Review – The Glass Spare by Lauren DeStefano

Title The Glass Spare

Author Lauren DeStefano

Description from Amazon

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?

Initial Thoughts

I thought this story sounded cool. It reminded me of the story of King Midas with a twist and I hadn’t read anything else like it. I was also intrigued by the idea of a two book series. I find that often times, one book isn’t quite enough to tell the whole story.

Cover Art

This cover is really pretty. The black background is bold and I like the imagery of the castle coming out of a gemstone. To me, it’s as if Wil is literally transforming the world around her.

Favorite Character

Loom – once again, I find my self gravitating toward a character who is not the main character. I felt that his character was more complete and much more mature. Wil had a tendency to be quite childish where I think Loom was not. He was ready to take on his role (no spoilers 😉).

Writing Style

In this story, I think I would have preferred first person narration. I didn’t like the third person omniscient voice. It made the scene changes feel disjointed.

Something I Liked

The reference to Midas. I really liked this spin on a classic mythological story. Wil’s power is very interesting and I’m eager to see how she uses it to help her country in the next installment, The Cursed Sea.

Something I Wasn’t Crazy About

Wil’s family. All of them were incredibly fragmented. I didn’t think they fit together at all. They all just seemed random. The only brother I liked wasn’t even featured for most of the story (again, no spoilers).

Final Thoughts

I liked this story well enough to want to read the next book (but, I didn’t finish it yet and I started in February). The story was engaging but it lacked depth. It had a lot of potential but I definitely wouldn’t re-read it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

• The Cursed Sea by Lauren DeStefano – this is a direct sequel to The Glass Spare. For the sake of completion, I feel compelled to recommend this one.

• The Princess in the Opal Mask by Jenny Lundquist – similar character arcs with runaway royals, overthrowing regimes, and romance. Also, both stories feature main characters named Wilhelmina.
• Frostblood by Elly Blake – this is another story of magic, secret royals, and journeys. If you liked The Glass Spare, check out Frostblood.