Title: Winter Glass
Author: Lexa Hillyer
Type: Fiction
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Retelling, Romance
Publisher: HarperTeen (HarperCollins)
Published: April 10, 2018

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

A curse comes undone. A kingdom shatters. But some bonds can’t be broken.

Princess Aurora, torn from the dream world, plots to assassinate the faerie queen Malfleur, only to confront temptations she never expected. Isabelle, meanwhile, opens her heart to Prince William as they attempt to unite their kingdoms and wage war against Malfleur’s army. But when the appearance of an unbreakable glass slipper prompts Isabelle to discover more about her lineage, her true identity begins to take shape and her legacy becomes as clear as ice.

Devoted half-sisters Isabelle and Aurora will grapple with their understanding of love and loyalty as they face a threat even greater than that of the evil queen—the threat of losing each other forever.

– My Review –

Firstly, I would like to point out that this series is a duology, and that this is the ending of said duology! I didn’t know this until I was a few chapters into this book and then got curious about when the next one would be out. When I found out that this book would be the end of the series I was both relieved (because I wouldn’t have to wait another year to see how it all ends), and sad (because the series would be ending). Oh, the conflicted feelings of a bookworm. Going into Winter Glass, I remembered how on my tows the previous book, Spindle Fire, had kept me while I was reading it, and I therefore didn’t know at all what to expect. Things could end very happily or very badly. A few chapters in, I did know one thing; this book would be considerably darker than book 1! And I wasn’t wrong. While reading Winter Glass, I was pulled in my the plot, and was also enjoy the dark elements, while also dreading what would happen to the characters that I had come to know in Spindle Fire, and that I was getting to know better in book 2.

There were a number of plot twists that I enjoyed in Winter Glass, and I realized some things on my own as well, that I had not noticed in book 1 (one of them being that the names of 2 of the prominent faeries were in French and that I knew what they meant and that it all made so much sense… haha). Reading Winter Glass was quite the ride, and some parts made me happy, while others made me scream toward the sky dramatically. I really like how Hillyer retold a few fairytales in this series (if I’m not mistaken), and that she added a good mix of original story into everything as well. I was also quite happy with how quick the pacing was, and that the story was kept concise and to the point, and that I didn’t have to wait hundreds of pages for things to happen. I definitely recommend this series to those who enjoy dark fantasy, strong heroines, fairytale retellings, and stories about family and romantic love.

– About the Author –

I’m the author of Spindle Fire (coming April 2017 from Harper!), Proof of Forever, and the poetry collection Acquainted with the Cold, which won the 2012 Foreword Book of the Year Award’s Gold Prize for Poetry. I’m also the co-founder of creative development company Paper Lantern Lit. My poetry was anthologized in Best New Poets 2012, and appears in several journals. I live in Carroll Gardens with my husband, daughter, and a very skinny orange tree. Follow me on instagram @ProofOfLex and twitter @Lexa_Hillyer !

– Purchase Links –

THANK YOU FOR READING MY BOOK REVIEW! HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK? WHAT DID YOU THINK? AND IF YOU HAVEN’T READ IT YET, DO YOU WANT TO, OR NOT? HOW COME? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!