The Glass Spare

August 1, 2017

Gr 9 Up-As the only daughter of the king and queen of Arrod, Wil spends her days doing her father's bidding and her beloved brother's favors. Locked in a life-threatening confrontation with an angry man, Wil discovers that her touch can turn anything living into precious stone. Both fascinated and repulsed by her powers, Wil encounters family tragedy and is banished from her kingdom. In her search to discover the truth behind her affliction, she meets up with a prince banished from a different kingdom, one that stands at the precipice of war with Arrod. As the two bond and continue their efforts to unlock the mystery of Wil's touch, they eventually sail their way into peril, and Wil's powers may be the only thing that keep them alive. From the initial scenes in Arrod to the stormy seas that lay between kingdoms, the setting of The Glass Spare is richly imagined. Marrying technological savvy with a more traditional high fantasy sensibility lets the narrative details stand out from the pack in the genre. Wil's journey is engrossing, and her relationships with the cursed prince and his wife are well-drawn. While the pacing drags a bit in the middle, readers will be eager to discover the truth about Wil and may be frustrated by the existence of a sequel. VERDICT A unique, adventurous fantasy perfect for young adult collections.-Erinn Black Salge, Morristown-Beard School, NJ

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2017
A princess struggles to cope with newfound powers in DeStefano's most recent venture.Fifteen-year-old Wil, the white fourth child and only daughter of Arrod's royal family, has always known her place within her family. As the final spare in her family's lineage, she knows she doesn't serve a great purpose for her family--unlike Owen, the heir, or Gerdie, the sickly alchemist/inventor. But everything changes for Wil when, in a moment of self-defense, she discovers a power she didn't know she had: with any adrenaline rush, she's able, with a Midas-like touch, to fatally turn any living thing into a gemstone. Realizing that she, like Gerdie, could become a pawn in her power-hungry father's war games, she keeps her powers a secret--until she accidentally kills one of her brothers in front of their father and is promptly banished. But soon she's kidnapped by a pair of rebels, including the enemy kingdom's banished prince Loom, and they rope her into their assassination plot, while brown-skinned Loom worms his way into her heart. While the finale clearly leads to a sequel, uneven pacing and a distant third-person narration make investment in these fairly generic characters difficult. A choppy mix of fantasy, science fiction, and steampunk (curses and "paralysis bullets," newfangled "electric carriages" and solar panels, dirigibles and "data goggles") leaves the worldbuilding hazy, while classic themes of monstrosity and humanity, science versus magic go underexplored. Only for those with spare funds or spare time. (Fantasy. 12-18)

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September 11, 2017
Fifteen-year-old Wilhelmina “Wil” Heidle is a “spare,” fourth in line to the throne of Arrod behind Owen the heir, gifted alchemist Gerdie, and the unrelentingly cruel Baren. During an attack by a ruffian, Wil discovers that her touch can turn people into gemstones, killing them. She’s horrified, and Owen warns her that their father will surely use her for his own purposes. Hoping to gain the king’s favor, Wil sets out on a spying mission but accidentally kills Owen. Exiled by her father, a grief-stricken Wil sets out into the world, hoping to find someone to help her; when she meets the mysterious Loom, she is shocked to discover that he’s immune to her touch. Wil is sympathetic, and her power (although limited) is terrifying, but DeStefano (the Chemical Garden series) doesn’t imbue the larger cast with many standout characteristics. The worldbuilding is thinly sketched, as well: telephones, dirigibles, data goggles, and digital technology exist alongside traditional fantasy elements in a way that makes it hard to get a full sense of the setting. Ages 13–up. Agent: Barbara Poelle, Irene Goodman Agency.

August 1, 2017
Grades 8-12 Wilhelmina is the fourth child of the king of Arrod, and from birth, she's been unique. There's the strange birthmark between her ribs, the queen's assertion that even death fears her, and her ability to turn living things into rare jewelssomething she'd prefer to hide from her power-hungry father, who would use her gift/curse to support his war on the Southern Isles. On the run after inadvertently turning her beloved older brother to diamond, Wil encounters Loom, the crown prince of the Southern Isles, who is exiled from his own kingdom and considering patricide. Loom wants Wil's help to save his country, even if he's under a curse that prevents him from living there. Can these two cast-off royals find common ground and maybe even be good for each other? A captivating and well-written fantasy adventure, this is less edgy than DeStefano's Chemical Garden series and boasts a feisty female lead afflicted with a Midas-like touch and surrounded by foes, friends, and family, all of which will engage readers' emotions. The ending indicates a sequel that readers will anxiously await.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)