C. L. Wilson - Crown of Crystal Flame

A song of Love won her heart.
A Song of Darkness haunted her soul.
A Song in the Dance would seal her fate.

Seers had long foreseen an extraordinary destiny for Ellysetta Baristani. Already she had won the heart of the Fey King-the magnificent Rain, ever her ally, eternally her love. She had saved the offspring of the magical tairen and fought beside her legendary mate against the armies of Eld. But the most powerful-and dangerous-Verse of her Song had yet to be sung. As the final battle draws nigh and evil tightens its grip upon her soul-will Ellysetta secure the world for Light or plunge it into Darkness for all eternity? As she and Rain fight for each other, side by side, will they find a way to complete their truemate bond and defeat the evil High Mage of Eld before it's too late, or must they make the ultimate sacrifice to save their world?


Earlier I had put together a rather long theatrical review since I have a tendency to be a dominating drama queen at times, okay most of the time. As I was about to wind it up there was a power failure and ,...you guessed it, I lost the whole thing. Starting over, I decided to take a different approach for the climax of this series. Crown of Crystal Flame is the conclusion to a wonderful fantasy series created by an author that I will be a fan of for life. There is so much to say yet if you haven't read the first four installment you would be lost to any specific points given so instead I am going to try and not do that in this review. Even though there are five separate books they are in many ways, one. There are no words to truly express the incredible journey that C. L. Wilson takes her readers on. The characters brought to life take you away to a place you never want to leave. The rhythm of events never slow as they intertwine with not just one but many front line individuals. Several times chores around the house had to be left undone because I couldn't put the books down. There were times I couldn't see the words on the pages for the tears I was crying. Moments of feeling knots in my stomach from the anguish and apprehension from fear as I took a deep breath and rested my head on a pillow next to me. At one point during this series (and NO I won't tell you where) I had to walk away and leave the story for several days I was so utterly and genuinely upset. In the end, leaping right back into this journey was something I never would have wanted to miss. In the future I have no doubt that I will reread these epic tales, as well as look forward to any and all future work C. L. Wilson has in store for us.
My Rating - 5
Shonna