The Glass Spare

Reviewed by: Will Brown - Falmouth Memorial Library, Falmouth, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: January 9, 2018

Review

The Glass Spare is a richly detailed fantasy book. It presents a fantasy world full of legend, built upon alchemy and beginning to discover electricity on a grand scale, there are a wealth of wonders and new possibilities presented to the people within its pages. It is also filled with legends and magic, from the stories of the king who turned all he touched to gold, to the magic that lays hidden in the heart of our protagonist.

Wil, our female lead, is many things. A child of the royal family, a girl who escaped death as a baby, a spy in training, her frailest brother's closest friend and confidant, and eventually a girl cursed to turn anything living she touches into gemstone.

This story contains something for most any fantasy reader, the politics of kingdoms on the brink of war, a story that takes the reader from the most dirty and dangerous alleys to the most opulent of palaces, mysterious curses, young love, and more as we follow Wil as she leaves the familiar halls of her palace home and family and sets out on her own, carrying the burden of heavy secrets.

The highly skilled world building and character development gives the world of the Glass Spare a highly memorable and enjoyable feel. Clearly the first of a new fantasy series, this is a tale that starts well and has a lot more to offer.

Overall Book Score: very good