Review: Glimmerglass By: Jenna Black

Title: Glimmerglass
Author: Jenna Black
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin, 294 Pages (May 25th 2010)
From: Author/Publisher - thanks!

Synopsis: Dana Hathaway doesn’t know it yet, but she’s in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, Dana decides she’s had it with being her mother’s keeper, so she packs her bags and heads to stay with her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn't just an ordinary teenage girl—she's a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie.
 
Soon, she finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone wants something from her, even her newfound friends and family. Suddenly, life with her alcoholic mom doesn't sound half bad, and Dana would do anything to escape Avalon and get back home. Too bad both her friends and her enemies alike are determined not to let her go . . .
 
Review: 4 Stars - Glimmerglass was the first chance I’ve had to read anything by author Jenna Black and after reading I knew it wouldn’t be my last. Black has written an exciting new world surrounding some interesting characters – both human and Fae.

Our main character – Dana has had enough with home life and her troubled mom so she takes off to find her long lost father who just happens to be a high profile Faery. Her father lives in a magically place called Avalon. Avalon – is set in the UK where the world and the land of Faerie merge. Not knowing what’s in store for her when she arrives, or really who she can trust, Dana finds herself kidnapped and held with no way to get away from those who are holding her and out of Avalon itself. Caught up in an unknown land with unknown creatures - Dana is thrust right in the middle of a political war with all sides pulling at her, or… wanting her dead. When she finally manages to get to her father what little trust she had is gone and she questions everything, even the choices that led her on the path to find her father.

Learning just what her Fae and human heritage means for her and what she’s gone through in such a short period of time - her dad makes sure she’s as protected as possible and hires a body guard named Finn – a Knight class Fae to watch after her. He’s strict with a fierce loyalty to protect, yet has a caring side that quickly made Finn one of my favorite characters. I hope we get a chance to see more of Finn in the next installments.

With all the bumps along the way we see Dana struggle on numerous occasions with everything she’s up against. She isn’t stupid, but does make some mistakes along the way and it had me questioning things within the story and the book. However all the events in the book take place of such a short period of time that it kind of explains things and gives you more of an understanding why Dana struggles and does some of the things she.. well, does.

There are two boys of interest for Dana, which makes me wonder just who she might end up with. First off we meet Ethan, who all the girls want and he knows it. However, are his intensions good or bad? He had me questioning that from the first time he’s introduced. Then we meet Keane, who’s a bad boy with an attitude, or is he? I wish he would have been in the book more to get a better idea as to just who he was. Each guy is written so differently from one another and it was easy to pick who my favorite was. I’ll let everyone be their own judge of each guy. And Kimber – Ethan’s sister is quirky, someone you can see struggle with her own choices along the way, making her seem more human then Fae.

All in all - Black has written an impressive start to a new series, having done a fantastic job introducing her characters and the world of Avalon. She knows how to write Fae in a way that’ll make any reader question just who is truly good and who is truly bad; leaving you ready for the next book. I for one can’t wait for the next in the faeriewalker series – Shadowspell released in 2011, to see just where Black takes her characters next. Happy Reading.

FTC Disclaimer: I did not pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this review.