Tag: Larry Rodness

Crystal Vision by Larry Rodness

Publisher: Valley of Books

Date of publication: January 9th, 2022

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Purchase Links: Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis:

Scotland, 1342. The Great Plague ravages the countryside. In its wake the body of a beautiful, young noble is laid to rest on a funeral pyre. Her fiancé begs a sorcerer to use his magic to summon a demon and bring the young woman back to life in exchange for his own.
Fast Forward to:
America, Present. Fourteen year old Jeremy McKee attends a fantasy workshop which is run by a young woman named Ariella. One afternoon, an old vagrant on the street offers Jeremy a small crystal which produces visions of a young woman resurrected from death hundreds of years ago. Slowly, the truth begins to reveal itself. The woman in the vision and the one running the workshop are one in the same. The vagrant is the sorcerer, Armand. He explains that Jeremy’s ancestor, D’Arcy, offered his soul for the life of his betrothed but reneged at the last minute. Now the demon has returned for payment and is prepared to unleash the Black Plague if he doesn’t get what he he is owed.

First Line:

The sound of slow-beating drums echoed through the hills as it moved solemly toward the Stones, a curious outcropping of twenty monoliths, jutting twenty feet into the sky.

crystal vision by larry rodness

Young Adult fantasy has been a hit-or-miss genre for me in the past, but lately, I seem to have been hitting a gold mine with this genre. Crystal Vision is a hit for me. It appealed to the nerd in me (a role-playing fan here), and it was a book that I could see my 14-year-old son reading. So, yes, I am thrilled that I read this book.

Crystal Vision had a fascinating plotline. Jeremy is 14 years old, and he has spent his summer role-playing at a fantasy workshop run by the beautiful Ariella. But, on the last days of his summer vacation, Jeremy’s life is turned upside down when a vagrant named Armand presses a crystal to his forehead, and Jeremy sees a vision with Ariella in it. Armand reveals himself to be a sorcerer and tells Jeremy a story about true love, cowardice, bravery, demons, and immortality. What is Jeremy’s role in that story? Does he have what it takes to do the right thing, even when he doesn’t want to? And can he take on a demon who is determined to get the girl?

Crystal Vision had a medium-paced plotline. It slowed down during certain parts of the book and sped up during other parts. I had no issue with the changing pacing and thought it suited the book perfectly. There was a slight lag in the middle of the book (when Jeremy and his friends were trying to track down the dagger), but it didn’t affect how I liked the book.

I liked how the teenagers were portrayed in Crystal Vision. They acted their ages!! I know that most of you are going, “Well, that’s not special,” but in this case, it is. They didn’t have powers or unlimited resources. They had limitations and were treated like regular kids. Heck, there was even a lice outbreak towards the beginning of the book. I enjoyed it. It made me connect with Jeremy on a level that I wasn’t expecting. The mother in me was internally yelling because of some of his stuff. But the gamer/fantasy love in me was also urging him on.

The fantasy angle of Crystal Vision was well written. I liked that the author chose to omit specific facts from Ariella’s resurrection and then gradually added them into the plotline. Put it this way; I was 100% behind her when she was freaking out on Armand because of what the author chose to reveal. But, when she had her vision, the author showed the missing pieces. I did a huge “AHA” at that.

The adults in this book (minus Armand and Ariella) did disappoint me. Jeremy’s father came across as weak during various parts of the book. Spike (the Overlord) and his gang were cruel and did many unnecessary things to Jeremy and his father during the first half of the book. Jeremy’s mother was petty (to Jeremy’s father). It didn’t ruin the book, though. Instead, the adults were a perfect foil for Jeremy and his friends.

I loved that the author chose to incorporate role-playing games into the plotline. The game the kids were playing reminded me of Dungeon and Dragons. I wish the author had gotten more into the game’s mechanics (it would have come in handy during a specific fight scene), but that was a minor annoyance. I was more thrilled about RP getting shown in a positive light!!

The pandemic angle did rub me the wrong way, but (and I stress but) I liked how the author chose to revive a previous pandemic. So, instead of it being a COVID-like pandemic, it was something else. And actually, it was something that I could see happening under the right circumstances.

The end of Crystal Vision was interesting. The author did wrap everything up in a way that made me happy. I did feel for Jeremy when he realized what had to happen to banish the demon (and I will never look at donkey-eared beings the same way again).

I would recommend Crystal Vision to anyone over 13. There is mild violence, mild language, and no sexual situations.

The Judas Robe by Larry Rodness

Book Cover

Publisher: Moonshine Cover

Date of publication: October 21st 2020

Genre: Historical Thriller, Metaphysical Fantasy, Paranormal Suspense

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Abebooks

Goodreads Synopsis:

During the height of the Spanish Inquisition, a ruthless inquisitor by the name of Bishop Roberto Promane tortures a fellow priest, Father Sanchez, for information about the whereabouts of a relic known as The Judas Robe. The robe holds the key to some highly sensitive secrets about Jesus that Pope Sixtus does not want to be revealed. Promane succeeds in uncovering the robe only to lose it to Sanchez’s rescuers, the knights of The Order Of Christ.

Present Day
Joel Gardiner, a pre-med student, is attacked one night by thugs after leaving a campus pub. A young woman named Sophia rescues him and reveals that Joel’s mother, Natalie, is descended from the Order Of Christ, the faction that has kept the robe hidden for centuries. These thugs are part of a conspiracy group led by Bishop Newman who seeks the robe in order to uncover a secret held for centuries.

While trying to evade the conspirators Joel and his girlfriend, Lisa, begin to research the matter. The ‘Judas Robe’ that Bishop Newman currently seeks is the key to the revelation, that of discovered, will shake the foundations of Christianity.

First Line:

“Bishop, scripture teaches that God is beyond the physical reach of this world,” Father Sanchez said.

the judas robe by larry rodness

When I was first approached to read and review The Judas Robe, I almost turned it down. I didn’t think that I would enjoy reading the book because of the blurb. But something made me pause and rethink my decision. I ultimately decided that I would read The Judas Robe. Why? I am fascinated by books like this. I have read (and loved) Dan Brown’s books and figured this one would be very similar. It wasn’t. But, instead, I got an exciting thriller that kept me on my toes while reading.

The Judas Robe had an exciting plotline. Starting in Spain, during the Inquisition, the first few chapters lay out what the Judas Robe is and what happened to the four people who were in contact with it. It goes to the present day, where Joel goes to school for pre-med and works at a research facility. He is jumped one night while going to a party and is saved by a young woman. In the days afterward, Joel finds out about the robe. He also discovers that his religious fanatic mother is descended from an order sworn to hide it. That puts him and his mother in the crosshairs of a group led by Bishop Newman, a close friend and confidant to Joel’s mother. A series of events sets Joel, his mother, his girlfriend, a priest, and the young woman who saved Joel on a quest to find out where the robe is hidden and retrieve it. But Bishop Newman and his fanatics are right there with him. What is so important about this robe? Why does Bishop Newman want it? Will Joel find it, and what will he do about it?

The Judas Robe does start somewhat slowly. But I did appreciate that. The author chose to build up the background of Bishop Newman, Father Sanchez, Sophia, and Belle (as well as The Judas Robe) instead of throwing us right into the story. Once the author switches to Joel and the present day, the book picks up its pacing.

There was some lag in the storyline towards the middle of the book. I felt that the time that Joel and his friends spent in the underground lab was stretched out. It didn’t affect the book, but I thought that it was too long. Plus, I wasn’t a fan of how it ended. It was almost too easy for the Bishop to get in and get at them.

The characters were well written and fleshed out. But they didn’t all sit right with me. I wasn’t a fan of Lisa, Natalie, and, of all people, Joel. But my personal feelings didn’t affect how I viewed the book.

The storyline with the Judas Robe and the race to find it fascinated me. But I felt that it kept getting interrupted by Joel and Natalie’s very strained relationship. Once the robe was found, though, the storyline did take an interesting turn. But I felt that again, it was overshadowed by all the drama going on with the group.

There are several scenes of orgies and violence by Bishop Newman’s followers. I would have loved to know what substance they were taking to get that way. It was brought up towards the end, but that was it. No other mention of it.

There is sex in The Judas Robe. I turned the page (well swiped because I was reading it on my Kindle) and was hit with an orgy scene (see above). None of it was graphic, but I was surprised that it was even in the book.

There were a couple of twists in the plot that I didn’t see coming. The major one was revealed at the end and made me go, “What the heck?!?” when I read it. The other one was hinted at until Father Sanchez came right out and said it to Natalie and Joel.

The end of The Judas Robe was interesting. I liked how the author resolved everything and how he revealed the twist that I mentioned above. I also liked that he left me wondering if there was going to be another book.

I would recommend The Judas Robe to anyone over the age of 21. There is sex, violence, and language.