A review by novelheartbeat
Glimmerglass by Jenna Black
3.0
From my blog Auntie Spinelli Reads
The hardest reviews to write are for books that didn't inspire much of anything in me either way - love or hate. This was one of those. It was good, but not great. It was a quick and light read and I don't regret reading it, but I don't think I would read it again.
I had mixed feelings about Dana. She was an alright lead, but she annoyed me at times. First of all, she was selfish. She ran away from her mother because she was a raging alcoholic. A mother that could barely even function: Dana always did everything for her. I know it's hard, but if she has to do everything, how is her mother going to fend for herself when she's not there? That irked me.
She wasn't overly weak, thankfully. She did cry a few times, but not enough to annoy me. She got in a good crotch kick and dumped her mocha over some dirtbag's face, so that earned some respectful brownie points from me. But, when it came to guys was when she really irritated me. The fact that being TOTALLY HAWT can excuse any guy of being a total asshat really lowered my opinion of her. While Ethan did grow on me by the end, in the beginning he was an arrogant prick that wasn't even the least bit charming - but hey, he's hawt. 'Cause that's all that matters, right? Same for Keane. He was even worse than Ethan. But he was so totally dreamy, so that's perfectly fine!
I did kinda feel sorry for Dana, though - she kept getting pushed and pulled around in every direction by people wanting to use her, and none of it was even her fault. She was almost a prisoner and didn't have much free will to make her own choices.
I felt like the sexual content was a little high for YA. I don't mind it in the least bit, but I definitely don't suggest this for a younger teen. There were quite a few innuendos, such as a guy being 'eager' (in the pants), and the back of a wagon is more comfortable than the backseat of a car - if you know what I mean. Even the make-out scene got really in depth to the point where I felt it was almost too steamy for YA. And why was Dana thinking that a first kiss automatically meant it was going to lead to sex? This bothered me for some reason.
Oh, by the way, did I mention that Ethan was hot?
All in all, a decent read. The idea of Faeriewalkers was pretty cool, and so was the Glimmerglass. There was plenty of action and danger. It was a fast paced read and easy to understand, but not very deep. Will I be reading the second book? Maybe down the road, but not right now.
Favorite character: Kimber. She was a little bitchy in the beginning, but I ended up really liking her. She reminded me a bit of myself!
ASSESSMENT
Plot: 3/5
Writing style: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
World-building: 3.5/5
Pace: 4/5
Cover: 4/5
The hardest reviews to write are for books that didn't inspire much of anything in me either way - love or hate. This was one of those. It was good, but not great. It was a quick and light read and I don't regret reading it, but I don't think I would read it again.
I had mixed feelings about Dana. She was an alright lead, but she annoyed me at times. First of all, she was selfish. She ran away from her mother because she was a raging alcoholic. A mother that could barely even function: Dana always did everything for her. I know it's hard, but if she has to do everything, how is her mother going to fend for herself when she's not there? That irked me.
She wasn't overly weak, thankfully. She did cry a few times, but not enough to annoy me. She got in a good crotch kick and dumped her mocha over some dirtbag's face, so that earned some respectful brownie points from me. But, when it came to guys was when she really irritated me. The fact that being TOTALLY HAWT can excuse any guy of being a total asshat really lowered my opinion of her. While Ethan did grow on me by the end, in the beginning he was an arrogant prick that wasn't even the least bit charming - but hey, he's hawt. 'Cause that's all that matters, right? Same for Keane. He was even worse than Ethan. But he was so totally dreamy, so that's perfectly fine!
I did kinda feel sorry for Dana, though - she kept getting pushed and pulled around in every direction by people wanting to use her, and none of it was even her fault. She was almost a prisoner and didn't have much free will to make her own choices.
I felt like the sexual content was a little high for YA. I don't mind it in the least bit, but I definitely don't suggest this for a younger teen. There were quite a few innuendos, such as a guy being 'eager' (in the pants), and the back of a wagon is more comfortable than the backseat of a car - if you know what I mean. Even the make-out scene got really in depth to the point where I felt it was almost too steamy for YA. And why was Dana thinking that a first kiss automatically meant it was going to lead to sex? This bothered me for some reason.
Oh, by the way, did I mention that Ethan was hot?
All in all, a decent read. The idea of Faeriewalkers was pretty cool, and so was the Glimmerglass. There was plenty of action and danger. It was a fast paced read and easy to understand, but not very deep. Will I be reading the second book? Maybe down the road, but not right now.
Favorite character: Kimber. She was a little bitchy in the beginning, but I ended up really liking her. She reminded me a bit of myself!
ASSESSMENT
Plot: 3/5
Writing style: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
World-building: 3.5/5
Pace: 4/5
Cover: 4/5