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Book Reviews of Glimmerglass (Faeriewalker, Bk 1)

Glimmerglass (Faeriewalker, Bk 1)
Glimmerglass - Faeriewalker, Bk 1
Author: Jenna Black
ISBN-13: 9780312575939
ISBN-10: 0312575939
Publication Date: 5/25/2010
Pages: 304
Reading Level: Young Adult
Rating:
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 75

3.8 stars, based on 75 ratings
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

9 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed Glimmerglass (Faeriewalker, Bk 1) on + 93 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
I liked the book, but just had to say that it just abruptly ended. Im reading along & its getting good, Im reading quickly to see what happens, I turn the page and...BAM....Epilouge??? What?! Nothing was really fleshed out or tied up either way. I know there will be a sequel but, to me, it seemed to just stop right in the middle of the story w/o a conclusion. The epilouge didnt even end it, it just seemed like the next chapter then..nothing.
Scooby2 avatar reviewed Glimmerglass (Faeriewalker, Bk 1) on + 96 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
This was my first book by Jenna Black and it will not be my last. I liked how this story linked modern London to Avalon (land of faeries). This story was about a teenager named Dana, who finds out she is half faerie, and not just any faerie, but a faeriewalker (someone who can transport people and technology into Faerie). She finds out she is the only one of her kind and that means there are those who want her dead, including the faerie queens. Glimmerglass will pull you into Dana's world, where she finds herself a faerie best friend and "boyfriend'. I can not wait to read the second installment.
KellitaJ avatar reviewed Glimmerglass (Faeriewalker, Bk 1) on + 550 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
What happened to some editing? The ability of this story line to be interesting kept me reading, but Jenna Black just dragged on and on into boring land instead of Fairy.
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solarawynn avatar reviewed Glimmerglass (Faeriewalker, Bk 1) on + 724 more book reviews
I enjoy the slightly different take on Faeries and such. Am awaiting the next installment
GeniusJen avatar reviewed Glimmerglass (Faeriewalker, Bk 1) on + 5322 more book reviews
Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Do you like stories about faeries? Or do you prefer a good thriller? Well, if you combine the two, you get an idea of what GLIMMERGLASS will be like. This is the first in a new series by adult paranormal author Jenna Black.

I was a bit skeptical before reading GLIMMERGLASS. I heard many people tell me it was one of the best books they've read in 2010, and definitely a standout in the Fae genre. So it was with some cynicism that I cracked the spine of the book.

From the beginning pages, when Dana has had it with her alcoholic mom, I was hooked! Dana is about to showcase her bewitching musical voice when her mom stumbles into the performance and makes a spectacle of herself. Thankfully, not many know that the disturbance is caused by her mom. But it won't be long before the talk starts again, and Dana and her mom will move on to yet another town and another school.

So, without telling her mother, Dana contacts her father. Dana has never met him and her mom warns her of what life in Avalon was like. Avalon is a town in England that is home to both Fae and human. They coexist in their own world, disregarding both the laws of England and of the Faerie world, instead creating their own universe, much like Vatican City.

Little does Dana realize that her father holds some power in the Fae world. She arrives at the border gate to Avalon expecting to find her father. Instead, she's interrogated and finally meets her Aunt Grace. Dana is told that her father is in prison temporarily. From that point on, Dana's life becomes a whirlwind of survival.

Dana is kidnapped by the brother and sister team of Ethan and Kimber. Everything they tell Dana is opposite of what Aunt Grace has led her to believe. Until Dana's father is released from prison, Dana is unsure of whom to trust and what she should do.

With political subplots and many otherworldly monsters, GLIMMERGLASS will not disappoint. Ms. Black crafts the tale in such a way that the reader truly has no idea whom to trust as the story unfolds. Even as the final pages drew closer, the story is left hanging as Ethan warns Dana to keep hidden what she has learned.

I definitely give kudos to GLIMMERGLASS. Not only is the cover absolutely gorgeous, the story is well-written and incredibly addicting. Readers will have to wait until January 2011 (un)patiently for the follow up novel, SHADOWSPELL. I for one hope there is lots more of Ethan and the mysterious Keane in Dana's crazy life.
barbsis avatar reviewed Glimmerglass (Faeriewalker, Bk 1) on + 1076 more book reviews
After experiencing one more humiliating event at the hands of her drunken mother, 16-year-old Dana Hathaway decides that living with her Fae father whose she's never met, sounds like a super idea and she promptly runs away to live with him. Unfortunately she's never visited Avalon either, so she's unprepared for the danger and the dangerous creatures out to get her. Immediately upon her arrival she's kidnapped by her Aunt Grace who has nefarious plans for her. When she's mysteriously rescued by persons unknown (Ethan and Kimber), she's shocked and scared. After all, who are these people and why are they rescuing her? And where the hell is her father?

I've read way too many novels pertaining to the Fae to be impressed with this one. (The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa is much better written and way more entertaining!) All in all this was just kinda blah. There really aren't any likeable characters - not even Dana, whose pretty much TSTL. This is definitely not a series I will be continuing.
ophelia99 avatar reviewed Glimmerglass (Faeriewalker, Bk 1) on + 2527 more book reviews
I have had this book on my TBR pile for quite a while to read. It ended up being an okay book, but wasn't great. It's the first book in the Faeriewalker trilogy.

I listened to this on audiobook and, although the narrator did a great job creating different character voices, the voice she picked for the main heroine sounded somewhat gnomish...it was raspy, childish and unpleasant to listen to. I wouldn't recommend listening to this on audiobook.

I had a lot of issues with this book. Dana comes across as very childish and naive, which is completely at odds with the fact that she grew up taking care of her alcoholic mom. You would think she'd be a bit more wise and less silly about thinking that traveling to Avalon will solve all her problems.

This book is very politics heavy; from the moment Dana steps foot into Avalon she is immersed in politics. This book was more about Dana's issues with her mom and Avalon politics than anything else.

Dana does have a love interest in this book, but I was not impressed with this either. Ethan basically coerces her with magic from the beginning and comes across as more slimy and creepy than swoon-worthy. I don't plan on reading more of the series, but I sincerely hope that the author does not make Ethan and Dana a couple going forward. I hate the whole misunderstood stalker turned heroic guy thing in YA novels.

Overall there just wasn't anything I really liked about this book. It was okay but nothing special. The characters were childish and lackluster, the story was boring, and the world-building was only so-so. I personally wouldn't recommend. There are too many really excellent paranorma YA books out there to waste your time reading something this mediocre.
yogimommy avatar reviewed Glimmerglass (Faeriewalker, Bk 1) on + 35 more book reviews
I found this book to be an interesting mix of a timeless fantasy with all the magic and intrigue with a modern-day teenager. As the reader steps into Avalon with Dana, that mixture becomes more apparent. Jenna Black spends most of the novel writing in a style that is very similar to other fantasy novels and weaves a story full of magic. But she does so from Dana's perspective, and at times puts in lines of thought or dialogue for Dana that very much reminded me of a modern-day teenager.

I really felt for Dana. It seemed every time she thought she had found someone to trust, that person was using her in some way or being dishonest with her in some way.

I think Jenna Black did a great job of setting this series up in this book. I am looking forward to the next installment.
planetcaddick avatar reviewed Glimmerglass (Faeriewalker, Bk 1) on + 4 more book reviews
My first Fairy book and it was really good!