Glimmerglass by Jenna Black

Dana’s been the adult of the house since she was five. When her alcoholic mother show up to her recital drunk it’s the last straw. Dana decides to run away to find her father who she knows very little about. She knows he’s a big time Fae, living in Avalon, the place where Faerie and the mortal world connect. It is inhabited by both Fae and humans alike. When Dana gets there things go horribly wrong. Everyone is lying to her and she doesn’t know who to trust in this strange new place. And to make everything worse she isn’t a normal Halfling and that fact makes some people happy because they could use her power and others just want her dead.

The Good: Overall this book was mediocre. (But more on that later.) Black’s world of Avalon is very interesting. It has similar aspects like most fairy novels do but when she intermingles them with humans it’s a different dynamic. Glimmerglass wasn’t slow and had enough happening to keep you mildly entertained. The minor characters are also fairly developed with strong personalities.

The Bad: The biggest problem of this novel was the fail of an exciting climax or big secret twist. While the novel wasn’t predictable it wasn’t edge-of-you-seat exciting either. Dana’s character was also fairly average. After taking care of her mother you would think she’d have a bit more responsibility and while I get her want of being taken care of I would have preferred a strong heroine who takes action and authority. I’m not sure if I will read the sequel or not. The ending didn’t have me dying to know what happens next, though the story definitely doesn’t come to a solid conclusion.

The Ugly Updates: Black’s written several adult novels. The sequel Shadowspell comes out early 2011. Visit website (right sidebar) to learn more about her, join her mailing list, and even read some short stories for free (I think they may be in the adult genre though). 

Overall: B+

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