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Crystal Gate
A novel of intrigue, and paranormal discovery, as good and evil wait for the balance to shift. Alexis Zen, a brilliant physicist with a troubled past, wants only to recreate ancient tech to understand our past, but is instead tasked with building top-secret devices for the U.S. military. When a loved one is murdered under mysterious circumstances, Alexis is plunged into an enigmatic world where dimensions collide and supernatural beings fight shadowy battles for supremacy. Unknown to Alexis, she holds the key that will unlock the mysteries of the universe. As she gets closer to a man who's more than he appears to be, the fate of the world-and her own sanity-hang in the balance.
- GenresParanormal
394 pages, Paperback
First published April 25, 2013
4 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 24, 2013
Crystal Gate was captivating from beginning to end. I couldn't put it down. The unknown that we all wonder about was portrayed amazingly well. Loved the way the author kept you guessing through the whole book. A book you can really get into and relate to from page one. A great book for all ages. I can't wait to see what the future holds for Alexis.
June 25, 2013
This book was totally outside of the genre I usually read but I loved it. Alexis, the main character, is drawn into a world of the paranormal in which she tries to understand how good versus evil. The ending leaves one in limbo, waiting for the next book. This is the author's first published book. She promises that the sequel is on its way. I can't wait.
August 15, 2013
This book is fantastic! The way the author wrote through the various perspectives was absolutely mind boggling. Perfect combination of science and religion. How Karisa wrote through the Master's perspective without giving you the heeby jeeby's blows my mind. This book kept me up until 3 or 4a.m. wishing I didn't have to go to work the next day! I can't wait for the second book to come out close to the end of the year. Definitely a must read!
August 16, 2013
I am a teen reader. If your teen likes video games such as Assassins Creed, they would like this read.
December 7, 2013
Delay has created an in-depth and intricate storyline that will keep you guessing and keep you thinking. She combines science with mythology and more to create a vivid and entirely new world. There was a spooky feel to the entire story. Her descriptions range from dark and foreboding to brilliantly vivid. There are shades and levels to this novel that are so intricately crafted that you can’t help but be intrigued. The story was quite enjoyable but did take me a bit to get into.
This novel has a large cast of characters, the bulk of whom are very well developed. You get to know them on a variety of different levels and through a large number of circumstances. There’s someone for everyone to identify with.
Please note that I received this novel free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review.
This novel has a large cast of characters, the bulk of whom are very well developed. You get to know them on a variety of different levels and through a large number of circumstances. There’s someone for everyone to identify with.
Please note that I received this novel free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review.
August 24, 2013
I loved Crystal Gate from start to finish. I get bored very easily so I need a book that can hold my attention. And I can honestly say that I could not put this book down! The author is creative, imaginative and pays great attention to detail without being too wordy. I love her style of writing, short chapters and "out of the box" thinking. The plot is brilliant! It's suspenseful, mysterious and intriguing. The ending was a great cliff hanger and totally unexpected! Absolutely can't wait for the second book. Read this! You won't be disappointed and you'll be wanting to read more from this author!
November 4, 2013
Karisa Delay's debut novel is an interesting look at the unseen world around us. The main character, Alexis, is embedded in a life of science and research but also has her eyes opened to the unseen, supernatural world that exists parallel to the natural, observable world. I'm interested to read about Alexis's future adventures and the fascinating worlds Delay has created. I'm excited to see Delay grow as an author and bring her unique vision to the page.
August 13, 2013
I’m usually pretty picky about what self-pub books I pick up because so many showcase why an editor is so important (and this book does have many places where you have the correctly spelled but entirely wrong word errors in it) but the author was going to be at my local library so I said what the heck. Then realized I wasn’t going to be in town that week but that is neither here nor there.
Alexis Zen is a physicist working on a secret project in a lab on Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, OH. Her new boss, James, is among other things a UFologist and yet, Alexis sees him as doubting and dismissive of her work as being ‘out there.’ (Honestly, I didn’t get that from the writing. I found Alexis to be far more dismissive of James than the other way around but it is her perception of him). She also carries some trauma from her past, some she’s aware of (abusive boyfriend of mom) and some she’s still blanked on. She’s working with Dr. Ben Asael whom she met to get her clearance to work on the air force base.
Ben asks her, after she has her clearance, to stay on, not as a patient but as a case study of sorts but this is quickly complicated by the fact he starts going to family events with her. Alexis has a strained relationship with her mom but is close to her grandparents, especially Baba, her grandmother who tells her stories since she was a child. Unfortunately there has been a death in the family as well bringing two detectives into Alexis’s life.
As for Alexis, she is paranoid, part of the reason Dr Asael wants to keep talking to her as a case study. It gets worse when she finds out James is seeing Ben (maybe because work told him to) and that Ben tells her to be careful around James. But Alexis has reason to be paranoid. She’s being watched by beings that are…well we’re never really sure. Angels (of the fallen variety)? Aliens? One of them has killed her aunt and they are answering to a man they are afraid of (and the back cover blurb leads you to think it’ll be a man Alexis is close to so James or Ben and I knew who my money was on from the beginning). Also she keeps having these black-out spells and odd dreams.
As part of her research Alexis will be traveling with James and this is where the story falters a little for me. There’s been enough build up that James is disparaging of her work and that Ben disapproves of him (and I’m not kidding when I say I didn’t see James nearly as bad as these two did) that it makes me wonder would she have gone or somehow rearranged this trip without him. She doesn’t. She does however make a play for Ben and is rejected.
While in Japan, Alexis, James and the crystal she has start experiencing some strange things, like tremors and UFOS. Ben, in an apparent change of heart, shows up, lavishing tens of thousands of dollars to jet her and James to the next area of research and to spend Alexis’s birthday with her. Among her gifts is an ancient journal from Baba detailing some of the stories about this crystal handed down from Eve. Things come to a head, very few questions are answered and you’re left needing to get the next book. Yes some things are wrapped up here but few are (and if you’re new to my reviews, I don’t mind series. I do mind when they arbitrarily end without resolving at least one plot thread).
It’s not a bad story, weaving in UFO sightings and aliens and religion. Sometimes there are odd jumps in the narrative and I did find the romance to be flat.
Alexis Zen is a physicist working on a secret project in a lab on Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, OH. Her new boss, James, is among other things a UFologist and yet, Alexis sees him as doubting and dismissive of her work as being ‘out there.’ (Honestly, I didn’t get that from the writing. I found Alexis to be far more dismissive of James than the other way around but it is her perception of him). She also carries some trauma from her past, some she’s aware of (abusive boyfriend of mom) and some she’s still blanked on. She’s working with Dr. Ben Asael whom she met to get her clearance to work on the air force base.
Ben asks her, after she has her clearance, to stay on, not as a patient but as a case study of sorts but this is quickly complicated by the fact he starts going to family events with her. Alexis has a strained relationship with her mom but is close to her grandparents, especially Baba, her grandmother who tells her stories since she was a child. Unfortunately there has been a death in the family as well bringing two detectives into Alexis’s life.
As for Alexis, she is paranoid, part of the reason Dr Asael wants to keep talking to her as a case study. It gets worse when she finds out James is seeing Ben (maybe because work told him to) and that Ben tells her to be careful around James. But Alexis has reason to be paranoid. She’s being watched by beings that are…well we’re never really sure. Angels (of the fallen variety)? Aliens? One of them has killed her aunt and they are answering to a man they are afraid of (and the back cover blurb leads you to think it’ll be a man Alexis is close to so James or Ben and I knew who my money was on from the beginning). Also she keeps having these black-out spells and odd dreams.
As part of her research Alexis will be traveling with James and this is where the story falters a little for me. There’s been enough build up that James is disparaging of her work and that Ben disapproves of him (and I’m not kidding when I say I didn’t see James nearly as bad as these two did) that it makes me wonder would she have gone or somehow rearranged this trip without him. She doesn’t. She does however make a play for Ben and is rejected.
While in Japan, Alexis, James and the crystal she has start experiencing some strange things, like tremors and UFOS. Ben, in an apparent change of heart, shows up, lavishing tens of thousands of dollars to jet her and James to the next area of research and to spend Alexis’s birthday with her. Among her gifts is an ancient journal from Baba detailing some of the stories about this crystal handed down from Eve. Things come to a head, very few questions are answered and you’re left needing to get the next book. Yes some things are wrapped up here but few are (and if you’re new to my reviews, I don’t mind series. I do mind when they arbitrarily end without resolving at least one plot thread).
It’s not a bad story, weaving in UFO sightings and aliens and religion. Sometimes there are odd jumps in the narrative and I did find the romance to be flat.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews