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The Crystal Throne
How would you cope with being pulled into a land where magic exists and you're the people's only hope? Peter Burns doesn't believe in magic. But when horses talk to you and a witch hound swoops out of the sky, how long can you disbelieve? Jeanne Tucker believes in magic, but she's teamed with someone who'd rather examine the special effects. The two must learn to work together in order to defeat witches and unravel a curse that has enslaved an entire land.
- GenresFantasy
214 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 29, 2025
A fun, fast paced fantasy with a great mix of magic, humor, and adventure. Peter and Jeanne make an unlikely but lovable team, and the worldbuilding really pulled me in. Talking horses and witches? I'm in. Highly recommend if you're into light, clever fantasy.
April 14, 2011
This book is a tweenage girl's dream come true. Magic gates that allow you into a different world where you are the most special person in the world. Talking horses. Magic. Monsters. Talking horses. A sweet guy that sort of likes you. And did I mention TALKING HORSES? Explanation: Tweenage girls (9-13 or so) have a thing for horses. They are magical, wonderful creatures that girls would just die if they can't have a relationship with one. Most girls survive not having a special horse of their own. And as I found out, horses are big and smelly and not really that magical. But it's still a draw for girls. Add talking horses to your books and girls will sigh with longing.
Kathryn draws an interesting world. Threatened by the evil witches, the talking horses must band together with the elves and the other magical folk to try to save their world. But only humans possess the right magic to defeat the witches, and humans only come through the gate when the Watcher sends them through. (The Watcher is a big willow tree that is supposedly haunted by ghosts.) Jeanne and Peter are sent tumbling through the gate with no warning and find themselves in the magical world, hailed as the heroes who will break the witches' curse. Jeanne has no trouble believing she has magic. Peter's strength is his disbelief, but it may also prove his downfall.
If you're looking for a fun book that is appropriate for tweenagers, The Crystal Throne fills the bill. It's a story of courage, belief, trust, and friendship. And did I mention it has TALKING HORSES? (I still have a thing for magical horses- they can be mystical and beautiful and not sweaty, smelly creatures.) The sequel is sitting in my stack of books to read...
Kathryn draws an interesting world. Threatened by the evil witches, the talking horses must band together with the elves and the other magical folk to try to save their world. But only humans possess the right magic to defeat the witches, and humans only come through the gate when the Watcher sends them through. (The Watcher is a big willow tree that is supposedly haunted by ghosts.) Jeanne and Peter are sent tumbling through the gate with no warning and find themselves in the magical world, hailed as the heroes who will break the witches' curse. Jeanne has no trouble believing she has magic. Peter's strength is his disbelief, but it may also prove his downfall.
If you're looking for a fun book that is appropriate for tweenagers, The Crystal Throne fills the bill. It's a story of courage, belief, trust, and friendship. And did I mention it has TALKING HORSES? (I still have a thing for magical horses- they can be mystical and beautiful and not sweaty, smelly creatures.) The sequel is sitting in my stack of books to read...
November 4, 2012
If someone had just given me a plot synopsis of this book, I probably would not have been terribly interested. I bought it from the author at a convention because I’d purchased a couple of other books of hers and had enjoyed them.
I enjoyed the book more than I would have expected from the information on the cover. The descriptions of the places the Jeanne and Peter found themselves in captured my imagination, and the descriptions of their emotional states as they were in various situations rang true for me. Also, I apparently have more of a weakness for horses in books than I thought I did when I first picked this up to read.
I enjoyed the book more than I would have expected from the information on the cover. The descriptions of the places the Jeanne and Peter found themselves in captured my imagination, and the descriptions of their emotional states as they were in various situations rang true for me. Also, I apparently have more of a weakness for horses in books than I thought I did when I first picked this up to read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews