Review/ the Society of the Pink Crystal Ball by Risa Green

When Erin Channing's favorite aunt dies, Erin is bequeathed a pink crystal ball and a set of weird instructions. Granted, Aunt Kiki (aka Aunt Kooky) always lived outside the box. But now Erin and her two best friends are convinced that the pink crystal ball holds the key to their future-or at least the key to getting dates...(Publisher's comments from Powell's Books)

The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball by Risa Green is a cute story with terrific characters and a fun plot.  The story revolves around Erin and her two best friends and one pink crystal ball bequeathed to Erin by her Aunt Kiki who dies after being struck by lightening.  Erin is a great students, and views the world from a logical and rational point of view and whose life is all about making the grades boring. When she hears that her AP Art History class will be choosing five students to go to Italy, she just has to be one of the students chosen. The trouble is she can’t think of anything to say in the essay she has to write, and she has to get at least an A- on her art project. So when she is paired up with Jesse, who thinks she might be incapable of thinking outside the box, and who she once kissed during an eighth grade party and still thinks about that kiss two years later, and who also wants to go to Italy, she wonders if she has a chance.

I really liked how Green interweaves Erin’s boring life, with her desire to go to Italy and her preoccupation over figuring out if the crystal ball really is magical especially after a few questions she asks come true. While her friends are convinced that the crystal ball is the real deal, Erin’s rational mind is not convinced and she spends a lot of time going over the instructions: Consider Your Fate to Be Sealed . . . Absolute knowledge is not unlimited; let the planets be your guide to the number. There are sixteen ways to die, but four of them you will never see. The future belongs to you alone. Other voices will be disappointed. One rotation is as far as you can see. Only uncertainty lies beyond. Things get dicey when both her friends insist that Erin use the crystal ball to fix their problems.

Green’s characterization was one of my favorite aspects of the book because even the secondary characters were dynamic in their own right. I especially loved the interaction between Erin and Jesse. Jesse challenges Erin to step outside of herself, which was fun to see at times. In fact one of my favorite scenes involves Erin and a mosh pit. There is just the right mix of humor and drama in Erin’s need to figure out why her Aunt Kiki left her the pink crystal ball and Erin and her friends’ lives to make this a fun read.

Green brings the story full circle, which I found quite satisfying, and Erin’s essay reflects the lessons she learns and the growth that occurs through her interactions with Jesse, her friends and the crystal ball. The Secret Society of the Pink Crystal Ball has just the right combination of romance, humor, magic, and truly relatable characters to make this a very cool read. 

This book is due for release in September.

Source: ARC copy from Sourcebooks