Review: The Glass Prince by Sandra Bard

Kidnapping was not Daniel's plan, but when he met a man who seemed unaffected by his magic, Daniel couldn't just let him go.

Eren has every reason to hate Daniel, and no reason at all to like him. He's not some fairytale to be kept in a glass room at the top of a tower. And he's definitely going to have to rescue himself. He has a mother and girlfriend to get back to, after all, and a life waiting for him.

But the hardest part of escaping proves to be his reluctance to leave a man who is much more than he at first seemed…

I enjoyed this book - more so as the story went on. Set in an AU where the world is similar to the world we know, yet magic and magic users exist. In fact, being susceptible to magic is the norm and this is why Eren is such a draw to Daniel - Eren is completely unaffected by magic. A rare gift (or curse, depending on your perspective - and we see both sides of that coin in this tale). 

Daniel, who has been unable to touch another human for years because of his magic can finally touch and feel the warmth and softness of another. His desire and obsession with Eren is completely understandable, however in a world where he is The Glass Prince, cold, unfeeling and isolated, he makes a supremely bad decision. Spur of the moment it may be, but as the days - heck, hours, minutes - pass, he doesn't undo what he has done. 

The relationship between Eren and Daniel held maybe a trace of Stockholm syndrome in parts, yet it still managed to develop into a believable thing.  Eren became understanding - but not a limp lettuce. He still fought for what was right (his freedom) when it was sensible to do so.  Daniel's back story, as we learnt it and by default about him, made the glass prince someone to care for. Well played Sandra Bard - I didn't feel manipulated by starting to like the 'enemy'. Manipulation of my feelings (when done with the subtlety of a sledgehammer) is a sure fire way to put me off a book!

Sandra Bard had a pleasing style of writing. It was easy to read and, though the similar-to-our-world-but-not-quite AU threw me for a heartbeat, it wasn't hard to picture the world in which Eren and Daniel live. And frankly, I liked that it was just that little bit different. I love high fantasy and great world building, epic tales, but this was just different enough to work for me. Not steam-punk, nor sci-fi....it was us with fantastical elements. I liked it.

All in all, I found this a very enjoyable and readable read. Hope you do too!
A copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review.

2 comments:

  1. Not sure about this one, put it on my list with a maybe?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good idea. I always find, too many book, too little time!

    ReplyDelete