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

Romance and Friendship Books for Valentine’s Day

Check out some good books about love and friendship

Fifteen by Beverly Cleary
Jane gets asked out by Stan, the most popular boy at school. Is she ready for all this? This book may have been written in 1956 but it is still a fun read today.

Just As Long As We're Together by Judy Blume
At first Stephanie loves seventh grade. She has a new cool friend from California and things seem better than ever. Then she finds out her parents are getting divorced and she has a huge fight with her old best friend. How will she handle this?

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Leo’s world changes the day Stargirl Caraway comes into his life. Leo falls in love with this unconventional girl and she changes his life forever.

Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
New Yorker Mia Thermopolis had no idea that she was a princess. With the help of her grand-mere she just might be prepared to take the throne one day.

Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly
Angie Morrow and Jack Duluth date the summer after they have finished high school. Angie is scheduled to go to college in the fall and Jack back to Oklahoma. This love story is a told very honestly and though it was written over 60 years ago, the story holds up today.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
Four friends spend their first summer away from each other. They keep in touch through letters and by sending a pair of magical pants between the group of friends in the mail.

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
Vivian, the teenage werewolf, is not usually attracted to human boys, but with Aiden Teague things are different. She decides to reveal her werewolf identity to Aiden. He reacts in horror. She is also expected to date Gabriel the leader of her wolf pack. Vivian is much more confident and self assured than Bella but this novel might be loved by readers of Twilight.

Book Review: Side Effects by Amy Goldman Koss

Isabelle, or Izzy as she is know, is going about her regular high school life until in the course of a day, her life changes dramatically. This is the day that she goes to a doctor’s appointment because she has swollen glands and a cold that won’t go away. Even as she leaves the doctor’s office and the hospital, where she goes for a quick test, she and her mother are unaware that anything is wrong. But then the phone rings with news that something is very wrong and she needs to go back to the hospital right away.

What follows is Izzy’s uphill battle with stage IV Hodgkin’s Lymphona. Luckily, the preface inside the book reassures us that Izzy will make it. (I hope I am not giving too much away). Much of the story focuses on Izzy’s treatments and how she gets through them. Side Effects also let’s us see how Izzy’s family and friends are affected by her cancer, and we are treated to the beginnings of a romance between Izzy and Andy, a straight A student who helps her get back on track at school.

All and all this book is a good solid read, and at 143 pages, a fast read. I would recommend it to anyone looking for an interesting problem novel.