Review: Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore

Title: Magic Under Glass
Author: Jaclyn Dolamore
Published: Bloomsbury (1 Feb 2010)
No. of Pages: 225
Grade Rating: A

Nimira is a music-hall performer forced to dance for pennies to an audience of leering drunks. When wealthy sorcerer Hollin Parry hires her to do a special act - singing accompaniment to an exquisite piano-playing automaton, Nimira believes it is the start of a new life. In Parry's world, however, buried secrets stir. Unsettling below-stairs rumours abound about ghosts, a mad woman roaming the halls, and of Parry's involvement in a gang of ruthless sorcerers who torture fairies for sport. When Nimira discovers the spirit of a dashing young fairy gentleman is trapped inside the automaton's stiff limbs, waiting for someone to break the curse and set him free, the two fall in love. But it is a love set against a dreadful race against time to save the entire fairy realm, which is in mortal peril.

Reading the premise of Magic Under Glass, I knew I was going to fall in love with this book and I was right. This book was a gorgeously magical story that left me breathless.

The text in this book litterally sparkles on the page. I adored the way it was set in an alternate universe where mythical wonders such as fairies and unicorns were the norm and there are so many different magical races. I have to admit that it did take me a while to understand that it was set in a parallel world but once clear, it made me love this even more. I don't usually read books in a day but Magic Under Glass had to be an exception. It was so difficult to put it down it was like I was glued to the paper. The plot moved at a perfect pace. It was fast but not too fast and this was the quality that managed to hook you. It was just the right length for the plot but left at a nice cliff hanger that left yearning for a sequel.

The characters were also something very special. Nimira's narration and first person dialogue pulled me into the story. I think that she is one of my favourite female character in any book that I've read. I usually don't find it too difficult to relate to characters in books but with Nimira, it was as if I actually knew her. It was, as a matter of fact, like that with every character. You really got a clear sense of who they were and what kind of personality they had. The only one that left me confused was Hollin, Nimira's second love interest. He seemed like a kind person at times throughout but at other times he just seemed spineless and completely pathetic.

The writing was some of the best I've ever come across. The descriptions were beautiful and the sentences so magnificently knitted together. The writing did so well at exuding the magical essence of this story. Dolamore is a master story teller. Everything about this book left me completely breathless and left off at a great place for a follow up. If you haven't read this, you should!