Review: The Glass Spare

Title: The Glass Spare

Author: Lauren DeStefano

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Format: Paperback

Publisher: Balzer & Bray through Jonathan Ball Publishers

Date Published: October 24 2017

Goodreads Description: Wil Heidle, the only daughter of the king of the world’s wealthiest nation, has grown up in the shadows. Kept hidden from the world in order to serve as a spy for her father—whose obsession with building his empire is causing a war—Wil wants nothing more than to explore the world beyond her kingdom if only her father would give her the chance.

Until one night Wil is attacked, and she discovers a dangerous secret. Her touch turns people into gemstone. At first, Wil is horrified—but as she tests its limits, she’s drawn more and more to the strange and volatile ability. When it leads to tragedy, Wil is forced to face the destructive power within her and finally leave her home to seek the truth and a cure.

But finding the key to her redemption puts her in the path of a cursed prince who has his own ideas for what to do with her power.

With a world on the brink of war and a power of ultimate destruction, can Wil find a way to help the kingdom that’s turned its back on her, or will she betray her past and her family forever?

I received a free copy from Jonathan Ball Publishers. All opinions are my own. 

General Thoughts

As we all know, I’m a sucker for a good fantasy book, and this one is definitely one of my favourites now. I loved The Glass Spare. It was different and refreshing, and I loved both the storylines and the characters. The writing was easy to read and flowed well, and I was completely hooked.

My only small problem with The Glass Spare was the worldbuilding. The mix of old and new technology didn’t quite make sense to me. It felt a little disjointed like they were using horse carts one day and jumped to hover crafts the next. That’s the only thing that didn’t sit right with me, but it was easy to overlook.

The spin on the classic King Midas tale makes for a great story and I”m so glad I read this one.

Characters

Wilhelmina was definitely the stand out of this book. I loved her relationships with her brothers and I loved how fierce and determined she is. All the characters were generally well developed, and their relationships with each other were well developed as well.

Each of Wil’s brothers stood out in their own unique way. This is actually a pretty dark book, and it doesn’t shy away from the trauma these characters face. Loom, the cursed prince and Wil’s love interest, is another well-rounded character with his own motivations and tragic past. The interactions between Wil and Loom were great, but if you’re expecting an easy love story then The Glass Spare isn’t it.

Let’s Chat

All in all this book was pretty fantastic and I cannot wait to get my hands on the second one.

If you enjoyed The Glass Spare you might like A Shifting of Stars.

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