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    The Glass Spare
    The Glass Spare
    The Glass Spare
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Glass Spare

    Written by Lauren DeStefano

    Narrated by Billie Fulford-Brown

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    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?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 24, 2017
    ISBN9780062689153
    Author

    Lauren DeStefano

    Lauren DeStefano is the author of The Internment Chronicles and The Chemical Garden trilogy, which includes Wither, Fever, and Sever. She earned her BA in English with a concentration in creative writing from Albertus Magnus College in Connecticut. Visit her at LaurenDeStefano.com.

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    Reviews for The Glass Spare

    4/5

    154 ratings13 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to have strong female characters, a solid storyline, and a lovely story. The book is well written and the voice is soothing. They are curious to see how the story continues and are looking forward to the second book.

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      This was interesting, then not so much, then the action began and everyone wanted a piece of our heroine. I was just about to stop and the twist at the end kept me there. Kinda glad I did, this was a great story and I cannot wait for part two to emerge from the deals of the sea!!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Strong female characters who are well developed in a solid storyline, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to listening to the second book in the duology .

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Such a lovely story and very well written.
      I am very curious to see how the story continue.
      I also love the voice, very soothing .
      Thanks
    • 4/5
      I liked this one as I got more into the book. I am looking forward to the 2nd book.
    • 5/5
      Two teens with secrets and similarities meet after the girl is banished by her father, a king in the north. The boy is similarly banished by his father from the southern kingdom. Both are cursed and suffer frightening fates as a result. Their meeting and subsequent travels, first to the south, then to the north, are intertwined with other characters, as well as plenty of action and tension, all creating a book that is difficult to set down. I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel to arrive on my doorstep
    • 2/5
      Maybe I was just in a nit-picky mood while reading this, but I got very annoyed by what I think of as "bad science" science fiction. The story is kind of a fantasy/steampunk thing but a lot of the technology made zero sense. How can they have portable digital displays but no photography? Remote detonation explosive but not radio communications? What seemed to me logical paths of technology were not followed. Also a lot of their tech seemed to be just magic, but most people dont believe in magic so it didnt make sense how that could be explained.

      Character motivations were kinda muddled and often their actions were not logically explained (i know humans are not always logical but still it was annoying). Lots of scenes where solutions seemed obvious to me but no one in book could figure out what to do.
    • 3/5
      Wil, the youngest child of the king, and only princess, is banished after her gift/curse kills someone close to her. She then journeys to find a marveler who can undo her curse. She is captured and drawn into a plot to overthrow another country's king. It makes for uncomfortable issues when she is drawn to her captor. Part one of a duology, which is nice--it won't drag on forever.

      This is an okay fantasy starter. Wil, a princess, has agency even though she is a spare heir. A couple of the side characters have OCD, so that is interesting. I was irritated that there are four siblings and they split to three against one. None of the three tried to ever initiate any overtures to the one. so when he is cruel--no wonder. I have some issues with the "romance" also. Loom is married, and Stockholm syndrome much? This would be fine for upper middle grade--no sex, but some violence.
    • 4/5
      This was interesting, then not so much, then the action began and everyone wanted a piece of our heroine. I was just about to stop and the twist at the end kept me there. Kinda glad I did, this was a great story and I cannot wait for part two to emerge from the deals of the sea!!
    • 5/5
      I got this book in one of my Owl Crates. I have been a big fan of DeStefano and was excited to read this book. This is the first book in a planned duology. The second book in the series, “The Cursed Sea”, is supposed to be out in December of 2018. I ended up loving this book, I whipped through it very quickly.

      This book was an amazing blend of magic, curses, fantasy, action, and adventure. I loved the tight relationship Wil has with her family and the adventures she ends up on. That world-building and characters were very well done and I enjoyed story this a lot. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.

      Overall this was an amazing fantasy read. The story was creative, engaging, fast-paced, and fun to read. I can’t wait to see what happens next. Highly recommended to fans of YA fantasy adventure.
    • 4/5
      "Love is used as a weapon against us. When we don't do as we're told, it gets taken away, and when we do, it's returned again like a treasured doll."

      This is the second book I finished for January, and it was a most unusual read. Princess Wilhelmina has a unique ability - she can turn living things into gemstones. However, after a tragic incident, she decides her ability is a curse. Determined to rid herself of the curse, she goes on a perilous journey to find a cure. Along the way she meets different characters who will view her ability either as a curse or a gift.

      The story is set at a time when lands are ruled by kings. However, some kingdoms already use advance technology, such as data goggles - which made it unusual. There is, of course, an instant attraction between Princess Wilhelmina and a banished prince, typical of YA novels.

      The first half of the book was interesting and events unfolded quickly. The second half, after she was forced to flee her kingdom, is a bit slow and dragging. The story ended with questions left unanswered, rightfully so because it turns out this is a series. Although it took me a while to warm up to the story and the protagonist, I'm interested to find out what the next book reveals.
    • 5/5
      I loved The Internment Chronicles, but this - even more. Can't wait for book two!
    • 4/5
      I loved the premise in this book and the writing. The characters were well-developed and interesting.
      However, I found the incident in the middle that lead to Wil leaving home rather contrived.
      Looking forward to reading the next one.
    • 3/5
      THE GLASS SPARE is another one of those books that I'm not totally convinced on my feelings about it. On one level, I read it and didn't have issues with it while reading, but looking back there are a few things I can think of that were lacking. I will know my rating—and so will you—by the time I'm done writing my review.

      I will start my review by telling you what I enjoyed. I really enjoyed Wil's relationship with her brothers. They have a tight bond and are willing to do anything for each other. I would have loved to read more about them before things turned. For the most part, I enjoyed the characters. They worked well together and some interesting people were thrown into the mix. The technology that is involved in THE GLASS SPARE was fun and interesting to read about. Had a bit of a steampunk type feel to it.

      After coming back to write my review, these are the issues that popped up as I was thinking about what I thought about THE GLASS SPARE. The world building wasn't very strong. I didn't get lost in the world or feel the world around me while I was reading. I could picture things, but I didn't get drawn in. The romance just was. Nothing swoon worthy and feelings developed pretty instantly. There was no build up and I just didn't feel the "feels" they were trying to throw out. The pace tended to be a bit slow at times.

      I would probably read more if the sequel was to fall into my hands, but THE GLASS SPARE didn't leave me yearning for book two.

      * This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.