The Crescent Stone by Matt Mikalatos

The Crescent Stone by Matt Mikalatos ISBN-13: 9781496431714 Paperback: 448 pages Publisher: Tyndale House Released: Aug. 7, 2018

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Madeline Oliver has never wanted for anything, but now she would give anything just to breathe. Jason Wu skates through life on jokes, but when a tragedy leaves him guilt-stricken, he promises to tell only the truth, no matter the price. When a mysterious stranger name Hanali appears to Madeline and offers to heal her in exchange for one year of service to his people, Madeline and Jason are swept into a strange land where they don't know the rules and where their decisions carry consequences that reach farther than they could ever guess.


My Review:
The Crescent Stone is more social commentary than traditional fantasy. There is no great Evil to be fought, just social inequality and greed to be recognized. Human children are offered a deal--your hearts desire in return for service to the Elenil. These children come from all backgrounds, and we get brief descriptions of past racial discrimination in America (out of context, so it sounds even more shocking and baffling).

Jason is the comic relief in an otherwise depressing story with a sad ending. Ironically, he's the most realistic and complex character. Madeline is more a role than a person. She's dying, so she agrees to fight the Scim for 1 year in return for her health. After gaining her health and while in awe of the Elenil, she still decides not to fight in the war because she couldn't kill anyone. She doesn't like how the magic in the world works and harshly judges the locals for how they use it, yet she greatly benefits from it. After only two months of living in this world and despite warnings about the consequences from the people who live there, she decides that she knows best how to fix things, even if it'll cause the death and suffering of many innocent people.

She's a self-centered, arrogant gal (though apparently still "pure of heart") who seemed intent on passing her pain on to the entire fantasy world. I felt so frustrated by her attitude that I didn't enjoy the story. The ending had the obvious solution that took her forever to recognize. While I'm in favor of pointing out inequalities, I felt like the author was going for shock value more than truth in an attempt to prompt action in the readers. There was no sex or bad language.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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