Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal, from Emily Rodda (Rowan of Rin #3)

Hi, there! I *finally* sat down to write the last review on my reading marathon for Rowan of Rin series!! Yay *–* Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal is the third book in the Rowan of Rin series, by awesome Emily Rodda ❤

from my Instagram 😀

All was well in Rin until Rowan and his mother’s summoning to Maris, the sea shore village. Their source of magic and power, a mysterious Crystal, is in danger as its keeper is dying and, for political reasons, the task of picking up another keeper falls on Rowan’s family hands.

As it usually goes regarding the candidates for the position, the mission is risky and dangerous for Rowan and his mother, but they have no choice. If Maris fall, the whole land will be easy prey for the Zebak to conquer.

The thing is, Rowan’s mother is poisoned on the first hours of the competition and Rowan has to take her place and safe her life. His only help are the three people suspect of poisoning his mother.

Will Rowan be able to think clearly enough to safe his mom? Will he be able to choose the right person to be the next keeper of the crystal?

Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂

I just wanted to start this review by saying that things got even more intense so sudden on this book that I actually shivered a lot of times and was left second-guessing even Rowan, the main character. I WAS LEFT SECOND GUESSING BY A BOOK THAT IS RECOMMENDED FOR CHILDREN! I’m amazed with Emily Rodda’s writing skills. She proves that a good children’s book is never silly on the eyes of an adult, haha! I mean, this is a middle grade book, but still. If this volume was any indication, I’m positive that things will get even darker in the next two volumes and, knowing Emily as I do, the end will blow my mind and leave me hangover, haha! But without further ado, FIVE STARS! ❤

The narrative follows the previous’ volumes style, always in third person from Rowan’s point of view. I really like how he is growing up and maturing little by little on each book and how he manages to remain true to his feelings and beliefs even when facing the most terrifying situations. AND WITHOUT STOP BEING A KID! HOW DO YOU DO THAT, RODDA?!

The plot got more complex this time. As a web of lies is in front of Rowan’s eyes, we can’t be really sure of anything until the very end. Rowan is a great observer and very tenacious for his age, but he lives a situation that would make even an adult go insane. It’s normal to see him afraid, unsure and second-guessing even himself – and taking the reader with him. I almost ate all my nails reading, haha!

As Rowan leaves Rin once again, we meet new characters and I really wish we get to see some of them again, as they left a very good impression, haha! I loved to read about Maris and to see how they are different of Rin’s people and from the travelers. The most surprising was to see that no one cared about the differences, facing it all with normalcy and respect. It’s wonderful to see so many cultures coexisting in such a beautiful harmony. No one loses their identity and they still mix wonderfully! I wish real world was like that too, haha!

I would like to highlight how the maturing process of Rowan reflects directly on the story. As a child, he saw everything black and white. Up until the last book, he still saw a lot of things like this. On the Keeper of the Crystal, Rowan starts to understand the grey area and how to deal with it. Seriously, Rodda simply rocks hard!!! ❤

I can’t wait to put my hands on the fourth volume of the series and, if you like fantasy, adventure, riddles and wonderful protagonists, YOU HAVE TO START READING THIS SERIES!!

Thanks so much for reading! ❤ Have you read anything by Emily Rodda?

Ps: Here are the reviews for the previous volumes on Rowan of Rin:

RODDA, Emily – Rowan of Rin, Rowan of Rin #1 (review here!)

RODDA, Emily – Rowan and the Travelers, Rowan of Rin #2 (review here!)

I also made a huge post about my love for Emily Rodda, that you can check here 🙂