The Crystal Snowstorm is a Hidden Gem

I first read this book in middle school and it quickly became one of my absolute favorites. Even after nearly a decade  (and too many rereads to count) my love for The Crystal Snowstorm (and the following Letzenstein books) has not diminished. 

The Letzenstein Chronicles follows the happenings of a small European country on the brink of revolution. Catherine, an adolescent visiting her estranged Grandfather the Grand duke and ruler, finds herself caught in the crossfire of not only the revolution, but the feud within her own family. 

The relationships between the characters are genuine and natural. In the author’s note, Ms. Trevor explained when she writes stories about difficult topics for children (such as political turmoil and revolutions) she tries to focus on the adventures of the characters foremost and it works beautifully here. These are friendships that I could see happening in real life. These characters, Catherine, Yolande, Edward, and especially Rafiel LeMarre have  stuck with me the way Luke Skywalker, Samwise Gamgee, and Katniss Everdeen did. 

Our heroine, Catherine, is another highlight of the story. She would rather  live a quiet life and get to know her newly found family than be involved with the politics her Grandfather has ensnared her in. However, she still strives to do what she can to help even if what she does seems very small. Catherine does fail at times and feels hopeless and frustrated but she does not become apathetic. 

I also enjoyed seeing Catherine, a very quiet girl at the beginning, develop unique friendships with different people. She comes to love and care about Con, Yolande, Edward, and Raf, but each relationship does something different for Catherine and the story. I will give special notice to Catherine and Yolande’s relationship because it is a sisterly friendship between a young girl and a young woman, something I do not see very often in fiction.

My only complaint (if it could be called that) is, I would have liked it if Countess Imelda, the sister of our antagonist Duke Julius, had been a bit more involved in the story. She mostly acts as a messenger for other characters. However, Catherine and co. have more than enough problems and as I reiterated all the other characters are very developed and this by no means ruined the story for me. 

    Overall, the Crystal Snowstorm is a solid first entry in a series that satisfied but also left me curious for the next installment. I would recommend it for children (and adults) who enjoy historical fiction and character focused stories. I feel it is appropriate for kids 10 and up, but this is subjective to the individual child’s reading comprehension.

Top 5 Favorite Teachers and Mentors in Books

*Note* Top 5 Wednesday is a Goodreads group where blogger/vloggers post about a bookish topic every Wednesday. You can check it out right here. https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/118368-top-5-wednesday

     Whether or not we attended a public or private school or we were schooled at home, almost anyone has a person who had been a model in our life even if that person never realized how much we looked up to him/her.

5. Brother Methuselah from Redwall

     The only non-human on this list, Brother Methuselah is an elderly-mouse monk who lives and works at Redwall Abbey. He spends much of his time supporting the novice, Mathias, as he tried to find a way to protect Redwall and the surrounding area from invaders. Methuselah helped raise Mathias and is almost as much as a grandfather to Mathias as he is a mentor. *Spoilers* Another way it is clear how much Methuselah means to Mathias is how the young mouse ends up naming his son after him. *end spoilers*

4. The Giver from The Giver

      With his name in the title, this man has to be important to the plot, right? The Giver is a man with regrets and I question if he really wants to pass down the memories to Jonas. Not because he doesn’t want to give up his very important position in society, but because he doesn’t want to burden a young teenager with the weight of the memories. Whenever Jonas discovers something The Giver is the first to know and he listens and for the most part patiently answers all the boy’s questions.

3. Mandy from Ella Enchanted

     The fairy godmother of this story doesn’t just giver Cinderella a makeover and send her to the ball. Mandy has worked for Ella’s family for years and was always there to help Ella deal with her gifts. Mandy is Ella’s support system and one of the few friends she has left after the death of her mother. Mandy always helped Ella feel she has a choice especially when she tells Ella to think anyway she wants to think about her “gift”.

2. Ani’s Aunt from The Goose Girl

      Although, she wasn’t present in the plot for very long, if it weren’t for this woman the story of The Goose Girl would never have happened. It saddens me that a character who influences the heroine, Ani, in such a way doesn’t even get named. She’s only known as Ani’s aunt or the queen’s sister. Still, this woman is the one to teach Ani about the first languages and how to understand the birds despite this causing her much ridicule from the rest of the court. Towards the end of the first chapter, her death is only mentioned in passing by the queen. The turn of events saddened Ani because her only true friend is gone, but her aunt’s fingerprint is still on her. Throughout the story, we see how her aunt shaped Ani and just how significant those childhood lessons are. It is actually scary to wonder where Ani would be if her mother never allowed her to see her Aunt as a child.

1. Rafael LeMarres from Following the Phoenix

        Given how strict our hero’s, Paul, uncle is at the beginning of the story it is no wonder why Paul would rather be with anyone, but him.  Paul’s uncle forces him to follow a different religion, and doesn’t allow him to paint which crushes Paul and aspiring artist. Paul could have been happy with any normal guardian, but Paul’s late father was best friends with a very interesting man called Rafael LeMarres. Rafael is also an artist and follows the same religion as Paul, but even if this wasn’t the case Raf, as he prefers to be called, would still have supported Paul anyway. Raf’s heart goes out to all parentless children and not just Paul and he even tries his best to help Paul get out of his abusive situation. (That’s not a spoiler, that is the premise of the book).