The Crystal Heart

Fairy Tales

by Sophie Masson

A girl in a tower. An underground kingdom. This retelling of Rapunzel offers a gripping blend of magic, romance, adventure, fairytale, and mystery.

When 17-year-old army conscript Kasper Bator is chosen to join the elite guard that keeps watch over a dangerous prisoner in a tower, he believes what he's been told: the prisoner is a powerful witch. But when he meets the prisoner, Kasper's life will change forever—for the prisoner is no witch, but a beautiful young girl. The daughter of the country's enemy, the Prince of Night, Izolda has been held hostage since she was three. And she is in imminent danger, for a prophecy says she must die on her 16th birthday if Krainos is to be saved from the Prince of Night. Kasper decides to help her escape. As the days pass, their friendship turns into real love, but their hiding place won't stay safe forever.

Genres: Fantasy, Retellings, Young Adult, Romance, Fairy Tales, Fairy Tale Retellings, Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2014

About the author

Born in Indonesia of French parents, Sophie Masson was sent to live with her paternal grandmother in Toulouse, France, when she was just a baby and lived there till she was nearly five, when her parents came back from Indonesia and took her to Australia. All the rest of her childhood, the family stayed in Australia, with frequent trips back to France, and this dual heritage underpins a good deal of Sophie's work.
Sophie's first book appeared in 1990 and since then she has published more than seventy books, for children, young adults and adults. Her books have been published in Australia, the USA, UK, France, Germany, Italy, and many other countries. She has also had many short stories and articles published in newspapers, magazines, and online journals.
Sophie holds a BA and M.Litt in French and English literature, and a PhD in Creative Practice. A former Chair of the Australian Society of Authors, she is the current Chair (2021) of the New England Writers' Centre and of the Small Press Network. She is also the President committee of the New England and North West sub-branch of the Children's Book Council of Australia, NSW branch.
Sophie has received several awards for her creative work, including the Patricia Wrightson Prize in the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, and the YA category of the Aurealis Awards. In 2019 she received an AM in the Order of Australia for her significant service to literature as an author, a publisher, and through service to literary organisations.
Sophie's website is at www.sophiemassonauthor.com
She has a writing blog at www.firebirdfeathers.com
Her You Tube channel, with trailers to many of her books, is at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWLa...
She is also a regular contributor to the popular authorship blog Writer Unboxed, www.writerunboxed.com

Reviews

[Bibliothecat · Rating 3 out of 5]

“She never forgot who she was. And that meant that she never forgot who I was, either.”

This was my third Sophie Masson book and it confirms what I have already noticed in the previous two books: she weaves interesting plots set in an intriguing fictional Europe that will have you speeding through the pages - However!! she writes Romance in such a poor manner. Just like in the previous two books, I could see the attraction between our lead characters Kasper and Izolda. Yet, within mere chapters - a handful of days of their knowing each other - they declare their undying love. Not only is the Romance awkwardly rushed, the frequency of how often they call one another 'my love', 'my dear' or 'my sweet' is more than just a little cringe-worthy - you know, sometimes too much just kills it.

As their Romance was set between two warring countries, I felt the stakes were set much higher which made the unconvincing Romance all the more of a problem for me. Nonetheless, I enjoyed both Kasper and Izolda's narratives. I particularly liked how the narration alternated between the two, with Kasper getting slightly more narrative time than Izolda. It was nice to have the story partially told from a male lead's perspective!

In the end, though, it was the conflict between the two warring countries and the circumstances around them that made this an interesting book. From the beginning, one can sense that things don't quite add up the way they are presented - why are the two countries at war? Why was Izolda truly imprisoned? Who is the true traitor? There is also a time skip and a moment when Izolda and Kasper are pitched against each other - something that would have been a lot more of an intense read if their Romance had been better developed.

Although set in the same universe as Moonlight and Ashes and Scarlet in the Snow, I felt there were fewer cameos and hints referring to the other works - apart from place names, much of what was included seemed new. There were mentions of Angels and The Lady - things that hadn't been mentioned in the earlier works and were also never fully explained. I think I would have preferred if it had been more relevant to the other books, yet it had its own interesting corners to discover: the underground kingdom of Night certainly had its charms.

Overall, I think this one is weaker than the first two books, but it is still quite a good book in its own right. The schemes and political aspects were nicely done and the plot twists came with good effect and great timing.

[Khrys ♡《TheWaffleGirl》 · Rating 2 out of 5]

i literally cannot with instalove oops but i guess i'd enjoy this if i was like 8.

[Anne Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps unfortunately, this fantasy is set up both thematically and stylistically as a romance when, by the end, it was the political machinations that made it absorbing enough to stand out from the pack. In the first hour after finishing it, I must have re-read the ‘quality of mercy’ scene twenty times. It was hauntingly lovely.

To his surprise, Kasper is chosen to join the elite group of guards watching over a prisoner in an isolated tower. Commander Los hand-picks him to be one of the wardens of the Witch of Night. Most of his tasks, however, involve kitchen duties. He’s both intrigued and terrified by the prospect of ever seeing the wicked old hag—only her capture by Los, ten years previously, staved off the destruction of Krainos by the feyin armies of Night.

Life proceeds in a boring, normal fashion until one day Kasper bumps his head and starts to hear voices. One is of a girl fearful of being killed on her eighteenth birthday. In dismay and unease, Kasper decides on a lunatic course of action—he’ll consult the witch about the voices.

Ascending via the dumb waiter, he discovers Izolda—a beautiful princess held hostage to ensure the Prince of Night keeps his word about the decade-old treaty.
One look and Kasper’s already halfway in love with the vulnerable princess—who, because of a secret prophecy regarding her eighteenth birthday, has only hours to live.

Kasper decides, for the sake of his country, that he cannot allow innocent blood to be shed. So—knowing his action will be seen as treason—he helps Izolda get away. The escape is smooth and almost effortless. Kasper takes Izolda to a hidden cottage, deep in the woods, where no one will suspect them to go.

Inevitably they fall in love.

Inevitably they part.

Inevitably there are misunderstandings, betrayals, twists, dark plots and even darker counterplots, secrets hiding still more secrets.

The machinations of the Council of Krainos and the apparent dark and secret alliance with the Prince of Night (with whom they are allegedly at war) forms an intriguing political backdrop.

This is the finest of fantasy with a very faint touch of steampunk-like mechanisation. While Kasper and Izolda are, of course, the featured viewpoint characters in this fairytale romance, I found Commander Alek Los and the Prince of Night far more interesting.

And, as I said at the beginning, I loved the perfect scene where Los is horrified to be offered mercy by his captors. I read it again and again, savouring its nuances.

[✨Selena Yukino✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.0 stars

An okay read but the writing style and cliches kind of ruined it for me.

[Stef Rozitis · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the plus side it's very clearly a fairy story and in that vein the high-romance (think Wesley and Buttercup but less ironic) sort of works...but there's stereotypical stuff around gender (again think Wesley and Buttercup) where Kaspar is true and courageous and self-sacrificing and strong and Izoldeis kind of helpless and needs protecting, rescuing and carrying but had more emotional depth (cringe). I sort of love-hated the constant flip where one side is the good guys and the other side in the bad guys no hang on these ones are bad and those are good no hang on.

I found it sort of predictable but that could be my experience as a reader whereas this is actually written for teens and the idea of compassion and forgiveness is good. The idea that kidnapping, attempted murder and toture can be shrugged off, or that when your partner dies it's defenisible to be so angry you start a war was problematic even in something this camp. I would have liked some acknowledgement of that- the suffering caused to untold minions and civilians (literally untold since apart from Kaspar they barely appear at the fringes).

The cottage life chapters were idyllic and probably when I was in middle school I would have enjoyed that. Throughout the book there was an obsession with describing food no matter what else was happening but I didn't mind that too much. The idea that even when you feel like your other half has abandoned and doesn't love you you could be wrong is probably worth considering. All romances in the book were scary intense and heterosexual.

I was neither blown away nor hating the book and I suppose there's a place for it when people want literal fairy-tales (sans "Dark" retellings) and romance and cottage life.

[Elevetha · Rating 2 out of 5]

*DNF at 112 pages*

While the storyline was somewhat interesting, it was not nearly enough so to save the book from the insta-love romance and gag-o-matic dialogue.

The Insta-love I really think I could have pushed past but the dialogue!!! Was!! So!! Bad!!! Not worth sitting here rolling my eyes at for another 200 pages.

[Mary the Winter · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me a couple of days to get my thoughts in order.

So, I LOVE Rapunzel stories, she's my favourite princess and I love stories about breaking free from bonds.
But... for starters, I was and kinda still am confused in what time period this was taking place. Yes, I know there was magic and you can come up with anything you want as a writer but I just couldn't focus on the story because of it. Probably because I thought it would be set in the middle ages but there were lifts, trucks etc. There was even Thanksgiving so that threw me off as well.

The Instalove was so anoying, I understand that Rapunzel is instalove in general, but I was quite annoyed by it. I think I would have liked this better if I had read it 10 years ago.

It wasn't all that bad, but I had higher hopes.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

The following sentence accurately depicts how much sense this book makes:

Bdoalfn sisodns sheiks who falcons jbs oaken desks.

Honestly.
This book was so bad.
The only reason I finished it was because I couldn't calm down the all knowing devil inside my brain. I just had to know what happened because honestly I didn't see where it was going at all.

First of all, this book had major insta-love-itis. It's awful. It's gruesome and it honestly gave me second hand embarrassment. Literally within five seconds they go from being friends to calling each other "my love" and declaring that "no power on earth shall ever part us".
It was gross.


Not to mention the lack of thought into the characters.
Izolda (is that how you spell her name? Do I care?) is okay but then there's Kasper. He literally goes from one end of the spectrum to the other within a page.
He's a completely broken man. He's been cracked. His life means nothing and he hates the girl he once loved and is ready to kill her father. Then OH NO WAIT he's perfectly fine and in love again now. Never mind.

Not to mention that literally zero of the plot makes sense. And then the author tries to tie everything up at the end as if it was planned that way all along.

I would recommend reading this if you want to laugh at how poorly written it is. That's it.

[Kirsti · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a fan of Juliet Marillier, then there's a high probability you'll like this book. After all, Juliet praises it on the back cover, although that wasn't the name that drew me in first. Sophie Masson speaks for herself! After reading Scarlet in the Snow I knew she was great, and this book proves it. She makes fairy tale retelling unique and wonderful again, rather than cheesy and cliched.

There's a tower on the front cover, so Rapunzel this time, right? But it reads like the Princess and the Goblin too! Then there is a unique world created anyway, and some characters I grew to love after a few pages(not necessarily the main characters either!) There's magic, and plot twists, and all kinds of things I'd like to add an exclamation mark after. As I told my partner, this is the kind of book I'd like to slap people in the face with until they read it, I enjoyed it that much.

Adorable, fun and fast paced, yet again Sophie Masson is going on my top read for the year list!

[Morgan (The Bookish Beagle)]

DNF. I loved the cover and premise so much but this is not very good at all. The writing and dialogue is amateurish. The characters are boring and wooden, and it's hard to tell the two viewpoints apart. They also trust each other WAY too easily; I can smell the instalove coming from a mile away. I'm a little curious how the plot will unfold but I can't deal with the characters and I have no desire to pick up my book. Can't recommend this sadly.

[Jody · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book. From the first page I was totally engrossed. I loved the two main characters and their world. I was sorry when the book finished and easily could have read on for another couple of hundred pages. Can't wait for Sophie Masson's next Young Adult book.

[Deb Omnivorous Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice little mythic fairy-tale style fantasy; 17 year old Kasper joins an elite guard watching over a dangerous witch in a tower, a witch no one has ever seen. Through curiosity, he finds the 'witch' is merely a young girl his own age, one who is about to be killed he rescues her, they fall in love.

But then the twist! They are discovered,Kasper is imprisoned and tortured before a way opens for him to find his revenge. Only to do so he must travel to Izolda's father's underground kingdom.

With lashings of 'Rapunzel' mixed with some 'Princess and the goblin' this was a light pretty little tale. Our two main protagonists are likable and soundly written. The darker parts of the story are rather glosses over and skimmed past, but that I suppose is part of the YA element.

Fun to read, not earth shattering, and yes, love does triumph.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this Rapunzel retelling. The beginning started out really strong. The middle slowed down a little bit and the ending was strong. I enjoyed Izolda and Kasper's story. I will be reading another Sophie Masson book soon.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a Rapunzel retelling. I mean, it was a good story. But, just because a girl starts off in a tower does not make this a Rapunzel story. It was missing too much lore. However, like I said it's a good story.

[Ally Rance · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe because I'm old and cynical I find this a bit too soppy for my taste. I still finished it to find out what happens so the story itself was enough - particularly with faster pace in the beginning of the last third. A fine enough diversion while at home sick.

[Aanya Goyal · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first this book looked like a kids fantasy novel but in reality it is written in a way that is truly magical and astonishing. I loved both Izolda and Kasper as well as Adamay and Gloria. This book is so underrated and i absolutely adored it.

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a little more hope for this book than it ended up deserving. I enjoyed although it was drawn out a bit The Scarlet Rose and so was hoping that this book would be even better but alas it was not. I think that Sophie was trying to keep up to a word count which meant that the book was written three times longer than it had to have been and the constant 'feelings' of love and loss by each of the characters was probably too soppy and way too long which was a shame. I love fairy tales but this was just too long and drawn out.

The story is about Kasper and Izolda, a retelling of Repunzel though no hair here was shimmed up upon. The story is told from both their points of view which was interesting but instead of enhancing the story it dragged it out. Easy enough read for junior teens though I doubt boys would get through it as the feelings of love and loss are constant and very 'girly'. I think Sophie is trying too hard here and needs to put in more story and action into the novels, or write them as a set of short stories instead.

[Amra Pajalic · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the Crystal Heart Sophie Masson re imagines Rapunzel's fairy tale in a fantasy setting where feys and humans share a world.

Kasper is the guard protecting his realm from what he has been told is a powerful witch. When he finds out that the girl in the tower is actually Izolda, the daughter of the country's enemy, and that her life is in danger he puts everything on the line to save her. Now he has to find out who is truly telling the truth and where his loyalties lie.


This is a story of adventure, romance and magic. It was a great read and I adore the cover.

[Selena · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good book but there was flaws with it. First some of things Sophie Masson said in the novel didn't correspond to what she had previously said in the novel. It also changed to the other person at random points with no notation that they were changing. Other than that, the novel was very enjoyable and really reminded me of Rapunzel with a new spin on it. I enjoyed it and will probably read more novels by Sophie Masson.

[Grace Tehrani · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was an ok book. I liked the character of Kasper a lot (i am so glad he had black hair and not blonde or brown) but it was SO darn SAPPY!!! like, shoot, they only knew each other for, what was it? Three or four days, and kissing already? Heh. Talk about wishful thinking. u don't kiss a guy after knowing him for THREE OR FOUR flippin' DAYS. But i liked the character of the Prince of Night.


But seriously. not my kind of book.

[Mariah H · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me away to another world where anything was possible. I really got caught up in the story and found myself reading as fast as I could to find out what happened next. I wasn't anything like I expected for I expected something akin to the story Rapunzel, but what I read instead had a very faint trace of that so that you knew what inspired the story but was by no means restricted by the stereotype, instead it was it's own story.

[Khue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing read. Sophie has written some of my almost favourite books... (I'm talking about Moonlight and Ashes), but Crystal Heart didn't do it for me. Got bored from the first chapter. Got annoyed at the main protagonist because of her behaviour at around the fourth chapter... and from then, the entire plot went down hill. I didn't buy the romance either. It was a combination of too cheesy and too superficial.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I bought this I thought it was going to be a take on the Rapunzel story and honestly, that is why I delayed reading it. Rest assured, it is not remotely Rapunzelly! If it is a take on a faitytale like the other books then I don't know that fairytale.

It is a lovely story. I had no idea who's side the Commander was on. Very intriguing.

[Georgia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't sure if I'd read this book before when I started...
Having finished I'm still not sure, at times it felt like at read it, at others it felt like I hadn't!
NO - I'm not suffering amnesia (I think!)! I feel this is just a bit of a forgettable book...
At times it also was hard to follow - but still an enjoyable, light book with a lovely romantic story!

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy, enjoyable read, although I did not see the need for alternating POVs. I feel the story would have been stronger if told purely from Kasper's perspective, especially when his doubts about Izolda start to sneak in.

[Christian West · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gentle fantasy story about a young guard who liberates a political prisoner and falls in love with her. The story meanders a bit, and the main protagonists fall in love way too fast for my practical self, but it is enjoyable.

[Teashy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was full of surprises, romance, hope, courage, trust and justice. A lot lies beyond the surface as you will find in this fantastic book. Remember love is stronger then death.

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

An epic fairy-tale of grand proportions. Izolda and Kasper have much to suffer and sacrifice before they can claim their destiny.

Lots of secrets, travelling through different lands, and separation. SO lots of actions and revelations and romance.

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Retelling of: Rapunzel

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! It did take a while for me to really get into, but it was amazing! I really liked the. twist, I actually did not see that one coming, which I love. I would recommend this to anyone!