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The Crystal Odyssey #1
The Crimson Orb
While thousands of people travel to Meecham to seek the legendary Crimson Orb, teenage Nissa Day is more concerned about her missing magic teacher, the wizard Madoc, who failed to return after a journey to care for his ailing father. Together with her older brother Blane, she rides east from Holm Manor to look for him, taking two strange books they found in Madoc's chambers. They secure passage from East Harbor to Fairhaven, the capital of the East Islands. At the Citadel in Fairhaven, they are joined by Madoc's brother Gareth, sister Carys, and two of Gareth's men. Their perilous journey back across the sea by ship, then south on horseback and west through the Frozen Tundra of Sorn eventually brings them to Meecham, a town teaming with Orb seekers. They learn Madoc is being held by four outlaws, who believe he can lead them to the red crystal before anyone else. Through their adventures, Nissa learns how little she knows about her world. She is able to develop unexpected skills, including the ability to mindspeak with Madoc. Will Nissa and her companions be able to use their combined abilities to rescue Madoc? Is the Orb really in Meecham?
277 pages, Paperback
First published June 10, 2014
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10 people want to read
About the author
Joyce Hertzoff
16 books30 followersI've gone from fact-based writing in the scientific information industry to writing fiction, both fantasy and mystery stories.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 2, 2018
The Crimson Orb is a story about a young girl and her brother traveling around, cooking and making dubious choices to search for a missing person then get back home. It’s based on a simple premise, a man goes missing and two kids decide they won’t wait for other people to search for the man, they decide to go out and hunt for him without much preparation or forethought.
“In the end she chose Blane. I wasn’t very surprised and I don’t think anyone was.”
First person writing normally enables to ride the MC’s emotions, to get a more personal experience, but the writing in Crimson Orb felt telegraphic. There’s almost no physical description and we are flat out told how the MC and other people feel rather than to have observations on what those other people look like.
Now, I’ve been entertained by food movies. Normally there are challenges, rivalries, and so on. I don’t necessarily expect to read more about food than anything else in a fantasy novel though. And it does feel odd that every meal (except two, one of those in a palace) seems wonderful when someone is backpacking across the country and going to ramshackle inns and places It also feels odd that a boy and a girl from a privileged background never miss a step or feel out of place despite the various places they go. Then there is the traveling. Most novels with as much travel will skim over the boring parts; there will come a time when there will be something along the lines of “days went by in the same dreary fashion” or whatever. Not so in Crimson Orb. You get treated to every meal the group has and every night.
Then, there’s the matter that there are literally no hardships in this story. Every challenge (and there’s quite a bit of random ones, from pirates, creatures of the wild, hostage rescue, crime investigation, hazardous land, etc.) is defeated within ten pages, and not through some ingenious means but most often through a magic system that is kept vague throughout the whole story. The lack of hiccups made for a peculiar, monotonous pace, where I never really wondered what was going to happen, I knew whatever came up there would be a magical way to get out of it before I could get familiar with the threat/obstacle.
No to mention, character evolution and progress is most of the time driven by failures and setbacks. But despite the MC and her brother actively hunting for failures by heading right into whatever waits with next to no planning, there’s two setbacks in the whole story, and both driven by stupidity. For example: setting no sentries after getting back a hostage and leaving the abductors alive and free. That’s a problem because beyond her feelings for the love interest, the woman I’m reading about by the end of the book doesn’t give me the impression she’s changed from what she was at the beginning.
The last nail for me was the love story. Am I the only one creeped out by a guy who came somewhere while he was 16, the girl 8, and when the girl reaches 18, they get together? I mean, most fantasy twist what medieval life was to some degree, most often to hike up the character’s ages to something than feels more natural to the contemporary reader while trying to get most other things right. This is made manifest in Crimson Orb because, people are considered more than children at 18, there’s a boatload of progressive values upheld by royals and nobles alike, a modern Y shaped sling shot instead of medieval slings, and so on. Yet, there’s this story of a 26 year old man who was in a position of authority over a child for the last 10 years and who gets into a love story with her.
I didn’t enjoy The Crimson Orb, but it might be more to your liking if you appreciate:
• Clean Fantasy (Little to no violence, most of it off screen);
• Reading about someone cooking;
So, due to a monotonous story, focus on food rather than human interactions, and lack of challenges or character evolution, I would rate The Crimson Orb two (2) stars on the goodreads rating.
“In the end she chose Blane. I wasn’t very surprised and I don’t think anyone was.”
First person writing normally enables to ride the MC’s emotions, to get a more personal experience, but the writing in Crimson Orb felt telegraphic. There’s almost no physical description and we are flat out told how the MC and other people feel rather than to have observations on what those other people look like.
Now, I’ve been entertained by food movies. Normally there are challenges, rivalries, and so on. I don’t necessarily expect to read more about food than anything else in a fantasy novel though. And it does feel odd that every meal (except two, one of those in a palace) seems wonderful when someone is backpacking across the country and going to ramshackle inns and places It also feels odd that a boy and a girl from a privileged background never miss a step or feel out of place despite the various places they go. Then there is the traveling. Most novels with as much travel will skim over the boring parts; there will come a time when there will be something along the lines of “days went by in the same dreary fashion” or whatever. Not so in Crimson Orb. You get treated to every meal the group has and every night.
Then, there’s the matter that there are literally no hardships in this story. Every challenge (and there’s quite a bit of random ones, from pirates, creatures of the wild, hostage rescue, crime investigation, hazardous land, etc.) is defeated within ten pages, and not through some ingenious means but most often through a magic system that is kept vague throughout the whole story. The lack of hiccups made for a peculiar, monotonous pace, where I never really wondered what was going to happen, I knew whatever came up there would be a magical way to get out of it before I could get familiar with the threat/obstacle.
No to mention, character evolution and progress is most of the time driven by failures and setbacks. But despite the MC and her brother actively hunting for failures by heading right into whatever waits with next to no planning, there’s two setbacks in the whole story, and both driven by stupidity. For example: setting no sentries after getting back a hostage and leaving the abductors alive and free. That’s a problem because beyond her feelings for the love interest, the woman I’m reading about by the end of the book doesn’t give me the impression she’s changed from what she was at the beginning.
The last nail for me was the love story. Am I the only one creeped out by a guy who came somewhere while he was 16, the girl 8, and when the girl reaches 18, they get together? I mean, most fantasy twist what medieval life was to some degree, most often to hike up the character’s ages to something than feels more natural to the contemporary reader while trying to get most other things right. This is made manifest in Crimson Orb because, people are considered more than children at 18, there’s a boatload of progressive values upheld by royals and nobles alike, a modern Y shaped sling shot instead of medieval slings, and so on. Yet, there’s this story of a 26 year old man who was in a position of authority over a child for the last 10 years and who gets into a love story with her.
I didn’t enjoy The Crimson Orb, but it might be more to your liking if you appreciate:
• Clean Fantasy (Little to no violence, most of it off screen);
• Reading about someone cooking;
So, due to a monotonous story, focus on food rather than human interactions, and lack of challenges or character evolution, I would rate The Crimson Orb two (2) stars on the goodreads rating.
February 11, 2018
Safe and Tame
I realize this is a YA novel, so there aren't scenes that will warp fragile little minds, but everything was a little too tame for me. It starts out with the heroine learning that she has magical powers because she can do something that requires sight, with her eyes closed. (Haven't we seen this before?)
She goes to a wizard for training because a wizard is: "using what skills and knowledge and abilities I have to help other people." This is up there with the Spinx saying, "He who questions training only trains himself at asking questions."
When the wizard goes missing she and her brother set out on a quest and learn skills along the way. Those skills are mostly cooking skills, but the skills learned in a quest don't have to directly relate to the conflict. In "The Empire Strikes Back" Luke learns to lift boxes with his mind while standing on his head, I can't wait to see the film when he uses that skill in a battle.
They face challenges that are quickly resolved with little violence shown.
Anton Chekhov said, "If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there." Nissa learns to sew and cook, this would be great if the final battle involved sewing and cooking, but it doesn't.
Overall, it was like being handed a cup of coffee that was made with one scoop per pot. You have the taste of the coffee but it's too watered down actually enjoy the flavor.
I realize this is a YA novel, so there aren't scenes that will warp fragile little minds, but everything was a little too tame for me. It starts out with the heroine learning that she has magical powers because she can do something that requires sight, with her eyes closed. (Haven't we seen this before?)
She goes to a wizard for training because a wizard is: "using what skills and knowledge and abilities I have to help other people." This is up there with the Spinx saying, "He who questions training only trains himself at asking questions."
When the wizard goes missing she and her brother set out on a quest and learn skills along the way. Those skills are mostly cooking skills, but the skills learned in a quest don't have to directly relate to the conflict. In "The Empire Strikes Back" Luke learns to lift boxes with his mind while standing on his head, I can't wait to see the film when he uses that skill in a battle.
They face challenges that are quickly resolved with little violence shown.
Anton Chekhov said, "If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there." Nissa learns to sew and cook, this would be great if the final battle involved sewing and cooking, but it doesn't.
Overall, it was like being handed a cup of coffee that was made with one scoop per pot. You have the taste of the coffee but it's too watered down actually enjoy the flavor.
March 18, 2018
The Crimson Orb, reads as if the author was perpetually hungry for adventure, and a croissant. However, because of too much ‘telling and not showing’ (a sin in this perspective), and an overall plot that is formulaic, the result is rather bland.
Along with the girls-don’t-get-to-do-boy-things trope we have a standard missing person search plot-line. Everything doesn’t go as predicted. Except it does, if you are the reader. At no point in this novel did I feel the characters were threatened in any tangible way. And that is unfortunate.
Especially unfortunate, because clearly the author is capable. There were opportunities lost here, hits and misses, and you can feel the writer’s burgeoning ability to set the scene. The biggest of those for me, were those what could have been used to ground the reader in the story. Recently, I read a bit on Tolkien, on how he used food (and the love of it) to make the characters relatable. It could be a talking point. It could have lead to some deep interactions. But for me, it wasn’t, and so we are left with just the crumbs.
Along with the girls-don’t-get-to-do-boy-things trope we have a standard missing person search plot-line. Everything doesn’t go as predicted. Except it does, if you are the reader. At no point in this novel did I feel the characters were threatened in any tangible way. And that is unfortunate.
Especially unfortunate, because clearly the author is capable. There were opportunities lost here, hits and misses, and you can feel the writer’s burgeoning ability to set the scene. The biggest of those for me, were those what could have been used to ground the reader in the story. Recently, I read a bit on Tolkien, on how he used food (and the love of it) to make the characters relatable. It could be a talking point. It could have lead to some deep interactions. But for me, it wasn’t, and so we are left with just the crumbs.
February 3, 2018
I probably would have given this book a 3.5, but since that is not a choice I like to round up. I enjoyed this journey of Nissa and her brother on a quest to find the wizard of their manor who seems to have gone missing. The characters of the story are likable and relatable although naive as they are only teenagers. There are some perils in their journey, but I feel like they were extremely lucky no one took advantage of teenagers making a journey on their own with money in their pockets.
While I liked the story and the characters, I felt like there was a bit too much on the description aspect and not enough on the action aspect. I would have liked less talk about how things looked or food cooked and more of how she was captured at one point. That was very exciting to me, but a bit glossed over.
Crimson Orb is a sweet story and an easy read. I would suggest this book for young readers who enjoy fantasy.
While I liked the story and the characters, I felt like there was a bit too much on the description aspect and not enough on the action aspect. I would have liked less talk about how things looked or food cooked and more of how she was captured at one point. That was very exciting to me, but a bit glossed over.
Crimson Orb is a sweet story and an easy read. I would suggest this book for young readers who enjoy fantasy.
November 17, 2015
This is a very well written YA fantasy with a strong focus on character development and relationships. The main characters are interesting and likable. The story is based on a journey and quest to discover the whereabouts of Madoc, the missing wizard and teacher of the young main characters. The female lead, Nissa, is a nice pleasant teenager who learns a lot in the course of their adventures. The setting, characters, and details of their travel is well documented, especially their meals. The Meecham cookies should entice readers to long for a taste of the real thing! The action is fairly low-key as well as the level of magic. Readers of this book should be more interested in characters and relationships than high fantasy action/magic. This is the first of a series with hints about the next part strong enough to make me want to see what new adventures and discoveries Madoc and Nissa will experience. There is a vague mystery about the real history of this mythical land--more than meets the eye!
July 6, 2014
Wonderful coming-of-age, adventure story! Nissa is frustrated with her life of being told she can't do certain things because that's what boys do, not girls. Things like learning to fight with a sword, or magic with the wizard. Stuck in the sewing and cooking world of the girls is just not enough for her. An adventure unfolds as she and her brother leave home to find their missing wizard. Nissa learns a lot during her journey. "Boy" tasks and "girl" tasks are both useful and important. There are a lot of interesting characters and strange lands in this book.
I look forward to their next adventure.
I look forward to their next adventure.
March 26, 2015
This is a wonderful coming-of-age story, a great road-trip tale, with a good dash of romance. The characters are well-drawn, the settings vivid, and the descriptions of the food will leave you famished! I look forward to the next in this series, to see how Nissa grows further and what new adventures await her, Madoc, Carys, and Blane. And to see who winds up going along on the trip north!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews