courtneyreadsometimes's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lydiahephzibah's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Setting: UK
Rep: gay protagonist with clinical depression
This was ... okay. Maybe it's just because it was so short or because it's spent mostly inside Ash's head but I didn't really feel that I got to know the other characters very well.
Rep: gay protagonist with clinical depression
This was ... okay. Maybe it's just because it was so short or because it's spent mostly inside Ash's head but I didn't really feel that I got to know the other characters very well.
thebritishbibliophile_'s review against another edition
3.0
Glitterland by Alexis Hall is the first book in her 'Spires Universe' series, a promising LGBTQIA+ novel about two men from very opposite ends of the social spectrum who go through hell and back all in the name of love and everything in-between.
This is my third dive into Alexis Hall, the former reads being her widely popular 'Boyfriend Material' and 'Husband Material', both of which were an easily enjoyable one-read novels for me personally. When I saw that Glitterland was getting a cover overhaul and a re-release, I hopped on the opportunity to see if I could from my own personal perspective, give a higher star rating to another one of their novels. Did it live up to my own personal expectations? Read on! There won't be any spoilers, other than tidbits from the blurb.
Alexis Hall as an author excels in inclusivity, positivity and encompassing elements of the LGBTQIA+ community in their work, which is what enticed me to give Glitterland a chance. That and the stunning cover and very promising story laid out in the blurb. Darian and Ash, we're ready to meet you.
Ash is the redeeming character of this novel, as he is not written to be the stereotypical main character who has everything together. Far from it. He's as realistic as they come, including his many nuances and issues that many of us have dealt with or will deal with at some point in our lives. Namely, depression. Alongside anxiety and panic attacks. His character has been written superbly with as much rawness as one could write. Alexis has done his character justice and I would honestly and personally like to wrap Ash up in one big hug and hold him close. He's such a delicate, sensitive character that I honestly fell for the moment we met him.
Darian, by contrast, is the polar opposite to everything Ash is both written as a character and how Ash knows of himself. From Essex, Darian--an aspiring model--, he pushes Ash beyond the boundaries he's confined himself within for so long. He is the straw that has broken the camel's back. Darian--in his own words, 'isn’t the crispest lettuce in the fridge', provides light relief as well as completion to the missing parts that Ash needs filling in his own life. The only aspect of the character that I had difficulty gelling with, was the written Essex accent. Where I don't have anything against the accent or the area of my country personally, it did make for a struggle to read at times. Other than that, Darian was charming!
This is a story from which many things can be taken; You won't be in a bad place forever, things aren't always as they seem, things will get better, to name just a few. The message behind this novel is as clear as day and was presented well with the characters and the storyline in which it was laid out. It wasn't meant to be a light-hearted novel full of hearts, rainbows and everything that glitters. It's meant to be--and it is--a novel which tackles the harder, more serious topics and situations we encounter through life and personally ourselves. This is a huge selling point for those who love to read books with these themes but for me, it fell short of the mark because of how long we spent in the more darker parts of Ash's psyche. If we got to see more of a Happily Ever After at the end or as part of an extended epilogue, it would easily earn this four stars from me.
Is this the end of my Alexis Hall adventure? No. I will be back for more because they do write entertaining and entrancing stories and just because this one didn't do it for me this time doesn't mean that their next novel won't. I might even give this a re-read further down the line and who knows, another star may just appear.
Brilliant effort!
This is my third dive into Alexis Hall, the former reads being her widely popular 'Boyfriend Material' and 'Husband Material', both of which were an easily enjoyable one-read novels for me personally. When I saw that Glitterland was getting a cover overhaul and a re-release, I hopped on the opportunity to see if I could from my own personal perspective, give a higher star rating to another one of their novels. Did it live up to my own personal expectations? Read on! There won't be any spoilers, other than tidbits from the blurb.
Alexis Hall as an author excels in inclusivity, positivity and encompassing elements of the LGBTQIA+ community in their work, which is what enticed me to give Glitterland a chance. That and the stunning cover and very promising story laid out in the blurb. Darian and Ash, we're ready to meet you.
Ash is the redeeming character of this novel, as he is not written to be the stereotypical main character who has everything together. Far from it. He's as realistic as they come, including his many nuances and issues that many of us have dealt with or will deal with at some point in our lives. Namely, depression. Alongside anxiety and panic attacks. His character has been written superbly with as much rawness as one could write. Alexis has done his character justice and I would honestly and personally like to wrap Ash up in one big hug and hold him close. He's such a delicate, sensitive character that I honestly fell for the moment we met him.
Darian, by contrast, is the polar opposite to everything Ash is both written as a character and how Ash knows of himself. From Essex, Darian--an aspiring model--, he pushes Ash beyond the boundaries he's confined himself within for so long. He is the straw that has broken the camel's back. Darian--in his own words, 'isn’t the crispest lettuce in the fridge', provides light relief as well as completion to the missing parts that Ash needs filling in his own life. The only aspect of the character that I had difficulty gelling with, was the written Essex accent. Where I don't have anything against the accent or the area of my country personally, it did make for a struggle to read at times. Other than that, Darian was charming!
This is a story from which many things can be taken; You won't be in a bad place forever, things aren't always as they seem, things will get better, to name just a few. The message behind this novel is as clear as day and was presented well with the characters and the storyline in which it was laid out. It wasn't meant to be a light-hearted novel full of hearts, rainbows and everything that glitters. It's meant to be--and it is--a novel which tackles the harder, more serious topics and situations we encounter through life and personally ourselves. This is a huge selling point for those who love to read books with these themes but for me, it fell short of the mark because of how long we spent in the more darker parts of Ash's psyche. If we got to see more of a Happily Ever After at the end or as part of an extended epilogue, it would easily earn this four stars from me.
Is this the end of my Alexis Hall adventure? No. I will be back for more because they do write entertaining and entrancing stories and just because this one didn't do it for me this time doesn't mean that their next novel won't. I might even give this a re-read further down the line and who knows, another star may just appear.
Brilliant effort!
chirson's review against another edition
5.0
It was simply 100% my thing on so many levels - the pathetic, self-indulgent, self-dramatizing protagonist, the language, the emotions, everything. I've developed an addiction to the word "unfurl" and Hall likes (or at least liked?) this word, too. Ash broke my heart and put it back together. I read so many scenes out loud.
(I read two chapters before bed and then started reading in the morning and didn't put the book down until I was done. I loved the glitter pirate, but I especially loved Ash.)
(I read two chapters before bed and then started reading in the morning and didn't put the book down until I was done. I loved the glitter pirate, but I especially loved Ash.)
jude_925's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Tropes:
-strangers to lovers
-grumpy sunshine
-opposites attract
1 POV
Plot 5/5
Spice 3/5
Omigod babes. I fink this was like, the most amazin' book ever. (That's how Darian, my sweet bby, talks like in the book :^) Honestly though, I loved it SO MUCH!!
The story captivated me from start to finish. The MC, Ash (28), is a respected crime novelist who is also a type 1 bipolar depressive with clinical anxiety disorder. He's moving through life in misery, avoiding any social interactions (this hits too close to home), his only friends being Niall and Max from college and his agent Amy. One night, at his friend's stag party, he meets Darian, a 23-year-old guy from Essex, who is the definition of sunshine and glitter. Ash treats him like a random hookup but Darian is too much of a sweetheart to forget about.
It was tense and angsty, and the pacing flowed really well. I also loved the prose; it reads like a mixture of literary and romance, which are my favorite two genres. I really enjoyed the intellectual writing style and the references the author adds to his stories that give the characters more depth. It's not filled with excessive descriptions and details; it's just enough to make you feel that you're actually reading a beautiful novel rather than fanfiction (as some mm romances tend to be).
I also appreciate how the author, even though he's writing about a character with mental illness—a sensitive subject—interweaves amusing elements into the story. I especially loved the banter between Ash and Darian and I kept giggling at their interactions.
about the characters:
Ash: My heart ached for him from the very beginning. Even though he seemed quite unsympathetic and cruel in some ways, (his fears and insecurities made him make terrible decisions), I still cared for him and rooted for his happiness.
Darian was the sweetest, purest, most innocent precious angel of a character I've ever read. I have such a soft spot for people like that, and I love that A.H. writes such sweet characters in his stories.
*In the book, Darian's Essex accent is written the way you actually hear it, for example, you'll find words written like "fink, janarwhatamean, gehl, abaht, wif, ahwight, aht, sahnded, monfs," etc.
For me, it wasn't hard at all to follow but I saw a few comments where some people did not like that.
The story has a HFN ending; it's not a fairytale of we lived happily ever after. It deals with real issues and the characters deal with their situation how people in real life would. But it wasn't sad at all! It sure left me satisfied and smiling so yeah.
I obviously highly recommend it! I mean I just finished it and want to read it all over again.
*P.S. I'm obsessed with this author's work. (I was gonna write I am obsessed with this author but that probably makes me sound like a stalker, which I'm not, I promise.)
-strangers to lovers
-grumpy sunshine
-opposites attract
1 POV
Plot 5/5
Spice 3/5
Omigod babes. I fink this was like, the most amazin' book ever. (That's how Darian, my sweet bby, talks like in the book :^) Honestly though, I loved it SO MUCH!!
The story captivated me from start to finish. The MC, Ash (28), is a respected crime novelist who is also a type 1 bipolar depressive with clinical anxiety disorder. He's moving through life in misery, avoiding any social interactions (this hits too close to home), his only friends being Niall and Max from college and his agent Amy. One night, at his friend's stag party, he meets Darian, a 23-year-old guy from Essex, who is the definition of sunshine and glitter. Ash treats him like a random hookup but Darian is too much of a sweetheart to forget about.
It was tense and angsty, and the pacing flowed really well. I also loved the prose; it reads like a mixture of literary and romance, which are my favorite two genres. I really enjoyed the intellectual writing style and the references the author adds to his stories that give the characters more depth. It's not filled with excessive descriptions and details; it's just enough to make you feel that you're actually reading a beautiful novel rather than fanfiction (as some mm romances tend to be).
I also appreciate how the author, even though he's writing about a character with mental illness—a sensitive subject—interweaves amusing elements into the story. I especially loved the banter between Ash and Darian and I kept giggling at their interactions.
about the characters:
Ash: My heart ached for him from the very beginning. Even though he seemed quite unsympathetic and cruel in some ways, (his fears and insecurities made him make terrible decisions), I still cared for him and rooted for his happiness.
Darian was the sweetest, purest, most innocent precious angel of a character I've ever read. I have such a soft spot for people like that, and I love that A.H. writes such sweet characters in his stories.
*In the book, Darian's Essex accent is written the way you actually hear it, for example, you'll find words written like "fink, janarwhatamean, gehl, abaht, wif, ahwight, aht, sahnded, monfs," etc.
For me, it wasn't hard at all to follow but I saw a few comments where some people did not like that.
The story has a HFN ending; it's not a fairytale of we lived happily ever after. It deals with real issues and the characters deal with their situation how people in real life would. But it wasn't sad at all! It sure left me satisfied and smiling so yeah.
I obviously highly recommend it! I mean I just finished it and want to read it all over again.
*P.S. I'm obsessed with this author's work. (I was gonna write I am obsessed with this author but that probably makes me sound like a stalker, which I'm not, I promise.)
runawaytrain's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
lawinbehold's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
dwolfe347's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
dramadrivesme's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0