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A review by amy_trent
Glass and Feathers by Lissa Sloan
4.5
This was such a rewarding read. Spoilers ahead, so please read with caution.
I wasn't sure if this would be my kind of fairy tale retelling. It was marketed as a "dark" continuation of Cinderella. It is the light and the life-affirming HEAs that brings me to fairy tales, so I wasn't sure if I was the right audience for this book. I had heard so many good things, and I knew that Lissa Sloan's editor, Kate over at The Fairy Tale Magazine, has a penchant for happy endings in addition to a keen eye for storytelling. I took a chance on it, and it was such a rewarding read.
That said the first part of the book, nearly 40 percent, is dark. There is no trigger warning, but both suicidal ideation and self harm occur in this first part of the book. These are challenging passages to be sure, but more upsetting to me was the self loathing of our unnamed protagonist. It was dark. It was heavy. It was inescapable. I pressed on, hoping our unnamed heroine would make different choices.
The remainder of the book is a treasure. Our heroine not only finds a mentor and loving home but also a new name, Sparrow. She embraces her gifts and her power. She is transformed. She becomes a character of action, and even the little things she does, like collecting and sewing found feathers on her wool cloak or choosing a ribbon, become these delicious, layered events for readers to savor. Every character, ever set piece, every prop from here to the end of the book feels beautiful, symbolic, and integral. Beautifully crafted. Meanwhile the tension that exists in part two and part three created a welcomed hopeful anticipation of that HEA that I adore. There was loss and pain in this part of the journey, but the bitter was balanced with the sweet and tempered by Sparrow's changed/empowered state.
The ending did not disappoint. It was romantic. It was poignant. It was everything a fairy tale ending should be, and it was more. It was earned, it was honest, it was realistic all while being magical and hopeful. I teared up. I felt the butterflies. I smiled. I went back immediately and reread my favorite parts.
I hope that Lissa Sloan takes one character especially from this book, and writes a spinoff story. But it must be said that there are so many delicious, well formed characters here that many spinoffs would be welcomed.
I wasn't sure if this would be my kind of fairy tale retelling. It was marketed as a "dark" continuation of Cinderella. It is the light and the life-affirming HEAs that brings me to fairy tales, so I wasn't sure if I was the right audience for this book. I had heard so many good things, and I knew that Lissa Sloan's editor, Kate over at The Fairy Tale Magazine, has a penchant for happy endings in addition to a keen eye for storytelling. I took a chance on it, and it was such a rewarding read.
That said the first part of the book, nearly 40 percent, is dark. There is no trigger warning, but both suicidal ideation and self harm occur in this first part of the book. These are challenging passages to be sure, but more upsetting to me was the self loathing of our unnamed protagonist. It was dark. It was heavy. It was inescapable. I pressed on, hoping our unnamed heroine would make different choices.
The remainder of the book is a treasure. Our heroine not only finds a mentor and loving home but also a new name, Sparrow. She embraces her gifts and her power. She is transformed. She becomes a character of action, and even the little things she does, like collecting and sewing found feathers on her wool cloak or choosing a ribbon, become these delicious, layered events for readers to savor. Every character, ever set piece, every prop from here to the end of the book feels beautiful, symbolic, and integral. Beautifully crafted. Meanwhile the tension that exists in part two and part three created a welcomed hopeful anticipation of that HEA that I adore. There was loss and pain in this part of the journey, but the bitter was balanced with the sweet and tempered by Sparrow's changed/empowered state.
The ending did not disappoint. It was romantic. It was poignant. It was everything a fairy tale ending should be, and it was more. It was earned, it was honest, it was realistic all while being magical and hopeful. I teared up. I felt the butterflies. I smiled. I went back immediately and reread my favorite parts.
I hope that Lissa Sloan takes one character especially from this book, and writes a spinoff story. But it must be said that there are so many delicious, well formed characters here that many spinoffs would be welcomed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
suicidal ideation and self loathing in addition to self harm throughout the first part of the book