Magic Under Glass Review

Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Release date: December 22, 2009

Source: Publisher

Nimira is a foreign music-hall girl forced to dance for mere pennies. When wealthy sorcerer Hollin Parry hires her to sing with a piano-playing automaton, Nimira believes it is the start of a new and better life. In Parry's world, however, buried secrets are beginning to stir. Unsettling below-stairs rumors swirl about ghosts, a madwoman roaming the halls, and Parry's involvement with a league of sorcerers who torture fairies for sport. Then Nimira discovers the spirit of a fairy gentleman named Erris is trapped inside the clockwork automaton, waiting for someone to break his curse. The two fall into a love that seems hopeless, and breaking the curse becomes a race against time, as not just their love, but the fate of the entire magical world may be in peril.

Review:

Magic Under Glass was impressive, unique, and an overall amazing debut novel. From the first page I was pulled into the original world Dolamore had created and Magic Under Glass was really hard to put down. I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. There was so much mystery and suspense, by the middle of the novel I couldn’t put it down. Nimira’s fight to save Erris was amazing and their love for each other was heartbreaking. It was a forbidden romance at it’s best. Not only was Erris a fairy prince, but he was trapped inside an automaton that belonged to the man Nimira was working for. Automaton’s are something I’ve never read about before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect at first. The world where Nimira lived in Magic Under Glass was completely original and so different from anything I’ve ever read about before. The characters and settings were amazing and well developed with no stone left unturned. I was completely submerged in Nimira’s world and when I finished reading it only made me anxious to read more by Jaclyn Dolamore- maybe a sequel to Magic Under Glass?

Now to anyone who’s read the novel you can understand the significance of the title and cover. For me that was one of the creepiest parts of the novel. I could hardly believe anyone could be as cruel as Hollin’s father had been to the faeries and other creatures. I’ve read quite a few faerie books especially lately, and Magic Under Glass stands out from the others, not that it’s better, it’s just different. People knew about faeries in this world, but they couldn’t coexist with people like the evil Smollings who wanted to kill all the faeries or go to war with them rather than live in peace. Hating the bad characters and liking the good ones was very easy in Magic Under Glass, there was a thick line dividing them and the evil characters were extremely easy to dislike. By the end of the novel I was rooting for Nimira, Erris, and the rest of the characters on their side as they fought against the “bad guys”. Creative, unique, and addictive, Magic Under Glass was a debut novel unlike any other. It was a quick read, not only because it was just 200 pages, but because it’s one I read quickly, unable to put it down. I’d highly recommend this to anyone.

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars