secre's review
4.0
I really enjoyed The Glass Gargoyle; it was great fun and had some interesting world building that I was hoping would be built on in future novels in the series. I wasn’t disappointed. As a whole, this also feels far more polished than the first book, with far tighter pacing, more even character development and denser world building. On top of that, it is still a fantastically entertaining read and our rampaging drunken fairies still have a part to play. This would have been a five star read, but we do still have our protagonist spending far too much time mooning after any pretty face that comes her way and I saw the shock reveal coming from a way off.
Ignoring Taryn’s minor obsession with her sex life, or lack thereof despite mooning after two leading males, I felt that this novel built well on the foundations laid previously. There is far more exploration of the Elven and Ancient cultures and other races are tied into this well. Some of the missing backstory of crucial characters is filled in, not least because some of the mysteries surrounding Alric are unravelled. There are still some questions left unanswered but the majority of loose ends are tied up by the final chapters. Most importantly, the extra insight allows for a deeper understanding of characters who were overlooked before.
All in all, I enjoyed this even more than the first novel in the series. It manages to keep the humour and the wit whilst vastly building on existing characters and civilisations. I particularly enjoyed the interactions with the fairies... who have moved on to bigger and better things than waging war with the local squirrels. They are somehow cute, hilarious and terrifying all in one very tiny bundle. The wit and humour is still here, so this is still a hugely entertaining read but is it s also a far deeper read that will suck you into the world and not let go til you’ve turned the last page.
Ignoring Taryn’s minor obsession with her sex life, or lack thereof despite mooning after two leading males, I felt that this novel built well on the foundations laid previously. There is far more exploration of the Elven and Ancient cultures and other races are tied into this well. Some of the missing backstory of crucial characters is filled in, not least because some of the mysteries surrounding Alric are unravelled. There are still some questions left unanswered but the majority of loose ends are tied up by the final chapters. Most importantly, the extra insight allows for a deeper understanding of characters who were overlooked before.
All in all, I enjoyed this even more than the first novel in the series. It manages to keep the humour and the wit whilst vastly building on existing characters and civilisations. I particularly enjoyed the interactions with the fairies... who have moved on to bigger and better things than waging war with the local squirrels. They are somehow cute, hilarious and terrifying all in one very tiny bundle. The wit and humour is still here, so this is still a hugely entertaining read but is it s also a far deeper read that will suck you into the world and not let go til you’ve turned the last page.
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