science fiction

Crystal Dreams - Astrid Cooper Book Review

Enter a review
of your own!
Other books by
author Astrid Cooper

"Crystal Dreams"
Message Board
Astrid Cooper Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR: Debbie

SCHOLARS:
Would you like to be a scholar and make five dollars per review? Click here to submit a review!

Click here for free online dating advice!

Review Summary
Connal MacArren is one of the first of his world to leave the planet and travel through space. He would never have ventured out at all if it weren't for his dratted kinsman, Garris, who left without telling anyone goodbye. All he left was a cryptic note saying that he was going to see the Dreamweaver Liandra Tavor. Liandra is an Asarian, one of a small race who can walk the dreamscape and find answers for people in dreams. She is sure that this Garris never made it to see her, though it is true that he may have been traveling to see her, but she cannot persuade Connal that she knows nothing of Garris' whereabouts. Connal quickly tires of Liandra's game of pretending not to know anything and kidnaps her to return to his home planet of Caledonia. If Liandra will not tell Connal where Garris is, perhaps a little imprisonment might change her mind...

Liandra is determined to hate Caledonia. They are so primitive there. They eat animals and plants, pick flowers, do their own cleaning and seem to not use machines hardly at all! How have they escaped the notice of the League for so long? Even though she gradually comes to care for Caledonia and its people, she is determined to escape for there is something terribly wrong in the dreamscape. Whenever she tries to search for Garris in her dreams, she feels an alien presence that is trapping other Asarians so they can never leave. She fears for her people and wants desperately to contact her father with this information, but Connal does not want anyone else to of Caledonia's existence. However, he finds himself softening as he spends more time with Liandra. Maybe aliens are not as bad as he has always thought? Still, he is positive that Liandra is nothing but a glorified prostitute who is willing to have anyone into her mind and into her bed. With Connal determined to think the worst of Liandra and Liandra trying to escape to free her people at every opportunity, will these two ever get around to admitting their feelings for one another?

This book was interesting because it is basically a historical romance set in space. Connal MacArran is a typical clan chieftain of Scotland with Liandra an outsider who finds herself falling in love with a new way of life. I love Highland romances and so was excited to read this book and I was not disappointed. The author deftly blends the traditional Highland setting with the idea of aliens and mind powers. If you enjoy either Highland or Futuristic romance, give this book a shot - I think that you will like it!


Debbie, Resident Scholar


Detailed literary breakdown of Crystal Dreams
Our unique search engine breaks down books and movies into
dozens of literary elements, all of which are searchable.

New movie search (click here) New book search (click here)
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 20%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20%




Tone of book - very upbeat
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Romance Yes
Romance plotlets: - falling in love with captor
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Human/magical couple? Yes
Type of couple: - Both human, she has magical powers

Main Character
Identity: - Female
Profession/status: - mage/magician
Age: - 20's-30's
Has magical/special powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character: - mind reading - clairvoyant - can see into the future - can read emotions - healing
How sensitive is this character? - soggy whimpering jelly muffin
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - an entire race
Age: - long-lived adults
Profession/status: - mage/magician
Has magical powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist: - mind reading - mind control - can cast all sorts of spells
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters

Setting
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - humans in a futuristic society - unfriendly aliens - primitive aliens
Planet outside solar system? Yes

Style
Person? - rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
scientific jargon? (SF only) - a moderate amount of scientific explanation
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - descript of kissing - descript of touching personal anatomy - actual description of sex
Is this an e-book? Yes
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to Crystal Dreams
Tempting the Beast by Lora Leigh
Arda: The Sailmaster's Woman by Annie Windsor
BloodWind by Charlotte Boyett-Compo
The Last Hawk by Catherine Asaro
Conquest by Jaid Black




Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Try our new Star Wars & Star Trek puzzle pictures! Click here

Advertise with us
Feedback
Star Wars Revenge of the Sith plot spoilers
Hobbits
The politics game
The lawyer game

3 Movie search options!
1) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
2) Detailed movie search
(click here)
or

3) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot below!

Animal Story

Clones

Coming of age

Cultural problems, alien culture

Explore/1st contact/ enviro story

Family relations

GIANT monster(s)

Horror story?

Inner Struggle

Lifeform altered?

Mental/magical powers focus

Parody

Political power play

Religious overtones?

Repressive society story

Robots, Computers, VR

Romance

Spying & Investigations

Tech./$$$/Info hunt

Time Travel story?

Training/Apprent.

War or Invasion


Games:
Trivia Masters!

Rescue your favorite
scifi characters from
slavery!


Talk to your favorite
scifi characters!


Eating New Yorkers
Computer Game


Pomeranians

Most recent TV & Movie discussions:

Charmed: What's wrong with Rose McGowan's chin? 7/8/2008 9:56:13 PM

Battlestar Galactica: What's with the ladders in Cylon base ships? 7/8/2008 5:43:06 PM

Star Wars: Why AT-AT's are retarded 7/8/2008 2:58:31 PM

Charmed: Is Piper really a Halliwell? 7/5/2008 11:48:59 AM

Doctor Who: Who was the best Doctor? 7/5/2008 4:23:13 AM

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 7/5/2008 2:40:59 AM

Doctor Who: Who was the best companion? 6/30/2008 7:37:52 AM

A Boy and His Dog: A Boy and His Dog 6/30/2008 12:55:48 AM

Lost in Space (TV): What kind of a name is Guy for a guy? 6/26/2008 10:21:30 AM

Lost in Space (TV): Wasn't it obvious that Major West was never going to get any? 6/26/2008 10:17:45 AM


Newest slaves:
Susan Dey (LA Law) 3:48:13 AM
Cameron Diaz 3:48:07 AM
Christina Aguilera 3:47:30 AM
Sandra Buttock (Bullock) 3:46:51 AM
Salma Hayek 3:46:31 AM
Gina Lee Nolin 3:46:20 AM
Lucy Liu 3:46:17 AM
Michael Samuelle 3:46:11 AM
Nikita (Peta Wilson) 3:46:07 AM
Rebecca DeMornay 3:45:43 AM
All slaves
(click here)


Celebrity interviews:
President George W. Bush 6:32:00 PM
Jan-Michael Vincent 2:16:51 PM
Captain Kathryn Janeway 3:47:46 PM
Jack ONeill (Richard Dean Anderson) 1:39:22 PM
Jennifer Aniston (Friends) 5:01:07 PM
All celebrities
(click here)