The Crown of Stones Trilogy Box Set (The Crown of Stones Series) by C. L. Schneider – Review by Jennifer Crain

The Crown of Stones Complete Trilogy by C.L. Schneider
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Magic Price:
The first of a trilogy, I was hooked from about 10 pages in. I normally don’t read fantasy, but quickly got drawn into Ian Troy and the pain, suffering, and perseverance he endures. The writing is stellar at feeling his intense emotions as he battles others as well as himself.

I appreciated the book had an ending, because so many trilogies I have read previously do not have each book have a proper ending (just setting up the next book), but this is not the case here.

One thing I didn’t like (again, I don’t read a lot of fantasy) was the amount of dead bodies/gore involved in the book. I did like the plot, and how the author clearly thought out how the characters interact with each other, and no obvious plot flaws or goofs.

Magic Scars:
Magic Scars continues where the first book of the trilogy leaves off. The reader discovers more of the history of the crown of stones, and Ian (and his family’s) part in it. Along the way, Ian continues with his struggle of controlling the uncontrollable magic running through is Erudite veins.

Throughout the book, the author continues with the fantastic descriptions of the various settings as the first book, especially of the Langorian prison and refugee camp. The blood, sex and gore, which I didn’t care for in the first book, also continues. However, I am drawn in and interested in what happens to Ian and his colleagues to continue reading the series.

Magic Borne:
The last of a trilogy, I was continually intrigued to find out what happens to Ian- does he save the realm or does the universe have something else in store for him? No spoilers here, I strongly suggest you read this installment (Magic-Borne) to discover the finale for yourself.

Akin to the other two books in the series, I liked how the author used italicized writing to emphasize the connection or time jump- helped myself as a reader clue in something was different. I also appreciated how the loose ends of each sub plot, some resulting from way back in book 1, were tied up succinctly is this las volume. As I stated in my reviews of the other two books, too much gore/blood/bodies for my personal opinion, but being dark fantasy genre, I understand it sometimes comes with the territory. Overall, I would highly recommend reading the entire trilogy, the middle book drags a bit, but the overarching story is first class.

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