I originally selected this book due to its lavishly beautiful cover and its fun premise. The summary makes it sound like a cross between "The Wild Swans" by Hans Christian Anderson, "Bluecrest" by Madame d'Aulnoy, "The White Deer" also by Madame d'Aulnoy and the works of Erin Morgenstern. It's basically advertisted as a fairytale retelling. However, "The Glass Magician" adopts its own mythology and story. That's one of the strongest reasons to enjoy this book. I give major props to Stevermer for creating such a rich magical world.



Something I don't like is when fantasy books expose the reader to the world and don't explain all the rules at first. This is what reading "The Glass Magician" felt like. Too quickly I was thrown into the magical world with no time to adapt. Between all the characters with complicated names and quick pacing, it was difficult for me to keep up. I couldn't relate to any of the characters, and even the beauitful theater setting felt rushed. I want to dive back into this gorgeous magical world, but hopefully with more detail and a simpler plot. The concept is really creative and shows great promise, but the execution leaves much to be desired.