Burning Glass

"The mighty isn't one, but many."

I'm honestly stumped as to why Burning Glass isn't rated higher. Let me tell you why.

Whoever described Burning Glass as Red Queen meets Shadow and Bone captured the tone and setting of this book perfectly. Major vibes all the way. I'm just shocked more people haven't read this series considering the popularity of the aforementioned books.

Burning Glass has a dark, intricate plot with characters who mercilessly pull you under. The prose is beautiful, the overall tone could be described as melancholy, and the romantic intrigue is more sweeping and complicated than any other YA love triangle I've read. If you've read Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen series, imagine the attraction and emotional tension between show more Mare Barrow, Maven, and Cal, but much more complex and intoxicating in its own way.

Burning Glass boasts aching romance, and I can't argue with it—it really, honestly does. The melancholy, the burning love interests, all of it makes for the perfect wintry read. I couldn't put it down.

The extreme emotional tension in this series is exponentially compounded by the fact that our protagonist, Sonya Petrova, is an Auraseer. What does that mean exactly? Imagine if your superpower was empathy, and imagine your empathy being so all-consuming and vast that you can literally feel the emotions of everyone around you without having to touch them. If they harbor hatred or envy, uncontrollable lust and desire, profound sadness, physical torture, violent intent... Sonya can stand in the middle of a crowd and feel ALL of it. Imagine not knowing whether the emotions you felt belonged to others, or if they were actually your own. That is who Sonya is. This is further complicated by the fact that she isn't just any ordinary Auraseer—she can also feel the final emotions of those who've died when coming into contact with their blood or other organic matter. Even that of animals.

And while the story seems to be about Sonya sorting through her feelings toward each royal brother—Anton and Valko—there is something deeper happening beneath the surface. This is a YA Fantasy trilogy with lots of political intrigue, games, and ideologies. If you enjoy those elements along with the heavy-handed romantic element woven throughout, you may want to see what Burning Glass is about.

I will also mention: the first chapters have one of the most tragic openings I've read in YA Fantasy to date. Sonya has been through a lot, she's coping with the terrible things she's wrought, and that makes her an incredibly fascinating protagonist in my opinion.

"I am Sonya Petrova. And I am not broken." Oh, my dear, but you are.

From those riveting opening chapters to the very last sentence of the book, book one came full circle and I was feeling rather weepy for our heroine.

The author Kathryn Purdie was a pleasant discovery of mine, and now I'll be interested in reading whatever else she creates. I just finished Burning Glass 2 (Crystal Blade), and I enjoyed it so much. Can't wait to read book 3: Frozen Reign.

Don't sleep on Kathryn Purdie. show less

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Is the ability to sense other’s emotions a gift or a curse?

Opening Sentence: I clutched the carved figurine of the goddess until a splinter of wood bit my finger.

The Review:

Until I read the synopsis I wasn’t aware synesthesia was an actual thing! I can’t imagine being able to sense everyone’s emotions around me as if they were my own; all those auras penetrating my thoughts would surely drive me to insanity. So many emotions to filter through, it was no wonder that Sonya was always so confused!

Most Auraseers have years of training to master their art but Sonya is literally thrown into the lion’s den since she is the oldest surviving Auraseer. Sonya is funny, impossibly curious show more and can barely control her power, which usually results in her making a fool of herself. I loved her flawed character because in spite of being the ‘Sovereign Auraseer,’ she doesn’t try to prove her worth to anyone, her aim is to maintain control and somehow redeem herself from all the mistakes that have cost her loved ones lives.

When Sonya is caught up in Valko’s infatuation I began to wonder whether she would be pushed to the dark side but she somehow pulls herself away. To be caught between the two brothers like that, knowing that they both have feelings for her but not fully understanding her own must have been really weird and misleading for both boys. One minute she’s embracing Valko and the next she’s begging Anton to dance with her! It’s very hard to fault Sonya because the boys’ emotions are pressing into her to the extent that she confuses them with her own. At times she doesn’t know how she really feels, which is sad because she can’t make her own decisions without doubting herself.

“Do you never take responsibility for your own emotions?” he asked.
“They far too often belong to someone else.”

To begin with, I fell under the spell of the brooding, reserved Anton and his tragic history but towards the end he became an annoyance. Although he is the secret leader of the rebellion, Anton literally hands Sonya over to his obsessive manic brother, to do with her as he pleases. Since Valko is emperor and Anton is just a prince, I understand why he does this but that does not mean I liked it. It’s clear from the start that Anton cares for Sonya but he pretends that he doesn’t in the hope that she’ll be safe. Surely he knows his brother better than that?

If Anton thought he could protect me from all the palace politics, he was wrong. I wasn’t the naive girl he took me to be, the simpleton he fleetingly tried to rescue from distress. Why couldn’t he be the hero to me in public? Why always behind closed doors?

Megalomaniac Valko is easier to dislike but with almost every villain there’s a sad story, and a few times I felt sorry for him. Like Anton, Valko lost his family too but as emperor he feels obligated to prove himself as the rightful heir, competing against his brother for everything, even love. Just when it seems like Valko isn’t so bad, he does something super evil and destroys the spark of hope before it can grow further.

My favourite characters were Pia and Tosya. Both of them brought the humour to the story and encouraged Sonya’s silliness, reminding the reader that despite her huge responsibility as the Emperor’s protector she’s just a young, perpetually confused girl.

“No,” I smacked his chest. “You got taller.”
“That’s what my friends keep telling me, but I have this theory that everything in the world keeps shrinking but myself.”
“Hmm. I think your education gave you an ego.”
“A necessary requirement of a poet. That and a wide range of insecurities.”

There was so much build up of the peasant’s hunger and injustice, Valko’s paranoia, the growing rebellion, etc., but when it came to the crunch, the ending was a disappointment. Without revealing too many spoilers I was happy with the overall result but the last few chapters just did not sit well with me. Especially because after everything Anton does, he ends up sitting in the dungeons! It’s frustrating because had the finale been more I would have given Burning Glass a 4-star rating.

Notable Scene:

I couldn’t say what urged me to show this stranger I was more than the pitiful girl staring back at him, looking no better than the charred bones of the convent. I was. At least as far as he should believe. I pulled my spine erect, elongated my neck, and met his stare with every ember of fire burning within me.

Dare to think of me what you will, I hoped the look I gave him said. I am Sonya Petrova. And I am not broken.

FTC Advisory: Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins provided me with a copy of Burning Glass. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. show less

This book was enjoyable enough but is also deeply mediocre. It's not the worst YA I've read but it also doesn't distinguish itself in any other ways.

A love triangle dominates the majority of the story; it drives most of the plot and the heroine angsts over it almost constantly. Torn between the affections of the passionate (ie selfish and occasionally violent) young Emperor Valko and his reserved brother Anton, the main character, Sonya, gets 'lost' in both of them so many times I felt like I was reading chapters again.

Sonya is an Auraseer, a class of women who can feel the emotions of others, and is not very good at it. Due to some plot conveniences, Sonya grew up being sheltered by this fantasy world's version of Romani, being passed show more from caravan to caravan to avoid being sent to a convent to learn of her powers. The friend that taught her to read is, of course, a secret poet revolutionary.

I didn't think Burning Glass completely devoid of merit, just as falling short of the mark. Sonya's learning curve is far too slow, which leads us to repetitive scenes that do little to move the story along. The politics - the most interesting part of the story - were hardly touched on, very little ever coming from it until the people rise up and attack the palace.

All in all, not the worst of young adult fantasy, but very far from the best either, Burning Glass rests firmly in the middle of the pack. show less

Burning Glass was one of my most anticipated books to read this year and I can clearly share that I was not disappointed in any way. This book is fantastic!

Let me start with the book cover ... I absolutely fell in love with it when I saw it and after reading this novel, I was delighted to find out how well the cover reflects this intriguing fantasy.

I am amazed this is Ms. Purdie's debut novel because to me, it certainly doesn't read like one. Her writing style is beautiful and flowing. The plot is creative, unique and very intriguing! The cast of characters are strongly developed, realistic and humanly flawed making them engaging and relatable.

My favorite character was of course, Sonya. I can't even begin to imagine what her life was show more like having to live with her gift of sensing others so deeply. I found her to be sensitive, flawed, tortured, dark but lovable. My heart ached for her and cheered for her as she strove to do her duty, release her inner demons while searching for a bit of redemption and peace.

My least favorite character was first and foremost, Valko as he was such a disturbed monarch. I have one other least liked character but shall not name them as I don't want to post any spoilers in this review. Just keep a watch out - not everyone is who they appear to be!

All in all, I loved this book and rate it a 4.5 Stars!

Thank you to Katherine Tegen Books and Edelweiss for the gift of this book in exchange for an honest review. show less

Sonya was born with the rare gift to feel what those around her feel—both physically and emotionally—a gift she’s kept hidden from the empire for seventeen long years. After a reckless mistake wipes out all the other girls with similar abilities, Sonya is hauled off to the palace and forced to serve the emperor as his sovereign Auraseer. Tasked with sensing the intentions of would-be assassins, Sonya is under constant pressure to protect the emperor. But Sonya’s power is untamed and reckless, and she can’t always decipher when other people’s impulses end and her own begin. In a palace full of warring emotions and looming darkness, Sonya fears that the biggest danger to the empire may be herself. As she struggles to wrangle show more her abilities, Sonya seeks refuge in her tenuous alliances with the charming-yet-volatile Emperor Valko and his idealistic younger brother, Anton, the crown prince. But when threats of revolution pit the two brothers against each other, Sonya must choose which brother to trust—and which to betray. show less

Through a tragic accident—which Sonya causes—Sonya is left as the last Auraseer and is sent off to the palace to serve the emperor. She is expected to keep him safe, but she has no control over her power and is more of a liability.

It would be really hard to feel everything someone else does. It was easy to feel bad for Sonya and form a connection with her character on that front, but I didn't always like her. Another area where she lost me was on the romance portions of BURNING GLASS. I could understand the pull between the brothers due to the emotions she is feeling from them, but at some point she has to pull herself together. She ends up doing that, but it takes the whole book. The constant love triangle was a bit boring.

I show more actually really liked the ending of BURNING GLASS. In fact, it was probably the best part of the story. A lot happens and it played out fantastically. Will I read more? We will see.

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

it's not often i sit and read a book all in one sitting. it's actually quite rare. this but this book.....! it's all consuming, just like Sonya's AuraSeer abilities. it sucks you in and does not let you go. you fall in love with the characters, you hate them, you cheer for them. it's one of those rare type of books that you JUST CANNOT PUT DOWN AND DO NOT WANT TO.

i never post spoilers in my reviews because i want people to form their own opinions of the story. but GO READ THIS BOOK. you will love it.