A review by fossilreads
Crystal Clear by Lou Nova

adventurous emotional hopeful

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Thank you to the author for the opportunity to be an ARC reader!

"Every single day he wakes up and nobody understands him. But he can't reply, because he doesn't want to fumble his way through this conversation more than he already has and create an argument that shouldn't be."

This is the first book I've read where I could recognize myself in the main character very well. I haven't read many books with autistic rep yet but it felt SO GOOD to see a character with similar traits as I do! I finally felt like I actually fit in with Nik.

I loved seeing Nikolai and Constantine work out their relationship and it was so nice to see an autistic character be loved so unconditionally and not have all their traits be treated as burdens. I was so happy Con was so willing to advocate for Nik's needs when he wasn't always able to do it on his own.

The crystal magic was beautiful, though sometimes I was a little confused about what each crystal was for since I'm not too familiar with them at the moment. The dragon lore was interesting and I enjoyed learning new things about the world.

I had some issues focusing at times (because of other things than the book), which also caused me to have some difficulties picturing the surroundings. I kept picturing an old castle and city like many fantasies are placed, but then some situations seemed to be much more modern and have modern items.

The queer rep was so good and not done as a box to tick off. All the characters had a meaning and their sexualities and gender identities being revealed didn't feel forced, but were meaningful to the characters' relationship growing.

I was missing August in the middle of the book. I feel like he was kind of dropped off for a while even though he was so important to Nik.

I loved the main romantic plot but felt a little lost on the subplot with the politics. I'll definitely be reading the next part when it gets published, I hope to have a few things (crystal) cleared out there!