Storm Glass is set in a Dickensian world where the the wealthy live in manors magically suspended in the sky by means of something called the ‘mysteries”, something only the sky-dwellers are privy to learn and understand. The unfortunate, impoverished people live below in “the Fells”, where their short lives are marked by hard work, hunger, and meager means. This duality is explored through two characters: Seraphin Fitzempress, heir to the throne, who is kept isolated from everyone by her father and battles loneliness as a result; and Cettie Pratt, a girl who lived in the Fells with a negligent guardian until she meets Vice Admiral Fitzroy, who agrees to take her to his sky manor when she pleaded with him to take her away from her miserable home—only to have to contend with his Keeper of the House, Mrs. Pullman, who wants Cettie back in the Fells where she belongs.
I was completely enchanted with this novel. The story is told alternately from Cettie and Seraphin’s points of view, and it was easy to see the similarities between the two girls, despite how different their lives were. I enjoyed reading about both of them, though I must admit I was most sympathetic to Cettie—it was hard not to be, since she definitely had a harder life than Seraphin.
There are many things that happened in the story regarding the Mysteries (not to mention, people involved in the girls lives) that I would love to discuss in this review, but since these things aren’t referenced in the blurb, I feel like it would be bordering on spoiling to talk about these things in detail. That’s a crying shame, too, because oh my goodness these things are some of the best portions of the book! Suffice to say that a LOT of things happened that were (depending on the event in question) exciting, frightening, and even heartbreaking.
I am thrilled beyond measure that Storm Glass is the first in a series of books, because I can’t wait to visit this captivating world again.
This is the first time I’ve read a book written by Jeff Wheeler, but it definitely won’t be the last!
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves reading young adult fantasy… and I hope you’ll love it as much as I did!
(The second book in the series, Mirror Gate, will be released on August 28, 2018.)
I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of 47North via Netgalley.
Author: Jeff Wheeler
Title: Storm Glass
Series: Harbinger #1
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Published: June 19, 2018 by 47North
Rating: 4 stars
About the Book
Theirs is a world of opposites. The privileged live in sky manors held aloft by a secretive magic known only as the Mysteries. Below, the earthbound poor are forced into factory work to maintain the engine of commerce. Only the wealthy can afford to learn the Mysteries, and they use their knowledge to further lock their hold on society.
Cettie Pratt is a waif doomed to the world below, until an admiral attempts to adopt her. But in her new home in the clouds, not everyone treats her as one of the family.
Sera Fitzempress is a princess born into power. She yearns to meet the orphan girl she has heard so much about, but her father deems the girl unworthy of his daughter’s curiosity.
Neither girl feels that she belongs. Each seeks to break free of imposed rules. Now, as Cettie dreams of living above and as Sera is drawn to the world below, they will follow the paths of their own choosing.
But both girls will be needed for the coming storm that threatens to overturn both their worlds.
About the Author
JEFF WHEELER took an early retirement from his career at Intel in 2014 to write full-time and is now a Wall Street Journal bestselling author. He is, most importantly, a husband and father, a devout member of his church, and is occasionally spotted roaming hills with oak trees and granite boulders in California or in any number of the state’s majestic redwood groves. He is the founder of Deep Magic: the E-zine of Clean Fantasy and Science Fiction (www.deepmagic.co), a bi-monthly e-zine featuring amazing short stories by established & new writers, interviews, and writing craft articles.
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