Deborah ElizaBeth Hill and Sandra Brandenburg – The Crystal Chalice (Vol. II – Lost Myths Saga)

Title: The Crystal Chalice (Vol. II – Lost Myths Saga)
Author: Deborah ElizaBeth Hill and Sandra Brandenburg
ISBN # 1929374445
Publisher: FireMountain Press
First Published: 2006
259 pages
Format: Paperback
Rating: 7/10

Synopsis:
Lily is happy in college, but not with Marshall, He is sleeping with everyone except his beloved. Evan wants Valaura to be ready to settle down. Valuara wants a little excitement. Back they go to the World of Lost Myths. They arrive in King Lucifer's equally troubled ice palace. It seems everyone has a little growing up to do, including Luci and his granddaughter, Silvera. And then there are those pesky female archers to be dealt with...

Review:
Having reviewed the first book in The Lost Myths Saga (The Land of the Wand) last year, I was looking forward to reading the sequel – and I’m glad to say it did not disappoint!

Picking up one year after the close of their previous adventure, all is not well with our intrepid trans-dimensional travelers and their problems make them seem all the more rooted in reality, which in turn, gives the fantasy side of the story a more grounded feel.

Again, there are lessons to be learned (I won’t divulge – it would ruin the story for you all) and an over-riding sense that all is not necessarily as it seems on first viewing – friends can be untrustworthy and those who would seem to want to do harm may turn out to be a blessing in disguise – it’s all topsy-turvy!

This flew by at a lightning pace as it was so easy to read – it reads almost like talking to a friend and kind of sinks into you naturally as you turn the pages. The lessons learned by the characters happen quite naturally within the flow of the plot, and so doesn't seem too "preachy", as you might expect from a book with a message, and leaves things nicely open for the third installment in the saga.

Surprisingly accessible, this could easily be enjoyed by those not at all familiar with Paganism or with the old myths and legends that are cleverly reinvented.