Book Review: Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore

“Trouser girl” Namira is hired by a Mr Hollin Parry to sing together with a piano-playing automaton. When she discovers the automaton is actually a fairy gentleman trapped by a spell cast over 30 years before, she does everything in her power to try and set him free.

Namira’s world is deeply rooted in the fantasy tradition, with an enchanting blend of sorcerers (good, bad and in-between), fairies, sirens and the like. However, as most of the action takes place within Mr. Parry’s house, the world and its myriad of alliances and intrigues is more hinted at than anything. Since it is a story with such an intimate scope, I would have expected to come to care for the characters and their plight more than I did. No question Namira is sympathetic and brave and Mr Parry is certainly more complicated than he seems at first, but I felt they kept me at arm’s length. It’s ironic that the automaton ends up being the most animated and endearing of the bunch.

Though apparently there is no sequel in the works at this time, it really feels like there should be – the ending is quite abrupt and had me wondering at first if my ARC was missing some pages.

MAGIC UNDER GLASS was released this month in hardcover. It will soon be getting a new cover to reflect the skin color of the main character Namira more accurately. (That is why you are getting this delightful picture of my cats checking out my ARC.) Find out more about the book at the author’s website.