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A review by thebritishbibliophile_
Glitterland by Alexis Hall
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!