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A review by karen_k77
Glimmerglass by Jenna Black
1.0
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.