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sleepgoblin's review against another edition
3.0
This started off pretty weak. It's written in first person, and that person happens to be a 16 year old girl that spends a lot of time thinking about virginity and bad influences. I wasn't even sure I wanted to finish it at first, because stories like this are starting to get old to me. But it picks up, and as I finished I found myself looking for the second one. There is a lot of action, and some unique (at least to me) twists on fae and magic. I still wish it didn't follow the over-used "I'm a teenage girl and super boring, but oh wait, I'm actually super special and in danger" plot, but it's readable and even enjoyable at times.
yungokssss's review against another edition
2.0
WHY????? WHY???? Why does once again the main character have to be a bitch and why why why does the romance suck??? She sees Ethan. He might be using her... But whatever, he's hot. So that makes everything ok... Right? Wrong, stupid!!! I hated how she didn't even KNOW Ethan, but every time she saw him she "melted" and couldn't stop thinking about him no matter what. Stalker. Whatever. The plot was badly put together, in my opinion. Many good possibilities but instead it was all crap.
kristid's review against another edition
3.0
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!
lunaseassecondaccount's review against another edition
2.0
Good God this was bad.
Okay, it wasn't awful- it certainly wasn't the worst book I've read- but this was still bad. I love urban fantasy, and I love YA urban fantasy for some bizarre reason, but this... I just found myself rolling my eyes on every page.
First off, the world building was a little odd. I couldn't figure out just how well known Avalon was, and why nobody seemed to give a flying fuck that there was a whole magical world in a pocket in England. This could have been a huge thing. Unlike other urban fantasy novels I've read, where the fantasy part is a massive secret, this could have been amazing. Fae just walking down the street with humans. Race wars. The struggle for power in politics. Laws on magic use and the sharing of magic. Instead, it was just vaguely glossed over.
Then there was Dana's alcoholic mother, whose portrayal I found vaguely offensive. It both reeked of stereotypical behaviour and a real lack of insight. The same thing with the so-called self defense training, that went absolutely nowhere. I almost choked laughing when I read about Keane teaching her to headbutt. That's one of first things you're taught NOT to do. You're far more likely to hurt yourself than your would-be victim.
Ethan was just disgusting. I don't give a shit about his intentions, he sexually assaulted her.
I don't know what Kimber was so rude half the time, and why she was apparently on Dana's shit list halfway through. Also, can she please have a character trait beyond alcoholic-in-training? Given Dana's issues with her alcoholic mother, I didn't think she'd buddy up with someone who seemed to consume whisky with every meal. Also, as someone who did grow up with alcoholic parents, it took a long time for me to get over the mere smell of alcohol, let alone drink it.
Finally, Dana swung between fairly cluey to being a real idiot. Okay, this could be written off as standard teen behaviour, but that didn't seem to be Black's intention.
I'm glad I picked this up at a second hand store, as I'd hate to have paid full price for this.
Okay, it wasn't awful- it certainly wasn't the worst book I've read- but this was still bad. I love urban fantasy, and I love YA urban fantasy for some bizarre reason, but this... I just found myself rolling my eyes on every page.
First off, the world building was a little odd. I couldn't figure out just how well known Avalon was, and why nobody seemed to give a flying fuck that there was a whole magical world in a pocket in England. This could have been a huge thing. Unlike other urban fantasy novels I've read, where the fantasy part is a massive secret, this could have been amazing. Fae just walking down the street with humans. Race wars. The struggle for power in politics. Laws on magic use and the sharing of magic. Instead, it was just vaguely glossed over.
Then there was Dana's alcoholic mother, whose portrayal I found vaguely offensive. It both reeked of stereotypical behaviour and a real lack of insight. The same thing with the so-called self defense training, that went absolutely nowhere. I almost choked laughing when I read about Keane teaching her to headbutt. That's one of first things you're taught NOT to do. You're far more likely to hurt yourself than your would-be victim.
Ethan was just disgusting. I don't give a shit about his intentions, he sexually assaulted her.
I don't know what Kimber was so rude half the time, and why she was apparently on Dana's shit list halfway through. Also, can she please have a character trait beyond alcoholic-in-training? Given Dana's issues with her alcoholic mother, I didn't think she'd buddy up with someone who seemed to consume whisky with every meal. Also, as someone who did grow up with alcoholic parents, it took a long time for me to get over the mere smell of alcohol, let alone drink it.
Finally, Dana swung between fairly cluey to being a real idiot. Okay, this could be written off as standard teen behaviour, but that didn't seem to be Black's intention.
I'm glad I picked this up at a second hand store, as I'd hate to have paid full price for this.
cmheitman's review against another edition
5.0
Ever since I read Carrie Jones' Need series I have been looking for another Fae series that I enjoyed as much. I finally found it!!! Glimmerglass was wonderful! Jenna Black does a great job at getting you to relate with Dana as she faces threat after threat. The quirky writings, love interests, and of course the drama make this a quick and easy read. You can't help but read just one more chapter to find out more. I cannot wait to start book two in this series!!
heather4994's review against another edition
5.0
I just finished this book and loved it! I was talking to my husband last night and was on page 45 or so and I tried to explain the book to him. So far I hadn't been impressed. Then I turned a few pages and I was hooked. So, before you put it down because the beginning is slow, give it a few chapters like I did. Needless to say, I stopped talking to my husband for the night and stuck my nose in a book.
Dana is a girl with a very complicated life. She's got an alcoholic mother who she ran away from to a father she found in Avalon who didn't even know she existed. She and her mother have been moving for sixteen years "hiding" from him because her mother at times says he's horrible and at other times says he's wonderful. So off she goes to see him in Avalon hoping for a "normal" life in a city where magic coexists with humans. That makes Avalon a huge tourist attraction so it has a border patrol/immigration station for people entering from the human world. And from then on, Dana's life gets more complicated than if she'd stayed with her mother. She is held prisoner, kidnapped, attacked, finds her father is in jail, taken in by strangers, taken in by her father, followed by a bodyguard, attacked again and you get the picture. Through it all she is rather tough and controls her emotions much better than most sixteen year olds I know. But then she's been the responsible one for so long now that she handles certain things as maturely as an adult would. That's not to say she doesn't break down and sometimes gets taken advantage of, but she learns quickly. The boys, that's another story. There's seductive Ethan, sullen Keane and even Finn, though he's a little old for her. She hasn't had much experience with boys and doesn't know what flirting is versus seducing versus just another conquest. And I loved the point of view -first person- I knew exactly what Dana was thinking and feeling, but just like her had to speculate on what everyone else's motives and feelings and actions were. It made me feel like I was really there and part of the story.
The Glimmerglass was explained a little more and the reason that Dana being a fariewalker was so important was explained even more. There is a lot left open and dangling at the end and as Dana, I still wouldn't know who to trust. Everyone has there own agenda. And, in the next book there is the promise of a "Smoldering and deadly Erlking has his sights set on Dana". I'm not going to quote anymore because I'm afraid it might give away some of the plot in this book. I'd definitely read this one again!
Dana is a girl with a very complicated life. She's got an alcoholic mother who she ran away from to a father she found in Avalon who didn't even know she existed. She and her mother have been moving for sixteen years "hiding" from him because her mother at times says he's horrible and at other times says he's wonderful. So off she goes to see him in Avalon hoping for a "normal" life in a city where magic coexists with humans. That makes Avalon a huge tourist attraction so it has a border patrol/immigration station for people entering from the human world. And from then on, Dana's life gets more complicated than if she'd stayed with her mother. She is held prisoner, kidnapped, attacked, finds her father is in jail, taken in by strangers, taken in by her father, followed by a bodyguard, attacked again and you get the picture. Through it all she is rather tough and controls her emotions much better than most sixteen year olds I know. But then she's been the responsible one for so long now that she handles certain things as maturely as an adult would. That's not to say she doesn't break down and sometimes gets taken advantage of, but she learns quickly. The boys, that's another story. There's seductive Ethan, sullen Keane and even Finn, though he's a little old for her. She hasn't had much experience with boys and doesn't know what flirting is versus seducing versus just another conquest. And I loved the point of view -first person- I knew exactly what Dana was thinking and feeling, but just like her had to speculate on what everyone else's motives and feelings and actions were. It made me feel like I was really there and part of the story.
The Glimmerglass was explained a little more and the reason that Dana being a fariewalker was so important was explained even more. There is a lot left open and dangling at the end and as Dana, I still wouldn't know who to trust. Everyone has there own agenda. And, in the next book there is the promise of a "Smoldering and deadly Erlking has his sights set on Dana". I'm not going to quote anymore because I'm afraid it might give away some of the plot in this book. I'd definitely read this one again!
lunaty's review against another edition
4.0
This book has left me longing for more!
What better then getting yourself in trouble and being recued by hot guys?!
No in all seriousness.. It is a very easy read, love the originality and I can relate to the female lead like it's me :)
Looking forward to a sequel as it leaves you tasting for more...
What better then getting yourself in trouble and being recued by hot guys?!
No in all seriousness.. It is a very easy read, love the originality and I can relate to the female lead like it's me :)
Looking forward to a sequel as it leaves you tasting for more...
toastymaloney's review against another edition
4.0
I can't wait to read more. Fairies and Avalon and Knights and Seelie and Unseelie queens. And it's all in a modern day setting. I like it.
sueodd's review against another edition
2.0
I think I found a heroine that I dislike almost as much as Bella from the Twilight series. Yes, I know Dana's 16. She's supposed to be mature because she's been taking care of her alcoholic mom since she was a young child, but she actually comes off as immature. And why is every man in this book "hot"? I'm sure the author could find at least one other word to describe attractive guys.
I guess I'm simply tired of otherwise unremarkable teenage girls being pursued by gorgeous guys, and finding out they have some sort of special ability or power.
I guess I'm simply tired of otherwise unremarkable teenage girls being pursued by gorgeous guys, and finding out they have some sort of special ability or power.