#BookReview: The Glass Spare (The Glass Spare #1) by Lauren DeStefano @harperteen

Synopsis: A banished princess.
A deadly curse.
A kingdom at war.

Wil Heidle, the 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, 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 her 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?



Goodreads | Amazon

Rating: 4 Stars
My Review: Wonderful world building and loved the characters.  Solid story! 

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—As the only daughter of the king and queen of Arrod, Wil spends her days doing her father's bidding and her beloved brother's favors. Locked in a life-threatening confrontation with an angry man, Wil discovers that her touch can turn anything living into precious stone. Both fascinated and repulsed by her powers, Wil encounters family tragedy and is banished from her kingdom. In her search to discover the truth behind her affliction, she meets up with a prince banished from a different kingdom, one that stands at the precipice of war with Arrod. As the two bond and continue their efforts to unlock the mystery of Wil's touch, they eventually sail their way into peril, and Wil's powers may be the only thing that keep them alive. From the initial scenes in Arrod to the stormy seas that lay between kingdoms, the setting of The Glass Spare is richly imagined. Marrying technological savvy with a more traditional high fantasy sensibility lets the narrative details stand out from the pack in the genre. Wil's journey is engrossing, and her relationships with the cursed prince and his wife are well-drawn. While the pacing drags a bit in the middle, readers will be eager to discover the truth about Wil and may be frustrated by the existence of a sequel. VERDICT A unique, adventurous fantasy perfect for young adult collections.—Erinn Black Salge, Morristown-Beard School, NJ

Review

“Readers will be eager to reenter this world of scheming kings and banished heirs, where nothing is quite as it seems.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

“If there was a company that offered dangerous vacations inside of books, I would want to go into this one, and travel the skies and seas with its vexing, honorable liars. Wil’s journey dazzles, and DeStefano’s writing entrances. This book is luminous and spiky, like a pocketful of jewels.” — Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of Daughter of Smoke and Bone

“Brilliantly crafted, this fantasy will make you believe in magic. Only someone with a heart of stone will be able to turn away from Wil’s story.” — Beth Revis, New York Times bestselling author of Across the Universe and A World Without You

“DeStefano has penned a book of exquisite parts—a spiked exterior of brutal magic and a deep core of tender human relationships—that ultimately coalesce into a sharp, scintillating whole. The Glass Spare will leave you wonderstruck.” — Traci Chee, New York Times bestselling author of The Reader

“A captivating and well-written fantasy adventure.” — Booklist

“Richly imagined...[and] engrossing...A unique, adventurous fantasy.” — School Library Journal

“Bursting with intrigue, mystery, [and] danger” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

From the Back Cover

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 by her power—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?

About the Author

Lauren DeStefano earned her BA in English with a concentration in creative writing from Albertus Magnus College in Connecticut in 2007. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the Chemical Garden trilogy and The Glass Spare. You can find her online at twitter.com/laurendestefano and instagram.com/laurendestefanoauthor.

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Posted in: 4 Stars, Balzer + Bray, Edelweiss, Review, Young Adult