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Crystal Dark
*A mysterious and terrible monster is said to live in the labyrinth, but are the real monsters the people we already know?*
Magic. It’s a beautiful curse bestowed upon some, a gift never to be shared. Ceia was born with the power to control ice, but the price of her birthright is a death sentence.
When 17 year old Ceia’s abilities cause an incident, the village elders give her and one other magic user an ultimatum: sacrifice themselves to the monster of the labyrinth, or subject themselves to an eternal exile.
However, the monster is not what it’s said to be, and the mysterious caverns of the labyrinth may hold the secret to healing their world.
With the aid of some unexpected friends and allies, can Ceia finally bring long-awaited peace between the humans and magic users?
What’s more: can ice, shadow, and spider keep the secrets of the labyrinth alive?
Magic. It’s a beautiful curse bestowed upon some, a gift never to be shared. Ceia was born with the power to control ice, but the price of her birthright is a death sentence.
When 17 year old Ceia’s abilities cause an incident, the village elders give her and one other magic user an ultimatum: sacrifice themselves to the monster of the labyrinth, or subject themselves to an eternal exile.
However, the monster is not what it’s said to be, and the mysterious caverns of the labyrinth may hold the secret to healing their world.
With the aid of some unexpected friends and allies, can Ceia finally bring long-awaited peace between the humans and magic users?
What’s more: can ice, shadow, and spider keep the secrets of the labyrinth alive?
146 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 4, 2019
63 people are currently reading
608 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 7, 2024
Way to short so it felt rushed
May 1, 2024
I struggled with this book at first. And then the twists kept coming! It ended abruptly for me but I enjoyed it nevertheless!
March 10, 2025
Crystal Dark
Fantasy
Julie L. Kramer
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
• ᴍᴀɢɪᴄ • ꜱᴀᴄʀɪꜰɪᴄᴇ • ʀᴇᴠᴇɴɢᴇ •
This book reminded me so much of Frozen. I liked the magic, especially because each of the MCs had different powers.
The pacing was good and I liked the word building, although there could be more about the neighbouring kingdoms etc.
Kerberos, the 3-headed dog, was cute, even if he did have poisonous saliva 😂.
I was expecting some more plot twists. It all felt too easy, particularly when the villain was defeated and their plans were ruined
Fantasy
Julie L. Kramer
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
• ᴍᴀɢɪᴄ • ꜱᴀᴄʀɪꜰɪᴄᴇ • ʀᴇᴠᴇɴɢᴇ •
This book reminded me so much of Frozen. I liked the magic, especially because each of the MCs had different powers.
The pacing was good and I liked the word building, although there could be more about the neighbouring kingdoms etc.
Kerberos, the 3-headed dog, was cute, even if he did have poisonous saliva 😂.
I was expecting some more plot twists. It all felt too easy, particularly when the villain was defeated and their plans were ruined
July 1, 2023
So first of all, the parallel to Persephone and Hades is there if you like, squint. The most correlation is the name of the three headed dog, Kerberos. Besides that, that’s kind of where the similarities end. So if you go into it for a retelling, it’s not. I enjoyed the concept of the book and I really felt that it had a lot of potential, it just lacked proper execution. But for a quick read, it was alright.
April 3, 2022
Sweet Story
Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2022
This was a very sweet coming of age story. Ceia learns that what she has always been told may not be true and to judge from the heart. The characters are well written and I wanted ti just keep reading.. Would love ti see what happens to the two main characters in the future
Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2022
This was a very sweet coming of age story. Ceia learns that what she has always been told may not be true and to judge from the heart. The characters are well written and I wanted ti just keep reading.. Would love ti see what happens to the two main characters in the future
July 17, 2023
Should be a series
Well written and a wonderful blend of fairytale and myth. Not a cliff hanger but not quite the HEA either.
Would like to see where and how Ceia and Dade continue to do their work, and if perhaps they run into a bit of problems saving and sharing the crystal and it's pool.
Well written and a wonderful blend of fairytale and myth. Not a cliff hanger but not quite the HEA either.
Would like to see where and how Ceia and Dade continue to do their work, and if perhaps they run into a bit of problems saving and sharing the crystal and it's pool.
February 4, 2024
This book could of been great if given more pages for proper development. This was a short one, (149pgs) which didn't do it justice, at all.
The first half was great. Pulled me in, kept me anticipating what was coming and eagerly waiting for the reveals/explanations, but it just fell off completely and felt rushed with no depth. Left me unsatisfied and with more questions.
The first half was great. Pulled me in, kept me anticipating what was coming and eagerly waiting for the reveals/explanations, but it just fell off completely and felt rushed with no depth. Left me unsatisfied and with more questions.
March 30, 2023
Enjoyable blend of Fairytale, Myth and Frozen
An Elemental girl who has the power to create ice is banished to a cave, where people with magical powers are sacrificed to the Darkness and the three headed dog of the underworld.
An Elemental girl who has the power to create ice is banished to a cave, where people with magical powers are sacrificed to the Darkness and the three headed dog of the underworld.
January 10, 2025
Short fun adventure
Definitely a quick read.
If you're looking for an easy read this is the book for you. I had fun reading it and it was a good way to start my 2025 reading journey.
Definitely a quick read.
If you're looking for an easy read this is the book for you. I had fun reading it and it was a good way to start my 2025 reading journey.
March 24, 2020
This just wasn't well written. All of it felt rushed and weird and it didn't draw you in even though the idea felt good.
March 20, 2022
interesting
A lot of ideas in this little novella that could be expanded into a full novel or series of novellas. Cover art is stunning. Good start to a series.
A lot of ideas in this little novella that could be expanded into a full novel or series of novellas. Cover art is stunning. Good start to a series.
June 30, 2023
I got this on stuff your kindle day and idk if it’s bc I’m not used to reading novellas but I had no idea what was going in this book most of the time
July 4, 2023
Liked it. Quick little high school fantasy read.
September 18, 2023
This is one of books I got in stuff your kindle day ..it was a little slow to start but in the end I really enjoyed it ..
January 5, 2024
This was an okay, cute quick read. I enjoyed it enough to finish but it was really lacking something. It felt rushed and I didn't feel the characters had any depth.
August 2, 2024
Good story. I enjoyed the characters but the ending felt abrupt - I wanted a bit more. Overall though I'd pick up another book by the same author.
May 15, 2025
It started fine and the moment we met Dade, the pace changed and we ran through plot twists. I would like to know more about the crystal and Ceia's immunity to venom and said crystal.
June 21, 2024
It was a fine book. My problems with the book were the abrupt ending and the "evil" villain of the book didn't seem convincing enough. She never appeared to be a real threat and was too easily dealt with. This made the book a little flat during the last 1/3 of the reading.
November 2, 2019
Cute
This is a cute standalone story. The romance is light, merely hinted at but still endearing. I loved the characters. The plot was good and i would love to see what is going on with these characters a few years down the line. Definitely a cute read
This is a cute standalone story. The romance is light, merely hinted at but still endearing. I loved the characters. The plot was good and i would love to see what is going on with these characters a few years down the line. Definitely a cute read
March 9, 2022
Fantastic read!!
Another fantastic story from Julie L. Kramer. This book has just the right amount of magic and mystique about it that keeps you wanting to read to the end. I loved it! I kind of hope we see more of this world :)
Another fantastic story from Julie L. Kramer. This book has just the right amount of magic and mystique about it that keeps you wanting to read to the end. I loved it! I kind of hope we see more of this world :)
June 16, 2024
The story had potential, but I felt that it was rushed. I get that this is a novella, but still, it could’ve been written better. It also left nothing for the imagination and went exactly where it implied it would, which I find to be very underwhelming.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews