The Glass Spare

The Glass Spare #1

by Lauren DeStefano

The first in a new fantasy duology, The Glass Spare is a gorgeously told tale of love, loss, and deadly power from Lauren DeStefano, the bestselling author of the Chemical Garden series. Perfect for fans of Shannon Hale and Renee Ahdieh.

Wilhelmina Heidle, the fourth child and only daughter of the king of the world’s wealthiest nation, has grown up in the shadows. Kept hidden from the world in order to serve as a spy for her father—whose obsession with building his empire is causing a war—Wil wants nothing more than to explore the world beyond her kingdom, if only her father would give her the chance.

Until one night Wil is attacked, and she discovers a dangerous secret. Her touch turns people into gemstone. At first Wil is horrified—but as she tests its limits, she’s drawn more and more to the strange and volatile ability. When it leads to tragedy, though, Wil is forced to face the destructive power within her and finally leave her home to seek the truth and a cure.

But finding the key to her redemption puts her in the path of a cursed prince who has his own ideas for what to do with Wil’s power.

With a world on the brink of war and a power of ultimate destruction, can Wil find a way to help the kingdom that’s turned its back on her, or will she betray her past and her family forever?

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Young Adult Fantasy, Fiction, Magic, Audiobook

416 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 24, 2017

Reviews

[Emily May · Rating 1 out of 5]

It had been two hours. Two hours since she’d gotten too close to that boy in the woods. That strange, lovely boy with the deep sad eyes and tattoos he kept hidden like words that went unsaid.

I am so tired of these pseudo-fantasy cover ups for bland romance novels.

The Glass Spare has an interesting premise - a spin on the King Midas myth, where the protagonist turns everything and everyone she touches into precious gemstones - but it is bogged down by slow pacing and a distant third person narration that does nothing to help us warm to the stock one-dimensional characters.

Amidst some very vague world-building that includes a strange mix of traditional fantasy and new technology (e.g. “data goggles”), I uncovered that we have a generic North Isles-South Isles set-up and that the protagonist, Wil, is the fourth child and only daughter of the King of the Northern Isles. Then, one day, Wil defends herself against an attacker and discovers a secret power - the Midas touch - with disastrous consequences.

Her father forces her to leave the kingdom and tells her family she is dead. At this point, I was feeling absolutely nothing. I didn’t care enough about Wil to pity her predicament, and her search for Pahn in hopes he would rid her of her curse failed to generate any excitement. Perhaps it was the distant style of narration that made me feel so disconnected and everything seem so... bland.

Then Wil finds herself a beautiful boy. Of course.

The rest of the story almost entirely consists of Wil travelling around with Loom. Neither character is, in my opinion, interesting at all. Chemistry was completely absent, and yet Loom’s initial description already marks him as the love interest. I couldn’t even tell you when it moved from reluctant partnership to romantic feelings - it was like one minute Wil was uninterested, the next minute they were kissing.

I hate giving one-star ratings and often try to find something positive to justify bumping it up to two. But, looking back over this novel, I just can’t find anything positive to say. I never cared about a single character; the world-building is vague and uninteresting; the writing felt cold and impersonal; the love story lacked any spark, any excitement to make me want them to be together. Getting myself to keep turning pages until the end was a chore.

Though not a cliffhanger ending, the wrap-up of The Glass Spare clearly necessitates a sequel. Personally, there’s nothing I want to come back for.

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[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome Owlcrate Box! Link under picture will take you to my close-ups and explanation ♥



MORE PHOTOS

On many nights in Wil's childhood, the queen would hold her and rock her to sleep, and she would whisper, "Death itself is no match for you. The day you were born, it shrank away in fear."

I fell right in love with Wil and her two brothers Gerdie and Owen. Her brother, Baren, not so much. I love Gerdie the most. He has a sickness but he's totally cool. He's always making creations and blowing things up in his ventures of making said creations. There always seems to be a big boom in the castle. Lol, but he has made some awesome things and he's a super good guy.

Wil has a power and it comes out one day when she's attacked in the markets when Gerdie is with her. Gerdie tries to find out what is wrong with her, he's a very good brother.

But when something tragic happens, Wil is banished from the kingdom. I really hope she gets to see Gerdie again. Wil never wanted to hurt the people she loved but it happens sometimes. It made me sad too.

Wil travels from the North to the South to try to find a man that might can cure her. She ends up running into some new characters: Loom and Zay. I fall in love with them when I find out they are good people. Loom has some problems with his father who is a king as well. Loom and Zay find out what Wil can do but they don't want anyone to know. This could be bad for Wil. But there are other things going on and Wil is going to try to help.

It's such a great story and I really hope the next one is going to be even better!

Happy Reading!

Mel ♥

MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List

AMAZON: REVIEW

[Helen 2.0 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of the November Owl Crate box!! Another great pick :)

Wil is the fourth child of a ruthless king, kept secret from the world. In a turn-of-the-century inspired world with both industrialization and magic, she plans to use her anonymity to serve her father as a spy. However, at 15 Wil mysteriously develops a power that turns any living thing under her touch to gemstone. This prompts her to seek out a magical marveler to undo her curse.

The characters are well-developed and continued to surprise me throughout the book. Wil herself is old for her age, forced to grow up too fast under a cold-hearted father. Her brothers are each unique in their response to the family pressures.
Wil's love interest, Loom, is also a conflicted character. Don't expect this love story to be easy, but do expect lots of drama.


Overall, The Glass Spare was rather grim for a YA Princess novel, with mature themes. Definitely not fluff. I enjoyed it a lot and will be looking out for the sequel.

[Korrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really solid fantasy read. Super interesting world building. And I absolutely adored all of the characters.

[Cesar (Inactive) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

“Death itself is no match for you. The day you were born, it shrank away in fear.”

My first book of 2018 and I loved it!

Lauren DeStefano continues to surprise me with each book she has written. She's definitely an author I really enjoy.

If you haven't guessed already, The Glass Spare takes inspiration from King Midas who could turn anything into gold. Our main protagonist, Wil, is the hidden princess of a kingdom acting as a spy on behalf of her father. She later finds out she can turn people into gemstones just by touching them. Because of this, she sets off to find a cure for this curse.

I have seen some people who were a bit mixed with it so I was anticipating things I wouldn't enjoy, but I really liked most of everything about The Glass Spare.

The world building is something I won't forget. With Lauren's previous books, each world is unique in their own way. The Chemical Garden trilogy takes place in a dystopian future. The Internment trilogy takes place in a floating city (the next two books takes place on the earth). The world of Glass Spare is something I haven't seen before. I would like to guess it takes inspiration from the late 1800s with some magic/alchemy along with a few advanced tech such as data goggles and electric carriages (sort of like cars). A gaslamp fantasy. I really loved it. I know it's a weird setting considering this is a fantasy novel, but it somehow fits well with the setting.

If you have read any of Lauren's books or heard about them, her writing style is absolutely beautiful. She and Lauren Oliver have the best writing in my opinion.

Then we have our cast of characters and they were likable and had their own personalities and goals, something that is great to see instead of them being colorful pieces of cardboard.

Wil has a headstrong attitude when it comes to her family and eventually her new friends. She doesn't wait and sit around doing nothing. She takes action into her own hands. She even knows how to fight. You wouldn't want to get her angry.

Gerdie, Wil's brother, is the scientist/alchemist and he has his own beliefs about science and magic. He's kind of the equivalent of a mad scientist without the madness because he does something he really loves but he knows the things he makes can create destruction. From what we see of him, I know he has the potential to become a great character in the second book.

"I'm all copper and hinges, and you're that indestructible glass. When we fall apart we know how to put ourselves back together. No one else will do it."

Then we have Loom and Zay. Loom is a banished prince and Zay is his traveling companion. The two make a great team and are on their own journey. Plus Zay is a mama bear you do not want to fuck with.

Something each character has in common is how they each have the drive to do good. Even if they have different opinions and don't see eye-to-eye on many things, what they want is for their kingdoms to be at peace and not escalate into a possible war. I admire them for their need to do good.

One thing I wasn't expecting was the romance or rather, how good it was. It wasn't a romance where it was love at first sight. It was a slow-burning romance. I wouldn't call it the best romance out there. Compared to Lauren's other books, this romance was better. It wasn't a sudden thing like in the Chemical Garden trilogy nor was there a romance already there in the Internment trilogy. But I'll give Loom some props because I can't resist a guy with tattoos.

"His sleeves were rolled up to his shoulders, and slender black tattoos wrapped around his wrists and trailed up his biceps."

Hello there handsome, what's good?

The one thing I wish that was in the book is a map. I know most fantasy books don't have a map and I can understand that, but The Glass Spare should've had a map. A small inconsequential thing, I know, but I wished there was a map.

Verdict

The Glass Spare is a fun read with a unique world and interesting characters. I'm really looking forward to the next book.

Thanks for reading my review!

-Cesar

[Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!

I've been meaning to try this author for awhile now and even though I have many of her books in my TBR pile, I decided this story would be the one I would start with first.

I'm so very glad that I did. I opened this expecting cliches galore and a little bit of the same old same old that the YA market has been flooded with and instead I found a read that was not only engaging but easy to pick up and hard to put down. I quickly became not only interested in the story line and what the characters had to reveal but I becamecaught up in it. It quickly captured my attention and I found myself even thinking about parts of it while I had to step away from it to do other things.

It was sad in so many ways that I wasn't expecting, I would even go as far as to say emotionally charged at times.

Needless to say, this took me by surprise with how much I really enjoyed it. I couldn't seem to get enough of it and it didn't take me long to read through it and be left wanting more by the end. I'm truly excited about this series and can't wait for more.


*ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

[Rachel L · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars

Following the Goodreads rating system, this was an okay read for me hence 2 stars.

I remember I loved Wither by this author, it was one of those books you devour. But then everything else after was meh. And that was The Glass Spare, bland and utterly forgettable. Being the DNF queen I am I'm impressed I made it all the way through. I think the story was an interesting concept and the book had a strong start, but from the moment she was banished I was bored and no longer cared what happened.


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[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok I'm pretty curious how the next book is going to go. Most of this book destroyed my heart but I'm glad I picked it back up and got to finish it. Definitely a good read if you're in to fantasy.

[Brex (Bookosaurus_Rex) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank goodness that's over. This book is as exciting as a goldfish is to a dog lover. Everything from the plot, to the characters, to the trite "philosophical" observations was so unbearably flat.

The relationship between Wil and her brothers was interesting but as soon as she meets Loom and Zay, it goes downhill. The "relationship" with the love interest was more flavourless than flour. We're constantly TOLD how the characters feel but the dialogue was basic and cliche. I felt NOTHING. And the dialogue with the other female character, Zay, was forced. You know that forced snarkiness that you see in so much YA? Yeah. That was Zay.

Nothing about any of the dialogue was intriguing or authentic. It was full of formulaic sarcasm that is supposed to be witty but isn't. And don't get me started on the contemplations of the MC. I don't mind contemplative narrative, but it has to be original and meaningful. This book spews "deep thoughts" that really aren't that deep at all - it felt like a string of vaguely pretty phrases that were just filler.

This book didn't make me feel things other than annoyance. The world itself was sloppy and ill-conceived, masking itself as steampunkish-fantasy but it felt like lazy writing. There were archaic turns of phrases mixed with sterile modern words. Basically the author didn't care to make the language or the objects in the world authentic to itself. For example, you have "data goggles" but the thought of the most rudimentary forms of photography is a shock to the characters?

Not only was the world disconnected, but so were the characters. The way they acted and talked was completely disconnected from some of their backstories. Loom, for example, has had a traumatic childhood but there's nothing about how he behaves that SHOWS us a broken soul. The narrator just keeps telling us that. Also, when the characters are "surprised" about something, it doesn't make f*cking sense. I know that's vague but I don't want to spoil anything. For example, if someone says, "I hate your guts," and then they give you a look of contempt five minutes later, that's not surprising, right? It's frickin' EXPECTED. Inauthentic reactions are just shoved in to create a sense of drama but it ended up doing the opposite.

Anyway, this book is NOT for the critical reader. If you need to layers to your plot and characters, this book isn't for you.

Can't wait to jump into something else to make up for this tragic reading experience.

[Chelsies Reading Escape · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars

After giving up on a few books in a row I was so relieved when this gripped me almost right away. This story follows a banished princess on a quest to find a marveler who can remove her curse while avoiding the war thats brewing. I loved the concept of turning people into gemstones with a touch. Gemstones have always been a fascination of mine. 

The main character Wil was caring and resourceful. I liked how she was able to take care of herself. I could relate to her wanderlust, but I thought it was kind of weird how she just knew things about her powers without any explanation. Besides Wils power we dont see much magic. We did get to see more alchemy stuff which I really liked, but more magic would have been nice.

The romance wasnt my favorite since I rarely enjoy romances that develops between captor and captive, but I did like the romantic interest as a character. I feel like being drawn together by destiny, or a curse in this case, is kind of a cop out. Thankfully the romance wasnt too instalovey. It grew a bit slower than that. I wasnt totally invested in it, but I didnt hate it either which is unusual for a captor/captive romance.

I loved the sibling relationships between Wil, Gerdie and Owen. Their dynamic was heartwarming. I would have liked to see more of what was going on with her brother Gerdie. We get his point of view for a bit and than we dont see him for the rest of the story. I also want to know whats going on with Baren and those ghosts. I felt like it should have just been told in first person if those things werent going to get resolved.

There wasnt much of an explanation for the Kings motivations. I wish I knew why more land/money/power was important to them. Her genius of a brother Gerdie uses braces after a childhood illness left his legs too weak to walk. Her mother counts compulsively when stressed. These different elements added some wonderful diversity to the story. I also loved Zay and seeing her with her little 2 year old boy since I have one of my own.

The world was probably this book strongest point. I thought it was refreshing to read about a fantasy setting with some technology. The data goggles and different machinery added a unique spin on the world building. I also enjoyed getting to explore different continents. The world was vividly depicted. I could smell the different fragrances, picture her brothers smoky lab after he blew it up in another one of his experiments and hear the rushing river. 

Despite my issues and being able to predict some of the plot this book kept my attention from start to finish. It wasnt fast pace, but I was still intrigued enough to keep picking it up. I enjoyed the writing and the way this book was set up makes me think the sequel is going to be even better. I'll definitely be continuing on with the series when the next book comes out.

*received for honest review consideration*

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I received an advance copy of this book for free. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)

“Death itself is no match for you. The day you were born, it shrank away in fear.”

This was a YA fantasy story about a girl who found out that she could turn living things into gemstones.

I liked Wil as a character, she was fierce and strong and a lot tougher than she looked. She was also willing to go a long way for the people she loved which was an admirable quality.

The storyline in this was about Wil developing this strange new power which allowed her to turn living things into gemstones, and then later about her being forced to leave her home because of it. The pacing in this was about right, and we got a bit of a forbidden romance going on, although there was also a love triangle.

The ending to this was pretty good, and I’m interested to see what happens in the next book.
8 out of 10

[Yusra ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

it really wasn't that great. the gorgeous cover is a real let-down when the inside is bland and not at all sparkly. no, i wasn’t expecting jewel-encrusted pages, but some plot, maybe?
there was so much potential in this book to be amazing, but it really freaking wasn't. Don't tell me you're going to give a girl three older brothers (an older brother is something I've wanted for a long time) aND then not make me fall in love with the relationships you've crafted. i was only mildly interested in the creepy phantom brother a lil bit.
don’t base a book of King Midas and make it unbelievable and LACKING DETAIL. god, infuriating!!
gosh, I hated this book. except for the scene between Ada and Wil. if the plot remained with both of them i’d be a happy sailor. (p.s. Ada is a 3 year old)
i’d say “maybe some other time” but i know it’ll never happen, so why lie.

[Danielle (Life of a Literary Nerd) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Death itself is no match for you. The day you were born, it shrank away in fear.”

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I was expecting a fun and unique fantasy story (which I got), but I loved the strong family relationships and the science fiction elements seamlessly blended into the story. The Glass Spare follows Wil Heidle, the elusive princess of Arrod. Kept a secret to spy for the king, Wil has a wandering heart and wants freedom and adventure. But, when Wil’s attacked she discovers a dangerous magic - her touch turns people to gemstones. Now Wil wants to find a cure for her destructive power and begins to learn more about herself and the world.

Things I Liked
I’m a complete sucker for sibling relationships - give them all to me - and I really loved the sibling relationships in the story. Wil, Gerdie, and Owen have an amazing relationship. They have such care and love for each other that it was a joy to see. Baren was the odd sibling out, but I still felt like I got to know him as a person, even though he wasn’t as close as the others.

This books was filled with so many great characters - and as a character driven reader, I was very happy! I immediately connected with Wil, who is strong and defiant. She wants so much and actively tries and seek the freedom she’s never been afforded - without putting herself above others. She remains a good person, even in her selfishness. I really loved Gerdie. He is so smart and his relationship with Wil was probably my favorite. Loom was also a great character. He’s another character who is just genuinely a good person - he wants to help people so much and is willing to do anything he can to make the world better for those he cares about.

I really liked that we got to see some disability rep in the story! I like that we got to see a Gerdie use leg braces to walk, and he was never limited or looked down upon. Wil’s mom is also show to have OCD (which is own voices). I’m always here for more diverse representation in fantasy stories!

I really liked the action in the story. Besides Wil’s touch - which created vivid imagery, we get good clean action, that is not predictable and where you can feel the tension in the scenes.

The unique blend of fantasy and scifi might have been my favorite part of the story. It’s just something I haven’t really seen before. The word is filled with magic, alchemy, curses, and powers. But there’s also advanced technology like data goggles, telephones, and sustainable energies . It was just really cool.

Things I Didn’t Like
I found that time passed weirdly in some scenes. It was like all of a sudden, weeks had passed, when it seemed like only days had. And the inverse happened a few times as well. It just wasn’t as clearly defined in some areas as I would have liked,

I also felt like some parts of the story didn’t have enough set up. We get to a solution or stalemate a little too quickly. Especially regarding the war brewing between kingdoms - we know a war is coming, but I never get a good sense of why besides greed. Which is I guess a realistic motivator, but I would have liked a little more.

Overall this story immediately hooked me and I cannot wait to see where we go next. I really loved the characters we get to meet and we see so many dynamic relationships. I absolutely loved the world and hope for more a little more clarity in the future. The Glass Spare is a captivating and vibrant story of embracing your power, even if it scares you.

I received a copy of the book from Balzer + Bray in exchange for an honest review.

[Wren (fablesandwren) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everyone knows this is a play off of a classic story, right? About the king named Midas who made the wish to have everything he touches turn to gold? And he ends up alone because he kills everyone he comes in contact with? Well this is a play off that where a princess can turn things into gems that she touches when her heart-rate is raised.

Things that I love:
01. There was wonder world building in this steampunk/medieval setting.
02. We have a brother who doesn’t let his physical restrictions hold him back from his passion for scientist and creating an easier life for his kingdom.
03. Not the romance.
04. Wil and his politically placed wife and her son.
05. Not the pace of the book
06. The cliff hanger and reason why she has this power.

So the pace was a little slow for me. I thought it dragged a little. But, the romance was a little... weird. We have Loom, who is already married to someone politically (the whole reason for that is so heartbreaking and I want to hug that woman and her son so much). I do appreciate the originality of it though. Not many young adult books have young people who have kids and there are a lot of young people who have kids these days.

I hear this book is going to be a duology and I am happy to hear that. I don’t think this could be stretched out into trilogy. I will want to know what happens with these characters though. I am on the fence with this book but over the right side enough to want to know more about it.

[Adri · Rating 5 out of 5]

***4.5 STARS***
I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It was a hard one to rate but I settled on 4.5 because of how unique it was and how well-executed. I feel like it deserves more appreciation.

🦊 My Thoughts

The Glass Spare is a dark, atmospheric story about a girl who can suddenly turn every living thing she touches into gemstone. It’s a gender-bent, King-Midas-Inspired story set in an intriguing world of warring kingdoms, alchemy and magic. The protagonist, Wil, is the only daughter to the king of a rich nation. The king uses all his children as a means to an end and Will’s role is to serve as a spy, secluded from the real world. As a curious and restless child, she has always yearned to go out and explore the world.

And her wish to do so comes when she first discovers her powers and accidentally turns her life upside down with an irreversible mistake. Wil is then banished from the kingdom and forced to set off into the unknown world with her mistake haunting her every step, only her gemstones as company. When she meets a cursed prince of the opposing kingdom, she comes to learn of her father’s faults and is faced with the burden of choosing sides.

There are few chapters from her brother Gerdie’s pov, as he struggles to find out what happened to his sister and where she had disappeared to. Wil’s relationship with her brothers was so interesting and heart-warming. The love they have for each other and their dynamics are uncommon in YA and one of the things I absolutely loved about this book. I also appreciated how incredibly complex and intriguing all the characters were, how layered and complicated the different types of relationships featured.

There is a heavy, burdening atmosphere throughout this whole novel that fit Wil’s story so well, as she struggles with the consequences of her actions, rooted out from the only world she knows and forced to survive away from the brothers she so dearly loved. Even with all the interesting characters, her story felt lonely and sad; at the same time, strong and persevering. I don’t know how to explain it beyond that but it was my favorite aspect of this novel. It just really resonated with me and touched me in some subtle way. It’s rare to see a dark, almost-melancholy book like this in YA. I LOVED THE WRITING in here. It’s stunning just how talented this author is and how much of an emotional punch she can pack in just a few words. It is my favorite type of writing style. Beautiful and intricate but not at all flowery (which almost never works for me).

I see that this book is a bit polarizing. And I honestly can’t tell if anyone else would enjoy it as much but this book just resonated with me in a special way. It’s just such a well-crafted novel and this is what I want to see more of in YA. Something atmospheric, original and completely it’s own.

🦊 Praise / Criticism

👍🏾Unique, atmospheric and dark YA (which we need more of)
👍🏾Portrayal of close and complicated sibling r/ships
👍🏾Complex and intriguing characters
👍🏾Complicated relationship dynamics featured
👍🏾Beautiful writing
👍🏾Unpredictable
.....................................................................................................
👎🏾 Slower paced
👎🏾Drags a bit

✪ Check out more reviews at my blog:

[Chantal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sono troppo indecisa sul rating, ma comunque il libro mi è piaciuto troppo. Bisognerebbe parlarne di più a mio avviso. The glass spare è una storia piuttosto originale con degli ottimi personaggi e un world building affascinante e che ha sicuramente del potenziale. Ho apprezzato tantissimo anche il riferimento alla legge da del Re Mida, così come mi è piaciuta tutta l'idea della "maledizione" di Wil. L'ambientazione poi è stata la ciliegina sulla torta, ci troviamo infatti in un mondo che sta appena scoprendo la tecnologia, quindi oggetti come il telefono e così via.
Se potete leggetelo perché è veramente carino!

[Lilly (Lair Of Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review can also be viewed on Lair Of Books:
https://lairofbooksblog.wordpress.com...

PLOT

The Glass Spare by Lauren DeStefano can very well be seen as a gender-bend version of the King Midas & the Golden Touch myth. We are introduced to Wil Heidle the only daughter to the Northern King as well as her 3 brothers & mother. The King himself is a man who will stop at nothing when he sets out to seize lands & so the North is at the brink of war with the South. The South may not be wealthy like the North however, the King knows that the land itself is rich in medicinal plants that can produce miracle cures.

The King sees each of his children as pawns & as such has groomed each of them to serve a purpose in his Kingdom. Wil however is the child he has always feared & never loved due to the circumstances revolving her birth. She wasn’t born with her mothers beauty but rather with what appeared to be a birthmark over her heart. From the moment she was born she was said to be carrying a great evil… EVERYTHING Wil touches that has life turns into gemstone. No one including Wil herself are aware of this dormant power & so the King who trusts no one, decides to groom her from a very young age to be a spy to the Kingdom. Until the day Wil’s power manifests itself in the worse possible way leaving tragedy in its wake. Wil is forced to leave the kingdom & chooses to go in search of a cure for what she believes is a curse. Hiding her true identity, Wil ventures into enemy lands in the South on her quest for a cure. Meeting another cursed soul was never in her plans. Finding out that he’s the Prince of the South doesn’t simplify things.

CHARACTERS

King of the North- a man only interested in power & the lands he can acquire. He loves his wife who is his Achilles heel but he will use his kids and their skills to his benefit whenever he sees fit.

Queen of the North- It scared me how much of myself I saw in this character. The Queen has OCD & her biggest fear is anything bad happening to any one of her kids. She spends nights awake roaming the castle halls checking in on them to make sure they are breathing. Oftentimes counting random things such as the number of kisses she gives each one of them while they are asleep. The Queen has a wanderer heart which she gave up once she became the Queen & a mother but her free spirit lives in on in two of her kids.

Wil Heidle- Craves to see the world & experience life in all corners of the world, Wil is very much like her mother. She is also a very talented spy who really just wants to make her father proud. This is her only connection to her father & so she works hard at gathering secrets all throughout the kingdom. It is because of this that she plays all her cards close to the chest & has her walls up high. Wil loves her family, flaws & all but it’s her brother Gerdie she is attached to most.

Gerdie Heidle- Struck by Gray Fever when he was a child, Gerdie is a living miracle. He is able to walk with the assistance of metal leg frames & wards off fevers via his homemade remedies. He is an alchemist & therefore the King looks to him for warfare & ingenuity. Gerdie & Wils relationship was my favorite of them all in this book. The scenes in Gerdies lab were some of my favorite & I could vividly imagine the mini explosions Gerdie set off while Wil ran to check on him.

Owen Heidle- Oldest son & therefore heir to the throne, Owen will one day be king & perhaps the kingdom would be better off with him in charge. Also a wanderer like his mother, Owen has traveled the world & seen many things. He has a vision for the Northern kingdom & preventing his father from starting a war is top priority. Owen loves all his siblings & is seen as the level headed responsible one of them all.

Baren Heidle- The son the king has cast off as useless. He lacks the IQ Gerdie brings to the table & the logistical/physical skills Owen carries. This has made Baren into a very bitter & angry brother/son who hates everyone except his mother. I would’ve liked to have seen more of this character, he was definitely treated as the invisible son.

Loom & Zay- Later on in the story we meet the Southern Prince Loom & his traveling companion Zay. The Prince does carry a curse within him & very much like Wil doesn’t agree with the way his father the Southern King is running the land. They are enemies without knowing it & so their relationship is based on lies. Won’t go into detail for fear of spoilery things but I will say that I really did enjoy Looms character. He has a big heart & wants to do more for his people in many ways similar to Owen Heidle. Zay his companion is AMAZING!!!! she is the definition of Momma Bear! very maternal, Zay will fight you to the death if you hurt her loved ones.

WRITING & FINAL THOUGHTS

A solid start to The Glass Spare series!!! this was my 1st Lauren DeStefano read & it really took my by surprise how invested I got in this story. I picked this book up on a late Friday night & couldn’t put it down, before I knew it I had reached the last sentence. A genderbend version of King Midas & the Golden Touch, one of my favorite myths growing up as a kid. My first revelation was that Wils power although it may sound beautiful at first is actually pretty gruesome when seen in action. No, not everything that glitters is gold & pretty! I still have this one scene in my head that was very descriptive & left me contorting my face & literally shaking my head NO! (yes, yes I am a scaredy cat) & yet I REALLY enjoyed her writing LOL! I kept flinching whenever she came into close contact with another person in fear she’d turn them into a giant ruby, trust me it isn’t pretty. The character relationships were my favorite & even the King in the North managed to make me question whether he was always that cold. Speaking as a person who deals with OCD, I found the Queen to be extremely relatable with compulsions I myself carry out on the daily. I will most certainly continue on with this series & highly recommend to those looking for a strong & fresh take on a tale as old as time ;)

*HUGE Thanks to Balzer + Bray/Harper, Edelweiss, and Lauren DeStefano for the eGalley copy of The Glass Spare in exchange for an honest review.

[Emma♔☯ (Bookishfix) · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Death itself is no match for you. The day you were born, it shrank away in fear.”

I was pleasantly surprised by this book, I honestly thought it would bore the shit out of me- Never judge a book on the cover or synopsis alone! Truth be told I picked this up because I was running out of books to read, but im glad I did. It was better than expected! Not a favorite, but still a good read, hence my rating. A few people compared it to Shatter Me, almost like a Shatter Me 2.0, a series I have not read, but have heard great things about- So readers that enjoyed that, might enjoy this as well.

Wilhelmina is the fourth child and the first daughter of the Heidle line. While her brother Owen, the firstborn is the heir to the throne, Wil, Barron, and Gerdie are the spares. Her father the King's lack love and care for his'spare' children shows, they are invisible to the kingdom and Wil has become his secret weapon, his spy.
When one of Wil's errands causes her to be attacked she discovers a terrifying and dangerous power, she can turn living things into gemstone. Trying desperately to hide her uncontrollable power and find a cure, Wil will embark on a great adventure in order to return to those she loves.
A banished prince, trying desperately to save his people. When Wil crosses his path, he has other ideas of what her power might achieve. Together, their adventure begins, in the midst of a coming war, they must stand together in order to achieve what they both want- save themselves and the people they love.

The best part of this novel was the world building! The kingdom, the castle, the alchemy, the technology, the healing herbs and potions, gloomy hallways, ships. It's sort of medieval cross steampunk, which is an interesting mix. I realized while reading this, I really enjoy steampunk settings for some reason, it's not the first book that's drawn me in because of this aspect.

The writing was descriptive but not overbearingly so. Because we spend the first half of the book really getting to know the world and the way things are there, which I think is all leading up to the next book, I found that I enjoyed the second half of the book a whole lot more than the first part. It flowed for the most part, but there were a few parts where it dragged and the pacing slowed down quite a bit, especially in the first half.

The characters were well thought out and their relationships complicated dynamics, which were great to read about. My order of liking on the characters: Wil, Loom, Gerdie, Owen, Zay, Espel, Barron, the King, and Queen.
I won't go into why because I dont want to spoil you guys, but I think many will take the same liking to the characters, if not similar.
The banter was humorous at times as well, I really enjoyed how all the characters communicated with each other.
Gerdie being disabled, I didn't think that would be an aspect to this book at all, but I love diversity! The fact he doesn't let his disability stop him, and continues to fight on and pursue his love of alchemy and medicine was great to see.

“This was the way it had always been between them. The world tried to destroy them, but they kept each other alive.”

There is a slight romance aspect to this books as well. But it is complicated. There are secrets hidden between both parties and one is already married for a political agenda. To me, it felt kind of weird, while it is kind of explained towards the end, but still left me like so is this for real or not?
So the romance in this book wasn't a great point for me, but I think some will enjoy it.

The ending! This is how you end a book. I need to know what happens next, what will happen to Wil and Loom? How will there world change? Will they succeed in what they are both wanting? What more is there to find? WIL IN GENERAL!

Overall this was a good read. I enjoyed the world-building, the characters, the diversity, the banter, the writing. The only few let downs for me was the inconsistent pacing, the romance and the first half of the book. While there were a few things I didn't enjoy, I think all of it is leading up to the second book which I will be planning to read when it comes out, more for these characters and the world than anything else.

“So many girls allow themselves to be bleeding idiots because that's what's expected of them. Dress like a girl. Walk like one. Eat like one. Desire the things a girl should desire, and nothing more - but how can that be called desire, if it's dictated.”

Recommended for :YA/Fantasy

[Cindy ✩☽♔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating ~2.5

“I run into fires, not from them.”

This was actually better than I thought it would be.

As a book, it was not anything particularly new and it did fall into a lot of trope patterns. But it did have at least some aspects that proved interesting enough.

One thing I enjoyed, and I wish there were more of, was the sibling's dynamics. I enjoyed seeing Wil's relationships with her brothers. To be honest, for the first have of the book we not only got to see Wil's journey but we also got glimpses of the goings-on at the palace in her absence. But for some reason what was almost entirely dropped in the latter part of the book. Which is a damn shame because while Wil is an okay character it's not as though I adore her and want everything to focus on her. I want more palace mayhem!

The romance was, for the most part, quite predictable. Hints of insta-love at the start, but it got better as Loom and Wil got to know each other. However, at this point, I am not sure such a relationship will possibly work out. You know since he's married to his best friend/childhood friend. But at the same time, though his friend loves him she clearly is not in love with him since she is still involved with her son's father. Yup there is a kid involved too. Ain't that swell? But by the end it pretty clear they both feel quite strongly for one another. Afterall, Wil is risking herself to return to her kingdom and find answers for magic man so he will save Loom.

The book itself honestly felt more plot driven than character driven. Because honestly, Wil's banishment, the main catalyst that really kicked off this journey, never really made much sense to me. Like why would a King dead set on power and ruling over all not take advantage of his daughter's dangerous, but deadly skill? I understand he was upset about Owen, and I mean who would not be? But Wil clearly loved her brother and she did not kill him on purpose. Why not help find a way to control her power and weaponize it? It almost felt like the characters had to make these ill-thought-out decisions in order for the story to move forward and get everyone, mainly our two leads, where they needed to be.

Anyways, even though this was not my favorite book I like it enough to give book two a try when it comes out.

Verdict? Eh...good enough I guess

[luciana · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars

Incredible writing style, enchanting characters and intriguing plot. I can’t wait for the sequel!

RTC

[Jenny Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book came in one of my Owlcrate boxes several months ago and I just now got around to reading it. Honestly, I wouldn’t have picked this book out for myself. Several things didn’t work for me.

I felt like I needed more to the story. There were pages and pages where not much happened and I found myself skipping and skimming parts. The pacing was too slow and when something finally did happen, it wasn’t enough action to make up for the slow pace.

I wasn’t fond of the storytelling. There were too many descriptive paragraphs that focused on the setting and general body movement. It just felt like filler. I did enjoy the last fifty pages of the story and that’s when I finally began to care what happened next. Of course, there was a major cliffhanger ending, but I don’t mind that.

I had a difficult time sympathizing with any of the characters. I would have liked to have more reason to care about them. Wil, Gerdie, and Loom are the most developed characters in the novel, but they still needed to be fleshed out more. Actually, now that I think about it, Espel makes a late appearance in the book and her personality is pretty clear right from the start. She sounds like a cold, bossy bitch. Her sharp personality added some much-needed excitement to the scenes.

This wasn’t horrible. I mean, on some level, I liked it enough to finish it. I sort of liked Wil, but sometimes she seemed to underestimate people. As the MC, I think she needed to be a little smarter at times. I liked Gerdie and his relationship with Wil, and it would have been nice if he were in the story more.

As I mentioned, this has a cliffhanger ending, and now I’m intrigued to see what happens next, but I could easily find another book I’d rather read.

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[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC provided by HarperCollins via Edelweiss.

Review to come soon!

[Erin Bembridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪
5 Cookies
My blog! Check out the photos here
jeqcbueou!!! Wow you guys... This book was an awesome owlcrate to recieve! I'm was actually thrilled to get it. It has taken me forever to write this review mainly because I wanted to wait until I could express my feelings without totally fan girling over it.


Wil Heidle: The totally unique character in this story. Honestly I wanted to jump in that book and just give her a big hug. She was confident in herself without being totally arrogant and this is an awesome trait in a main character.

Loom: Aweee! My dear Loom. I really liked Loom, but I felt there were other characters I enjoyed reading about more. He was a intresting... I think love intrest? However I really want to see more backstory on him in book two.

Gertie: Gertie is just a little chocolate chip cookie that deserves to be cherished. He was actually my favorite to read about. Mainly because of how much he loved his family. I wanted to use my brainwaves and tell him that Will was still alive... My brainwaves were a little rusty.

Baren: I don't really know what to say about Baren. He just irritated me to no end. Yea... I don't really know what else to say about him.

The cons:
I wanted to start out with the one tiny con I had. I just thought the capture with Loom moved took quickly
I really didn't see why I would rate it lower because of this it was just a suggestion. :)

The pros:
Pretty much everything about this book was a pro. It was amazing and unique and pretty much step one to get out of my reading slum. It was a really fun and intriguing read and I would FOR SURE reccommend this book!

[Suzzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was actually a rather charming and interested book. It does have the Midas feel obviously but it also has some fascinating characters that are fun to read about. The world building was not extensive, which I like more than the lengthy world building. I will continue this series for sure. I was a little thrown off on the relationships in this book though. Some are very undefined. But it didn't take too much away from the story.

My quick and simple overall: an entertaining fantasy that was rather quick to read!

[Sandra (LadyGrey Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death itself is no match for you. The day you were born, it shrank away in fear.

Wil is the fourth child of the royal family and has grown up nearly invisible. Few outside the castle know what she looks like - which means she can sneak in and out to collect objects from the black market for her brother's experiments without anyone realizing they're trading with a princess. One night, however, something goes horribly wrong as a vendor tries to kill her - and Wil, in turn, turns him to ruby with a simple touch. When she, by accident, turns this power on someone she loves, she is forced to flee the kingdom - and try to figure out a reason for her curse. And a cure.

The world building in this book is amazing! Wil's kingdom is steampunk/medieval/modern and - no lie - I want to live there. I also enjoy the characters immensely. Wil in particular; she's a true tomboy princess with a lot of attitude and spunk, who's also trying to deal with the fact that she might be cursed and cannot touch anything living without turning them or it to gemstones. Loom, a character she meets while on the run, is also really interesting, with an intriguing backstory and family of his own.

What I did not like as much was the romance between those two characters. At times, it felt a bit forced - and I actually wouldn't have minded leaving the romance part be. The story would have worked perfectly well with them as friends - or as people who fall in love in future novels of this series. But other than that this was an entertaining story and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

[Veronique · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have been in this audiobook voor 56% and I can’t bare to continue reading this book. It is so boring and I don’t even remember the characters names.. nevertheless the storyline of the book.. Everything I hear goes out of my mind almost immediately..

I have read the other books of this author the Wither trilogy? (Sorry read that in Dutch so I can be wrong of the name) and I liked the first book but the second and third were quite disappointed for me.

I don’t think these books are meant for me. :(

However as always,

Enjoy your reading 📖

[Nemo (The ☾Moonlight☾ Library) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on The Moonlight Library

The Glass Spare tells the fascinating story of a young princess named Wil, the fourth child and only daughter of a powerful and ruthless king, who wants nothing more than to travel the world. When she is attacked she discovers she has the power to turn living things into crystals and gemstones, and she goes off on a journey to cure her curse, only to fall in with the banished prince of a rival kingdom who is determined to save his kingdom from ruin.

Wil was a really great character to follow around because she had an actual thought process. She thought about her situations and came up with answers to her obstacles. Although she was fierce and action-oriented, she had a clear and level head and made decisions based on observations and facts rather than simply reacting without thinking. I loved the way she responded to things, like leaping to rescue a damsel in distress, and the care and love she showed to her brothers and mother. Wil, despite being a good person who loves fiercely and genuinely cares for others, thinks she's a monster because of her curse... and then she actually meets one. I look forward to more of the monstrosity vs humanity debate being explored further in the sequel.

While I didn't feel distant from Wil and felt the suitable horror when the incident that banished her happened, I did feel a little distance with the supposed romance. I kind of felt like Wil wasn't really into it, and I'll go into that in just a moment. What I do want to mention is the third person narration, which is not my favourite type of narration, did lend itself to the occasional head hopping, and that's why it's not my favourite type of narration. Sometimes we were supposed to be seeing things from Wil's point of view yet we were told what Loom was thinking. That's just about my only negative criticism, though.

I want to address the 'romance'. Some have accused this book of being more romance than fantasy and some have accused Wil and Loom of 'insta-love'. I was 60% through when I made a status saying there was absolutely no romance so far. It's pretty much developed from about 70% onwards, so there is NO insta-love. Wil absolutely does NOT love the male character, Loom. It's explained that she is drawn to him, but she never even thinks she's in love, in fact she thinks the exact opposite, that she's NOT in love because she doesn't know what love feels like. SO THERE IS NO INSTA-LOVE. It's also NOT more romance than fantasy because although it was clear Wil and Loom would end up with some kind of feelings for each other (because that is how YA books work, nothing against the author, I think she did a really good job of it all), the book was well past the halfway mark before you even get the hint that Wil might be interested in Loom. Even then, right near the end it's explained why Wil is drawn to Loom and she acknowledges that she's not in love. You can't even tell she's developing an attraction until waaaaay in because she hates him at first: he's keeping her captive and she's literally escaping from him. It certainly isn't instant.

The worldbuilding has this fascinating mix of old-school fantasy and almost a steampunk-meets-digital advanced technology. There's dirigibles and solar power and data googles and it's a lovely mess of technologies: Wil's father the king is old school and archaic and won't build proper roads for electric carriages; the closed off Southern kingdom has more advanced technology yet that king's favourite method of execution is the guillotine. I don't think I've ever read a book with this kind of mix of technologies, magic and alchemy and digital and solar power and wind power and just wow, it was so interesting. I'd love to be able to go into this world and see the different technology the different islands have developed, and that obviously it's all come together because of trade and advancement.

I've had a really bad reading year due to personal issues and although this book was over 400 pages, when I did pick it up my reading seemed to go really quickly and I'd pass 5% of my ebook without even noticing. The pace wasn't neck-snappingly fast but it was brisk enough to keep me interested for longer periods of time including staying up til midnight to finish. It only took me a couple of weeks to read this and in comparison I've been reading another book for well over a year now. I loved it and I'm keen to receive the sequel. Thank you Lauren for writing a story about a magical princess.

I received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

[Desirae · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

A few years back, I went through a reading slump that lasted about a year. Wither , oddly enough, was the book that got me out of that slump.

There's nothing wrong with this book - the writing is solid, and the world building is interesting, but there's nothing special to distinguish it from any other book in this genre, or frankly, any other book written by Lauren DeStefano. A girl is super special, going in adventures, while having a specially close relationship with a brother, just like all her other books.

Nothing set Wil apart, nothing set Loom apart. Other than the OCD representation, which I appreciated, but felt oddly forced here, there's nothing unique or groundbreaking here.


PREREADING THOUGHTS:
A new Lauren DeStefano!!!!!!



A new Lauren DeStefano!!!!!!



A new Lauren DeStefano!!!!!!



A new Lauren DeStefano!!!!!!



A new Lauren DeStefano!!!!!!



A new Lauren DeStefano!!!!!!

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked this book, but I wouldn't say that I loved it. I'm definitely planning to read the sequel, The Cursed Sea, when it's released, though. :)

My rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars on Goodreads' rating system, and 7 out of 10 on my own scoring system.

[Patty (IheartYA311) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was SUPERB! I'm already reading the sequel. Well written and fast paced. Often I found myself saying aloud, "Wait, what! How can that happen?" Lol. I started feeling sad for the MC. This adventure is a must read for any YA fan. It's going on my favorite shelf!