| Brave the Plex. Unleash the stone. Embrace your destiny. Freshly freed from an earth-dwelling monster, Juniper Conway is stuck with a promise she never intended to make. But if rescuing Plex City from a deadly nano drug is what she vowed, it’s what she’ll do. Miles of wasteland stretch between Juniper and the domed city. In the Texas Outer Grid, following a tribe of whalers seems to be her best bet at surviving the chaotic storms. But when the nomadic tribes prove just as dangerous as the Grid itself, Juniper realizes her streak of bad luck is far from over. Only her shipping crew friends can help her through the waste and into the Plex. When the crier stone guiding her mission only shows her fragmented steps, Juniper will need more than the stone around her neck and a halfhearted promise to make it out alive. Genre: YA Sci-fi Release Date: July 8, 2025 Click here to get your copy! |  |
My Review
They took it all, now she must save them....
When I finished The Chaos Grid I thought it was a one off. Though, I certainly wanted more of the fascinating characters and futuristic Texas, I figured the story was complete. And then I saw The Crier Stone and it immediately shot way up and took a top spot spot my rather long want to read list.
And, oh, did it live up to expectation and then some! Lyndsey Lewellen deposited me back into her exquisitely crafted world of 2-headed birds, domed cities, teleportation, stunning tech, holographic clothing, robots, and oddly enough, purple cats. I couldn't put it down. All of the things that I needed to get done? Yeah, none of those things were actually done. Oh well, I had something more important to do. I had to 'help' Juniper save the Plex, her friends, and maybe her own life.
While this book is intended for a YA audience, probably middle to older end of the scale, as 30-something reader I still loved it. As I mentioned before, Lyndsey Lewellen is very skillful in her worldbuilding. She gives enough description to immerse the reader while still allowing the reader's own imagination to soar while visualizing each page. I was quite invested in this story as well. The wild differences in landscape between the desolate Grid and the glittering, though vicious, Plex provide the perfect backdrop for Juniper's emotional struggles as she grapples with 2 things that we humans find difficult – forgiveness and mercy. Wrapped within this futuristic fantasy novel is the retelling of a well known story and I found that reimagining to be very well done indeed.
Full of danger and adventure, The Crier Stone was an excellent read that I wholeheartedly give 5 stars. It is easily one of my favorite reads so far for this year. Now that I've read it, and The Chaos Grid, I will be intensely anticipating more from this author. Pretty much, ifI see her name on it I will read it....
Tell Tale Book Reviews gives The Crier Stone by Lyndsey Lewellen a 5 Bark rating.
When I finished The Chaos Grid I thought it was a one off. Though, I certainly wanted more of the fascinating characters and futuristic Texas, I figured the story was complete. And then I saw The Crier Stone and it immediately shot way up and took a top spot spot my rather long want to read list.
And, oh, did it live up to expectation and then some! Lyndsey Lewellen deposited me back into her exquisitely crafted world of 2-headed birds, domed cities, teleportation, stunning tech, holographic clothing, robots, and oddly enough, purple cats. I couldn't put it down. All of the things that I needed to get done? Yeah, none of those things were actually done. Oh well, I had something more important to do. I had to 'help' Juniper save the Plex, her friends, and maybe her own life.
While this book is intended for a YA audience, probably middle to older end of the scale, as 30-something reader I still loved it. As I mentioned before, Lyndsey Lewellen is very skillful in her worldbuilding. She gives enough description to immerse the reader while still allowing the reader's own imagination to soar while visualizing each page. I was quite invested in this story as well. The wild differences in landscape between the desolate Grid and the glittering, though vicious, Plex provide the perfect backdrop for Juniper's emotional struggles as she grapples with 2 things that we humans find difficult – forgiveness and mercy. Wrapped within this futuristic fantasy novel is the retelling of a well known story and I found that reimagining to be very well done indeed.
Full of danger and adventure, The Crier Stone was an excellent read that I wholeheartedly give 5 stars. It is easily one of my favorite reads so far for this year. Now that I've read it, and The Chaos Grid, I will be intensely anticipating more from this author. Pretty much, ifI see her name on it I will read it....
Tell Tale Book Reviews gives The Crier Stone by Lyndsey Lewellen a 5 Bark rating.
(I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)
More from Lyndsey
Justice. Mercy. Grace.
Teen girls in my youth group hear these words often. Maybe that’s because the simplest words are sometimes the hardest to define—and even harder to live out. So, we talk about them a lot. In fact, we go over their meanings so often that when our church’s youth pastor asked the main group to define grace one Wednesday night, girl after girl turned to look at me sitting in the back. They knew the answer. I was proud.
But knowing that justice is getting what you deserve, mercy is not getting what you deserve, and grace is getting what you don’t deserve is only half the battle. The real challenge? Learning when—and how—to apply them.
In The Crier Stone, the conclusion to The Chaos Grid duology, Juniper Conway comes face to face with God’s mercy in direct conflict with her sense of justice. We love it when He relents in His wrath toward us. But what happens when He stays His hand against our enemies?
The people of Juniper’s futuristic Texas experience justice daily for the sins of the past. In their attempt to fix the climate, their ancestors instead turned the world into a wasteland. Now, the last remnants of civilization hide away in domed cities, clinging to their technology like a drug—willing to sacrifice anything for the next upgrade. The government forbids advanced tech outside the domes, trapping its people inside their artificial paradise.
But a life of confinement and convenience is hardly the justice Juniper wants for those who orphaned her. And when visions confirm God’s call for her to save the worst of the domed cities from destruction, she rages at His mercy. Of all the people He could choose to show kindness to her enemies, why would He choose her?
If she had His power, she would do things differently.
At its heart, Juniper’s struggle is one of trust. Is God just in showing mercy to those who don’t deserve it? Would she see His choices differently if she knew everything He did? We may not always understand why God allows suffering on this side of eternity. In Juniper’s world, deadly nano-drugs run rampant, corrupt mega-corporations kill without consequence, and inhumane tech enhancement labs push the boundaries of morality for the next upgrade. Yet, God’s mercy does not mean He has abandoned justice.
Paul says in Acts 17:30-31:
Teen girls in my youth group hear these words often. Maybe that’s because the simplest words are sometimes the hardest to define—and even harder to live out. So, we talk about them a lot. In fact, we go over their meanings so often that when our church’s youth pastor asked the main group to define grace one Wednesday night, girl after girl turned to look at me sitting in the back. They knew the answer. I was proud.
But knowing that justice is getting what you deserve, mercy is not getting what you deserve, and grace is getting what you don’t deserve is only half the battle. The real challenge? Learning when—and how—to apply them.
In The Crier Stone, the conclusion to The Chaos Grid duology, Juniper Conway comes face to face with God’s mercy in direct conflict with her sense of justice. We love it when He relents in His wrath toward us. But what happens when He stays His hand against our enemies?
The people of Juniper’s futuristic Texas experience justice daily for the sins of the past. In their attempt to fix the climate, their ancestors instead turned the world into a wasteland. Now, the last remnants of civilization hide away in domed cities, clinging to their technology like a drug—willing to sacrifice anything for the next upgrade. The government forbids advanced tech outside the domes, trapping its people inside their artificial paradise.
But a life of confinement and convenience is hardly the justice Juniper wants for those who orphaned her. And when visions confirm God’s call for her to save the worst of the domed cities from destruction, she rages at His mercy. Of all the people He could choose to show kindness to her enemies, why would He choose her?
If she had His power, she would do things differently.
At its heart, Juniper’s struggle is one of trust. Is God just in showing mercy to those who don’t deserve it? Would she see His choices differently if she knew everything He did? We may not always understand why God allows suffering on this side of eternity. In Juniper’s world, deadly nano-drugs run rampant, corrupt mega-corporations kill without consequence, and inhumane tech enhancement labs push the boundaries of morality for the next upgrade. Yet, God’s mercy does not mean He has abandoned justice.
Paul says in Acts 17:30-31:
“In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands
all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he
will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He
has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
It was at the cross that justice, mercy, and grace met—a breathtaking harmony orchestrated by a sovereign God.
Juniper’s journey is filled with trials, betrayals, and impossible choices as she is forced to confront the full weight of justice, mercy, and grace. Will she step into her destiny and save the domed city, or let it all burn?
Find out in the thrilling conclusion to this wild Texas dystopian duology.
—Lyndsey
Juniper’s journey is filled with trials, betrayals, and impossible choices as she is forced to confront the full weight of justice, mercy, and grace. Will she step into her destiny and save the domed city, or let it all burn?
Find out in the thrilling conclusion to this wild Texas dystopian duology.
—Lyndsey
 Lyndsey Lewellen | Lyndsey Lewellen grew up on a healthy dose of comic books, punk music, and sci-fi. She infuses all three loves into novels written for young adults. Inside her “what if” worlds, her characters take risks, grow, and fight for what matters. When she’s not writing or whittling down her endless TBR, she designs novel covers and paints on shoes. She lives on a small Texas farm with her best friend/husband, five children, and what some might call a zoo of animals (especially after meeting the peacocks). |
It's Time For A Giveaway!
To celebrate her tour, Lyndsey is giving away the grand prize of
a $50 Amazon gift card and a hardcover copy of the book!!
a $50 Amazon gift card and a hardcover copy of the book!!
Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post before you enter to claim 9 extra entries!
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CeCe Reads and Sings, August 6
Fiction Book Lover, August 7 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 8 (Spotlight)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 8
Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, July 27 (Author Interview)
The Lofty Pages, July 28
Library Lady’s Kid Lit, July 29
Simple Harvest Reads, July 30 (Spotlight)
Blogging With Carol, July 31
Tell Tale Book Reviews, August 1
Guild Master, August 2 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, August 3
Pens Pages & Pulses, August 4
A Reader’s Brain , August 5 (Author Interview)
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, August 6 (Author Interview)
CeCe Reads and Sings, August 6
Fiction Book Lover, August 7 (Author Interview)
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, August 8 (Spotlight)
Happily Managing a Household of Boys, August 8
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