Book Recommendation-Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore

Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore could be labeled as another paranormal romance, but that’s a rather incomplete description. The plot sucked me right in: Nimira, a music hall dancer, is noticed by a handsome stranger during one of her performances, who then makes her a proposition: to sing and dance alongside a piano-playing automaton. The stranger is Hollin Parry, a sorcerer, and the automaton is no mere machine; previous dancers have been spooked by it, claiming it’s haunted. Nimira jumps at the chance to return to a better life, the kind she had back home in her parents’ kingdom, before her mother’s death and her father’s fall from grace. But quickly, she learns things are not as they seem. The automaton is not haunted, but contains a trapped soul, whose identity puts Nimira and Hollin in danger, and whose being captures Nimira’s heart.

At 225 pages, the plot moves along quickly enough that the romance doesn’t get the chance to be too mushy, but instead is broken up by suspense, mystery, political intrigue, and—yay!—sorcerer battles. Namira is a plucky and admirable character, and one can see the tortured emotions beneath Hollin’s upper-class exterior, as he falls in love with Namira while hiding a shameful secret. The ending is begging for a sequel, and while it’s in the works, there’s no news of a publisher’s date. I wait with bated breath to see what happens.

Review by Debra at CCL