Magic Under Glass
Author: Jaclyn Dolamore
Series: Magic Under (#1)
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
How Received: library
Nimira is a music-hall performer forced to dance for pennies to an audience of leering drunks. When wealthy sorcerer Hollin Parry hires her to do a special act - singing accompaniment to an exquisite piano-playing automaton, Nimira believes it is the start of a new life. In Parry's world, however, buried secrets stir.
Unsettling below-stairs rumours abound about ghosts, a mad woman roaming the halls, and of Parry's involvement in a gang of ruthless sorcerers who torture fairies for sport. When Nimira discovers the spirit of a dashing young fairy gentleman is trapped inside the automaton's stiff limbs, waiting for someone to break the curse and set him free, the two fall in love. But it is a love set against a dreadful race against time to save the entire fairy realm, which is in mortal peril.
I went into this after hearing a lot of mixed reviews and all the cover controversy (it was white washed; now it's fixed!), so I wasn't sure what to expect.
I ended up enjoying it, a lot more than I thought I would! It's not very long, so it makes for a nice, light, quick read. It's a good fantasy, though it needs to be fleshed out a bit more. Things were mentioned, but never elaborated - like the fairy war - and I wish we had learned more about them.
I liked most of the characters in the story. My favorite was Anni - I wish we had had a chance to see more of her! However, Hollin needed to be developed a bit more, and I felt like Nim flip flopped personalities sometimes.
However, I do want to see what happens next - just to get a peek into this fairy war if nothing else!
Overall Rating & Final Comments: 7/10. Good fantasy, but it needs more world building and character development. Excited for the sequel!
Cover Comments: I LOVE this new cover so much better than the original, and it's accurate, too. Win!
