of discovering more secrets in Echoland.

Thoroughly enjoyable story and retelling

This is the first audiobook I've ever listened to. While I prefer the written book format, this was a great story. The author wove a spellbinding tale, and the narrator was a great choice to read it. I haven't been as interested in a young adult fantasy story since the Harry Potter series was introduced.

The narrator spoke clearly and held my attention. The story had a lot of dialogue, which was easy to follow because he used different tones of voice as well as accents for each character. The story itself was creative and full of action. There were a few parts that could be a little scary for younger kids, but overall, I'd highly recommend this audiobook.

Magical and old-fashioned

There is a special charm in tales that are old-fashioned. They tend to last longer, no matter what. This tale is filled with imagination and mystery that will make you want to listen on and on. However, you might find yourself in want of going back to the written version in order to understand some parts. The narrator has a beautiful voice, but each character tends to sound the same. That does not distract from the beautiful narration, though. This is a book intended for teenagers, but the story sounds like it was made for much younger kids. However, there are creepy passages and mention of blood and remorseless deaths. I can see kids who like innocent stories adore this book while the kids who read well above their age might notice the lack of character building. Still, the world is detailed and magical. Thank you for this audiobook.

The Crystilleries of Echoland

The story centers around the main character (William) as he searches for his missing twin. Although it happened several years before, he and his parents ( In their own way) never stopped searching for her. He along with his fearless protectors enter a magical world of doppelgangers known as echos. As he searches and finds truths, he is enlisted to assist his echo (the prince) to thwart his evil uncle that is assuming the thrown. Together with friends he made they travel to a secret world and bring back a possible salvation to the misery and torment felt daily by the inhabitants of Echoland. The author incorporates the most fantastical items like crystilleries, echo hideaways and the idea of cold-sleep in this coming-of-age young adult novel. I enjoyed listening to it and would recommend it to YA readers and anyone that enjoy magic and fantasy genres. The most memorable and brief moment for me was also the moment I was least prepared. Animal abuse of any kind is horrendous, but the ideology of the Echoland characters, makes it twice as disturbing. B.J. Harrison does a fantastic job with the characters for story immersion. I enjoyed listening to his narration.

Very Entertaining and Enlightening

The story was well structured, and it has a perfect end. The author did not forget any piece in the epilogue. The story is quite creative and I enjoyed the unique terms in the Echoland which added life and color to the story. I commend the author for this amazing creativity.

Mystical magical winter wonderland

This book was a great read to listen to. B. J. Harrisons myriad of voices and the crystal clear imagery from Pellucid make it so easy to get lost in this book. Up until the end this book had me on my toes. Would read again. Definitely recommend.