Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore

Release Date: Available Now from Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

Source: From Publisher

Synopsis:

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.

What a truly lovely book. I've read a few not so glowing reviews, but this book just really captured my heart and my attention from page one. I was instantly swept away into Nimira's world of "Trouser Girls," magic, and gentlemen. All of Dolamore's characters were very well-written and made for an intriguing tale of love, power, and revenge.

I loved Nimira and Erris' story and found myself cheering for them from the get-go. Hollin Parry's story was also fascinating in that whole Jane Eyre kind of way. He was one of those tragic characters that I couldn't help but feel for.

The way this book ended, I really feel like a sequel is imminent and that excites me very much. Dolamore has written such a lovely and lyrical book, that was at the same time a quick and fun read. There was some truly beautiful imagery in this book and I really felt like I was immersed in Nimira's world while reading these pages.

These early tenners are really setting this up to be a great year. I can't wait to see what's in story as 2010 rolls on.