A Spotlight Review - Glimmerglass

Glimmerglass
by Jenna Black

Review by: Tales of a Teenage Book Lover

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Synopsis:
Dana Hathaway doesn’t know it yet, but she’s in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, Dana decides she’s had it with being her mother’s keeper, so she packs her bags and heads to stay with her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn't just an ordinary teenage girl—she's a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie.

Soon, she finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone wants something from her, even her newfound friends and family. Suddenly, life with her alcoholic mom doesn't sound half bad, and Dana would do anything to escape Avalon and get back home. Too bad both her friends and her enemies alike are determined not to let her go . . .


From the moment heard about Glimmerglass, I was obsessed. It was one of the books I just couldn’t wait for. I was obsessed before I even started. And for that reason, I set the bar very high. Unfortunately, it didn’t meet all my expectations. But it did surpass them in others.

Something I am not sure how I feel about is the beginning. It takes right off. But I still feel an aching longing to read more about Dana’s backstory before Avalon. That said, I am also glad the story took off so quickly because if not, it may have been boring to read. But it definitely wasn’t, so I am glad!

Dana was such a strong character at some points in the book. A little too strong maybe? I understand that she had to be an adult for most of her life, but really? Could a sixteen year old really handle all that with such strength? Of course, there are things that she doesn’t have the power to control (Avalon), where you see her true self, which may not be as strong as we are led to believe. The love interests were very different and very attractive (to Dana). But if I were in her position, there is no competition. That is all I will say for now.

The writing was phenomenal! You could tell this wasn’t Jenna Black’s first work because that kind of writing doesn’t just appear out of nowhere. It comes with time and practice, which Black definitely has. The writing was so right for a young adult novel. So descriptive and imaginative! Through the cracks, Black’s roots as an adult urban fantasy author leaked through. But that didn’t bother me one bit.

One thing that I wish there was more of was the magic. This was the disappointing part of this book for me. I was expecting a story so very different that what I got. Not that I didn’t love what I read, but I kinda felt let down. The magic you do get is only for a few pages at the end. But I know for a fact, and you will to if you read this book, that there will be tons more in the upcoming Faeriewalker books.

Jenna Black’s talents as a writer shine in her young adult debut, Glimmerglass. I recommend to all YA fans, along with urban fantasy fanatics. This story glimmers with magic and love.