Crystal Tear: Outstanding New Coming Of Age Novel Resonates With Soon-To-Be Adults

Learn about Marina R.B.’s novel, Crystal Tear, on The Table Read, “The Best Book Reader Magazine in the UK“. London-based student, Fada, is befriended by Angel, and one day he decides it’s time to share with her the truth about her otherworldly heritage. Travelling through a portal to the snowy kingdom of Hagalaz, on the planet Sonelaz, Fada discovers her new destiny.

Crystal Tear

Whilst set on an imaginary planet, Crystal Tear is so much more than another fantasy story. At its core, it is a coming-of-age novel that has been written to truly resonate with today’s young adults.

Having always felt disconnected to coming of age novels with teenage protagonists, Marina R.B.’s offering, which is published on 26th April 2022, skilfully captures the nuances, expectations and anxieties associated with transitioning from teenager to adulthood.

Whilst the fantasy element of Crystal Tear is an important component of the plot, where this book triumphs is in enabling its YA readers to subtly identify themselves within its characters and their journey through life. And who doesn’t love a story with an Angel.

About Marina R.B.

“I believe that having a coming of age character that is in her twenties makes my book unique because I have always felt disconnected to these characters that would be in their teens, even when I was a teen myself. It almost felt like it was a race against the clock to go through these stages in life. As I reached my twenties and had not yet experienced the coming of age staged of my own life, I realised that a character of Fada’s age was something that was truly missing in the young adult fiction market.”

Born and growing up in France, Marina R.B. has been writing stories since the age of six.

Having studied filmmaking at Kingston University but missing her family, Marina R.B returned to France, but London was always beckoning.

Writing Process

She says: “At the end of 2019 I decided to move back to London and through the whole of 2020 I worked as an au-pair as I had previously, but during my free time I would work on editing Crystal Tear, which I had starting writing when I was 16.

“Over the years, I had learnt to speak and write in English, and it naturally came to me to translate it because, for unknown reasons, it no longer felt right to have my writing in French and gradually I started writing everything in English. At the end of 2020, I had finished the re-writing and editing of my manuscript and at the beginning of 2021 it seemed like it was finally time to submit it.

“I also love art: drawing, photography and music are some of my greatest passions too, even though writing will always hold the first place in my heart. I also started a private diary at the age of 11, when my parents offered me a key-locked notebook as a birthday present. Since then, I have never stopped writing my thoughts and experiences through life, starting a new notebook every year.”

Find more from Marina R.B.

Instagram: @marinarb__
Twitter: @marinarb__

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