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Beastlands: Legend of the Crystal Caves
THE SECOND INSTALMENT IN A FANTASTICAL MIDDLE GRADE TRILOGY FROM DR JESS TV PRESENTER, VET, CREATURE EXPERT AND CHILDREN'S AUTHOR!
THE WINDS OF PROPHECY ARE WHISPERING. A NEW BEAST IS RISING . . .
Alethea, Kayla and Rustus are the only ones standing in the way of the evil Professor Penn, who is raising an army of beasts.
Desperate to protect their home, they split up to find a way to defeat the professor. Kayla tries to uncover Penn's plans in the ruthless Southlands, as Rustus hunts for prophecies within the hidden Crystal Caves. Meanwhile, Alethea must journey to a new realm to unite the people against the danger ahead.
But the island is plants and beasts are dying, volcanoes are erupting and waterways are drying up. Could it all be linked?
Alethea, Kayla and Rustus will have to trust the people and beasts they meet to help them on their way. And listen to the whispers on the wind that warn of an ancient legend ready to rise . . .
Perfect for adventurous readers of DRAGON REALM, FIREBORN and SKANDAR AND THE UNICORN THIEF.
THE WINDS OF PROPHECY ARE WHISPERING. A NEW BEAST IS RISING . . .
Alethea, Kayla and Rustus are the only ones standing in the way of the evil Professor Penn, who is raising an army of beasts.
Desperate to protect their home, they split up to find a way to defeat the professor. Kayla tries to uncover Penn's plans in the ruthless Southlands, as Rustus hunts for prophecies within the hidden Crystal Caves. Meanwhile, Alethea must journey to a new realm to unite the people against the danger ahead.
But the island is plants and beasts are dying, volcanoes are erupting and waterways are drying up. Could it all be linked?
Alethea, Kayla and Rustus will have to trust the people and beasts they meet to help them on their way. And listen to the whispers on the wind that warn of an ancient legend ready to rise . . .
Perfect for adventurous readers of DRAGON REALM, FIREBORN and SKANDAR AND THE UNICORN THIEF.
352 pages, Paperback
Published March 13, 2025
4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 19, 2025
Last time round (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) we had three young characters go off into the wilderness and try to save their worlds. Alethea did make huge inroads to that end – she found a cure for the Coronasniffles – sorry, the Scourge – and brought it back. The city is clear of the disease now, but not all the threat, for the three know of a Big Bad Professor who wants as much power as she can get, and is creating demonic beasties to that end. Alethea's problem now is that the Cardinal is ignoring her demand that he listen to her talk about that threat. Kayla is trying to get the Baddie's back-story, which could be awkward due to spies in the royal house, and Rustus? Well, he's boringly meeting some new people and encountering earthquakes, in a quite surprisingly dull recap chapter.
The issue here is that that surprise disappears. Or surprises, for I was delighted how involved the list of plant and animal species was last time and how well it didn't sound like random, wacky fantasy world building. That surprise is lost here, for it does sound just as I always feared. The surprise of the three kids working so well together – in a typical "youths find their hidden destiny" quest book – is also not a surprise here, as they're not together. Instead the plot is a way for the trio to each get into pickle after dilemma after problem, and while the issues they all face are fine and dandy you can't half see all the characters being moved around this chessboard to get to where they need to be.
There's also no surprise when this character turns out to be a family member, that character turns out to be a family member, and so on and so forth. I mean, it was a surprise the first time you realised that could be the case, but not when it kept happening.
All told this was quite a shocking disappointment – especially in the light of being a companion to the excellence of before. Previously we'd had the old and new both done well and in fine balance; here we get too much that is mediocre, and of minor concern to the grand scheme of things – unless Book Three, due 2026, is really going to pull the rug from under our eyes. This isn't nearly bad enough to ruin the memory of the first book, and it doesn't seem to spoil the end of the trilogy, but I've yet to see more of an obvious trudge of a middle book. Don't read this if you've not enjoyed the delights of what came before – and you might join me in finding this comparatively disposable when up against what is either side.
The issue here is that that surprise disappears. Or surprises, for I was delighted how involved the list of plant and animal species was last time and how well it didn't sound like random, wacky fantasy world building. That surprise is lost here, for it does sound just as I always feared. The surprise of the three kids working so well together – in a typical "youths find their hidden destiny" quest book – is also not a surprise here, as they're not together. Instead the plot is a way for the trio to each get into pickle after dilemma after problem, and while the issues they all face are fine and dandy you can't half see all the characters being moved around this chessboard to get to where they need to be.
There's also no surprise when this character turns out to be a family member, that character turns out to be a family member, and so on and so forth. I mean, it was a surprise the first time you realised that could be the case, but not when it kept happening.
All told this was quite a shocking disappointment – especially in the light of being a companion to the excellence of before. Previously we'd had the old and new both done well and in fine balance; here we get too much that is mediocre, and of minor concern to the grand scheme of things – unless Book Three, due 2026, is really going to pull the rug from under our eyes. This isn't nearly bad enough to ruin the memory of the first book, and it doesn't seem to spoil the end of the trilogy, but I've yet to see more of an obvious trudge of a middle book. Don't read this if you've not enjoyed the delights of what came before – and you might join me in finding this comparatively disposable when up against what is either side.
March 3, 2025
After reading the first book in the Beastlands trilogy last year, I have been waiting (im)patiently for Legend of the Crystal Caves to be published and have been fortunate enough to receive an early copy. I will try to keep this as spoiler-free as possible for those of you who have yet to read Beastlands: Race to Frostfall Mountain but seriously, if you haven't then you must.
We are returned to Ramoa where three friends were separating to follow their own expeditions and attempt to accomplish individual quests in different realms for the common good. Alethea needs to unite people using the cure for a deadly disease as leverage to convince the people of Ataria to leave before the devastating eruption of the volcano destroys the city. In order to do this, she must overcome their prejudices formed by misinformation. Rustus must attempt to locate the secret underground city that has been home to the Lia'Oua since they were driven from the land by colonisers. If he and the Marquis can find the magnificent and mysterious Crystal Caves, they must gain the trust of the Indigenous people forced into hiding. Kayla's mission is possibly the most treacherous of all. She must work to stop the Professor and prevent the release of a dangerous, genetically modified hybrid whilst confronting her past and learning secrets which could clear her name. If only there wasn't a dark and manipulative force at work within the palace walls preventing truths from being told.
Jess French knows animals. She knows bugs and all creatures great and small, this much is clear from the plethora of excellent non-fiction books which she has written. The crossover from non-fiction to fiction writing (and vice versa) isn't always successful for authors yet Jess has taken aim at the middle grade fiction genre, fired and hit the bullseye from a distance whilst flying on a pangron! IYKYK!!!
I read this in a single sitting and immediately pulled out our well-thumbed copy of book 1 to reread with the children before taking them on this second epic adventure. There are messages of conservation, the damage of colonisation to both people, land and Indigenous species and some of the most fantastic opportunities for imagining this breathtaking world that any reader age 8+ could wish for. A big, fat, crystal embossed 5 stars from me.
We are returned to Ramoa where three friends were separating to follow their own expeditions and attempt to accomplish individual quests in different realms for the common good. Alethea needs to unite people using the cure for a deadly disease as leverage to convince the people of Ataria to leave before the devastating eruption of the volcano destroys the city. In order to do this, she must overcome their prejudices formed by misinformation. Rustus must attempt to locate the secret underground city that has been home to the Lia'Oua since they were driven from the land by colonisers. If he and the Marquis can find the magnificent and mysterious Crystal Caves, they must gain the trust of the Indigenous people forced into hiding. Kayla's mission is possibly the most treacherous of all. She must work to stop the Professor and prevent the release of a dangerous, genetically modified hybrid whilst confronting her past and learning secrets which could clear her name. If only there wasn't a dark and manipulative force at work within the palace walls preventing truths from being told.
Jess French knows animals. She knows bugs and all creatures great and small, this much is clear from the plethora of excellent non-fiction books which she has written. The crossover from non-fiction to fiction writing (and vice versa) isn't always successful for authors yet Jess has taken aim at the middle grade fiction genre, fired and hit the bullseye from a distance whilst flying on a pangron! IYKYK!!!
I read this in a single sitting and immediately pulled out our well-thumbed copy of book 1 to reread with the children before taking them on this second epic adventure. There are messages of conservation, the damage of colonisation to both people, land and Indigenous species and some of the most fantastic opportunities for imagining this breathtaking world that any reader age 8+ could wish for. A big, fat, crystal embossed 5 stars from me.
February 27, 2026
This book was quite a good read except for the fact that it sometimes got a little confusing between the characters. I would have preferred if it was only narrated by one character as I would have to flip through pages to find out what happens next for each character(that got a little frustrating). I would recommend this book to years 3-6 as the vocabulary is quite simple and the story is full of adventure. Three friends, Alethea, Kayla and Rustus, work together to stop Professor Penn and her evil plan to create creatures. Along the way, Kayla and the others uncover secrets that none of them knew.
July 20, 2025
I lovey this book. I thought the plot was great and the cliffhangers constantly makes me want to get back to a characters point of view. I was in shock when I found out who the antagonist really was and the final chapter makes me want to get book three immediately.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews