Book Review: Glimmerglass by Jenna Black

Glimmerglass
Author: Jenna Black
Series: A Faeriewalker Novel
Publication: St. Martin's Griffin (May 19, 2010)

Description: It's all she's ever wanted to be, but it couldn't be further from her grasp…

Dana Hathaway doesn't know it yet, but she's in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, again, Dana decides she's had enough and runs away to find her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the captivating, magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn't just an ordinary teenage girl—she's a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and the only person who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie.

Soon, Dana finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone seems to want something from her, from her newfound friends and family to Ethan, the hot Fae guy Dana figures she'll never have a chance with… until she does. Caught between two worlds, Dana isn't sure where she'll ever fit in and who can be trusted, not to mention if her world will ever be normal again…

My Thoughts: Tired of being the grown up in her relationship with her alcoholic mother, sixteen-year-old Dana decides it is time to spend some time with her powerful fae father in Avalon, the only human/fae city on Earth. That has to be better, right? Well, not so much.

Dana finds herself mixed up in fae politics that she doesn't understand and that no one will explain to her when she reaches Avalon. She kidnapped by her Aunt Grace, rescued by teens Ethan and Kimber, and learns that she is a very rare faeriewalker who can travel between both worlds bringing magic to Earth and technology to Faerie. Everyone has a use for her and she doesn't know who she can trust.

I liked Dana. She was forced by her family situation to be too old for her age. At the same time, because she had moved around so frequently with her alcoholic mother, she was younger than her age too. She didn't have any experience making friends and certainly knew nothing about having a boyfriend. Ethan seems more than willing to add to her boyfriend knowledge but she doesn't know if she can trust him.

This was a fast-paced story with a bit of romance. I liked the whole concept of a city where humans and fae interact. I liked that she was getting to know her father. I liked that he was honest with her even when she didn't want to hear what he had to say.

This is the first book in a trilogy. I'm eager to read the rest.

Favorite Quote:

"Aren't there, like, gun laws or something?"

She laughed. "We radicals like to think of laws as more of  'guidelines.' Besides, I'd rather risk someone going all technical on me about carrying a concealed weapon than be unarmed when attacked by Spriggans."

I bought this one May 8, 2011. You can buy your copy here.