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Faeriewalker #1
Glimmerglass
It's all she's ever wanted to be, but it couldn't be further from her grasp...
Dana Hathaway doesn't know it yet, but she's in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, again, Dana decides she's had enough and runs away to find her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the captivating, 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 the only person who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie.
Dana finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone seems to want something from her, from her new-found friends and family to Ethan, the hot Fae guy Dana figures she'll never have a chance with... until she does. Caught between two worlds, Dana isn't sure where she'll ever fit in and who can be trusted, not to mention if her world will ever be normal again.
Dana Hathaway doesn't know it yet, but she's in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, again, Dana decides she's had enough and runs away to find her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the captivating, 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 the only person who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie.
Dana finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone seems to want something from her, from her new-found friends and family to Ethan, the hot Fae guy Dana figures she'll never have a chance with... until she does. Caught between two worlds, Dana isn't sure where she'll ever fit in and who can be trusted, not to mention if her world will ever be normal again.
294 pages, Paperback
First published May 25, 2010
About the author
Jenna Black
50 books2,517 followersJenna Black is your typical writer. Which means she's an "experience junkie." She got her BA in physical anthropology and French from Duke University.
Once upon a time, she dreamed she would be the next Jane Goodall, camping in the bush making fabulous discoveries about primate behavior. Then, during her senior year at Duke, she did some actual research in the field and made this shocking discovery: primates spend something like 80% of their time doing such exciting things as sleeping and eating.
Concluding that this discovery was her life's work in the field of primatology, she then moved on to such varied pastimes as grooming dogs and writing technical documentation. She writes paranormal romance for Tor and urban fantasy for Bantam Dell.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/jennab...
Once upon a time, she dreamed she would be the next Jane Goodall, camping in the bush making fabulous discoveries about primate behavior. Then, during her senior year at Duke, she did some actual research in the field and made this shocking discovery: primates spend something like 80% of their time doing such exciting things as sleeping and eating.
Concluding that this discovery was her life's work in the field of primatology, she then moved on to such varied pastimes as grooming dogs and writing technical documentation. She writes paranormal romance for Tor and urban fantasy for Bantam Dell.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/jennab...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,355 reviews
June 10, 2010
One star. Ah, here I am, feeling disappointed again with what sounded like a promising series. Here's the thing, I know this is a young adult novel but kids aren't stupid. Dumbed down writing/plot/characters does nothing for anyone. Especially when there are such wonderful authors out there who do it right - Richelle Mead, Melissa Marr, to name a few.\\\The writing here is incredibly unsophisticated and the characters so one dimensional and just plain stupid that it was difficult to finish this book.
Dana isn't a bright girl. She flees her alcoholic mother in the States to to the human/fairie city of Avalon to meet her fairy father (for the first time ever) because she's *had enough*. All sorts of unbelievable drama ensues and when Dana's mother shows up she quickly decides that all she wants is her mother sober so she agrees to leave only if her mother agrees to check herself into rehab once they get back to the states. Hmmm. One would wonder why she never pulled the "you better go to rehab or else!" card before now. It apparently never occurred to her which is strange because Black likes to go on and on about how Dana has been an adult for years now, paying all the bills, covering for her mother, yada, yada. Unfortunately there isn't an ounce of real worldliness written into this character. Black just wants us to pretend.
Dana as I mentioned, is not a bright girl. She's instantly attracted to the only two boys that Black introduces her to. Apparently teenage girls are all boy crazy bags of hormones capable of forgiving anything, such as one of the boys almost getting you killed because he was trying to show off. If they don't go for the one with the big magical tricks, they go for the badboys (fairie version of them anyway). One might wonder if Dana has a discriminating bone in her body, but I digress.
The Big Bad turns out to be Dana's Aunt Grace - and whowouldhavethunkit given the icy reception and treatment she dished out to Dana when she arrived in Avalon. And what a big bad she turns out to be. Capable of a few zinger of lines and then, well not so much of anything other than a big "BOOGETYBOO!". But look out for her in book two because she just escaped to Fairie. Sigh.
Really, I am just going to stop here. I was monumentally disappointed in the writing, the character and plot development, and the lack of any substantive world building.
I am not a fan.
Dana isn't a bright girl. She flees her alcoholic mother in the States to to the human/fairie city of Avalon to meet her fairy father (for the first time ever) because she's *had enough*. All sorts of unbelievable drama ensues and when Dana's mother shows up she quickly decides that all she wants is her mother sober so she agrees to leave only if her mother agrees to check herself into rehab once they get back to the states. Hmmm. One would wonder why she never pulled the "you better go to rehab or else!" card before now. It apparently never occurred to her which is strange because Black likes to go on and on about how Dana has been an adult for years now, paying all the bills, covering for her mother, yada, yada. Unfortunately there isn't an ounce of real worldliness written into this character. Black just wants us to pretend.
Dana as I mentioned, is not a bright girl. She's instantly attracted to the only two boys that Black introduces her to. Apparently teenage girls are all boy crazy bags of hormones capable of forgiving anything, such as one of the boys almost getting you killed because he was trying to show off. If they don't go for the one with the big magical tricks, they go for the badboys (fairie version of them anyway). One might wonder if Dana has a discriminating bone in her body, but I digress.
The Big Bad turns out to be Dana's Aunt Grace - and whowouldhavethunkit given the icy reception and treatment she dished out to Dana when she arrived in Avalon. And what a big bad she turns out to be. Capable of a few zinger of lines and then, well not so much of anything other than a big "BOOGETYBOO!". But look out for her in book two because she just escaped to Fairie. Sigh.
Really, I am just going to stop here. I was monumentally disappointed in the writing, the character and plot development, and the lack of any substantive world building.
I am not a fan.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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August 8, 2010"I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be . . . whelmed?"
Courtesy of 10 Things I Hate About You, my thoughts on Glimmerglass.
Courtesy of 10 Things I Hate About You, my thoughts on Glimmerglass.
October 14, 2010
Well, I couldn’t put off the inevitable any longer and had to finish this book. But don’t get me wrong, it was not like I had to force myself to continue reading because it was so bad. No, it was very much the opposite. I enjoyed this book so much that I actually tried to read more slowly than usual because I didn’t want the story to end. I tried to only read 5 pages a day like a certain heroine in one of the books I’m currently reading does, but I just couldn’t pull it off. I am an addict, after all.
I know, there are a lot of people who might object, but for me this book had it all. A gripping plot, cute romance and lots of endearing characters.
Ok, I admit that the idea of Avalon being on top of a mountain in the middle of Great Britain is a tad bit ridiculous but apart from that I really liked the world Black created in her novel. As for the characters, they were just great! I liked the heroine Dana instantly and could easily relate to her. Kimber and Finn were fun and grew on me almost immediately.
Despite some initial imagination issues (thanks to some discussions with my goodreads friends I was imagining Ethan to look like this and Keane to look like this ), I found the guys in this book exactly to my taste. A cocky player and an arrogant bad boy, who both might not be so bad after all. I am aware that the fact that both guys are basically jerks might reflect badly on my partner choice in general but that’s beside the point. And for the record, I’m on team Keane, the eye candy with the bad attitude. ;-)
I am not a master of verbalizations so I will conclude by saying that Glimmerglass was a very enjoyable read, wrapped up nicely and leaves me looking forward to its sequel. Definitely a promising new series.
I know, there are a lot of people who might object, but for me this book had it all. A gripping plot, cute romance and lots of endearing characters.
Ok, I admit that the idea of Avalon being on top of a mountain in the middle of Great Britain is a tad bit ridiculous but apart from that I really liked the world Black created in her novel. As for the characters, they were just great! I liked the heroine Dana instantly and could easily relate to her. Kimber and Finn were fun and grew on me almost immediately.
Despite some initial imagination issues (thanks to some discussions with my goodreads friends I was imagining Ethan to look like this and Keane to look like this ), I found the guys in this book exactly to my taste. A cocky player and an arrogant bad boy, who both might not be so bad after all. I am aware that the fact that both guys are basically jerks might reflect badly on my partner choice in general but that’s beside the point. And for the record, I’m on team Keane, the eye candy with the bad attitude. ;-)
I am not a master of verbalizations so I will conclude by saying that Glimmerglass was a very enjoyable read, wrapped up nicely and leaves me looking forward to its sequel. Definitely a promising new series.
December 28, 2010
Glimmerglass is the first book I've read about faeries that I have not absolutely hated. Jenna Black did a marvelous job of intertwining the fascinating, enchanting world of Avalon with unique, compelling characters.
At the age of sixteen-years-old, Dana Hathaway decides she has had enough of her alcoholic mother. After one dreadful interruption at Dana's voice recital, she decides to run away to the magical city of Avalon. She is immediately caught within the intricate web of Fae politics. Despite her father being one of the powerful politicians in Avalon, Dana struggles to discover who she can trust and how to survive in this strange, sensational world.
My favorite aspect of Glimmerglass was Dana's narrative - Black managed to keep her wry and witty tone consistent alongside the vulnerable voice of a lost, teenage girl. All of the characters were three-dimensional and intriguing, and I am looking forward to seeing more of them in the next Faeriewalker novel.
The plot remained mostly ambiguous throughout the entire novel. Dana did not really understand what was going on around her, so she had to depend on the various individuals that came to her aid. That being said, some of the individuals - like cutthroat Aunt Grace, or sexy, enigma Ethan - could not be trusted to have Dana's best interests at heart. Glimmerglass possessed a satisfying ending with the perfect amount of information provided to keep readers wanting more.
Though not flawless in structure, Jenna Black's debut YA novel will greatly please fans of the Fae, and entertain others who just want a good book to read.
Want to read more of my reviews? Check out my blog.
At the age of sixteen-years-old, Dana Hathaway decides she has had enough of her alcoholic mother. After one dreadful interruption at Dana's voice recital, she decides to run away to the magical city of Avalon. She is immediately caught within the intricate web of Fae politics. Despite her father being one of the powerful politicians in Avalon, Dana struggles to discover who she can trust and how to survive in this strange, sensational world.
My favorite aspect of Glimmerglass was Dana's narrative - Black managed to keep her wry and witty tone consistent alongside the vulnerable voice of a lost, teenage girl. All of the characters were three-dimensional and intriguing, and I am looking forward to seeing more of them in the next Faeriewalker novel.
The plot remained mostly ambiguous throughout the entire novel. Dana did not really understand what was going on around her, so she had to depend on the various individuals that came to her aid. That being said, some of the individuals - like cutthroat Aunt Grace, or sexy, enigma Ethan - could not be trusted to have Dana's best interests at heart. Glimmerglass possessed a satisfying ending with the perfect amount of information provided to keep readers wanting more.
Though not flawless in structure, Jenna Black's debut YA novel will greatly please fans of the Fae, and entertain others who just want a good book to read.
Want to read more of my reviews? Check out my blog.
June 8, 2016
This book silly/juvenile.
First off, it is not unique or creative or new in any way (unless you count the fact that the fey can apparently lie in this one). It was full of dumb cliches. Boring. And the beginning of the book did NOT hook me in at all. In fact, it turned me off. And from there, things did not get much better.
Dana is supposedly sooo mature and worldly, but to me, she was THE most immature 16-year-old main character ever written. The second she sees Cute Guy #1, she's all: OOO, I'm in love. OOOO he touched me! Oooo, he looked at me! Really? And then, hours later, when she finds out that, OMG!, he lied to her, she was oh so heartbroken, boohoohoo.
She is SHALLOW. All she sees in the opposite sex is a handsome face. Then boom! She wants a relationship with them. Uh-huh. When I was sixteen and interacted with "cute guys" I did not fall at their feet simply because they were attractive.
Honestly, her woebegone reaction to Ethan's lies was pathetic. She barely knew the guy! Get over it already. Wahwahwah, some cute guy never really liked me because I'm so plain looking boohoo.
She spends half the book obsessing over how cute Cute Guy #1 or Cute Guy #2 or Cute Guy #3 is, or how boohoo, they'll never like her because she's plain. Did I mention she was petty? No? Well, she is.
And then there's Jenna Black, who thinks teenagers are brainless idiots. It wasn't enough for Dana to tell us her stomach felt empty. No, she had to also clarify that what she meant when she complained of an empty stomach, was that she was, GASP, hungry!
And Dana's sudden, Oh, I must leave my mother and go find my father in Avalon beginning was RANDOM. Why, after all those years, did she suddenly make this decision? Sure...
It's not only Dana that's shallow, but the book itself. Dana spends a majority of the book mooning over Cute Guys #1-#3, more time feeling sorry for herself, more time shopping and wishing she had a BFF, and the rest screaming and wailing while various people are attacked.
Stupid.
Note: No matter what you do, do NOT listen to the audiobook. It's torture. Not only is her voice horribly grating and irritating, but half the BRITISH characters have Australian accents. Also, she screeches and wails like a banshee during the most mundane situtaions. She sounds like a tea kettle most of the time. Warning: your ears may bleed if you do decide to listen to it.
Such a waste of a gorgeous cover.
First off, it is not unique or creative or new in any way (unless you count the fact that the fey can apparently lie in this one). It was full of dumb cliches. Boring. And the beginning of the book did NOT hook me in at all. In fact, it turned me off. And from there, things did not get much better.
Dana is supposedly sooo mature and worldly, but to me, she was THE most immature 16-year-old main character ever written. The second she sees Cute Guy #1, she's all: OOO, I'm in love. OOOO he touched me! Oooo, he looked at me! Really? And then, hours later, when she finds out that, OMG!, he lied to her, she was oh so heartbroken, boohoohoo.
She is SHALLOW. All she sees in the opposite sex is a handsome face. Then boom! She wants a relationship with them. Uh-huh. When I was sixteen and interacted with "cute guys" I did not fall at their feet simply because they were attractive.
Honestly, her woebegone reaction to Ethan's lies was pathetic. She barely knew the guy! Get over it already. Wahwahwah, some cute guy never really liked me because I'm so plain looking boohoo.
She spends half the book obsessing over how cute Cute Guy #1 or Cute Guy #2 or Cute Guy #3 is, or how boohoo, they'll never like her because she's plain. Did I mention she was petty? No? Well, she is.
And then there's Jenna Black, who thinks teenagers are brainless idiots. It wasn't enough for Dana to tell us her stomach felt empty. No, she had to also clarify that what she meant when she complained of an empty stomach, was that she was, GASP, hungry!
And Dana's sudden, Oh, I must leave my mother and go find my father in Avalon beginning was RANDOM. Why, after all those years, did she suddenly make this decision? Sure...
It's not only Dana that's shallow, but the book itself. Dana spends a majority of the book mooning over Cute Guys #1-#3, more time feeling sorry for herself, more time shopping and wishing she had a BFF, and the rest screaming and wailing while various people are attacked.
Stupid.
Note: No matter what you do, do NOT listen to the audiobook. It's torture. Not only is her voice horribly grating and irritating, but half the BRITISH characters have Australian accents. Also, she screeches and wails like a banshee during the most mundane situtaions. She sounds like a tea kettle most of the time. Warning: your ears may bleed if you do decide to listen to it.
Such a waste of a gorgeous cover.
April 24, 2010
WARNING: Some minor spoilers, but not enough to cloud it. I think.
I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I'd read it at a different time.
Fact is, I'm getting a bit fed up with the new 'teen urban fantasy' genre and how formulaic it can be. I swallowed it for a while, but now I'm starting to gag when I come across 'My life sucks, here I go to a new place; Oh! I'm special; look at these attractive men around me, however shall I choose? OHNOEZ catastrophe! Save me, attractive man! I lurve you!'
Would I have been happier with this if I'd read it later, when it wasn't directly following The Splendor Falls? Yeah, probably. But the two are so incredibly similar that I started getting annoyed at both. Not to say that I didn't enjoy them both, in the end, but after reading it I got the feeling that TSF was this book crossed with Beautiful Creatures; and as it was published before either of them, that feeling really bugs me.
Breakdown-
Liked: Avalon. (First of all, because I simply love to say that name. So pretty.) Nice way to combine fae and humans, and it seemed to work into the normal world fairly well. The mention of an 'I (heart symbol) Avalon' shirt was particularly amusing, in a small way.
Dana's mom, Cathy. Her drunkenness was interesting to me, and while I can't say whether it was accurate or not, it made her an interesting character.
Aunt Grace. So she's not exactly one of the 'good guys'; so what? She and Lachlan intrigued me more than other, more central characters.
Kimber. Who Dana really, really, really needs to listen to more. Girl's smart, and if she's got a chip on her shoulder when it comes to her brother, it's justifiable.
Finn. Mostly for 'stabbed, shot, etcetera, etcetera' comments. Has a kind of dry, stoic humor that made him undeniably cool.
Didn't like: ETHAN. For me, he was one of those characters I'd cheerfully push off a cliff. Maybe it's because I read a review of Hush, Hush that mentioned the 'romantic lead' and his near-rapist tendencies, but I saw a lot of that in Ethan. He seems like Black is trying to make him an unwilling tool in his father's plots, but really he seems pretty complicit to me. And can you say Stu? Magically powerful, beyond hot, from a wealthy family, and saves heroine multiple times. My favorite Ethan moment? When Dana dumped coffee on him.
Dana's instant attraction to anything male, fae, and not her father. GOOD GRIEF, girl, are they exuding pheromones or something? (Okay, so this is entirely possible.) But Ethan, Finn, and Keane is a bit much.
The ending's little 'zOMG DANA IS SPESHUL SNOWFLAEK' thingamabob. If this 'twist' turns out to be typical in later books, I will be placated. We don't know that much about Faeriewalkers at this point, so it's possible that it'll be negated. But if she has to be special, let's not make her beyond special, okay?
Let's see more of: Alistair. His physical description the one time he showed up was interesting, and we didn't meet too many Unseelie; if he's more prominent in the sequels that I assume are in the works I'll be happier.
Faerie. Dana needs to visit it. Fer serious.
Bottom line:
I would read at least one sequel.
I would reccomend this to genre fans only.
I'd probably not re-read this one anytime soon.
I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I'd read it at a different time.
Fact is, I'm getting a bit fed up with the new 'teen urban fantasy' genre and how formulaic it can be. I swallowed it for a while, but now I'm starting to gag when I come across 'My life sucks, here I go to a new place; Oh! I'm special; look at these attractive men around me, however shall I choose? OHNOEZ catastrophe! Save me, attractive man! I lurve you!'
Would I have been happier with this if I'd read it later, when it wasn't directly following The Splendor Falls? Yeah, probably. But the two are so incredibly similar that I started getting annoyed at both. Not to say that I didn't enjoy them both, in the end, but after reading it I got the feeling that TSF was this book crossed with Beautiful Creatures; and as it was published before either of them, that feeling really bugs me.
Breakdown-
Liked: Avalon. (First of all, because I simply love to say that name. So pretty.) Nice way to combine fae and humans, and it seemed to work into the normal world fairly well. The mention of an 'I (heart symbol) Avalon' shirt was particularly amusing, in a small way.
Dana's mom, Cathy. Her drunkenness was interesting to me, and while I can't say whether it was accurate or not, it made her an interesting character.
Aunt Grace. So she's not exactly one of the 'good guys'; so what? She and Lachlan intrigued me more than other, more central characters.
Kimber. Who Dana really, really, really needs to listen to more. Girl's smart, and if she's got a chip on her shoulder when it comes to her brother, it's justifiable.
Finn. Mostly for 'stabbed, shot, etcetera, etcetera' comments. Has a kind of dry, stoic humor that made him undeniably cool.
Didn't like: ETHAN. For me, he was one of those characters I'd cheerfully push off a cliff. Maybe it's because I read a review of Hush, Hush that mentioned the 'romantic lead' and his near-rapist tendencies, but I saw a lot of that in Ethan. He seems like Black is trying to make him an unwilling tool in his father's plots, but really he seems pretty complicit to me. And can you say Stu? Magically powerful, beyond hot, from a wealthy family, and saves heroine multiple times. My favorite Ethan moment? When Dana dumped coffee on him.
Dana's instant attraction to anything male, fae, and not her father. GOOD GRIEF, girl, are they exuding pheromones or something? (Okay, so this is entirely possible.) But Ethan, Finn, and Keane is a bit much.
The ending's little 'zOMG DANA IS SPESHUL SNOWFLAEK' thingamabob. If this 'twist' turns out to be typical in later books, I will be placated. We don't know that much about Faeriewalkers at this point, so it's possible that it'll be negated. But if she has to be special, let's not make her beyond special, okay?
Let's see more of: Alistair. His physical description the one time he showed up was interesting, and we didn't meet too many Unseelie; if he's more prominent in the sequels that I assume are in the works I'll be happier.
Faerie. Dana needs to visit it. Fer serious.
Bottom line:
I would read at least one sequel.
I would reccomend this to genre fans only.
I'd probably not re-read this one anytime soon.
Shelved as 'wishlist'
February 15, 2023Reasons I bought this book:
1) It's a book about faeries by a woman named Jenna Black and I have been conditioned to believe women with the last name 'Black' who write books about faeries are AWESOME
2) See above
1) It's a book about faeries by a woman named Jenna Black and I have been conditioned to believe women with the last name 'Black' who write books about faeries are AWESOME
2) See above
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June 16, 2012My review is split in to five sections: Writing, Plot, Worldbuilding, Characters, and X-Factor. Each section comprises of either half or one star, except X-Factor which can utilise two whole stars.
Writing .5
At first I was very annoyed with Dana’s voice. It grated on me in the worst way – I was sure I’d come across another regular Mary-Sue who despite all her difficulties in life actually had no difficulties at all. And at first it seemed an accurate guess – even on the very first page I found something to put me off. I don’t know if Black is a singer, but I am, and Voi Che Sapete is not a song for someone with a pretty, light soprano voice. It’s meant to be sung by a girl dressed as a boy – in the opera world, these are known as ‘britches’ roles. Mezzo-sopranos have three roles: witches (villains), bitches (femme fatale) or britches/breeches (boy roles). It’s not unheard of for a soprano to sing Voi Che Sapete, but in general it’s made for someone with a richer, lower range than that. There are a hundred songs more suited to a soprano with a pretty voice. It’s like someone telling me a soprano sang Habanera… you just wonder ‘why’? While it’s not entirely inaccurate, it is inaccurate enough.
It also doesn’t matter how ‘naturally pretty’ one’s voice is: singing well requires training. End of story. There are a hundred things to learn like correct breathing technique and how to lift the soft palette and find the correct place in your body for your voice to resonate. There are thousands of tricks from how to stand, how to shift your weight as you sing, how and what to visualise as you sing to help the voice. Training also blends the chest voice and the head voice. Singing well requires practice. The idea that Dana didn’t need singing lessons because her voice was ‘pretty’ vaguely offended me, as a classically trained singer myself. Pretty means nothing if you’re not taught how to use it. There’s a reason all the opera singers in the world basically sound the same (and at the other end of the spectrum, all the untrained pop singers using auto-tune). You can have a very pretty voice but be singing incorrectly and it will end up damaging your voice if you do it too often. I’ve quit more than one choir because the teacher was ignorant on how to train singers.
That being said, I’m still yet to figure out if there is some significance in choosing that particular song for Dana’s recital. Voi Che Sapete basically translates to ‘Tell Me What Love Is’ and is a song sang on command by the girl-dressed-as-a-boy for the amusement of two other characters. I want to give Black credit for choosing a song that reflects Dana’s naivety when it comes to guys. There was no romance in this book. Dana feels attraction to every male Fae unrelated to her. This isn’t romance, but lust.
But that was not all that bothered me about the writing in this novel. For the first half of the book I was mentally re-writing it as I went, which isn’t a good thing. I felt it was a little clumsy and simply not as well-written as I wanted it to be. However, by the second half of the novel I think Dana’s voice finally gelled with me, and I could actually begin to enjoy it.
Plot .5
Being bored in a book is never a good thing. I wasn’t particularly thrilled as I read this. I liked the idea of Dana having the ovaries to chase her own destiny, but sometimes it felt like I was just reading filler, waiting for the next interesting thing to happen. Dana was very much a victim, often under the control of someone else. That kind of plot is not really my thing. However, I did appreciate the fact that she was willing to try for her freedom. I also liked the fact that so many human things applied to the Fae part of Avalon – her father’s custody, for example, and the whole thing about passports. It’s such a human mess to get in to. I think Black really pulled off the real-world feeling very well, even though this was mostly set in Avalon. I did however feel that mostly the book was about Dana changing jail cells with different captors. If that was the point, then maybe it just didn’t impress me enough.
To quote my friend Anila on the formula of the teen urban fantasy genre:
Predictable? Yes. Annoying? HELL YES.
Worldbuilding 1
The biggest thing that confused me with the worldbuilding was the fact that Dana kept her half-Fae status a secret from the human world. I just couldn’t comprehend. If the Fae are so awesomely cool, and Avalon is an actual recognised country (or whatever) and the real world knows about Faerie, why was it such a secret? It’s totally nothing to be ashamed of – I imagine those half-Fae humans would be revered and popular.
Apart from that, I found the explanation for Dana’s Faeriewalker status to be satisfactory enough to believe. I liked the twist about females havin more of a say in their genetics but Fae being stronger as well, so only a Fae man and human woman could produce a straight 50/50 Faeriewalker. That made sense enough. I also thought the realism of the Fae society in Avalon still being quite human-based was intriguing – it wasn’t so extraordinarily different like in Spells, another Faerie book I’ve read recently. I liked the idea of Fae students in student housing. It struck me as bringing realism into a Faerie book.
Characters 1
Like I mentioned earlier, Dana’s voice grated on me at first. I really wanted to like this book and for the first half I wasn’t convinced I did. Then I read a small section – one paragraph, really – that summed up Dana’s voice and her character and I decided that even though she was helpless and really quite ashamedly ignorant of Avalon and Fae life and politics – which really, she had no excuse for being so ignorant because she knew her father was Fae, she knew she was running away to Avalon, and Avalon and Faeirie aren’t some secret world that only a few lucky sould know about in the human world – I ended up liking her. Not a lot. Just a little.
I pretty much think Ethan’s a dick. He can go jump in that moat again for all I care. I like Keane as a love interest better, even though he’s abrasive and rude and nothing beyond Dana’s burning loins suggested he was even going to be a love interest. I find Ethan to rank among those distasteful boys of YA literature – the ones who manipulate, both physically and emotionally, our darling heroines who are often too stupid to live. I didn’t like Ethan from the start, and his actions only encouraged that dislike to grow. Even his great redemption scene didn’t impress me. My favourite part was when . Closely followed by the time she Kid: GET A CLUE!
I did however rather like Kimber. I loved the fact that at first she was very icy and removed. I loved the way she acted around her brother. I loved that she was a super-smart kid with an inferiority complex. I loved that she had walls Dana needed to break down. She’s not my favourite character, but I liked her more than almost everyone else.
I think Dana’s mother alcoholism was approached rather well in this book. I know a few, and it’s fucking scary. I think Dana handled it very maturely and I think Black wrote about it very well from an inexperienced teen’s point of view. Alcoholism is nothing to step around lightly, unlike for example suicide. It shouldn’t be treated with great respect due to people’s feelings. Alcoholism kills people and destroys families. I’ve seen it happen with my own eyes. I appreciate Black’s take-no-prisoners approach, and felt Dana’s pain whenever she thought about it.
Finn was my favourite character. I liked how Dana tried to rub him the wrong way and it just didn’t work. Let’s take a look at this in my favourite bit of writing that made me decide to like Dana after all:
X-Factor – emotional response – 0
I’m sad to report that I didn’t get an emotional response from this book. I nearly laughed out loud once (above), but that was it. I actually found most of it boring and if it hadn’t have needed to be returned to the library, it’d probably still be on my nightstand. However, I am intrigued by the climax and very interested to see what Dana’s future holds as the There had to be something to make her uber-special, didn’t there?
Writing .5
At first I was very annoyed with Dana’s voice. It grated on me in the worst way – I was sure I’d come across another regular Mary-Sue who despite all her difficulties in life actually had no difficulties at all. And at first it seemed an accurate guess – even on the very first page I found something to put me off. I don’t know if Black is a singer, but I am, and Voi Che Sapete is not a song for someone with a pretty, light soprano voice. It’s meant to be sung by a girl dressed as a boy – in the opera world, these are known as ‘britches’ roles. Mezzo-sopranos have three roles: witches (villains), bitches (femme fatale) or britches/breeches (boy roles). It’s not unheard of for a soprano to sing Voi Che Sapete, but in general it’s made for someone with a richer, lower range than that. There are a hundred songs more suited to a soprano with a pretty voice. It’s like someone telling me a soprano sang Habanera… you just wonder ‘why’? While it’s not entirely inaccurate, it is inaccurate enough.
It also doesn’t matter how ‘naturally pretty’ one’s voice is: singing well requires training. End of story. There are a hundred things to learn like correct breathing technique and how to lift the soft palette and find the correct place in your body for your voice to resonate. There are thousands of tricks from how to stand, how to shift your weight as you sing, how and what to visualise as you sing to help the voice. Training also blends the chest voice and the head voice. Singing well requires practice. The idea that Dana didn’t need singing lessons because her voice was ‘pretty’ vaguely offended me, as a classically trained singer myself. Pretty means nothing if you’re not taught how to use it. There’s a reason all the opera singers in the world basically sound the same (and at the other end of the spectrum, all the untrained pop singers using auto-tune). You can have a very pretty voice but be singing incorrectly and it will end up damaging your voice if you do it too often. I’ve quit more than one choir because the teacher was ignorant on how to train singers.
That being said, I’m still yet to figure out if there is some significance in choosing that particular song for Dana’s recital. Voi Che Sapete basically translates to ‘Tell Me What Love Is’ and is a song sang on command by the girl-dressed-as-a-boy for the amusement of two other characters. I want to give Black credit for choosing a song that reflects Dana’s naivety when it comes to guys. There was no romance in this book. Dana feels attraction to every male Fae unrelated to her. This isn’t romance, but lust.
But that was not all that bothered me about the writing in this novel. For the first half of the book I was mentally re-writing it as I went, which isn’t a good thing. I felt it was a little clumsy and simply not as well-written as I wanted it to be. However, by the second half of the novel I think Dana’s voice finally gelled with me, and I could actually begin to enjoy it.
Plot .5
Being bored in a book is never a good thing. I wasn’t particularly thrilled as I read this. I liked the idea of Dana having the ovaries to chase her own destiny, but sometimes it felt like I was just reading filler, waiting for the next interesting thing to happen. Dana was very much a victim, often under the control of someone else. That kind of plot is not really my thing. However, I did appreciate the fact that she was willing to try for her freedom. I also liked the fact that so many human things applied to the Fae part of Avalon – her father’s custody, for example, and the whole thing about passports. It’s such a human mess to get in to. I think Black really pulled off the real-world feeling very well, even though this was mostly set in Avalon. I did however feel that mostly the book was about Dana changing jail cells with different captors. If that was the point, then maybe it just didn’t impress me enough.
To quote my friend Anila on the formula of the teen urban fantasy genre:
'My life sucks, here I go to a new place; Oh! I'm special; look at these attractive men around me, however shall I choose? OHNOEZ catastrophe! Save me, attractive man! I lurve you!
Predictable? Yes. Annoying? HELL YES.
Worldbuilding 1
The biggest thing that confused me with the worldbuilding was the fact that Dana kept her half-Fae status a secret from the human world. I just couldn’t comprehend. If the Fae are so awesomely cool, and Avalon is an actual recognised country (or whatever) and the real world knows about Faerie, why was it such a secret? It’s totally nothing to be ashamed of – I imagine those half-Fae humans would be revered and popular.
Apart from that, I found the explanation for Dana’s Faeriewalker status to be satisfactory enough to believe. I liked the twist about females havin more of a say in their genetics but Fae being stronger as well, so only a Fae man and human woman could produce a straight 50/50 Faeriewalker. That made sense enough. I also thought the realism of the Fae society in Avalon still being quite human-based was intriguing – it wasn’t so extraordinarily different like in Spells, another Faerie book I’ve read recently. I liked the idea of Fae students in student housing. It struck me as bringing realism into a Faerie book.
Characters 1
Like I mentioned earlier, Dana’s voice grated on me at first. I really wanted to like this book and for the first half I wasn’t convinced I did. Then I read a small section – one paragraph, really – that summed up Dana’s voice and her character and I decided that even though she was helpless and really quite ashamedly ignorant of Avalon and Fae life and politics – which really, she had no excuse for being so ignorant because she knew her father was Fae, she knew she was running away to Avalon, and Avalon and Faeirie aren’t some secret world that only a few lucky sould know about in the human world – I ended up liking her. Not a lot. Just a little.
I pretty much think Ethan’s a dick. He can go jump in that moat again for all I care. I like Keane as a love interest better, even though he’s abrasive and rude and nothing beyond Dana’s burning loins suggested he was even going to be a love interest. I find Ethan to rank among those distasteful boys of YA literature – the ones who manipulate, both physically and emotionally, our darling heroines who are often too stupid to live. I didn’t like Ethan from the start, and his actions only encouraged that dislike to grow. Even his great redemption scene didn’t impress me. My favourite part was when . Closely followed by the time she Kid: GET A CLUE!
I did however rather like Kimber. I loved the fact that at first she was very icy and removed. I loved the way she acted around her brother. I loved that she was a super-smart kid with an inferiority complex. I loved that she had walls Dana needed to break down. She’s not my favourite character, but I liked her more than almost everyone else.
I think Dana’s mother alcoholism was approached rather well in this book. I know a few, and it’s fucking scary. I think Dana handled it very maturely and I think Black wrote about it very well from an inexperienced teen’s point of view. Alcoholism is nothing to step around lightly, unlike for example suicide. It shouldn’t be treated with great respect due to people’s feelings. Alcoholism kills people and destroys families. I’ve seen it happen with my own eyes. I appreciate Black’s take-no-prisoners approach, and felt Dana’s pain whenever she thought about it.
Finn was my favourite character. I liked how Dana tried to rub him the wrong way and it just didn’t work. Let’s take a look at this in my favourite bit of writing that made me decide to like Dana after all:
“Not wanting Finn to know I’d been browsing just to annoy him, I bought the thong, as well as some more practical underwear. You can never have too much underwear. Especially when you hate doing laundry. I then handed the bag to Finn to carry. He hesitated for a second, and I swear I could feel those laser-beam eyes on me even through the dark glasses. I blinked up at him innocently, enjoying the evidence that I’d cracked his composure. He regained it real fast, though, and took the bag from me without comment. I wished I had a camera, because he looked pretty funny carrying a Victoria’s Secret bag while trying to maintain his dignified, bad-ass goon look.”Isn’t that just HILARIOUS?
X-Factor – emotional response – 0
I’m sad to report that I didn’t get an emotional response from this book. I nearly laughed out loud once (above), but that was it. I actually found most of it boring and if it hadn’t have needed to be returned to the library, it’d probably still be on my nightstand. However, I am intrigued by the climax and very interested to see what Dana’s future holds as the There had to be something to make her uber-special, didn’t there?
July 6, 2010
Loved it! I was eagerly anticipating this book and it did not disappoint. Glimmerglass had it all. Interesting characters, fast paced and gripping plot and fantastic writing.
I liked Jenna Black's take on Avalon and Fairy. It was just effortless to read. I also loved the characters. Dana is a strong character that I instantly liked. Her possible love interest, Ethan, was my favourite character, he was witty and gorgeous. He makes some mistakes along the way but I think him not being so perfect is what made me like him so much and his gorgeous teal blue eyes helped! I'm very curious about Keane, I feel there is a lot more to his character and can't wait to find out more. Hopefully he will have a bigger role in the next installment. I also like how the romance in this book is happening kinda of slowly (no love at first sight just lust). I also liked Finn, her bodyguard, he was a great supporting character. He certainly made me laugh at times.
The ending is satisfying but at the same time left me craving the sequel.
Overall, a great start to an exciting new series. Can't wait to read Shadowspell.
I liked Jenna Black's take on Avalon and Fairy. It was just effortless to read. I also loved the characters. Dana is a strong character that I instantly liked. Her possible love interest, Ethan, was my favourite character, he was witty and gorgeous. He makes some mistakes along the way but I think him not being so perfect is what made me like him so much and his gorgeous teal blue eyes helped! I'm very curious about Keane, I feel there is a lot more to his character and can't wait to find out more. Hopefully he will have a bigger role in the next installment. I also like how the romance in this book is happening kinda of slowly (no love at first sight just lust). I also liked Finn, her bodyguard, he was a great supporting character. He certainly made me laugh at times.
The ending is satisfying but at the same time left me craving the sequel.
Overall, a great start to an exciting new series. Can't wait to read Shadowspell.
February 10, 2018
Loved this book! The Fae world was so enchanting and intriguing
June 11, 2010
I'm a sucker for a great cover and a good title and this book has both. What it doesn't have is realistic teen dialogue, action, or consistency. For a book about the world of Faerie, it is steeped in mundacity: shopping at Victoria's Secret, drinking at Starbucks, talking about Danish Modern furniture (p. 142). Seriously, what teenager knows about Danish modern furniture? And even if the protagonist knows what that is, who is the audience that gets that kind of reference?
There are lots of clunky references here. Dana, the protagonist, mentions that her body guard has an "MIB" look going (p. 177). Those Men in Black movies came out 8 years ago. Old news. The novel is rife with this sort of thing.
A couple of things will be appealing to readers, but more of the tween than the teen set. If you know a girl that likes long descriptive passages about kissing, Glimmerglass is for them. While Edward Cullen glitters in the sunlight, Ethan the Fae's kisses taste like cherries (p. 121). Just what ever girl has ever wanted. A boy that tastes like Bonnie Bell lipsmacker.
All in all, an awkward attempt.
There are lots of clunky references here. Dana, the protagonist, mentions that her body guard has an "MIB" look going (p. 177). Those Men in Black movies came out 8 years ago. Old news. The novel is rife with this sort of thing.
A couple of things will be appealing to readers, but more of the tween than the teen set. If you know a girl that likes long descriptive passages about kissing, Glimmerglass is for them. While Edward Cullen glitters in the sunlight, Ethan the Fae's kisses taste like cherries (p. 121). Just what ever girl has ever wanted. A boy that tastes like Bonnie Bell lipsmacker.
All in all, an awkward attempt.
June 25, 2015
4.5 Loved the world building full review to come....
May 27, 2010
Glimmerglass is the first book in a promising new series; Faeriewalker by Jenna Black. I've never read anything by her before, but I really like the way she writes!
I'm not going to say to much since I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that I loved this book.
The concept, or politics to this particular element was different then other Faerie books I've read. Most of it, I'll admit I don't understand all too well, but Black's take on it seemed so natural, penning this book with amazing flow, it was very easy to get lost in her world of Avalon.
I liked how different this book was, it almost felt like I wasn't reading a Faerie book, it was so modern, blending humor with fast paced excitement that made this easy to relate too. Also giving the readers a perfect connection to the world and it's plot.
I really loved the characters in this book. All of them really are incredible. The dialog was filled with wit and humor and each carried there own voice extremely well.
Poor Dana, she really has had a hard go right from the start, like her, I too was confused, didn't know who I could trust and it felt like everyone had there one agenda's to use Dana for there will. Not to say that these character were bad, but it gave a sence of keeping you on your toes while reading, guessing along with the character, and trying to find the sane in an insane situation.
Ethan is yummy, but I'm not going to talk about him. He's yummy. Period.
Overall, Glimmerglass is a welcoming new series that adds to my favorite collection of Fae books, along side, Lesley Livingston's Wondrous Strange; and Julie Kagawa's; The Iron King.
It's creative, fun and funny, exciting and best of all it has Ethan's charming smile and teal blue eyes that made me melt like butter (okay, I talked about him a little) seriously though, it has a wonderful cast of characters that I loved. The plot was original, or as original can be while reading this element and the writing is remarkable!
Great, great read! Can't wait for book two!
A must read for any Fae fans looking for a fun and an intriguing escape!
I'm not going to say to much since I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that I loved this book.
The concept, or politics to this particular element was different then other Faerie books I've read. Most of it, I'll admit I don't understand all too well, but Black's take on it seemed so natural, penning this book with amazing flow, it was very easy to get lost in her world of Avalon.
I liked how different this book was, it almost felt like I wasn't reading a Faerie book, it was so modern, blending humor with fast paced excitement that made this easy to relate too. Also giving the readers a perfect connection to the world and it's plot.
I really loved the characters in this book. All of them really are incredible. The dialog was filled with wit and humor and each carried there own voice extremely well.
Poor Dana, she really has had a hard go right from the start, like her, I too was confused, didn't know who I could trust and it felt like everyone had there one agenda's to use Dana for there will. Not to say that these character were bad, but it gave a sence of keeping you on your toes while reading, guessing along with the character, and trying to find the sane in an insane situation.
Ethan is yummy, but I'm not going to talk about him. He's yummy. Period.
Overall, Glimmerglass is a welcoming new series that adds to my favorite collection of Fae books, along side, Lesley Livingston's Wondrous Strange; and Julie Kagawa's; The Iron King.
It's creative, fun and funny, exciting and best of all it has Ethan's charming smile and teal blue eyes that made me melt like butter (okay, I talked about him a little) seriously though, it has a wonderful cast of characters that I loved. The plot was original, or as original can be while reading this element and the writing is remarkable!
Great, great read! Can't wait for book two!
A must read for any Fae fans looking for a fun and an intriguing escape!
June 21, 2010
I'm not sure about this book to be honest, but I enjoyed it in the end so I think a 3 star rating is just about right for it. Jenna Black creates a very interesting and unique Faery world. Here, Avalon exists as a city in England which is a combined city of mortals and Fae, much like Vatican city.
Everyone knows about Faery and Avalon seems more like Disneyland where everyone wants to go once and visit. As I said, pretty new and unique and honestly I found it quite funny!
Dana is a rare half-breed with a human mother and an old Faery father whom she has never seen in her life. Her mother is a ralcoholic and Dana grows up having to take care of her mother instead of being just a child that enjoys childhood. One day, she decides to leave her mother to live with her father in Avalon.
Half-breeds are rare and apparently they are powerful ( Dana has no clue about this) so everyone tries to take advantage of her once she entered Avalon. She's kidnapped and then her journey begins - who to trust?
I had to remind me a few times that Dana is 16 and still a teenager although she wants to be so very mature - she obviously is not. I'm used to much stronger characters in YA fiction that I was a bit annoyed by her immature behavior sometimes, but then I reminded myself that she's 16 and has a right to be like this.
She meets two possible love interests ( what would be a story like this without love?) Ethan and Kean. I couldn't figure Ethan out to be honest. He's trying to help her, to protect her and she's immediately totally swoon over him. We don't have "love at first sight, finding the soul mate in the first two pages" but the romance they develop was quite lacking. Ethan is very hard to figure out, which is good and just makes him more interesting.
In summary, the plot is interesting and has a great potential, the main character Dana missed some deepness and development. But overall, a fun and nice read and I will definitely read the next book!!
Everyone knows about Faery and Avalon seems more like Disneyland where everyone wants to go once and visit. As I said, pretty new and unique and honestly I found it quite funny!
Dana is a rare half-breed with a human mother and an old Faery father whom she has never seen in her life. Her mother is a ralcoholic and Dana grows up having to take care of her mother instead of being just a child that enjoys childhood. One day, she decides to leave her mother to live with her father in Avalon.
Half-breeds are rare and apparently they are powerful ( Dana has no clue about this) so everyone tries to take advantage of her once she entered Avalon. She's kidnapped and then her journey begins - who to trust?
I had to remind me a few times that Dana is 16 and still a teenager although she wants to be so very mature - she obviously is not. I'm used to much stronger characters in YA fiction that I was a bit annoyed by her immature behavior sometimes, but then I reminded myself that she's 16 and has a right to be like this.
She meets two possible love interests ( what would be a story like this without love?) Ethan and Kean. I couldn't figure Ethan out to be honest. He's trying to help her, to protect her and she's immediately totally swoon over him. We don't have "love at first sight, finding the soul mate in the first two pages" but the romance they develop was quite lacking. Ethan is very hard to figure out, which is good and just makes him more interesting.
In summary, the plot is interesting and has a great potential, the main character Dana missed some deepness and development. But overall, a fun and nice read and I will definitely read the next book!!
May 20, 2010
Avalon is a place where the modern world mingle and coexist with Fae. Dana is through with being the parent to her mother. So she runs away to Avalon to visit her fae father who she has never met. She strongly feels it's gotta be better than the way she's living now, but sadly she has no clue what she's walking into.
I thought this was a fantastic story. I really enjoy fae stories- always unique and a departure from vampire novels. Now I haven't liked every fae story I've read ... but this one really worked for me. Dana is an exciting character. From the moment she steps into Avalon she's tossed into a messed up situation. She feels lost, and not sure what she is being is told the truth or who she can trust. But by the end of her adventure she comes out a stronger person.
Glimmerglass is a spellbinding ride to the very end. The author has created a faerie world shrouded in danger and intrigue. Avalon is home to both humans and fae. A very tempting place, readers will want to keep coming back. I'm eager to see what is next for Dana. This is Jenna Black's first YA novel, I believe she will be welcomed with open arms.
I thought this was a fantastic story. I really enjoy fae stories- always unique and a departure from vampire novels. Now I haven't liked every fae story I've read ... but this one really worked for me. Dana is an exciting character. From the moment she steps into Avalon she's tossed into a messed up situation. She feels lost, and not sure what she is being is told the truth or who she can trust. But by the end of her adventure she comes out a stronger person.
Glimmerglass is a spellbinding ride to the very end. The author has created a faerie world shrouded in danger and intrigue. Avalon is home to both humans and fae. A very tempting place, readers will want to keep coming back. I'm eager to see what is next for Dana. This is Jenna Black's first YA novel, I believe she will be welcomed with open arms.
October 17, 2012
And the award for shit writing, dumbass- shallow characters and a storyline that would annoy a pre-schooler goes to.........
Wait for iiiiiiiiiiit
YOU GOT IT: JENNA BLACK and the FAERIEWALKER SERIES!
WTF was i thinking????? I wasn't, at the time....nop....i did this to myself.
sadface
Wait for iiiiiiiiiiit
YOU GOT IT: JENNA BLACK and the FAERIEWALKER SERIES!
WTF was i thinking????? I wasn't, at the time....nop....i did this to myself.
sadface
June 24, 2010
"Glimmerglass" by Jenna Black is a story of a teenager named Dana who leaves her drunken mother behind in the states to travel to Avalon to meet her Fae father. Yet, once in Avalon, she's caught within petty political games and several abduction attempts on her person because of her identity as a Faeriewalker - one who can pass through the human and Fae world without complication.
If that particular summary sounds interesting, then I have to tell you that the way the story unfolds is nowhere close to the level of intrigue of the premise. The political games and even the contrast between the human and Fae world are never fleshed out or added upon in this book, choosing instead to focus on Dana's encounters with some interesting characters that have more assumptions attached to them than proper fleshing out. I say this constructively and critically, because I think it could've been a much better story and lived up to its proposal. Not saying that the author doesn't have potential to build more as she goes further in the series, but for the first book - it doesn't measure very well.
The book has an easy prose style to read, and that's something I'll give Black due credit for on all counts. The events are a little formulaic (Dana has many encounters of where she's abducted or held against her will in some fashion), and while that might have worked in certain ways - Dana isn't a strong enough character to make that formula work. She's particularly selfish, immature, and at bit shallow in spurts. It's almost too many flaws and the conflict too thin to really care for her.
I did however, like the side characters and the intrigue of the antagonists. Yet, unlike Dana, they're not really given that much time to be fleshed out. Much about them, in Dana's eye, is assumed rather than delivered in a "show not tell" fashion. For example, when Finn's character contrasts are introduced - he's on one hand an intimidating bodyguard, and the next he's simply "hot". Some of the other male characters are treated in the same manner, like Ethan (who seems like a fun character to start). The only one I think that wasn't was Keane, and he has promise to be a very interesting character in the series to come despite a late introduction. Still, It feels very paper thin, and not particularly natural.
I didn't dislike the book at all, but I think there are better stories out there that flesh out the fantasy and the teenage sentiment much better than Glimmerglass, with more likable protagonists even. It's particularly disappointing because it has such a beautiful premise, and could've had so much more to it than the thin projective. I don't know if I'll read the next book yet, but I'd say to simply know what you're getting into before you read this book. The protagonist isn't really a typical teenager, but she has plenty of angst and there are moments in this book where she's put in genuine peril and not simply given the loop around. But I warn that those situations do not compose the majority of the book.
Overall score: 2/5
If that particular summary sounds interesting, then I have to tell you that the way the story unfolds is nowhere close to the level of intrigue of the premise. The political games and even the contrast between the human and Fae world are never fleshed out or added upon in this book, choosing instead to focus on Dana's encounters with some interesting characters that have more assumptions attached to them than proper fleshing out. I say this constructively and critically, because I think it could've been a much better story and lived up to its proposal. Not saying that the author doesn't have potential to build more as she goes further in the series, but for the first book - it doesn't measure very well.
The book has an easy prose style to read, and that's something I'll give Black due credit for on all counts. The events are a little formulaic (Dana has many encounters of where she's abducted or held against her will in some fashion), and while that might have worked in certain ways - Dana isn't a strong enough character to make that formula work. She's particularly selfish, immature, and at bit shallow in spurts. It's almost too many flaws and the conflict too thin to really care for her.
I did however, like the side characters and the intrigue of the antagonists. Yet, unlike Dana, they're not really given that much time to be fleshed out. Much about them, in Dana's eye, is assumed rather than delivered in a "show not tell" fashion. For example, when Finn's character contrasts are introduced - he's on one hand an intimidating bodyguard, and the next he's simply "hot". Some of the other male characters are treated in the same manner, like Ethan (who seems like a fun character to start). The only one I think that wasn't was Keane, and he has promise to be a very interesting character in the series to come despite a late introduction. Still, It feels very paper thin, and not particularly natural.
I didn't dislike the book at all, but I think there are better stories out there that flesh out the fantasy and the teenage sentiment much better than Glimmerglass, with more likable protagonists even. It's particularly disappointing because it has such a beautiful premise, and could've had so much more to it than the thin projective. I don't know if I'll read the next book yet, but I'd say to simply know what you're getting into before you read this book. The protagonist isn't really a typical teenager, but she has plenty of angst and there are moments in this book where she's put in genuine peril and not simply given the loop around. But I warn that those situations do not compose the majority of the book.
Overall score: 2/5
July 22, 2014
Thoughts:
First off let's get my minor complaints out of the way.
Black's Morgans Kingsley series is sensational, fantastic world building and character depth up the yin yang!! Safe to say I had very high standards for such a hot writer, maybe even too high of standards. The world building was slow, and it took a long time for any real information to be dealt out. I felt like instead of giving the reader information about the current life or death situation unfolding around Dana, the majority focus of the book is a terrible love interest.
The love interest, Ethan, is a huge flirt. His sister even hints to Dana that he sleeps with anything that's female. Dana wisely decides he's bad news and doesn't need that drama. Of course events put them in a jam and the next thing we know is the two are alone. Let the making out begin. Dana eventually gets a hold of herself enough to tell Ethan that nothing beyond kissing is going to happen. So things resume, more spit swapped. Then Dana is on her back and we find out Ethan is basically date raping her with magic. Letting the magic relax her, but it wouldn't be relaxing her if she “didn't want it.”
At this piont I'm begging Dana to forget the shmuck. For a while she does, but almost at the first opportunity Dana forgives and forgets Ethan's transgressions. This is after the the magic date rape, Ethan holding back information from her, and even sending evil fairies after her so he can “save” her.
There was another sore point for me, Dana's mom is an alcoholic. When Dana realizes her mother left the only home she had ever known to take Dana away to be safe she blames herself for her mother's drinking problem. That was absolutely ridiculous! If her mom was so great to leave Avalon to protect her daughter, then she should be great enough to stay sober and raise her daughter. In the end of the book Dana's mother sales her out for alcohol. Dana's upset, but she still manages to feel like it's some how her fault.
All of this can almost be forgotten with the rest of the book. Especially when Ethan gets dumped out of the story line for a bit!
Avalon is where our tale takes place, a place that connects earth and Fairy. Avalon balances out the technologies of earth and the magics of fairy. If a fairy wanted to leave Avalon and go to earth they'd basically be a ghost there and unable to use magic. Human technologies can't cross over into Fairy, but humans can. This is were Dana comes in as an invaluable asset. She's a Fairiewalker! That means if a fairy accompanies her over to earth, staying within reasonable distance, they won't turn into ghosts. Plus that fairy can use magic while they're on earth. Fairiewalkers can also take human technologies over into fairy.
Upon finding out that Dana is Fairiewalker many Avalon fairies want her for there own agendas. Soon both queens of fairy, the Seelie and Unseelie court, want her dead. After all, a gun could kill them if she brought it in. Dana has to figure out if she can trust her father, if his loyalties to her out weigh his agenda. Her own Aunt has other devious ideas for her. Plus, Ethan's father wouldn't mind having Dana on his side. Which leads to her being kidnapped and then kidnapped again!! Let's just say it's a riot.
Dana is a very grownup girl. Sure at times she acts like a teenager, (cough, Ethan, cough) she's a teenager after all. Dana realizes she can't take care of her mom anymore, she deserves something better. So Dana goes out to make things better. Unknowing of her importance as a Fairiewalker. She takes action and makes decisions in a world she has know idea about. Even when her life is on the line she shows herself capable. At one point she even decides to get some self defense lessons. Even if she can't physically best a fairy assassin, she won't go without putting up some kind of a fight.
Black shows off some of her character skills with her colorful cast. Such as Kimbar, who happens to be Ethan's sister. She seems like a snobby ice queen, a real Mean Girl. In Black's books characters are never how they appear, so it's no surprise when Kimbar turns out to be an awesome gal. She's living under the shadow of her magically talented brother. All Kimbar has to her name is super smarts, which is not valued in Avalon next to magic ability. Plus, Kimbar is a riot as the keeper of possets. (Some type of European mesh drink with alcohol tucked in. Kind of a “cure all” for ailments.) Dana also gets a hot fairy body guard to protect her, of course she gets him to warm up a bit. She gets herself into some embarrassing situations when she tries to embarrass him. This hot body guard just happens to have a hot rebellious son, who is teaching Dana self Defense. May I say he might turn into a very, VERY, promising love interest!
Bottom Line: This is not the best of Black, I know she can do better. Once she gets rid of Ethan—the dreaded ladies man/almost date raper—and focus on that other love interest I mentioned, we'll be on track. Black has a fantastic world and idea here that needs to be explored. The end of this book leaves Dana trapped at her father's mercy as her “guardian.” However, Dana has a new secret weapon to explore, which will make her even more dangerous to the fairy. The Fairiewalker series is going somewhere, and I'm itching to follow along.
Sexaul Content: Some smooching that escalates into a bit more heavy make out sessions. As mentioned above Ethan uses some of his magic to relax Dana, kind of a magic date rape.
Rating: 3/5- Good, I liked it.
First off let's get my minor complaints out of the way.
Black's Morgans Kingsley series is sensational, fantastic world building and character depth up the yin yang!! Safe to say I had very high standards for such a hot writer, maybe even too high of standards. The world building was slow, and it took a long time for any real information to be dealt out. I felt like instead of giving the reader information about the current life or death situation unfolding around Dana, the majority focus of the book is a terrible love interest.
The love interest, Ethan, is a huge flirt. His sister even hints to Dana that he sleeps with anything that's female. Dana wisely decides he's bad news and doesn't need that drama. Of course events put them in a jam and the next thing we know is the two are alone. Let the making out begin. Dana eventually gets a hold of herself enough to tell Ethan that nothing beyond kissing is going to happen. So things resume, more spit swapped. Then Dana is on her back and we find out Ethan is basically date raping her with magic. Letting the magic relax her, but it wouldn't be relaxing her if she “didn't want it.”
At this piont I'm begging Dana to forget the shmuck. For a while she does, but almost at the first opportunity Dana forgives and forgets Ethan's transgressions. This is after the the magic date rape, Ethan holding back information from her, and even sending evil fairies after her so he can “save” her.
There was another sore point for me, Dana's mom is an alcoholic. When Dana realizes her mother left the only home she had ever known to take Dana away to be safe she blames herself for her mother's drinking problem. That was absolutely ridiculous! If her mom was so great to leave Avalon to protect her daughter, then she should be great enough to stay sober and raise her daughter. In the end of the book Dana's mother sales her out for alcohol. Dana's upset, but she still manages to feel like it's some how her fault.
All of this can almost be forgotten with the rest of the book. Especially when Ethan gets dumped out of the story line for a bit!
Avalon is where our tale takes place, a place that connects earth and Fairy. Avalon balances out the technologies of earth and the magics of fairy. If a fairy wanted to leave Avalon and go to earth they'd basically be a ghost there and unable to use magic. Human technologies can't cross over into Fairy, but humans can. This is were Dana comes in as an invaluable asset. She's a Fairiewalker! That means if a fairy accompanies her over to earth, staying within reasonable distance, they won't turn into ghosts. Plus that fairy can use magic while they're on earth. Fairiewalkers can also take human technologies over into fairy.
Upon finding out that Dana is Fairiewalker many Avalon fairies want her for there own agendas. Soon both queens of fairy, the Seelie and Unseelie court, want her dead. After all, a gun could kill them if she brought it in. Dana has to figure out if she can trust her father, if his loyalties to her out weigh his agenda. Her own Aunt has other devious ideas for her. Plus, Ethan's father wouldn't mind having Dana on his side. Which leads to her being kidnapped and then kidnapped again!! Let's just say it's a riot.
Dana is a very grownup girl. Sure at times she acts like a teenager, (cough, Ethan, cough) she's a teenager after all. Dana realizes she can't take care of her mom anymore, she deserves something better. So Dana goes out to make things better. Unknowing of her importance as a Fairiewalker. She takes action and makes decisions in a world she has know idea about. Even when her life is on the line she shows herself capable. At one point she even decides to get some self defense lessons. Even if she can't physically best a fairy assassin, she won't go without putting up some kind of a fight.
Black shows off some of her character skills with her colorful cast. Such as Kimbar, who happens to be Ethan's sister. She seems like a snobby ice queen, a real Mean Girl. In Black's books characters are never how they appear, so it's no surprise when Kimbar turns out to be an awesome gal. She's living under the shadow of her magically talented brother. All Kimbar has to her name is super smarts, which is not valued in Avalon next to magic ability. Plus, Kimbar is a riot as the keeper of possets. (Some type of European mesh drink with alcohol tucked in. Kind of a “cure all” for ailments.) Dana also gets a hot fairy body guard to protect her, of course she gets him to warm up a bit. She gets herself into some embarrassing situations when she tries to embarrass him. This hot body guard just happens to have a hot rebellious son, who is teaching Dana self Defense. May I say he might turn into a very, VERY, promising love interest!
Bottom Line: This is not the best of Black, I know she can do better. Once she gets rid of Ethan—the dreaded ladies man/almost date raper—and focus on that other love interest I mentioned, we'll be on track. Black has a fantastic world and idea here that needs to be explored. The end of this book leaves Dana trapped at her father's mercy as her “guardian.” However, Dana has a new secret weapon to explore, which will make her even more dangerous to the fairy. The Fairiewalker series is going somewhere, and I'm itching to follow along.
Sexaul Content: Some smooching that escalates into a bit more heavy make out sessions. As mentioned above Ethan uses some of his magic to relax Dana, kind of a magic date rape.
Rating: 3/5- Good, I liked it.
July 24, 2010
A great start to a new series!
I'd never read anything by Jenna Black before although I've heard of her other titles. Wasn't exactly sure what to expect..... but I was impressed.
I enjoyed some aspects of the novel more than others, Dana for one had a great voice. She was easily likable and you could feel empathetic toward her without being annoyed. She knows when she's being stupid or whiny and she catches herself, but even though she sees herself making a stupid mistake, sometimes she just does it anyway.... that made Dana an even more realistic character. I for one, know that I've made multiple stupid mistakes in my lifetime and knew that they were stupid when I was doing them.
The Faeriewalker thing was a little confusing to me initially. I thought understood the basic concept but it still didn't make complete sense, I didn't understand what the big deal was.... yeah.. so what Dana is a Faeriewalker, she can bring technology from one place to another... but what does that mean!....until the scene with Dana and her aunt and the gun.... then it totally made sense! Then I was like... "OH, SNAP!" I don't think that is spoilery to say that, but just know if you are having trouble fully grasping the concept like I did, Black doesn't leave you hanging!
I think I was expecting a little more of a love story mixed in there as well, but I could see the possibility of a love triangle happening in future novels. And you know how much I love a love triangle... right now I think I am team Keane. Just something about that guy.... think there is a little something under the surface that we don't know about yet, plus he is totally bad-ass... and I love a bad-ass!
The writing was awesome. I was sucked right into this story and hardly put the book down. I so can not wait until the next book! And I have a really bad craving for hot posset!
I'd never read anything by Jenna Black before although I've heard of her other titles. Wasn't exactly sure what to expect..... but I was impressed.
I enjoyed some aspects of the novel more than others, Dana for one had a great voice. She was easily likable and you could feel empathetic toward her without being annoyed. She knows when she's being stupid or whiny and she catches herself, but even though she sees herself making a stupid mistake, sometimes she just does it anyway.... that made Dana an even more realistic character. I for one, know that I've made multiple stupid mistakes in my lifetime and knew that they were stupid when I was doing them.
The Faeriewalker thing was a little confusing to me initially. I thought understood the basic concept but it still didn't make complete sense, I didn't understand what the big deal was.... yeah.. so what Dana is a Faeriewalker, she can bring technology from one place to another... but what does that mean!....until the scene with Dana and her aunt and the gun.... then it totally made sense! Then I was like... "OH, SNAP!" I don't think that is spoilery to say that, but just know if you are having trouble fully grasping the concept like I did, Black doesn't leave you hanging!
I think I was expecting a little more of a love story mixed in there as well, but I could see the possibility of a love triangle happening in future novels. And you know how much I love a love triangle... right now I think I am team Keane. Just something about that guy.... think there is a little something under the surface that we don't know about yet, plus he is totally bad-ass... and I love a bad-ass!
The writing was awesome. I was sucked right into this story and hardly put the book down. I so can not wait until the next book! And I have a really bad craving for hot posset!
January 11, 2021
Mon avis en Français
My English review
J’ai ce roman depuis un bon bout de temps. Je me rappelle l’avoir acheté un jour à Paris dans un petit magasin. Bref, je l’ai acheté, et il n’a pas bougé de ma Pal pendant des années. Mais ça y est, je l’ai enfin sorti ! Je ne savais pas trop à quoi m’attendre, parce que si j’avais bien aimé les livres de Jenna Black que j’avais lus, le genre ici est différent.
A la couverture, je n’avais pas réalisé de prime abord que c’était un roman YA, mais j’ai vite compris en lisant le résumé.
Dana se sent mal dans sa vie et c’est d’autant plus compliqué que sa mère célibataire est alcoolique. Fatiguée de tout ça, elle décide de retrouver son père dont elle a appris l’identité un jour où sa mère était trop imbibée d’alcool. Elle ne connait rien de lui, mais elle sait qu’il vit à Avalon, là où résident les faes. Mais voilà, le retrouver va bouleverser entièrement son existence. Tout le monde semble vouloir qu’elle rallie un camp. Tout le monde veut la prendre sous son aile. Mais personne n’est son père qui semble se retrouver en prison pour quelques jours.
Notre héroïne va devoir s’adapter à un nouveau monde dont elle ne connait rien, à de nouveaux pouvoirs que tout le monde désire et surtout à être protégée 24/24 parce que quand on ne souhaite pas la kidnapper, on souhaite la tuer.
C’était vraiment une jolie surprise à laquelle je ne m’attendais pas. La série étant une trilogie, je dois bien dire que je suis très curieuse de découvrir la suite maintenant !
My English review
J’ai ce roman depuis un bon bout de temps. Je me rappelle l’avoir acheté un jour à Paris dans un petit magasin. Bref, je l’ai acheté, et il n’a pas bougé de ma Pal pendant des années. Mais ça y est, je l’ai enfin sorti ! Je ne savais pas trop à quoi m’attendre, parce que si j’avais bien aimé les livres de Jenna Black que j’avais lus, le genre ici est différent.
A la couverture, je n’avais pas réalisé de prime abord que c’était un roman YA, mais j’ai vite compris en lisant le résumé.
Dana se sent mal dans sa vie et c’est d’autant plus compliqué que sa mère célibataire est alcoolique. Fatiguée de tout ça, elle décide de retrouver son père dont elle a appris l’identité un jour où sa mère était trop imbibée d’alcool. Elle ne connait rien de lui, mais elle sait qu’il vit à Avalon, là où résident les faes. Mais voilà, le retrouver va bouleverser entièrement son existence. Tout le monde semble vouloir qu’elle rallie un camp. Tout le monde veut la prendre sous son aile. Mais personne n’est son père qui semble se retrouver en prison pour quelques jours.
Notre héroïne va devoir s’adapter à un nouveau monde dont elle ne connait rien, à de nouveaux pouvoirs que tout le monde désire et surtout à être protégée 24/24 parce que quand on ne souhaite pas la kidnapper, on souhaite la tuer.
C’était vraiment une jolie surprise à laquelle je ne m’attendais pas. La série étant une trilogie, je dois bien dire que je suis très curieuse de découvrir la suite maintenant !
May 28, 2010
I spent a great deal of time being irritated by this book and the main character. I did like the premise (I'm always up for stories about the fae), but Dana made me want to throw things. Half the time she seems to be blushing over Ethan, who, quite frankly, was really suspicious from the get go and whoever else she thinks is cute or hot, and the other half of the time is a lot of 'woe is me' and 'I just want people to be honest, but not as brutally honest as my dad'. Her naivety grates, and her inability to do anything was irritating. Admittedly she tries--she starts taking self defense lessons from Keane and she has her resolve to train herself in other things in the end. Maybe in the next book things get better.
There were a few things that saved the book from being a total wash. Like I said, I liked the premise and the world sounded interesting, even if it wasn't as in depth as I may have liked. I was rather intrigued by several of the side characters, some of whom I actually liked (Keane, Finn, Dana's dad [I feel like the man is trying. He's not perfect, but he's still trying. Heck, he didn't even know he had a daughter until she called him up:]). I do wonder about Lachlan, who doesn't seem half bad.
There is a chance that I'll read the next book out. Maybe Dana grows some more. And maybe we'll see more interaction between the characters that has less of Dana blushing and her heart thumping and more actual content.
There were a few things that saved the book from being a total wash. Like I said, I liked the premise and the world sounded interesting, even if it wasn't as in depth as I may have liked. I was rather intrigued by several of the side characters, some of whom I actually liked (Keane, Finn, Dana's dad [I feel like the man is trying. He's not perfect, but he's still trying. Heck, he didn't even know he had a daughter until she called him up:]). I do wonder about Lachlan, who doesn't seem half bad.
There is a chance that I'll read the next book out. Maybe Dana grows some more. And maybe we'll see more interaction between the characters that has less of Dana blushing and her heart thumping and more actual content.
December 23, 2013
Disclaimer; I read a few negative reviews of this book before actually reading it myself. This might have colored my opinion, and I won't be making that mistake again.
That being said; I did NOT like this book. AT ALL.
Here are the things I liked about it; The idea of mixing faeries with something as normal as politics appealed to me. It was an interesting mix that, combined with the idea of someone who can walk between two worlds, I had hoped would produce a unique, enjoyable story. And the setting was cool. The whole city-on-a-mountain idea was kind of interesting to picture, and I enjoyed imagining the cobblestone streets and old-age buildings. The Water Witch was also written very well. It gave me the creeps, if only for a second. I don't know. I'm grasping at straws, here.
Here are the things I did NOT like about it (brace yourself); the characters. Dana is sick of her drunk mother causing problems for the both of them. I can sympathize with that. And I suppose I can understand her reluctance to talk to anyone who could've helped, like a police officer or a counselor. After all, who's to say they wouldn't have just thrown her into the foster system? Oh wait. She has a father. They probably would've called him, right? And then she wouldn't have been heading to Avalon quite so blindly. Maybe the book's events could have been watered down with someone helping her from the beginning. So....whoops. Also, Dana seemed to be attracted to every guy with a pulse. First Ethan. Then, when he made her mad and disappeared from the book for a while, she moved on to ogling Finn and Keane, which was both unnecessary and slightly weird considering they're father and son. Wouldn't everything else that was going on be a bit more important than Keane or Finn's impressive chests?
Kimber was nice, I guess, but she didn't seem consistent. First she's an ice-queen: cool and calm and knows how to keep emotional distance. Then, she's suddenly the nicest girl ever who isn't above begging for Dana's forgiveness. I seriously doubt Dana had a compelling enough personality to inspire that much loyalty in Kimber after only a few days. I don't like it when personalities waffle in a way that is both unexplained and unbelievable.
Ethan. So much to say about Ethan. He was kind of amusing at first, as the arrogant, talented player. There's always one. Then I couldn't help but be mad at him when he used a calming spell on Dana. She overreacted, I thought (instead of running away, why didn't she just chew him out right then and there?), but that was kind of a dick move on his part. Whatever. But then he turned into Kimber. He was suddenly the most contrite guy ever, begging Dana for forgiveness after only knowing her for a few days. I myself didn't like Dana too much, so I was confused as to why Kimber and Ethan were so smitten.
The other characters weren't really note-worthy. Dana's mom was annoying. Her dad was kind of refreshing with his brutal honesty. His snobbiness didn't bother me too much, because we didn't know him too well. Finn was kind of funny, although I thought the situation where he let himself get beaten up for Dana was a bit dramatic and emotionally drawn-out. But that wasn't Finn's fault. I might have to do with me not caring about any of the characters. Keane was alright. I don't know. All in all, the characters were not too satisfactory.
The plot was a bit lacking. It started with her being held prisoner by her aunt. Then she's whisked away to an underground cave by people she doesn't know. Then she's brought to an apartment. Then an underground safe house. Then her father's house. There wasn't much Dana did herself that ended well, except for a maybe a few phone calls. She ran away to Avalon by herself, but that didn't turn out so well. She ran away from Ethan in the underground tunnels, but that seemed a bit dramatic and not very well thought-out. And she attempted to run away from Avalon, but that almost got her and her mother killed. So everything she did herself turned out badly. And everything else, good or bad, was done for her as people fought over her. Not inspiring for a protagonist. Or entertaining.
The ending wasn't good either. I liked how Ethan kind of redeemed himself in the reader's eyes (I couldn't care less if he was redeemed in Dana's eyes), but other than that it was too weak. Her mother sold her for a drink, and that sucks. Her father took advantage of her mother's alcoholism, and that sucks. But I didn't believe her new-found confidence. It's only AFTER everything happens that she decides to take control of her own destiny? After an entire book of being carted off to different places by different people who may or may not be after her blood? It was a little bit of a delayed reaction, in my opinion, but hey, at least she got there. I couldn't get behind her calling herself smart, though. Once again, after everything that happened? She can still call herself smart? She didn't really accomplish anything herself. She just let things happen. There had to be something more inventive than just sitting and lusting after every guy that came near her. I appreciate the fact that she resolved to do better for herself. I can respect that. But I can't respect her patting herself on the back after the book I just read.
This book was an ordeal for me. At first it was simply annoying, but by the end it I was almost begging for the pages to run out.
That being said; I did NOT like this book. AT ALL.
Here are the things I liked about it; The idea of mixing faeries with something as normal as politics appealed to me. It was an interesting mix that, combined with the idea of someone who can walk between two worlds, I had hoped would produce a unique, enjoyable story. And the setting was cool. The whole city-on-a-mountain idea was kind of interesting to picture, and I enjoyed imagining the cobblestone streets and old-age buildings. The Water Witch was also written very well. It gave me the creeps, if only for a second. I don't know. I'm grasping at straws, here.
Here are the things I did NOT like about it (brace yourself); the characters. Dana is sick of her drunk mother causing problems for the both of them. I can sympathize with that. And I suppose I can understand her reluctance to talk to anyone who could've helped, like a police officer or a counselor. After all, who's to say they wouldn't have just thrown her into the foster system? Oh wait. She has a father. They probably would've called him, right? And then she wouldn't have been heading to Avalon quite so blindly. Maybe the book's events could have been watered down with someone helping her from the beginning. So....whoops. Also, Dana seemed to be attracted to every guy with a pulse. First Ethan. Then, when he made her mad and disappeared from the book for a while, she moved on to ogling Finn and Keane, which was both unnecessary and slightly weird considering they're father and son. Wouldn't everything else that was going on be a bit more important than Keane or Finn's impressive chests?
Kimber was nice, I guess, but she didn't seem consistent. First she's an ice-queen: cool and calm and knows how to keep emotional distance. Then, she's suddenly the nicest girl ever who isn't above begging for Dana's forgiveness. I seriously doubt Dana had a compelling enough personality to inspire that much loyalty in Kimber after only a few days. I don't like it when personalities waffle in a way that is both unexplained and unbelievable.
Ethan. So much to say about Ethan. He was kind of amusing at first, as the arrogant, talented player. There's always one. Then I couldn't help but be mad at him when he used a calming spell on Dana. She overreacted, I thought (instead of running away, why didn't she just chew him out right then and there?), but that was kind of a dick move on his part. Whatever. But then he turned into Kimber. He was suddenly the most contrite guy ever, begging Dana for forgiveness after only knowing her for a few days. I myself didn't like Dana too much, so I was confused as to why Kimber and Ethan were so smitten.
The other characters weren't really note-worthy. Dana's mom was annoying. Her dad was kind of refreshing with his brutal honesty. His snobbiness didn't bother me too much, because we didn't know him too well. Finn was kind of funny, although I thought the situation where he let himself get beaten up for Dana was a bit dramatic and emotionally drawn-out. But that wasn't Finn's fault. I might have to do with me not caring about any of the characters. Keane was alright. I don't know. All in all, the characters were not too satisfactory.
The plot was a bit lacking. It started with her being held prisoner by her aunt. Then she's whisked away to an underground cave by people she doesn't know. Then she's brought to an apartment. Then an underground safe house. Then her father's house. There wasn't much Dana did herself that ended well, except for a maybe a few phone calls. She ran away to Avalon by herself, but that didn't turn out so well. She ran away from Ethan in the underground tunnels, but that seemed a bit dramatic and not very well thought-out. And she attempted to run away from Avalon, but that almost got her and her mother killed. So everything she did herself turned out badly. And everything else, good or bad, was done for her as people fought over her. Not inspiring for a protagonist. Or entertaining.
The ending wasn't good either. I liked how Ethan kind of redeemed himself in the reader's eyes (I couldn't care less if he was redeemed in Dana's eyes), but other than that it was too weak. Her mother sold her for a drink, and that sucks. Her father took advantage of her mother's alcoholism, and that sucks. But I didn't believe her new-found confidence. It's only AFTER everything happens that she decides to take control of her own destiny? After an entire book of being carted off to different places by different people who may or may not be after her blood? It was a little bit of a delayed reaction, in my opinion, but hey, at least she got there. I couldn't get behind her calling herself smart, though. Once again, after everything that happened? She can still call herself smart? She didn't really accomplish anything herself. She just let things happen. There had to be something more inventive than just sitting and lusting after every guy that came near her. I appreciate the fact that she resolved to do better for herself. I can respect that. But I can't respect her patting herself on the back after the book I just read.
This book was an ordeal for me. At first it was simply annoying, but by the end it I was almost begging for the pages to run out.
February 26, 2011
This is the first Jenna Black novel I've read. While I don't know yet if I want to try her adult books yet, I will definitely pick up a copy of the next book in the Faeriewalker series.
Dana Hathaway is fed up with her mother. They've been moving frequently throughout her childhood and teen years in order to stay off Dana's father's radar, and the moves have made life extremely unpleasant for Dana. Whenever she becomes close to someone, it's time to move again. In addition to the moves, her mother is an alcoholic, and Dana is ashamed of her. Since they move so often, Dana doesn't have a friend or support network to help her deal with the situation. When her mom drives herself to Dana's voice recital--falling down drunk--she's had enough.
Dana has always known that her father was Fae. Her mother (when sober) claimed that he was a bad, bad, man and she fled Avalon with Dana to keep them safe. When drunk, she admitted that he was a good guy but that being near him would turn Dana into a pawn in the politics of the Fae. Unable to bear her mother's drinking any longer, Dana contacts her father and arranges to run away to Avalon.
Avalon is a unique city, and one of the most interesting parts of Black's created world. Avalon is the one place that's both within the borders of Faerie and the mortal world. Both technology and magic work in Avalon. Upon her arrival there, Dana quickly becomes enmeshed in the power struggles between people and Fae that she never knew existed. She's kidnapped, and rescued by other kidnappers . . . Everyone wants her in their custody, as her very presence is enough to change the balance of power completely. As the cover copy explains, Dana is a Faeriewalker--the only living person that can cross between Faerie and the mortal realm at will. She can bring magic to the mortal realm and technology to Faerie. As one character explains, she's the equivalent of a nuclear missile.
Through all of this, one thing quickly becomes clear to Dana: she must become capable of securing her own safety. And she needs to learn who she can trust.
I read this novel in less than four hours. As soon as I picked it up, I did not want to put it down, and I'm sure that I read it again before the summer's out. Black has an excellent sense of pacing, and she constantly ratchets up the tension in the book. This book is not literature, but Black's prose is smooth and fits the narrative well. Dana doesn't always make good decisions in the course of the book, but Black does make those choices believable. The secondary characters are interesting, and while most of them want to use Dana for their own ends, their motives are often complicated.
I've been disappointed by many of the YA paranormals in recent years, and this book has many of the tropes that are so often overused (flirting with real social problems like alcohol, a willingness to discuss sex & sexuality, magic on the edges of everyday life, and the mysterious heritage of our otherwise desperate-to-be-normal heroine . . .). However, that said, Black's Avalon and Dana's character are both interesting enough to move beyond the realm of stereotype and into the realm of good storytelling.
I look forward to book two. (The Erl-King? How awesome will he be?!)
Edit: on my second read, I can say that I still really enjoy this book. This time through, I noticed just how much Dana's mother's addiction shapes Dana. Very well done.
Dana Hathaway is fed up with her mother. They've been moving frequently throughout her childhood and teen years in order to stay off Dana's father's radar, and the moves have made life extremely unpleasant for Dana. Whenever she becomes close to someone, it's time to move again. In addition to the moves, her mother is an alcoholic, and Dana is ashamed of her. Since they move so often, Dana doesn't have a friend or support network to help her deal with the situation. When her mom drives herself to Dana's voice recital--falling down drunk--she's had enough.
Dana has always known that her father was Fae. Her mother (when sober) claimed that he was a bad, bad, man and she fled Avalon with Dana to keep them safe. When drunk, she admitted that he was a good guy but that being near him would turn Dana into a pawn in the politics of the Fae. Unable to bear her mother's drinking any longer, Dana contacts her father and arranges to run away to Avalon.
Avalon is a unique city, and one of the most interesting parts of Black's created world. Avalon is the one place that's both within the borders of Faerie and the mortal world. Both technology and magic work in Avalon. Upon her arrival there, Dana quickly becomes enmeshed in the power struggles between people and Fae that she never knew existed. She's kidnapped, and rescued by other kidnappers . . . Everyone wants her in their custody, as her very presence is enough to change the balance of power completely. As the cover copy explains, Dana is a Faeriewalker--the only living person that can cross between Faerie and the mortal realm at will. She can bring magic to the mortal realm and technology to Faerie. As one character explains, she's the equivalent of a nuclear missile.
Through all of this, one thing quickly becomes clear to Dana: she must become capable of securing her own safety. And she needs to learn who she can trust.
I read this novel in less than four hours. As soon as I picked it up, I did not want to put it down, and I'm sure that I read it again before the summer's out. Black has an excellent sense of pacing, and she constantly ratchets up the tension in the book. This book is not literature, but Black's prose is smooth and fits the narrative well. Dana doesn't always make good decisions in the course of the book, but Black does make those choices believable. The secondary characters are interesting, and while most of them want to use Dana for their own ends, their motives are often complicated.
I've been disappointed by many of the YA paranormals in recent years, and this book has many of the tropes that are so often overused (flirting with real social problems like alcohol, a willingness to discuss sex & sexuality, magic on the edges of everyday life, and the mysterious heritage of our otherwise desperate-to-be-normal heroine . . .). However, that said, Black's Avalon and Dana's character are both interesting enough to move beyond the realm of stereotype and into the realm of good storytelling.
I look forward to book two. (The Erl-King? How awesome will he be?!)
Edit: on my second read, I can say that I still really enjoy this book. This time through, I noticed just how much Dana's mother's addiction shapes Dana. Very well done.
January 23, 2011
I really enjoyed this book, surprisingly enough since it is another Faerie book. I was quite reluctant at first to read it since like I said, it's another Faerie book and there's so many already out there. What stood out for me about this book was its premise and the refreshing concepts introduced by Jenna Black! Yes, Avalon has been linked to Faerie before in books like Wings by Aprilynne Pike and another Faerie book I've read in the past. But the concept of Fey co-existing with humans in Avalon and humans knowing of their existence and living with them without fear or amazement is refreshing to me. And what about the concepts of Glimmerglass and a Faeriewalker? Creative and fresh!
I found the prose well written and uncomplicated making it easy for me to finish it in one sitting and wanting more when I finally reach the end. The action sequences were plentiful as and well-paced, keeping up the mystery page after page and the reader glued to the pages. The characters were also very interesting and intriguing. I can't wait to read more about our female protagonist, Dana, the only living Faeriewalker. She can both kick some butt after learning defensive moves from Keane and possibly magic from Ethan in the next installment. There could definitely be more than teaching that could come out of these three characters...like a love triangle perhaps? Though, the character I could relate to the most and liked the best is Kimber. She acts more like a human rather than Fey and is an ass-kicking nerd, which was quite impressive. But Finn the Knight and bodyguard I think is the hottest character in the book, hands down!!! And if this book was made into a movie, Finn's character is definitely the one I'm looking forward to viewing on the big screen!
Fun, fun read! I'm definitely waiting for its sequel!
I found the prose well written and uncomplicated making it easy for me to finish it in one sitting and wanting more when I finally reach the end. The action sequences were plentiful as and well-paced, keeping up the mystery page after page and the reader glued to the pages. The characters were also very interesting and intriguing. I can't wait to read more about our female protagonist, Dana, the only living Faeriewalker. She can both kick some butt after learning defensive moves from Keane and possibly magic from Ethan in the next installment. There could definitely be more than teaching that could come out of these three characters...like a love triangle perhaps? Though, the character I could relate to the most and liked the best is Kimber. She acts more like a human rather than Fey and is an ass-kicking nerd, which was quite impressive. But Finn the Knight and bodyguard I think is the hottest character in the book, hands down!!! And if this book was made into a movie, Finn's character is definitely the one I'm looking forward to viewing on the big screen!
Fun, fun read! I'm definitely waiting for its sequel!
August 14, 2011
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars
I had no reason to like this book. The writing is mediocre at best and the characters lack originality. I liked it a lot more than I thought, though. For one, the plot was a little more complex than I expected, twists throwing me off every few chapters or so, and a few of the characters were not sickening stereotypes that you see so much in YA fiction.
Shadowspell is sitting on my shelf right next to Glimmerglass, and my only question about the next two installments is:
Now, onto Shadowspell!
I had no reason to like this book. The writing is mediocre at best and the characters lack originality. I liked it a lot more than I thought, though. For one, the plot was a little more complex than I expected, twists throwing me off every few chapters or so, and a few of the characters were not sickening stereotypes that you see so much in YA fiction.
Shadowspell is sitting on my shelf right next to Glimmerglass, and my only question about the next two installments is:
Are the next two titles related to the story like Glimmerglass was?
Now, onto Shadowspell!
June 5, 2010
The slow-start story around sixteen-year-old Dana, who flees the move-around life with her alcoholic mom in the States to live with her fae father in Avalon, a neutral mountain state between the human world and Faerie, physically situated in Great Britain, picks up around the middle of the book, when Ethan, a panty-collecting member of the Unseelie Court, who tries to woo Dana in order to pull the Faeriewalker on the side of his house, temporaily disappears out of the picture. That Dana is something special gets clear rather early. Why else would be everybody fae - both Seelie and Unseelie - be that interested in getting their paws on the naive, but self-reliant, boyish girl? As she is explained, is is quite rare, that offspring of a fae - who conceive only once in a while anyway - and a human develop traits of both races and are able to survive in both worlds. The possibilities of the faeriewalking-power - and some secret extra-stuff that Dana discovers on the way - are only hinted at during the plot and will be tried out in the second installment of the series, Shadowspell. Also introductions to the Queens Mab and Titania are still on forthcoming, which makes me - contrary to earlier assumptions - consider to put the sequel on my read-it-if-dropped-into-your-lap-wishlist. The plot is a not quite balanced mixture of problem-oriented YA, which focusses on a kid no longer able to cope with her mom's alcoholism on her own anymore, a kidnapping-thriller and urban romantasy, including a budding BFF-relationship and possible triangle-thing, which I glady would chop into something less-angled: Although some life-saving business lets see sexy-slimy Ethan in a less jerk-like light and helps setting off Dana's sexually inexperienced and self-concious personality, his "come-sit-in-my-lap-I'll-keep-you-warm"-methods burn away all brownie-points he might have tried to collect. Cry and grovel, when Dana's powers have surpassed your own, faerie-boy! I have the feeling you are only created to make other possible love interests not look so prominent.
The beginning of the book was rather 2-stars in my opinion, but one the whole I can say I did not mind reading the rest and liked it. So, 3 stars it is, which seems to be my usual fairy-story-rating with a few exceptions.
The beginning of the book was rather 2-stars in my opinion, but one the whole I can say I did not mind reading the rest and liked it. So, 3 stars it is, which seems to be my usual fairy-story-rating with a few exceptions.
June 11, 2010
Growing up with an alcoholic mother has left Dana feeling a little lacking in the parental department. So feeling as if she has no other choice, Dana decides to take matters into her own hands, and runs away to Avalon... home of the father she barely knows. Once there, Dana quickly realizes that the grass is not always greener on the other side. And there is danger lurking around every corner.
I have to say that there are parts of the novel that I absolutely devoured... and others, not so much. The novel's plot is fairly evenly paced, which helped to hold my attention. And I loved how diverse the characters were. Dana is in a precarious position. She is a unique character who has been forced to act as an adult for most of her life, yet longs to be treated like a child. Black does a nice job of balancing the awkward position that Dana is in, and makes it almost fun to watch her grow into her own skin.
As for the romance factor... this is an area that is still mostly mysterious. Glimmerglass features two main love interests: Ethan and Keane, who are both are totally crush-worthy. In regards to their relationship's with Dana, there really is not one. It seems that every time a relationship would take a step forward... something would happen to make everything return to step one. Although there is no competition between the male characters for Dana's affections... yet, it would not surprise me to see this eventually occur. At this point, I am not sure if I have a clear favorite. But there is definitely something about Keane that makes me want to get to know him better.
Glimmerglass is filled with faerie intrigue, family secrets, and quite a few fascinating characters. There is plenty here to further explore. And just enough unanswered questions to have me very excited about the next installment.
I have to say that there are parts of the novel that I absolutely devoured... and others, not so much. The novel's plot is fairly evenly paced, which helped to hold my attention. And I loved how diverse the characters were. Dana is in a precarious position. She is a unique character who has been forced to act as an adult for most of her life, yet longs to be treated like a child. Black does a nice job of balancing the awkward position that Dana is in, and makes it almost fun to watch her grow into her own skin.
As for the romance factor... this is an area that is still mostly mysterious. Glimmerglass features two main love interests: Ethan and Keane, who are both are totally crush-worthy. In regards to their relationship's with Dana, there really is not one. It seems that every time a relationship would take a step forward... something would happen to make everything return to step one. Although there is no competition between the male characters for Dana's affections... yet, it would not surprise me to see this eventually occur. At this point, I am not sure if I have a clear favorite. But there is definitely something about Keane that makes me want to get to know him better.
Glimmerglass is filled with faerie intrigue, family secrets, and quite a few fascinating characters. There is plenty here to further explore. And just enough unanswered questions to have me very excited about the next installment.
December 2, 2013
I'm cutting Glimmerglass a bit of a break here, because it was readable. Even though Black's writing wasn't the best in the world, she at least kept me engaged through much of the book. And I did get Dana, for the most part. Sure, jetting to another country (another realm, really) to meet the father that she'd never known wasn't the smartest choice. But who's been teaching Dana how to make smart choices? Not her alcoholic mother. And I could understand her feeling fed up and just wanting to get away. Her reactions to the newness of Avalon, a city that's part fairy and part human, rang true to me.
But I did get frustrated with some of Dana's shallower moments. She got so distracted, so easily by any cute guy, and is willing to forgive a lot for a charming smile that she knows might not be sincere. Just the thought of the love triangle that will probably be in future books is enough to keep me away.
And the writing... Not exactly accomplished. And it makes Dana sound even more immature than I think she's meant to be. There's a moment, late in the book, when Dana has nearly drowned. Naturally, she inhales some water, and naturally, she has to hack it back up again. Her reaction? "Ewww, gross!" Really? This is your thought upon nearly drowning, that coughing up water is kind of icky? It wasn't the only time that Dana's internal narration went for an oddly inappropriate line, or struck a tone that was greatly at odds with her personality in other situations. And it dragged the book down quite a bit, to have tense moments interrupted with something that just didn't gel.
I probably won't be reading further. I wasn't engaged enough with the characters, the romance, or the setting to want to continue. There are some great ideas in here, though, which is almost enough to make me want to see if Black's writing improves. Almost.
But I did get frustrated with some of Dana's shallower moments. She got so distracted, so easily by any cute guy, and is willing to forgive a lot for a charming smile that she knows might not be sincere. Just the thought of the love triangle that will probably be in future books is enough to keep me away.
And the writing... Not exactly accomplished. And it makes Dana sound even more immature than I think she's meant to be. There's a moment, late in the book, when Dana has nearly drowned. Naturally, she inhales some water, and naturally, she has to hack it back up again. Her reaction? "Ewww, gross!" Really? This is your thought upon nearly drowning, that coughing up water is kind of icky? It wasn't the only time that Dana's internal narration went for an oddly inappropriate line, or struck a tone that was greatly at odds with her personality in other situations. And it dragged the book down quite a bit, to have tense moments interrupted with something that just didn't gel.
I probably won't be reading further. I wasn't engaged enough with the characters, the romance, or the setting to want to continue. There are some great ideas in here, though, which is almost enough to make me want to see if Black's writing improves. Almost.
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December 23, 2012Originally posted on Jul 14 2012 at Butterfly-o-Meter Books:
This must be the hardest I have tried to read a book I wasn't feeling much. I tried on 3 or 4 separate occasions to advance in the read, it just didn't work out at all.
The first time I did something like 25 pages, then re-read those and did some 40, and then on a third try I re-read those first pages and got to 50. And finally gave up.
I really didn't connect with the MC, though I was sympathetic to her situation. Plus the story in itself didn't really get me all that curious about what's going to happen, I suspect this might have to do with the fairies, faeries, whatever you want to call them. I'll admit that vampires, demons, witches, dragons, etc get me more into any story then fairies by default, I'm not sure why. If they would have been trolls, or orcs, or ogres, my response might have been the same. Though trolls would have had a lot of entertainment potential, right? lol.
It's just how my reading tastes have evolved. These high fantasy sort of worlds need to really get me hooked on plot or charm me with the MC to get me interested, I'm not curious by default, you know what I mean? And here neither the MC nor the story as it evolved to the point I stopped reading it got me hooked.
So I'm not saying that there's a particular thing that turned me off the read exactly, there just wasn't something to keep me in it. I have learned to embrace my gut feeling and if by page 50 or say 15% of the read I'm not feeling it, I'm most likely going to just move on to other titles. So much to read out there, I don't really see why make a big effort to read something I'm not enjoying when thousands of other books are waiting for me.
This must be the hardest I have tried to read a book I wasn't feeling much. I tried on 3 or 4 separate occasions to advance in the read, it just didn't work out at all.
The first time I did something like 25 pages, then re-read those and did some 40, and then on a third try I re-read those first pages and got to 50. And finally gave up.
I really didn't connect with the MC, though I was sympathetic to her situation. Plus the story in itself didn't really get me all that curious about what's going to happen, I suspect this might have to do with the fairies, faeries, whatever you want to call them. I'll admit that vampires, demons, witches, dragons, etc get me more into any story then fairies by default, I'm not sure why. If they would have been trolls, or orcs, or ogres, my response might have been the same. Though trolls would have had a lot of entertainment potential, right? lol.
It's just how my reading tastes have evolved. These high fantasy sort of worlds need to really get me hooked on plot or charm me with the MC to get me interested, I'm not curious by default, you know what I mean? And here neither the MC nor the story as it evolved to the point I stopped reading it got me hooked.
So I'm not saying that there's a particular thing that turned me off the read exactly, there just wasn't something to keep me in it. I have learned to embrace my gut feeling and if by page 50 or say 15% of the read I'm not feeling it, I'm most likely going to just move on to other titles. So much to read out there, I don't really see why make a big effort to read something I'm not enjoying when thousands of other books are waiting for me.
August 10, 2011
Faeriebooks are tricky. Urban faerie books are even trickier. Glimmerglass did a good job, it’s not close to being epic or a must-read, but given the rules and circumstances – I really liked it.
First 60 pages was like “hmmm, OK, not too bad, I just don’t see where it’s headed and what might be special abut it”. But around page 100 I was hooked. It took exactly 100 pages for the characters to stop being so boring stereotypes and for them to develop some depth so that I might enjoy reading about them. It was more urban than Faery in a way that the reader isn’t overwhelmed by armies of unicorns, goblins and other inhuman creatures, but not so much to kill the eerie fae...hmm... x-factor. Sure, they are using cell phones and driving modern cars, but they are still charming, dangerous and proud, tied to Seelie and Unseelie courts and centuries of doing - well... some faerie stuff.
When Dana comes to Avalon, she’s naive and gullible more than any other sixteen year old human girl. And a little bit of annoying about all that “my mother is an alcoholic so know how to take care of myself” which isn’t really all that true. But I like her all right and I believe she’ll have enough space for further development in future books.
What I liked the best about Glimmerglass was the romantic tension between innocent Dana and self-assured but galant Ethan. That was delicious. I swear for a few precious chapters I felt this tingly feeling I later recognized as that feeling I got while reading City of Bones for the first time. And that’s something! Let’s just hope Shadowspell will be even better. I want more of gorgeous Ethan, stubborn Dana, jealous Kimber and emo fae Keane.
First 60 pages was like “hmmm, OK, not too bad, I just don’t see where it’s headed and what might be special abut it”. But around page 100 I was hooked. It took exactly 100 pages for the characters to stop being so boring stereotypes and for them to develop some depth so that I might enjoy reading about them. It was more urban than Faery in a way that the reader isn’t overwhelmed by armies of unicorns, goblins and other inhuman creatures, but not so much to kill the eerie fae...hmm... x-factor. Sure, they are using cell phones and driving modern cars, but they are still charming, dangerous and proud, tied to Seelie and Unseelie courts and centuries of doing - well... some faerie stuff.
When Dana comes to Avalon, she’s naive and gullible more than any other sixteen year old human girl. And a little bit of annoying about all that “my mother is an alcoholic so know how to take care of myself” which isn’t really all that true. But I like her all right and I believe she’ll have enough space for further development in future books.
What I liked the best about Glimmerglass was the romantic tension between innocent Dana and self-assured but galant Ethan. That was delicious. I swear for a few precious chapters I felt this tingly feeling I later recognized as that feeling I got while reading City of Bones for the first time. And that’s something! Let’s just hope Shadowspell will be even better. I want more of gorgeous Ethan, stubborn Dana, jealous Kimber and emo fae Keane.
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