Lexa Hillyer

I received a copy of this teen novel from the publisher, opened it eagerly, and... almost gave up on it when I realized it was written in the present tense. Oh, my friends, how I hate reading extended narratives in the present tense. Hate hate hate. But I kept going, mostly because I love time-travel premises in all their shapes and forms, and I'm really glad I did. The present tense wasn't the last thing that annoyed me about the book, but it's okay, because this book has THE STUFF - that show more fierce, unfakeable spark of life that makes a book worth reading, no matter what. The stuff will propel me past any number of eye rolls. I predict I will still occasionally think of this book, with a smile, years from now. And when I was a teenager I would've loved it. show less

"The evils here are no worse than the evils anywhere, I imagine. Why should I want to learn of another world, a vaster world, if it means regretting my whole life until now? Who wants to be made to loathe what they have? Small as it is, my life is mine."

3.5 stars? I'm wavering between 3 and 4, and I don't know if it's entirely because of my opinion or because I'm still wondering, "what the HELL did everyone hate so much????" Is this a case where people just like the bad reviews?? I don't show more know. Anyways. THIS IS ABOUT MEEEEEEE.

So first of all, this is so completely the book I would write. A fairy tale retelling mixing in magic, faerie, parallel (and DREAM) worlds, brimming with romance and two girls at the core of it...this is everything I want to put together. Of course I was utterly charmed. I LOVE this sort of magic, and the worldbuilding was sparse but colourful and mystical. Like with Ash, it took some adjusting on my part to accept the fairy tale conventions being wrapped up in modern prose (ttrruuuueee luuuvvvv), but it used lots of familiar elements and themes that I was super excited to see.

I also really, REALLY liked the sisters. They weren't dreadfully distinct at first glance, but their circumstances (one mute, one blind) offered up some neat situations and some variety to the usual suspects when it comes to protags. Isbe was especially fantastic, funny, and just cool, I guess.

Honestly, the love interests also weren't incredibly distinct, I'm sad to say, but more in a "they're subdued and part of the backdrop" way rather than a "they're all clones" way, and amazingly, the monochrome cast of boys didn't really feel like...a loss? Isbe and Aurora were so important that watching their romantic escapades felt less like watching the relationship and #shipping and more like watching them navigate some environmental obstacle to see how they come out the other side, unscathed or otherwise. It was kind of interesting and although I don't really wanna place bets that this was Hillyer's intention, it did make me think of fairy tales again. It was very "and one day, the princess was proposed to by Nameless Prince, and this was how she felt and how she was affected and everything about her and forget about the prince, he's not a big deal." (Either way, let me just say, this has the classiest and most beautiful fade-to-black EVER.)

All in all, perhaps the main thing, what doesn't put it on a favourites or almost-favourites shelf, is that nothing really seemed to hit hard enough. The parallels weren't quite tight enough, the dramatic moments didn't quite hit their targets, the magic and interesting concepts weren't used as cleverly as they could've. Which makes me really sad, honestly. It's not really a case of wasted potential because all the pieces were present and were used, but I wanted a slightly more confident hand to be using them.

So in a weird way, I'm happy. This magic and world was stunning, and the interpretation was creative and unique without losing the soul of the fairy tale. The prose was gorrrgeous. The villains are a little confusing, the love interests are a little transparent (except for the third one who's GONE I GUESS, HELP ME OUT, BOOK 2), but it was so utterly magical and the sisters were so damn fascinating that I have to start counting down for the sequel. show less

Lexa Hillyer's writing is beautiful, her imagery poetic, evocative, resonant, magical. Winter Glass is the conclusion of the events set in motion in Spindle Fire. That first book was utterly fantastic. I think the sequel is even better.

Isabelle is an amazing hero, my favorite character of the books. Sightless, resolute, brave. Absolutely loved her character arc. Her sister Aurora is equally compelling, resourceful, self-sacrificing. These two women are vivid, vibrant characters. The show more supporting characters, the world, the descriptions of battle, the faeries, the tithing, the magic: with these Hillyer has created, in this duology, remarkable, memorable stories to savor, to treasure, to re-read, then re-read again. show less

Well, this is certainly an original take on the Sleeping Beauty mythos -- one where the fairies tithe abilities away, so in exchange for beauty and gracefulness, Aurora loses her voice. In exchange for Aurora's life, her sister loses her sight.

The strengths -- a very excellent and engaging and capable blind main character, also a mute one. The wonderful bond between the sisters. The weaknesses -- another series, this one set up to mirror the larger dysfunctional family relationship that show more governs the bigger political picture. I'm just not that interested in watching the drama Isabella and Aurora's relationship will inevitably go through, and the pacing drags. The dreaming world is confusing, the waking one is full of beings being awful to each other just because they can.

It's a perfectly fine YA series, just not one I care to pick up again.

Advanced reader's copy provided by Edelweiss. show less