Carnelian (The Chalcedony Chronicles, #1)

by B Kristin McMichael

[Kim Deister]

Carnelian is the first in the new Chalcedony Chronicles, a new adult series that promises a bit of a sci-fi flavor in the form of time travel. I have mixed opinions about this book, mostly about the level of emphasis paid to different aspects of the plot.

Mari is a college freshman, hours away from home and seeking some level of independence from her rather ordered life and overprotective family. It is interesting that she almost comes off as socially awkward when she first arrives at school, a little over dramatic when it comes to friends and relationships. The reality is that she is an attractive girl that isn't socially awkward, but gun shy when it comes to guys, although she frequently came across as a bit arrogant in her early interactions with Seth. The characters, all of them, are interesting and varied, all characters that were easy to relate to or to understand.

On her first day, she meets three brothers and it quickly becomes clear that they have secrets. Seemingly against her will, she falls for one of the three guys and the love fest snowballs quickly. For someone who argued against relationships as much as Mari did, she fell into it pretty easily, but I can live with that.

Most of the book felt like a contemporary, new adult romance, with little to do with the sci-fi/time travel aspect. This is where the questions of emphasis come in. There was a lot of attention paid to a collegiate competition that really had little to do with the story and didn't really move it forward in any way. On the flip side, the main thrust behind the brothers and the time travel was seemingly a big part of the main story line, yet it almost seemed as if it were brushed aside for less integral points. There were things that the main characters were supposed to be doing in order to save humanity, but there was far more attention paid to the romantic aspect. The mythology behind the time travel had massive potential, mythology blended with ancient history in an interesting way.

Despite these issues, there was so much potential that I wanted to know more and kept turning the pages. Regardless of my own personal issues, there was more than enough to the story to keep me interested..

Things to love...

--The blend of created mythology and ancient history.
--The light moments and the dark moments.

Things I wanted more/less of...

--More emphasis on the sci-fi aspect.
--More development of the main thrust of the story.

My Recommendation: Yes, I had issues, but I still recommend this book. The writing style is good and the story has great bones. I have already purchased (and read) the next book in the series! I gave it 3.8 mugs.