THE CRYSTAL SCEPTER by C.S. LAKIN

ABOUT THE BOOK

A new fairy tale in The Gates of Heaven series presents a twist on the Greek legend of Perseus and the Gorgon

Book five in Lakin's series for adults takes you on a magical journey that explores honor, bravery in the face of terrible odds, and loyalty. It spins a tale of Pythius, the wicked king of Paladya, who journeys to the hidden realm of Elysiel to steal the crystal scepter that protects that northern land. But his defiant act unleashes a terrible curse, and the Seer foretells his death one day at the hand of his son. To thwart the prophecy, he attempts to murder his newborn child, but the queen flees and sends the babe off in a trunk across the sea, where he is found and raised by a humble fisherman.

Years later, Perthin, the babe now grown, hears his call of destiny, and is visited by a specter who tells him of the land of Elysiel and of the Gorgon, the evil creature fomenting war in the Northern Wastes. Perthin's village of Tolpuddle is being ravaged by a monstrous sea beast sent by this enemy, and Perthin accepts the challenge to kill the creature by cutting off its head - although anyone who looks upon it turns to stone. With the help of heaven's army, Perthin bests the enemy and returns to stop the sea monster as the beast is ravaging the kingdom of Paladya. Through his heroic efforts he unknowingly fulfills the prophecy foretold by the Seer. He returns to Tolpuddle a hero, where many surprising revelations await him as to his heritage and legacy, for he learns he is not truly a fisherman's son but a king foretold.

ABOUT C.S. LAKIN

C.S. Lakin works professionally in California as a freelance copyeditor and writing coach, and teaches workshops at writing conferences and assists new writers with polishing their books. Her websites for writers www.LiveWriteThrive.com and www.CritiqueMyManuscript.com provide detailed instruction for aspiring novels, and she often guest blogs on top writing site.

The Sands of Ethryn, the sixth installment in the seven-book fairy tale series, will release in fall 2013. In addition to writing her fantasy series, she has penned a teen sci-fi adventure called Time Sniffers and has written five contemporary drama/mysteries, including Someone to Blame, winner of the 2009 Zondervan First Novel Contest (released October 2010). You can learn more about her writing and editing at www.cslakin.com.

MY REVIEW

I am such a huge fan of Susan and to have the opportunity to review book five of this wonderful series is such a treat. I look with much anticipation for her review copies so when this one came in the mail, I immediately began to read it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has sea monsters, the Gorgon, trolls, and more. Her characters are flawless and her plot is superb. I know she based this book on Greek legend but I also couldn't help but see biblical characters in her allegories. Baby Moses in the ark, young David facing Goliath and well, you will just have to read the book to see what I mean.

I also appreciate how though each book in this series can stand alone, every one of them has something in them that reveals more about the Gates of Heaven and explains a bit more about a previously written book in this series. Like the scarlet thread that weaves its way throughout the Bible, there is a thread of truth that weaves throughout each one of these books that points us to the King of kings.

The Crystal Scepter is worthy to be added to the Gates of Heaven series; and may I say, this series is a worthy addition for all of those who collect great works of writers.

Many thanks to C.S. Lakin and AMG Publishers who provided me with this free review copy.