Hello! And welcome to Book Nerd Reviews’ stop on the Australian Crystal Kingdom Blog Tour!

The Crystal Kingdom Blog Tour will be occuring throughout all of August, and there are a lot of amazing Aussie blogs bringing you posts about Amanda Hocking’s finale in the Kanin Chronicles. This tour will include reviews, Q&As, and giveaways! And thanks to the wonderful PanMacmillan, Book Nerd Reviews will be the hosting a giveaway for a copy of Crystal Kingdom!

Welcome to the tour… I hope you enjoy the journey.

Synopsis: Cast out by her kingdom and far from home, she’s the Kanin people’s only hope.

Bryn Aven - unjustly charged with murder and treason - is on the run. The one person who can help is her greatest enemy, the enigmatic Konstantin Black. Konstantin is her only ally against those who have taken over her kingdom and threaten to destroy everything she holds dear. But can she trust him?

As Bryn fights to clear her name, the Kanin rulers’ darkest secrets are coming to light… and now the entire troll world is on the brink of war. Will it tear Bryn from Ridley Dresden, the only guy she’s ever loved? And can she join forces with Finn Holmes and the Trylle kingdom? One thing is certain: an epic battle is underway—and when it’s complete, nothing will ever be the same

 

Publisher: PanMacmillan Australia
Goodreads: Add it to your reading list
Purchase: Click here to purchase

Author Bio

Amanda Hocking is a lifelong Minnesotan obsessed with Batman and Jim Henson. In between watching cooking shows, taking care of her menagerie of pets, and drinking too much Red Bull Zero, she writes young adult urban fantasy and paranormal romance.

Her New York Times best-selling series the Trylle Trilogy has been optioned for films. She has published fifteen novels, including the Hollows and the Watersong series. Frostfire and Ice Kissed - the first two books in her newest trilogy, The Kanin Chronicles - are out now, and the final book Crystal Kingdom will be out August 4, 2015.

Where to find Amanda:

Review

This review contains spoilers for Frostfire and Ice Kissed.

Bryn’s world has been turned upside down and the Kanin tribe are on the verge of begin destroyed. Bryn has uncovered secrets and betrayals, horrors and treason - and it goes all the way to the top - to her Queen. The Queen has the Kanin people on the verge of war against a false enemy, and her ruthless lust for power will destroy them all. Bryn is on the outside, on the run from the tribe she loves, but now she has choice a to make: hide and save her own life, or to risk everything and try to save what she loves - her Kingdom and the Kanin tribe.

Crystal Kingdom starts exactly where Ice Kissed left us, with Bryn being wrongly accused of crimes she did not commit, escaped from Doldastam and in fear of being found before she can clear her name. But the strangest thing Bryn finds about her situation is that she finds herself talking to Konstantin Black…and he wants to be friends.

Reluctantly Bryn decides to give him a chance. After all, she needs help, and since those who she trust are unable to be with her, Bryn settles for Konstantin. Bryn and Konstantin form a tense working relationship as they cross the landscape together and try to obtain support from the other kingdoms - although this seems like a long shot, they have to try everything they can if they are to save Doldastam. Everything and everyone is at risk, and Bryn will do whatever it takes to save what she loves. Although they are working together, and he has previously saved her life, Bryn still has her reservations about Konstantin, and the tension and distrust is as intriguing to the storyline as it is humorous.

Bryn herself is a great character, she is strong, determined, loyal and smart - but she has a habit of taking responsibility for everything that happens. And although she must learn that she cannot take the blame for every bad thing that happens, I did find that in Crystal Kingdom that she did make some disastrous mistakes - and to be honest, I do actually blame her for some things that happen. Which is contradictory to the storyline as a part of her journey is to learn to stop blaming herself for everything that happens - ooops.

I felt in this finale we got to learn more about other characters, primarily Konstantin. I especially loved the Konstantin storyline - I love a bad boy, and there is more than just a few layers to this handsome, deadly troll. And although tension has been pretty high between him and Bryn throughout the series (who can blame Bryn, he did try to kill her father), I really enjoyed watching their relationship blossom. I just love the complexity of Konstantin - he really is misunderstood, but yet he is far from innocent. He is tortured, but yet he is willing to accept his past as it is without the expectation of it being erased.

Crystal Kingdom takes us on a journey - literally. We get to visit other kingdoms, some of which we have visited before, whereas others are new to us. I really loved crossing to other kingdoms, I enjoyed the various cultures within this world - and although it might be just wishful thinking, I wonder if there will be another spin-off series? Along the journey across kingdoms we get to make some new friends and reunite with old ones, and we get to learn a lot more about the Skojare, Omte, Vittra and Trylle tribes. Yes, Tyrlle - we get cameos from some of our favourites from the Trylle Trilogy - Wendy, Loki and Finn - although I will admit that I do wish we could have seen a little more of Loki :)

Another thing I also loved about Crystal Kingdom that throughout the story we get to see what is happening in Doldastam via letters penned by Ember. Although the story follows Bryn, from time to time we get to piece bits of information together as they are told to us by Bryn’s best friend - and even though these letters are never sent to Bryn, I found this a lovely way to switch perspectives without it feel forced or unnatural. The inclusion of unread letters from one friend to another is a beautifully natural way to show the reader exactly what Bryn is not seeing while she is away from the city that she is determined to save.

As per its predecessors, Crystal Kingdom is filled with amazing world-building and fantastic writing. This finale is filled with action, heartbreaking decisions, true loves, conflict, determination and bravery of all kinds.

Bryn must face a world filled with destruction, death and betrayal before hoping to rebuild all that has been lost. She must expose injustices, uncover more secrets, obtain allies and be ready to die for her kingdom. Bryn is fighting for everything she loves - including Ridley. But will Ridley be able to love the girl she must be to do it?

Enemies will become friends, friends will become enemies. There is no such thing as a safe war. Filled with tension, loyalty, courage, deception, lies, love, bravery, heartbreak and determination, Crystal Kingdom is a fantastic finale to the Kanin Chronicles.

Giveaway

PanMacmillan Australia is giving away a copy of Crystal Kingdom as part of this blog tour.

Enter below – Australians only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the Crystal Kingdom Blog Tour:

Follow the tour by heading to the next tour stop for a review of Crystal Kingdom at Butterfly Elephant.

And if you missed it, make sure you visit the first stop on the tour at Diva Booknerd for a review and Q&A!