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Glass Girls
In this “electrifying” debut (Kathryn Harlan), a former child medium is called home to help protect her niece from possession, forcing a reckoning with the traumas of her past and the magic she left behind.
When thirty-four-year-old Alice Haserot learns she’s pregnant, she isn’t sure if she wants to keep the baby. Long estranged from her family, Alice is haunted by memories of her own abusive mother. Not only that, but her lineage is burdened by a curse, one that she’s almost managed to convince herself she no longer believes Girls for the gifts, boys for the grave.
Alice’s gift—channeling ghosts—has often felt like its own curse. Is she willing to risk passing on a similar fate to a daughter, or one even worse to a son? Amidst this internal reckoning Alice’s sister Bronwyn tracks her down. One of Bronwyn’s daughters is possessing the other and she delivers an ultimatum to come home to free them, or I’ll tell our mother where you are.
When Alice agrees, she finds herself once again caught up in the life she tried to escape sixteen years before and the night she’s tried her hardest to forget. And as the haunting escalates to dangerous proportions, Alice must decide whom to trust, how far she will go to end the curse, and if she’s willing to risk motherhood given all her family legacy entails. For lovers ofMexican GothicandWeywardcomes a darkly captivating debut about family, female autonomy, and the bonds that endure across lifetimes.
When thirty-four-year-old Alice Haserot learns she’s pregnant, she isn’t sure if she wants to keep the baby. Long estranged from her family, Alice is haunted by memories of her own abusive mother. Not only that, but her lineage is burdened by a curse, one that she’s almost managed to convince herself she no longer believes Girls for the gifts, boys for the grave.
Alice’s gift—channeling ghosts—has often felt like its own curse. Is she willing to risk passing on a similar fate to a daughter, or one even worse to a son? Amidst this internal reckoning Alice’s sister Bronwyn tracks her down. One of Bronwyn’s daughters is possessing the other and she delivers an ultimatum to come home to free them, or I’ll tell our mother where you are.
When Alice agrees, she finds herself once again caught up in the life she tried to escape sixteen years before and the night she’s tried her hardest to forget. And as the haunting escalates to dangerous proportions, Alice must decide whom to trust, how far she will go to end the curse, and if she’s willing to risk motherhood given all her family legacy entails. For lovers ofMexican GothicandWeywardcomes a darkly captivating debut about family, female autonomy, and the bonds that endure across lifetimes.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published June 24, 2025
85 people are currently reading
16301 people want to read
About the author
Danie Shokoohi
2 books61 followersDanie Shokoohi (she/they) is a devoted listener of pod-dramas, an avid tarot reader, and queen of making too many playlists. She lives in Paris, France.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 119 reviews
June 21, 2025
My review of Glass Girls is published at Grimdark Magazine.
Ghosts of the past are not so easily eluded in Glass Girls, the debut novel by author Danie Shokoohi, a midwestern Gothic tale of a family with inherited supernatural powers. But these magical gifts come at a cost, and the price is highest for the unfortunate male members of the Glass family.
The protagonist of Glass Girls, Alice Haserot, has decided to leave magic—and her dysfunctional family—behind, adopting a new name and creating a new life for herself. After many years of estrangement, a visit from her sister, Bronwyn, forces Alice to confront ghosts of the past, both literal and figurative, and decide whether to reengage with a family that has left her feeling haunted and traumatized. To make matters worse, an unexpected pregnancy raises the stakes even higher for Alice, who must ponder whether sins of the past will repeat themselves with another generation.
Danie Shokoohi’s prose is tight and polished throughout Glass Girls, an excellent vehicle for telling this subtly creepy Gothic story. Shokoohi is especially effective at conveying Alice’s family trauma, alternating between the present-day narrative and flashbacks to different points from her childhood. While Bronwyn is a diviner, capable of finding anything or anyone if she can follow their trail of energy, Alice has the rare ability to serve as a medium with the dead. As a child, Alice’s mother took full advantage of her gifts, earning profit and notoriety along the way.
The first part of Glass Girls is overly dominated by exposition, telling rather than showing the reader key plot points and relationship backstories. Although the tension builds up nicely by the end of the novel, I was hoping for stronger horror elements, especially earlier in the book, to accentuate the sense of dread.
Notwithstanding these minor quibbles, Glass Girls is an impressive debut that offers a fresh twist on classic paranormal storytelling. Danie Shokoohi’s novel is recommended for fans of modern Gothic fiction.
Ghosts of the past are not so easily eluded in Glass Girls, the debut novel by author Danie Shokoohi, a midwestern Gothic tale of a family with inherited supernatural powers. But these magical gifts come at a cost, and the price is highest for the unfortunate male members of the Glass family.
The protagonist of Glass Girls, Alice Haserot, has decided to leave magic—and her dysfunctional family—behind, adopting a new name and creating a new life for herself. After many years of estrangement, a visit from her sister, Bronwyn, forces Alice to confront ghosts of the past, both literal and figurative, and decide whether to reengage with a family that has left her feeling haunted and traumatized. To make matters worse, an unexpected pregnancy raises the stakes even higher for Alice, who must ponder whether sins of the past will repeat themselves with another generation.
Danie Shokoohi’s prose is tight and polished throughout Glass Girls, an excellent vehicle for telling this subtly creepy Gothic story. Shokoohi is especially effective at conveying Alice’s family trauma, alternating between the present-day narrative and flashbacks to different points from her childhood. While Bronwyn is a diviner, capable of finding anything or anyone if she can follow their trail of energy, Alice has the rare ability to serve as a medium with the dead. As a child, Alice’s mother took full advantage of her gifts, earning profit and notoriety along the way.
The first part of Glass Girls is overly dominated by exposition, telling rather than showing the reader key plot points and relationship backstories. Although the tension builds up nicely by the end of the novel, I was hoping for stronger horror elements, especially earlier in the book, to accentuate the sense of dread.
Notwithstanding these minor quibbles, Glass Girls is an impressive debut that offers a fresh twist on classic paranormal storytelling. Danie Shokoohi’s novel is recommended for fans of modern Gothic fiction.
July 3, 2025
My audiobook response tomorrow!
July 5, 2025
I picked up Glass Girls expecting a creepy little ghost story to get me through a rainy weekend, but what I got was a full-on emotional ambush wrapped in gothic vibes and family drama. This debut novel follows Alice Haserot, a former child medium who thought she’d left her spooky past behind, until her sister Bronwyn barges back into her life with a cryptic warning about her daughters and a family curse that just won’t quit. It’s a wild mix of horror, magic, and the kind of sibling baggage that makes you grateful for your own dysfunctional crew (or at least glad you can mute them on Zoom).
The flashbacks to her childhood are pure gold… they’re haunting and vivid, and sketch out a life soaked in wonder and misery. I’ll admit, the beginning dragged a bit with all the exposition; it’s like Shokoohi wanted to give me the whole family tree before letting me meet the ghosts. But once the pace picks up, it’s a rollercoaster with twists, turns, and a climax that had me holding my breath.
Our girl Alice is a mess in the most relatable way. She’s a heroine you cheer for even when she’s dodging her problems like they’re dodgeballs in gym class. Then there’s Bronwyn, the real MVP. She’s the sister you’d kill for: fierce, a little unhinged, and armed with sarcasm that could cut glass. Their bond is the soul of this book, and watching them wrestle with their shared trauma is both gut-wrenching and weirdly uplifting. The horror here isn’t JUST supernatural—it’s the bone-deep dread of family reunions. If you’ve ever faked a stomachache to skip Thanksgiving, this one’s for you.
I was not prepared to ugly cry into my pillow at 2 a.m. Shokoohi dives headfirst into the messy, tangled mess of family trauma and survivorship, and it’s so raw and real that I felt personally attacked—in the best way, of course. There’s this tender magic in how she writes about the things that haunt us, and it left me staring at my ceiling, wondering if I should text my own sister an apology for stealing her Barbie.
If I’ve got one nitpick (and I do, because 4 stars isn’t 5), it’s that slow start. I get it, world-building is hard, but I was ready to meet the ghosts sooner. Still, the payoff is worth it. The witchcraft bits are so cool—tarot cards and séance vibes that had me daydreaming about hosting my own spooky girls’ night where we hex the administration.
Glass Girls is a knockout read. It blends horror, heart, and a dash of magic into something unforgettable. It’s the kind of book that lingers—like a friendly ghost tapping you on the shoulder to say, “Hey, call your sister.” If you want a story that’ll make you laugh, sob, and double-check your locks, grab this one. Just don’t blame me when every creak in your house feels like a poltergeist for a week.
July 9, 2025
Glass Girls is part psychological thriller, part ghost story, part meditation on grief. What you think you're going to get, is not what you walk away with.
The writing alone, from the very first page, was so heart-wrenchingly beautiful that I was lost to it immediately.
If you're looking for a popcorn thriller, this won't be for you. If you'd like a novel about a family of women being haunted by the ghosts of their pasts, a reflection on love's limitations and making the most out of what you're handed in life...pick this one up. I beg!
The writing alone, from the very first page, was so heart-wrenchingly beautiful that I was lost to it immediately.
If you're looking for a popcorn thriller, this won't be for you. If you'd like a novel about a family of women being haunted by the ghosts of their pasts, a reflection on love's limitations and making the most out of what you're handed in life...pick this one up. I beg!
July 19, 2025
3.5:I was going to give it 4 stars but the ending was incredibly underwhelming. A lot of build up for not much outcome, predictable
June 28, 2025
There is nothing like the feeling of reading a book by a debut author and having it turn out to be one of the best books you’ve read in its genre in ages.
Glass Girls is about 30% family drama, 30% witch fantasy, 30% ghost horror, and 10% psychological thriller, all crafted into a compelling story that immediately drew me in and truly didn’t let me go until the last page.
I often bemoan books for being too slow or for having uneven pacing, but Danie Shokoohi obviously understood the assignment because this book has a great sense of urgency, of propulsion, in the way the story is told and the manner in which it unfolds. There is a purpose for every inch of page and no filler, making for an immersive and vibrant read. Even though there is some non-linear timeline stuff that happens, it sometimes varies in how it happens and when it happens, which greatly appealed to me as a reader because it made exposition feel more organic and less planned out.
The humanity in these characters and the events that have made up their lives will hurt your heart and make you long for resolution as much as they do. I became deeply invested in what happened to the characters in this book. I highly recommend it. 5⭐️
I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Ghost Fiction/Horror/Occult Horror/Paranormal Horror/Psychological Thriller/Witch Fiction/Women’s Fiction
Glass Girls is about 30% family drama, 30% witch fantasy, 30% ghost horror, and 10% psychological thriller, all crafted into a compelling story that immediately drew me in and truly didn’t let me go until the last page.
I often bemoan books for being too slow or for having uneven pacing, but Danie Shokoohi obviously understood the assignment because this book has a great sense of urgency, of propulsion, in the way the story is told and the manner in which it unfolds. There is a purpose for every inch of page and no filler, making for an immersive and vibrant read. Even though there is some non-linear timeline stuff that happens, it sometimes varies in how it happens and when it happens, which greatly appealed to me as a reader because it made exposition feel more organic and less planned out.
The humanity in these characters and the events that have made up their lives will hurt your heart and make you long for resolution as much as they do. I became deeply invested in what happened to the characters in this book. I highly recommend it. 5⭐️
I was provided a copy of this title by the author and publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.
File Under: 5 Star Review/Ghost Fiction/Horror/Occult Horror/Paranormal Horror/Psychological Thriller/Witch Fiction/Women’s Fiction
August 25, 2025
4.5
The girls get gifts and the boys are cursed.
Alice comes from a line of witches. In this family the girls get gifts such as the ability to see the dead, sensing emotions of others, and even being able to locate loved ones. Boys on the other hand are cursed to perish before their 19th birthday.
Alice and her sister were raised in an abusive household. They each wanted to put the past behind them, but when strange events target Bronwyn (Alice’s sister) and her daughter, Alice makes the hard choice to step back into the life she left behind.
I loved this book! The characters felt alive and the narrative kept me hooked. This is such a stunning debut and a perfect witchy tale for the upcoming fall season. Not only does it dabble in witchcraft, but this is also a ghost story as well. One sure to pull at your heart strings. In this book, the horror isn’t the ghosts—it’s the humans.
Read this if your looking for
🔮grief horror
🔮witchy vibes
🔮ghosts/poltergeists
🔮 tarot reading
🔮mediums/seances
🔮sisterhood/family
The girls get gifts and the boys are cursed.
Alice comes from a line of witches. In this family the girls get gifts such as the ability to see the dead, sensing emotions of others, and even being able to locate loved ones. Boys on the other hand are cursed to perish before their 19th birthday.
Alice and her sister were raised in an abusive household. They each wanted to put the past behind them, but when strange events target Bronwyn (Alice’s sister) and her daughter, Alice makes the hard choice to step back into the life she left behind.
I loved this book! The characters felt alive and the narrative kept me hooked. This is such a stunning debut and a perfect witchy tale for the upcoming fall season. Not only does it dabble in witchcraft, but this is also a ghost story as well. One sure to pull at your heart strings. In this book, the horror isn’t the ghosts—it’s the humans.
Read this if your looking for
🔮grief horror
🔮witchy vibes
🔮ghosts/poltergeists
🔮 tarot reading
🔮mediums/seances
🔮sisterhood/family
July 18, 2025
For a book about women’s bodily autonomy with a MAJOR PLOT POINT REGARDING PREGNANCY, the word “abortion” does not occur once in this book. It is 2025. Grow up. There’s not putting a sentence that’s like “[alice is speaking with the author’s voice] an abortion is an option for me! Every woman should be able to get an abortion!” (preachy, annoying) and then there’s just not even using the word as an option for how to proceed with an unexpected pregnancy.
October 2, 2025
Ohhhh I loved this. Mothers and daughters and sisters and aunts and nieces and witches and terrible terrible aching loss and abuse and coming back from it and gooood. This hit so many of my buttons. I’ve never read anything by this author before, but I loved this narrator in another book so I picked it up and DAMN am I glad that I did. This was almost perfectly tailored to me. The only way to have made it shoot from Hell yes to perfection would have been if it was sapphic too. But this gave me so much that I want to start off spooky season. I love some ghosts and witches and intergenerational trauma.
July 6, 2025
I’m giving this a solid 3.8 out of 5 stars! This was such a cool, unique read. This story is about Alice, a former child medium who’s estranged from her family until her sister suddenly shows up claiming that one of her deceased daughters is trying to possess the other. And Alice is the only one that can help.
I really enjoyed this story, it felt like a mix between Practical Magic and Supernatural. It was medium-paced but held my attention the whole way through. I will say the ending felt a bit rushed and the climax didn’t quite hit as hard as I wanted it to. I also think some parts could’ve been fleshed out a bit more, especially the worldbuilding around witches, while other parts could’ve been cut back just a little.
That said, I really liked how the magic system worked, especially the detail that the later a witch’s powers come in, the stronger she is. I also loved the addition of the family curse and how much it factored into the plot. The flashbacks were also helpful and helped bring the whole story together.
This was an awesome debut and it played like a movie in my head. I’d definitely recommend it for autumn and spooky season.
I really enjoyed this story, it felt like a mix between Practical Magic and Supernatural. It was medium-paced but held my attention the whole way through. I will say the ending felt a bit rushed and the climax didn’t quite hit as hard as I wanted it to. I also think some parts could’ve been fleshed out a bit more, especially the worldbuilding around witches, while other parts could’ve been cut back just a little.
That said, I really liked how the magic system worked, especially the detail that the later a witch’s powers come in, the stronger she is. I also loved the addition of the family curse and how much it factored into the plot. The flashbacks were also helpful and helped bring the whole story together.
This was an awesome debut and it played like a movie in my head. I’d definitely recommend it for autumn and spooky season.
March 20, 2025
I received an arc of this through my job, which did not affect my review.
I was so immediately drawn into this story. A haunting story about family, trauma, the ties that bind us to each other, and what we owe others. I was rooting for Alice, for Bronwyn and her daughters, even as the story broke my heart and then slowly started to stitch it back together. Out in June, and I highly recommend!
I was so immediately drawn into this story. A haunting story about family, trauma, the ties that bind us to each other, and what we owe others. I was rooting for Alice, for Bronwyn and her daughters, even as the story broke my heart and then slowly started to stitch it back together. Out in June, and I highly recommend!
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November 21, 2025This book is really good! The very, very, very, very ending maybe underlines the themes a little TOO much, but the road there is wonderful, the family dynamics are well drawn, and the whole thing has a really smart understanding of trauma reactions that too much stuff "about trauma" doesn't.
Also some cool ghost mythology?
Also some cool ghost mythology?
July 24, 2025
After a slow start, this book was great. It was spooky and creepy and I felt like I was waiting the whole book for the other shoe to drop. This is the perfect book to add to a fall TBR because it gives me witchy vibes with descriptions of tarot card readings, mediums, and ghosts. Note it’s witchy in a bone chilling way, not in a cutesy hallmark-Halloweentown way. I loved how Danie Shokoohi wrote a dual timeline - within the flashbacks she does a fantastic job of depicting the deep family drama and chaos lurking within the Glass household and lays solid groundwork foreshadowing what is to come at the end of the book. Overall Glass Girls was a super unique story, blending a little bit of magic and the bonds of sisterhood. Definitely will be recommending this, but again I stress, this book is really creepy.
July 11, 2025
Had me hooked from the opening paragraph, the writing was exquisite, the story was enthralling, the characters were compelling, it was perfect. I love books about sisters, books about imperfect women, books about mommy issues, books about generational trauma, and this just broke my heart in the best way. Going to be in my top 5 favorite reads of the year, possibly number 1. It makes a lot of sense that Gillian Flynn’s imprint published this one. I will follow Danie Shokoohi’s writing to the ends of the earth now, cannot wait to see what they do next.
June 8, 2025
In the publisher’s note, they say that Glass Girls is a fresh take on the family of female witches and ghosts story, and I definitely agree. The writing in this book is absolutely stellar; the immersive, visceral descriptions bring you right into the story and keep you there. The book deals with childhood trauma through storytelling that moves from past to present, sometimes intermingled and not clearly labeled. There are moments with multiple points of view as well, but it was still easy enough to follow. The story includes vivid scenes of poltergeist activity, self-mutilation, and abuse/violence, and it felt much darker than advertised. That being said, if you can handle a dark book that really leans more into horror than thriller, and you like paranormal stories, I’d recommend picking this up. I couldn’t put it down and was even brought to tears at the end. I’ll be adding it to my collection of witchy stories. TW: child abuse
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
July 8, 2025
I’m not the best at reviews, but I will try my best. I wish we could give half stars, bc my review would be a true 3.5 stars. I was a bit frustrated the first 4-6 chapters, waiting to circle back to the storyline in the beginning - frustrated that it started one way and went to a “flashback-like” sequence - which I get, gotta build the character. Though, I didn’t love that there was so little of THAT storyline…. However, one getting to the second half of the book I will say that it was much better. Very slow start for me. Now that we got through that….I feel like the end was extremely anticlimactic to the terrors expected from the previous experiences in the book. I felt as if the author just wanted to get it finished and did a quick end. I was ready for a fight, something more substantial to the sisters heartbreak over having to release him…instead something that just felt less. With all of that being said, the writing was great and I do appreciate the ability to grab hold of the reader and make them feel the terror and pain.
July 3, 2025
This book was absolutely phenomenal. Isabeau & Bronwyn grew up in a family of witches, with their mom treating them pretty horribly. In their family boys are cursed and don't live past 18. Their mom forces them their whole childhood to try to save their brother which is almost impossible. After lots of trauma Isabeau decides shes had enough and runs away to start a new life.
In this life she becomes Alice and is with Eli and they live a very normal life in the suburbs- until Bronwyn tracks her down. Alice is forced to return to the place she swore she would never return to help her sister.
Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the ARC!
In this life she becomes Alice and is with Eli and they live a very normal life in the suburbs- until Bronwyn tracks her down. Alice is forced to return to the place she swore she would never return to help her sister.
Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the ARC!
June 30, 2025
"It is almost always better to live with the gift than to deny it... it is a vile thing to sacrifice your specialness for the sake of the ordinary nothings that walk around in the outside world."
"It is madness, my little loves, to buckle to the whims of a world that prioritizes happiness over power."
"It is madness, my little loves, to buckle to the whims of a world that prioritizes happiness over power."
July 30, 2025
Pleasantly surprised by this one! Not sure why I expected a straightforward thriller, but even though it kept me on edge the whole time, it was so much more than that. Think magical realism, ghosts, witches, curses, an abusive mother, family drama… and all of it beautifully written
July 4, 2025
I didn’t read what this was about and that’s my fault. Just not something I enjoy.
August 5, 2025
This Mom is insane I love her.
August 8, 2025
Ugh, I wanted to like this. It started off promising, but quickly grew repetitive and tedious. Could’ve been about 150 pages shorter.
November 5, 2025
4.5 / 5 - A lot of family trauma (check trigger warnings) with magical elements thrown in. A family where the girls get magical gifts, and the boys never live past 19 - a unique concept that played out very well. While it covered heavy topics, I still found myself wanting to read more about these complex characters.
October 22, 2025
Saw something where this was recommended for fans of Practical Magic. I feel like that is kinda true but not exactly.
I read this at the same time as The Late Night Witches and that has a similar vibe while being more entertaining.
I read this at the same time as The Late Night Witches and that has a similar vibe while being more entertaining.
October 6, 2025
Amazing & witchy, perfect fall read. Also cured my irrational fear of poltergeists LOL
December 9, 2025
Read the full review with trigger warnings and representation information on my blog.
Isabeau was once a child medium in a family of witches, but she ran away from her past and changed her name to Alice. Now, she lives a privileged life with a normal boyfriend, but her life is upended when her sister finds her and threatens her so that she will return home and help deal with the ghost of her niece. Alice and Bronwyn must confront their past and shared trauma in order to save Bronwyn’s still-living daughter.
I really enjoyed reading this thriller. It’s a combination of paranormal, horror, and mystery as well, and balances all the genres well. A key theme in this book is trauma and the way it impacts us when we are older, as is seen by the quote from Bessel van der Kolk, psychologist and author of The Body Keeps the Score in the opening of the novel. This is the best-written debut novel I’ve read in a long time.
The novel goes between reflective descriptions of the pasts of the girls in the novel and the trauma they endured at the hands of their mother, Gisele, and tense plot-focused sections. I think it did a great job of highlighting how someone who is traumatized can be utterly transported from their everyday life by intrusive flashbacks. Although Gisele does horrible things to her children and grandchildren, you can easily see how the generational curse and her own mothering warped her into behaving the way that she did. She’s certainly not likeable — I’m actually not sure I’d say any of the adult characters in this novel are likeable, so if that is a turn off for you I’d advise staying away — but you do eventually understand why she turned out the way she did.
This novel is very potentially triggering with graphic descriptions of child abuse and of self-harm, so that is also something to be wary of. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel regardless, though, and I don’t believe any of the descriptions were excessive. Sometimes authors shy away from fully showing the horrors of the things they are writing about, and that was not the case in this book.
Glass Girls will be published by Gillian Flynn Books on June 24th. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance reader’s copy.
Isabeau was once a child medium in a family of witches, but she ran away from her past and changed her name to Alice. Now, she lives a privileged life with a normal boyfriend, but her life is upended when her sister finds her and threatens her so that she will return home and help deal with the ghost of her niece. Alice and Bronwyn must confront their past and shared trauma in order to save Bronwyn’s still-living daughter.
I really enjoyed reading this thriller. It’s a combination of paranormal, horror, and mystery as well, and balances all the genres well. A key theme in this book is trauma and the way it impacts us when we are older, as is seen by the quote from Bessel van der Kolk, psychologist and author of The Body Keeps the Score in the opening of the novel. This is the best-written debut novel I’ve read in a long time.
The novel goes between reflective descriptions of the pasts of the girls in the novel and the trauma they endured at the hands of their mother, Gisele, and tense plot-focused sections. I think it did a great job of highlighting how someone who is traumatized can be utterly transported from their everyday life by intrusive flashbacks. Although Gisele does horrible things to her children and grandchildren, you can easily see how the generational curse and her own mothering warped her into behaving the way that she did. She’s certainly not likeable — I’m actually not sure I’d say any of the adult characters in this novel are likeable, so if that is a turn off for you I’d advise staying away — but you do eventually understand why she turned out the way she did.
This novel is very potentially triggering with graphic descriptions of child abuse and of self-harm, so that is also something to be wary of. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel regardless, though, and I don’t believe any of the descriptions were excessive. Sometimes authors shy away from fully showing the horrors of the things they are writing about, and that was not the case in this book.
Glass Girls will be published by Gillian Flynn Books on June 24th. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advance reader’s copy.
June 26, 2025
From the moment I saw author Danie Shokoohi discussing Glass Girls in a social media interview, I was captivated. The premise sounded utterly fascinating, and I immediately headed to NetGalley to request a digital review copy. Given it was release day, I didn't hold out much hope for approval, so imagine my surprise when my request was almost instantly granted!
Glass Girls truly delivers on an intriguing concept. As a fan of witchy tales, I was drawn in by the unique curse at its heart: a family where each girl is born with a special gift, its power inversely proportional to how early it manifests, while the boys are tragically fated to die before their nineteenth birthday. Be prepared for some heavy themes, as the narrative touches on childhood trauma, abuse leading to PTSD, violence, tragedy, and grief.
While I genuinely enjoyed the story at its core, the execution proved to be a bit chaotic for my taste. The frequent jumps between timelines often lacked the smooth transitions needed to keep me fully oriented, leading to moments of confusion. One particular point that continually pulled me out of the narrative was Alice's self-reference. The book explicitly states Isabeau isn't "killed off" until Alice is an adult, yet the younger self consistently refers to herself as Alice. This inconsistency felt like it undermined the very premise of the character's transformation.
Glass Girls had so much potential to be a five-star read, but its organizational structure ultimately held it back. Despite these narrative bumps, I still found it to be a good read and would recommend it, especially for those who appreciate unique takes on witchcraft and don't mind a less linear storytelling approach.
+++I was given a copy of this DRC in an exchange for an honest review+++
I want to thank #danieshokoohie #Netgalley #Zando and #gillianflynnbooks for allowing me to read this amazing DRC. I truly feel honored to have had the privilege to read and review it.
Glass Girls truly delivers on an intriguing concept. As a fan of witchy tales, I was drawn in by the unique curse at its heart: a family where each girl is born with a special gift, its power inversely proportional to how early it manifests, while the boys are tragically fated to die before their nineteenth birthday. Be prepared for some heavy themes, as the narrative touches on childhood trauma, abuse leading to PTSD, violence, tragedy, and grief.
While I genuinely enjoyed the story at its core, the execution proved to be a bit chaotic for my taste. The frequent jumps between timelines often lacked the smooth transitions needed to keep me fully oriented, leading to moments of confusion. One particular point that continually pulled me out of the narrative was Alice's self-reference. The book explicitly states Isabeau isn't "killed off" until Alice is an adult, yet the younger self consistently refers to herself as Alice. This inconsistency felt like it undermined the very premise of the character's transformation.
Glass Girls had so much potential to be a five-star read, but its organizational structure ultimately held it back. Despite these narrative bumps, I still found it to be a good read and would recommend it, especially for those who appreciate unique takes on witchcraft and don't mind a less linear storytelling approach.
+++I was given a copy of this DRC in an exchange for an honest review+++
I want to thank #danieshokoohie #Netgalley #Zando and #gillianflynnbooks for allowing me to read this amazing DRC. I truly feel honored to have had the privilege to read and review it.
July 12, 2025
I enjoyed the book. It had a few troublesome issues, but overall, I've continued thinking about it days after finishing. There were some lovely prose, but overuse of flowery language did get annoying. The author chose some more archaic vocabulary to aid in evoking a gothic feeling. She accomplished this with setting and description, so the addition of stilted language got on my nerves. I think the pacing was slow, especially early on. This is not a plot-driven book. Instead, the drive forward comes from the creepy factor and toe-dips into mystery and thriller. I would not classify the book mystery/thriller, though; instead, it leans towards dark urban fantasy.
The characters were dynamic, and their relationships were loaded with generational, complicated histories and emotions. They were my favorite part of the book. I became invested in them, even the ghosts. The antagonist was a somewhat flat, stock character, but she was really the only one. To be honest, I was so invested in the others that I didn't mind a stereotypical antagonist.
The author made some excellent choices. Bravo for the eating disordered person being male (we learn this in chapter one, so no spoilers here). Utilizing both setting and physicality, the author showed us the deterioration trauma causes, which was an overarching theme. It was deeply addressed and given much room for consideration by the reader.
3.5 stars for this debut book.
The characters were dynamic, and their relationships were loaded with generational, complicated histories and emotions. They were my favorite part of the book. I became invested in them, even the ghosts. The antagonist was a somewhat flat, stock character, but she was really the only one. To be honest, I was so invested in the others that I didn't mind a stereotypical antagonist.
The author made some excellent choices. Bravo for the eating disordered person being male (we learn this in chapter one, so no spoilers here). Utilizing both setting and physicality, the author showed us the deterioration trauma causes, which was an overarching theme. It was deeply addressed and given much room for consideration by the reader.
3.5 stars for this debut book.
June 24, 2025
Glass Girls was so deliciously feminine and witchy - I loved every second of it.
In Glass Girls we follow Alice (formerly known as Isabeau) and her sister Bronwyn. Their childhood is harsh at the hands of their mother Gisele, but still their lives are full of magic. Though the girls know no other witches, the Glass women are all blessed with gifts. As a counterbalance it is the Glass boys pay the price - none of them make it past the age of 19. As an Oracle, Gisele sees many different futures for them all. But she doesn’t see Killian. Killian is the light of their lives, but with his death everything changes.
I was thoroughly impressed (and a little surprised) by this debut! I was expecting a thriller with a side of family drama, but I was surprised by how eerie this ended up being. I loved Shokoohi’s immersive storytelling and her writing style. It was so easy to get lost in the magic and I felt like I was at The Little House with Bronwyn and Beau. This was such a great blend of supernatural horror, sisterhood/family trauma, and witchy magic. I can’t wait to reread this come fall.
Thank you so much to Zando and Netgalley. I look forward to reading from this author again in the future!
In Glass Girls we follow Alice (formerly known as Isabeau) and her sister Bronwyn. Their childhood is harsh at the hands of their mother Gisele, but still their lives are full of magic. Though the girls know no other witches, the Glass women are all blessed with gifts. As a counterbalance it is the Glass boys pay the price - none of them make it past the age of 19. As an Oracle, Gisele sees many different futures for them all. But she doesn’t see Killian. Killian is the light of their lives, but with his death everything changes.
I was thoroughly impressed (and a little surprised) by this debut! I was expecting a thriller with a side of family drama, but I was surprised by how eerie this ended up being. I loved Shokoohi’s immersive storytelling and her writing style. It was so easy to get lost in the magic and I felt like I was at The Little House with Bronwyn and Beau. This was such a great blend of supernatural horror, sisterhood/family trauma, and witchy magic. I can’t wait to reread this come fall.
Thank you so much to Zando and Netgalley. I look forward to reading from this author again in the future!
June 18, 2025
I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warning: This novel contains depictions of childhood trauma, self-harm, abuse, and intense supernatural violence.
The writing in this novel is exceptionally strong, marked by immersive and visceral prose that pulls the reader into a haunting narrative and refuses to let go. Structured with shifts between past and present, the story maintains clarity even as it layers its timelines and perspectives.
While marketed more as a thriller, the tone and content of the book are decidedly rooted in horror, with vivid portrayals of poltergeist phenomena and emotional and physical trauma. The darker themes are handled with weight and intensity, making for a deeply affecting reading experience.
For readers drawn to paranormal fiction with a psychological edge, this novel is a compelling and emotionally resonant entry. Its powerful conclusion leaves a lasting impression, earning it a place among the more memorable contemporary "witchy" narratives.
Content Warning: This novel contains depictions of childhood trauma, self-harm, abuse, and intense supernatural violence.
The writing in this novel is exceptionally strong, marked by immersive and visceral prose that pulls the reader into a haunting narrative and refuses to let go. Structured with shifts between past and present, the story maintains clarity even as it layers its timelines and perspectives.
While marketed more as a thriller, the tone and content of the book are decidedly rooted in horror, with vivid portrayals of poltergeist phenomena and emotional and physical trauma. The darker themes are handled with weight and intensity, making for a deeply affecting reading experience.
For readers drawn to paranormal fiction with a psychological edge, this novel is a compelling and emotionally resonant entry. Its powerful conclusion leaves a lasting impression, earning it a place among the more memorable contemporary "witchy" narratives.
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