lacunaboo's review
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lmatakas's review
1.0
Received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Upon finishing this book, I was hard pressed to remember what it was about, not for lack of attention (lord knows it took me a while to get through this) but for lack of mentionable plot. The backstory was underdeveloped, and I couldn't pinpoint a reason why they had to "go back to the woods" anyways. Occasionally, novels can use this lack of movement for literary purpose; I do not think this was the case for The Glittering World. In addition, the development of the characters was so vague I questioned why they acted the way they did. Stronger editing, and demanding more development could have turned this brainstorm into a fully formed novel. The Gaiman comparison is far reaching, at best.
On the good side, I will say Levy knows how to turn a phrase. He is gifted in the physics of writing and making sentences interesting, but needs to put more words into action on page to be successful in his next novel.
Upon finishing this book, I was hard pressed to remember what it was about, not for lack of attention (lord knows it took me a while to get through this) but for lack of mentionable plot. The backstory was underdeveloped, and I couldn't pinpoint a reason why they had to "go back to the woods" anyways. Occasionally, novels can use this lack of movement for literary purpose; I do not think this was the case for The Glittering World. In addition, the development of the characters was so vague I questioned why they acted the way they did. Stronger editing, and demanding more development could have turned this brainstorm into a fully formed novel. The Gaiman comparison is far reaching, at best.
On the good side, I will say Levy knows how to turn a phrase. He is gifted in the physics of writing and making sentences interesting, but needs to put more words into action on page to be successful in his next novel.
malvina4321's review
2.0
2.5 stars
This is one of those books that could be described as 'compulsively readable'. I read it in two sittings because I didn't want to put it down once I got into the thick of the story.
The story is told through the perspective of its four main characters: Blue, Jason, Elisa and Gabe. It starts off with Blue's part of the story which leads to a very mysterious and weird circumstance. Then we move onto Jason, and so on. I really enjoyed this way of storytelling because it gave the reader just enough information to pique interest and then moved to another character. It was suspenseful and mysterious.
The story didn't have that much depth and a lot of the plot twists were pretty predictable but it was still a fun read. It's a perfect book to pick up for when you want to read something fun and quick and then pretty much forget it by the time you pick up your next read - essentially, a palate cleanser of a novel.
I won an unfinished proof copy from Simon & Schuster in a goodreads giveaway, so there were still some little errors throughout the book.
This is one of those books that could be described as 'compulsively readable'. I read it in two sittings because I didn't want to put it down once I got into the thick of the story.
The story is told through the perspective of its four main characters: Blue, Jason, Elisa and Gabe. It starts off with Blue's part of the story which leads to a very mysterious and weird circumstance. Then we move onto Jason, and so on. I really enjoyed this way of storytelling because it gave the reader just enough information to pique interest and then moved to another character. It was suspenseful and mysterious.
The story didn't have that much depth and a lot of the plot twists were pretty predictable but it was still a fun read. It's a perfect book to pick up for when you want to read something fun and quick and then pretty much forget it by the time you pick up your next read - essentially, a palate cleanser of a novel.
I won an unfinished proof copy from Simon & Schuster in a goodreads giveaway, so there were still some little errors throughout the book.
dtaylorbooks's review
3.0
Despite the fact that it’s really difficult to compare one book to another that’s so distinct and well known what drew me to THE GLITTERING WORLD was that it was being compared to THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE by Neil Gaiman. You couldn’t aim any higher if you were aiming for the sun. So yeah, some big shoes to fill. It sounded interesting enough and sort of in the vein of Gaiman’s work but whether or not it’s a worthy comparison had yet to be proven. Needless to say it didn’t come close.
It was a struggle for me to really get into the story. It’s in four parts, each focusing on one of the four main characters that are introduced at the beginning, starting with Blue. One, I can’t read about a character named Blue without thinking of Blue from THE RAVEN BOYS. I had to keep forcing myself to remember that this Blue is a middle-aged man and not a teenage girl. No Monmouth Manufacturing, no Cabeswater, none of that. Focus. Except that was hard. Long meandering chapters of Blue waxing poetic about himself left me wanting. This, of course, was more of a literary work and a bit outside of my comfort zone. It wasn’t in the word use but in the tone, the deep, meaningful discussions, the collapse of life. The fantasy was secondary, at least in Blue’s story, and it was hard going.
It got better once Blue’s part was past. As the parts changed characters it also moved the plot forward so, thankfully, you aren’t reading the same scene four different times. I don’t know if I would have survived that. Jason was next as he and Gabe scrambled around trying to find the missing Elisa and Blue. Jason, through his latent jealousy, felt they might have run off together because of how close they were. He’s a paranoid character, worrying and doting because of reasons from his past that he can’t separate from the now but he’s a psychologist and can’t seem to analyze himself. He wasn’t that great of a character. I actually felt he was the weakest out of all of them.
The next portion of the story belonged to Elisa, the one woman in the group who was kidnapped once Blue realized what was going on at the end of his story. You see her coming out of her kidnapping, coming back into this cottage world they’re all living in. Her part wasn’t all that memorable to me. It focused a lot on her adjusting back to the world, reminding herself that she was who she thought she was and not some changeling replacement but beyond that there wasn’t so much happening. The only thing her story had going for it was that it was finally the catalyst for all of the fantasy-type stuff to start happening.
Gabe was the last story, the solid transition from poking along in this real work with only dots of fantasy to diving head first into solid fantasy. Sometimes literally. It’s here that you get to see just how alien these fairy creatures really are and the effect they have on people. Gabe comes off as this needy little boy, and maybe he is, but it’s heightened by Blue’s natural fairy draw. Gabe finally comes to his senses at the end and I actually did like the way the story ended. It was a solid ending and one I would have wanted for Gabriel. He was the only person who got past his mess and was able to really move on.
So, was THE GLITTERING WORLD like THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE? No. Not even close. Gaiman has a lyrical way to storytelling that’s completely unmatched. I don’t think Levy even came all that close. I think his focus on fantasy is far better with the fantasy firmly in the forefront of the story than it is letting the characters flop around in the real world while they pick apart their own naval fuzz. His descriptions of the creatures, of their world, of people’s reactions to them, were all fantastic. All the rest of it, though, was lackluster. It didn’t, well, glitter. I wasn’t dazzled by all parts of the story. I wasn’t in awe of it. Most of it was just okay. A small part of it was really good and a small part of it was really rough. There wasn’t enough here to keep me hooked or make me invested in the story. The characters weren’t that great, the story dragged, and I just didn’t care enough by the end of it to have it really blow me away.
2.5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It was a struggle for me to really get into the story. It’s in four parts, each focusing on one of the four main characters that are introduced at the beginning, starting with Blue. One, I can’t read about a character named Blue without thinking of Blue from THE RAVEN BOYS. I had to keep forcing myself to remember that this Blue is a middle-aged man and not a teenage girl. No Monmouth Manufacturing, no Cabeswater, none of that. Focus. Except that was hard. Long meandering chapters of Blue waxing poetic about himself left me wanting. This, of course, was more of a literary work and a bit outside of my comfort zone. It wasn’t in the word use but in the tone, the deep, meaningful discussions, the collapse of life. The fantasy was secondary, at least in Blue’s story, and it was hard going.
It got better once Blue’s part was past. As the parts changed characters it also moved the plot forward so, thankfully, you aren’t reading the same scene four different times. I don’t know if I would have survived that. Jason was next as he and Gabe scrambled around trying to find the missing Elisa and Blue. Jason, through his latent jealousy, felt they might have run off together because of how close they were. He’s a paranoid character, worrying and doting because of reasons from his past that he can’t separate from the now but he’s a psychologist and can’t seem to analyze himself. He wasn’t that great of a character. I actually felt he was the weakest out of all of them.
The next portion of the story belonged to Elisa, the one woman in the group who was kidnapped once Blue realized what was going on at the end of his story. You see her coming out of her kidnapping, coming back into this cottage world they’re all living in. Her part wasn’t all that memorable to me. It focused a lot on her adjusting back to the world, reminding herself that she was who she thought she was and not some changeling replacement but beyond that there wasn’t so much happening. The only thing her story had going for it was that it was finally the catalyst for all of the fantasy-type stuff to start happening.
Gabe was the last story, the solid transition from poking along in this real work with only dots of fantasy to diving head first into solid fantasy. Sometimes literally. It’s here that you get to see just how alien these fairy creatures really are and the effect they have on people. Gabe comes off as this needy little boy, and maybe he is, but it’s heightened by Blue’s natural fairy draw. Gabe finally comes to his senses at the end and I actually did like the way the story ended. It was a solid ending and one I would have wanted for Gabriel. He was the only person who got past his mess and was able to really move on.
So, was THE GLITTERING WORLD like THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE? No. Not even close. Gaiman has a lyrical way to storytelling that’s completely unmatched. I don’t think Levy even came all that close. I think his focus on fantasy is far better with the fantasy firmly in the forefront of the story than it is letting the characters flop around in the real world while they pick apart their own naval fuzz. His descriptions of the creatures, of their world, of people’s reactions to them, were all fantastic. All the rest of it, though, was lackluster. It didn’t, well, glitter. I wasn’t dazzled by all parts of the story. I wasn’t in awe of it. Most of it was just okay. A small part of it was really good and a small part of it was really rough. There wasn’t enough here to keep me hooked or make me invested in the story. The characters weren’t that great, the story dragged, and I just didn’t care enough by the end of it to have it really blow me away.
2.5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
biblioventurer's review
1.0
This book was not your traditional fantasy or science fiction - more literary and with a focus on beings more like aliens than anything else. Most of the time I had to force myself to keep reading since it was a book club pick. The writing wasn't bad, but I just wasn't drawn in by the characters or the plot. Telling the story from the viewpoint of four different main characters helped keep things moving.
loryndalar's review
4.0
Enjoyed the book, though some of the transitions to different POVs felt strained / unnecessary (to be clear, these changes only occurred at sectional junctures, but I wondered at the thematic transitions).
Overall, a little more "fantasy" than the "magical realism" I was expecting, but very interesting.
Overall, a little more "fantasy" than the "magical realism" I was expecting, but very interesting.
archergal's review
3.0
Warning: spoilerific info below.
This was an interesting book. It's basically a story about changelings. The Other Kind (this author's stand-in for the Fae/Sidhe/Elves/People Under the Hill aren't like our traditional depictions of elves. The one thing the Other Kind have in common with Elves is their ability to enchant humans and draw them away from our world, sometimes. The changelings that are left in the outside world (the ones that survive) have similar "enchanting" qualities.
The story happens when one of the changelings (Blue) returns to the place of his birth. He doesn't KNOW he's a changeling, though, until he gets home. The rest of the story is the fallout of what happens when he hears the old voices of home, realizes what he is, and disappears.
I was reminded a bit of Graham Joyce's Some Kind of Fairy Tale. (TBH, SKoFT is a much more polished and interesting book, written by a very skilled author.) The first part of the book builds up a sense of dread and suspense. It's one of those books that I shouldn't have been reading as I was falling asleep!
Then the ending. The ending was full of strangeness that didn't really work for me. Remember the ending of Stephen King's It? The ending of this book reminded me a little of that, crossed with Aliens, though without ALL the horror. Honestly, I kinda skimmed through the last section (Gabe's), finished, and thought "Well, huh. That was an ending." That's why it's 3 stars instead of 4 for me. I don't need to have everything wrapped up in a tidy package, but there was a certain amount of WTFery for me here.
But the novel was a worthy effort. I think this is the author's first novel. Good work for that.
This was an interesting book. It's basically a story about changelings. The Other Kind (this author's stand-in for the Fae/Sidhe/Elves/People Under the Hill aren't like our traditional depictions of elves. The one thing the Other Kind have in common with Elves is their ability to enchant humans and draw them away from our world, sometimes. The changelings that are left in the outside world (the ones that survive) have similar "enchanting" qualities.
The story happens when one of the changelings (Blue) returns to the place of his birth. He doesn't KNOW he's a changeling, though, until he gets home. The rest of the story is the fallout of what happens when he hears the old voices of home, realizes what he is, and disappears.
I was reminded a bit of Graham Joyce's Some Kind of Fairy Tale. (TBH, SKoFT is a much more polished and interesting book, written by a very skilled author.) The first part of the book builds up a sense of dread and suspense. It's one of those books that I shouldn't have been reading as I was falling asleep!
Then the ending. The ending was full of strangeness that didn't really work for me. Remember the ending of Stephen King's It? The ending of this book reminded me a little of that, crossed with Aliens, though without ALL the horror. Honestly, I kinda skimmed through the last section (Gabe's), finished, and thought "Well, huh. That was an ending." That's why it's 3 stars instead of 4 for me. I don't need to have everything wrapped up in a tidy package, but there was a certain amount of WTFery for me here.
But the novel was a worthy effort. I think this is the author's first novel. Good work for that.
elephant's review
3.0
Blue, who is in debt, returns to his Grandmother's house to sell it and pay off his debt. He is accompanied by Elisa, his best friend and sometimes lover, her husband Jason, and Gabe, a young man who is in love with Blue. They wind up in an old artist's colony in Canada that has long ago been burned down in a community that has stories of the "Others" who are not fairies, but something else. Blue finds clues to his past, which he cannot remember. When he was 5 years old, he and a girl the same age had disappeared, only to return two weeks later, with no memory of where they had been. The supernatural elements take over and we follow the characters as we learn how each one deals with the reality that they find. I received this book free to review from Netgalley.
ktglick's review
3.0
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The marketing compared it to Neil Gaiman, so I was intrigued. I can see where the comparison comes in for sure. It's a modern-day fantasy in which an ex-club-kid turned chef returns to his roots only to discover that he is not the person he's always thought himself to be.
I wasn't really sure what to expect, since the author was unknown to me, and urban fantasy isn't typically my thing. Robert Levy is, luckily, a skilled writer. A Harvard grad and forensic psychologist with a taste for the dark and mystical. He's also an award-winning playwright, although I'm not sure which plays he's written.
I gave the book three stars because, although the writing was good and I enjoyed the story overall, the writing suffered a bit from trying to be an ensemble piece rather than telling one person's story. In the end, I felt like I didn't quite get enough of any one person's story and almost every story left left off before it was really over.
The book starts off from the point of view of Michael Whitley, aka Blue, who is returning to his birth place to sell off the home his grandmother left him. He hasn't been there since he was a child and his return sets off a whole series of events that reveal his true nature. Hint: he isn't really human.
One Blue discovers his true nature, he disappears and the story leaves him and jumps to another point of view. Jason, the husband of Blue's best friend takes over for a while, then Jason's wife Elisa, then finally Blue's young companion Gabe. While the perspective shift is necessary to reveal the history and internal thoughts and motivations of each character, that necessity means that each time the perspective shifts, you cease to understand the thoughts, feelings and motivations of every other character, since they are all secretive, opaque, hiding their true feelings and motivations from each other.
You begin the story thinking Blue is the main character, but only about 1/4 of the way in, he largely disappears, except as a thin, ghostly alien presence who only communicates in the vaguest of ways. It becomes difficult to care or root for any character because as soon as you begin to care, their point of view is withdrawn and they all but leave the story or cease to exist in any meaningful way.
I found the story to have a lot of beauty and the plot was well-paced, making it a page-turner but ultimately I felt a bit empty at the end. I wasn't entirely sure of the purpose of the story and I had a hard time feeling closure, as each character's ending but one was seen from someone else's point of view, so you had no idea what any of them were thinking or feeling as they reached their resolution. I guess that ultimately makes it Gabe's story as you are left, in the end, with his point of view and his resolution. It's hard to feel satisfied with that, though, since you know almost nothing about him for 3/4 of the book. Returning to Blue after Gabe's ending could have provided a richer conclusion, with insight into how he thought and felt after returning to his true self and some true closure on what really should have been his story all along.
I wasn't really sure what to expect, since the author was unknown to me, and urban fantasy isn't typically my thing. Robert Levy is, luckily, a skilled writer. A Harvard grad and forensic psychologist with a taste for the dark and mystical. He's also an award-winning playwright, although I'm not sure which plays he's written.
I gave the book three stars because, although the writing was good and I enjoyed the story overall, the writing suffered a bit from trying to be an ensemble piece rather than telling one person's story. In the end, I felt like I didn't quite get enough of any one person's story and almost every story left left off before it was really over.
The book starts off from the point of view of Michael Whitley, aka Blue, who is returning to his birth place to sell off the home his grandmother left him. He hasn't been there since he was a child and his return sets off a whole series of events that reveal his true nature. Hint: he isn't really human.
One Blue discovers his true nature, he disappears and the story leaves him and jumps to another point of view. Jason, the husband of Blue's best friend takes over for a while, then Jason's wife Elisa, then finally Blue's young companion Gabe. While the perspective shift is necessary to reveal the history and internal thoughts and motivations of each character, that necessity means that each time the perspective shifts, you cease to understand the thoughts, feelings and motivations of every other character, since they are all secretive, opaque, hiding their true feelings and motivations from each other.
You begin the story thinking Blue is the main character, but only about 1/4 of the way in, he largely disappears, except as a thin, ghostly alien presence who only communicates in the vaguest of ways. It becomes difficult to care or root for any character because as soon as you begin to care, their point of view is withdrawn and they all but leave the story or cease to exist in any meaningful way.
I found the story to have a lot of beauty and the plot was well-paced, making it a page-turner but ultimately I felt a bit empty at the end. I wasn't entirely sure of the purpose of the story and I had a hard time feeling closure, as each character's ending but one was seen from someone else's point of view, so you had no idea what any of them were thinking or feeling as they reached their resolution. I guess that ultimately makes it Gabe's story as you are left, in the end, with his point of view and his resolution. It's hard to feel satisfied with that, though, since you know almost nothing about him for 3/4 of the book. Returning to Blue after Gabe's ending could have provided a richer conclusion, with insight into how he thought and felt after returning to his true self and some true closure on what really should have been his story all along.