Magic Under Glass [Hardcover]

Jaclyn Dolamore (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 22, 2009 | Series: Magic Under Glass

Nimira is a foreign music-hall girl forced to dance for mere pennies. When wealthy sorcerer Hollin Parry hires her to sing with a piano-playing automaton, Nimira believes it is the start of a new and better life. In Parry's world, however, buried secrets are beginning to stir. Unsettling below-stairs rumors swirl about ghosts, a madwoman roaming the halls, and Parry's involvement with a league of sorcerers who torture fairies for sport. Then Nimira discovers the spirit of a fairy gentleman named Erris is trapped inside the clockwork automaton, waiting for someone to break his curse. The two fall into a love that seems hopeless, and breaking the curse becomes a race against time, as not just their love, but the fate of the entire magical world may be in peril.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8–10—While working in a run-down music hall, Nimira, 17, is hired to sing accompaniment to an automaton that plays the piano. The "clockwork man," in the possession of wealthy, handsome Hollin Parry, a powerful sorcerer, is more than it seems. A fairy prince, Erris has been trapped in the automaton, and Nimira's struggle to free him, and their growing love for one another, is only part of the story. Mixed into this stunning debut novel are enough plot points to keep readers interested. With touches of steampunk, romance, fantasy, and mystery, there is a little something for everyone. The only downside, if there is one, is that the ending is inconclusive, leaving readers with the feeling that a second book will follow.—Valerie Davis, Campbell County Public Library, Newport, KY
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Review

'A memorable, delicate and ethereal fairytale romance' Bookseller 'The prose has a delicate, ethereal quality that matches the story well' SFX Magazine 'A dark, florid vigour runs through it' Financial Times 'Precise and picturesque, this is a sterling debut' Literary Review --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens (December 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599904306
• ISBN-13: 978-1599904306
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,270,080 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jaclyn Dolamore was homeschooled in a hippie sort of way and spent her childhood reading as many books as her skinny nerd-body could lug from the library and playing elaborate pretend games with her sister Kate. She skipped college and spent eight years drudging through retail jobs, developing her thrifty cooking skills and pursuing a lifelong writing dream. She has a passion for history, thrift stores, vintage dresses, David Bowie, drawing, and organic food. She lives with her partner and plot-sounding-board, Dade, and two black tabbies who have ruined her carpeting.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique and Impressive December 28, 2009

By The Book Scout

Format:Hardcover

Magic Under Glass was impressive, unique, and an overall amazing debut novel. From the first page I was pulled into the original world Dolamore had created and Magic Under Glass was really hard to put down. I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next. There was so much mystery and suspense, by the middle of the novel I couldn't put it down. Nimira's fight to save Erris was amazing and their love for each other was heartbreaking. It was a forbidden romance at it's best. Not only was Erris a fairy prince, but he was trapped inside an automaton that belonged to the man Nimira was working for. Automaton's are something I've never read about before, so I wasn't sure what to expect at first. The world where Nimira lived in Magic Under Glass was completely original and so different from anything I've ever read about before. The characters and settings were amazing and well developed with no stone left unturned. I was completely submerged in Nimira's world and when I finished reading it only made me anxious to read more by Jaclyn Dolamore- maybe a sequel to Magic Under Glass?

Now to anyone who's read the novel you can understand the significance of the title and cover. For me that was one of the creepiest parts of the novel. I could hardly believe anyone could be as cruel as Hollin's father had been to the faeries and other creatures. I've read quite a few faerie books especially lately, and Magic Under Glass stands out from the others, not that it's better, it's just different. People knew about faeries in this world, but they couldn't coexist with people like the evil Smollings who wanted to kill all the faeries or go to war with them rather than live in peace. Hating the bad characters and liking the good ones was very easy in Magic Under Glass, there was a thick line dividing them and the evil characters were extremely easy to dislike. By the end of the novel I was rooting for Nimira, Erris, and the rest of the characters on their side as they fought against the "bad guys". Creative, unique, and addictive, Magic Under Glass was a debut novel unlike any other. It was a quick read, not only because it was just 200 pages, but because it's one I read quickly, unable to put it down. I'd highly recommend this to anyone.

Rating;

Plot: 10/10

Characters: 9.5/10

Ending: 9.5/10

Enjoyment: 10/10

Cover: 9.5/10

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Overall: 48.5/50= 97%

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sparkling and lively January 13, 2010

By The Compulsive Reader VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

When her mother died and father fell into debt, Nimira set off for the big city, hoping to make her fortune as a dancer. She is just managing to get by when the sorcerer Hollin Parry appears and makes her an offer she finds difficult to refuse: to work for him, singing with a fairy-made, life-size automaton. Nimira's new life is better than she could believe, but when she discovers that a fairy named Erris is actually trapped within the automaton, her life is put in grave danger as she is ensnared with a tangled web of lies and secrets that could threaten the peace between two races.

Magic Under Glass is a sparkling and intriguing read. Nim is a lively and spunky heroine who is smart, charming, and resourceful, and Dolamore's fantastical world is brimming with magic and adventure. There are a few different cultures within the pages of Magic Under Glass, and Dolamore portrays them and their differences very well. It would be interesting to explore that aspect of the story a little more, which Dolamore will hopefully do in a sequel.

The characters were quite varied: from intelligent but imprisoned Erris, imposing Hollin Parry with his many secrets, a formidable housekeeper, and a mysterious madwoman. They, along with whispered secrets and murderous plots and villains, make the novel quite entertaining, and keep the book moving briskly. Magic Under Glass is a wonderful example of lovely, spirited storytelling, and an all around fun and lightly romantic fantasy read.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful escape from reality January 22, 2010

By Haley Mathiot VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Nimira is nothing more than a show girl in a cheap theatre, being paid pennies and fed food not worth eating to sing and dance for men who have nothing better to do at night. One night a mysterious man named Mr. Parry comes to Nimira and hires her to sing, accompanying an automaton--a life size mechanical doll--who plays the piano. Every other girl who he has hired has run away screaming, saying that the doll was haunted. Nimira doesn't believe such things... or does she? She realizes once she starts practicing with him that he is definitely more than a doll. She begins to communicate with him... and soon realizes that she loves him. But how can she set him free from his prison?

Nimira starts trying to uncover the secrets that are surrounding her in this strange house--a wife who is supposed to be dead, a sorcerer who has more control than he should, and a missing fairy prince who may just be trapped inside of a piano playing doll.

review:

Magic Under Glass was an amazing and breathtaking adventure, a parallel universe with a story that I'd love to live in and experience again and again. I really cannot think of the words to describe how much I fell in love with this book and it's characters!

Jaclyn has found the perfect way create a story that is both plot driven and character driven. The plot was fast, but not too fast. It was steady enough to keep up with, but fast enough to keep you reading. And the characters... goodness they were so special. Every single one of them, even the ones I hated (with a passion). The characters were instantly real people to me, and they became hugely important. The love between Nimira and her automaton is painful but sweet, and utterly romantic.

I would have read this book in one sitting if I had not been interrupted. It instantly draws you in at the first page, and holds you captive until the last.

The writing was detailed and descriptive and made all the words feel beautiful and sensual, like you're drinking chocolate or breathing perfume while you read.

Ultimately this was a beautiful escape from reality, and I am desperate for the sequel.

Content: no sexual content, and appropriate language (not overdone or overused, I think there was one foul word used only once or twice).

Recommendation: Ages 14+ to anyone who wants a fast enchanting romance worth dying for.