A review by sgbrux
Burning Glass by Kathryn Purdie

5.0

"The mighty isn't one, but many."

I'm honestly stumped as to why Burning Glass is only averaging a 3.42 rating here on Goodreads. Let me tell you why.

Whoever described Burning Glass as Red Queen meets Shadow and Bone captured the tone and setting of this book perfectly—major vibes all the way. I'm shocked more people haven't read this series.

Burning Glass has a dark, intricate plot with characters who mercilessly pull you under. The prose is beautiful, the overall tone could be described as melancholy, and the romantic intrigue is more sweeping and complicated than any other YA love triangle I've read. If you've read Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen series, imagine the attraction and emotional tension between Mare Barrow, Maven, and Cal, but much more complex and intoxicating in its own way.

Burning Glass boasts aching romance, and I can't argue with it—it really, honestly does. The melancholy, the burning love interests, all of it makes for the perfect wintry read. I couldn't put it down.

The extreme emotional tension in this series is exponentially compounded by the fact that our protagonist, Sonya Petrova, is an Auraseer. What does that mean exactly? Imagine if your superpower was empathy, and imagine your empathy being so all-consuming and vast that you can literally feel the emotions of everyone around you without having to touch them. If they harbor hatred or envy, uncontrollable lust and desire, profound sadness, physical torture, violent intent... Sonya can stand in the middle of a crowd and feel ALL of it. Imagine not knowing whether the emotions you felt belonged to others, or if they were actually your own. That is who Sonya is. This is further complicated by the fact that she isn't just any ordinary Auraseer—she can also feel the final emotions of those who've died when coming into contact with their blood or other organic matter. Even that of animals.

And while the story seems to be about Sonya sorting through her feelings toward each royal brother—Anton and Valko—there is something deeper happening beneath the surface. This is a YA Fantasy trilogy with lots of political intrigue, games, and ideologies. If you enjoy those elements along with the heavy-handed romantic element woven throughout, you may want to see what Burning Glass is about.

I will also mention: the first chapters have one of the most tragic openings I've read in YA Fantasy to date. Sonya has been through a lot, she's coping with the terrible things she's wrought, and that makes her an incredibly fascinating protagonist in my opinion.

"I am Sonya Petrova. And I am not broken."

Oh, my dear, but you are.

From those riveting opening chapters to the very last sentence of the book, book one came full circle and I was feeling rather weepy for our heroine.

The author Kathryn Purdie was a pleasant discovery of mine, and now I'll be interested in reading whatever else she creates. I just finished Burning Glass 2 (Crystal Blade), and I enjoyed it so much. Can't wait to read book 3: Frozen Reign.

Don't sleep on Kathryn Purdie.