Shadows of Glass

June 15, 2013
What ought to be a tense story of discovery after escaping a post-apocalyptic steampunk hellscape is overwhelmed by a bland, unremarkable love triangle. At the end of Ashes of Twilight (2012), Wren led her fellow coal-mining villagers out of the dome that's imprisoned them for generations. The outside world is not blazing afire, as their rulers have assured them ever since the comet that sent their people into the domes generations ago, during the Victoria era. Though the sun burns their pale skin, and the fresh air (ridiculously) kills many of the escapees, Wren is determined never to go back. Though the events of the first book ended Wren's previous wearisome love triangle, never fear: A new charismatic young man appears, along with some other outlandish adventurers, to add ponderous romantic tension. Wren's ogling of all the boys--"[t]he smooth breadth of their chests, the work of the muscles in the back, the dips and curves in the stomachs and hips"--is endless. She's not even distracted by the nigh-feral attackers outside the dome: stinky, toothless and speaking in a laughable hillbilly dialect (in coastal Wales, these ruffians deliver such gems as "I'm ah-tellin-ya"). A jumble of characters and stereotypes does not constitute worldbuilding. Skip. (Steampunk. 14-16)

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February 1, 2014

Gr 7 Up-In the wake of an underground explosion that freed former cadet Pace, shiner Wren, and some of the villagers from the dome in Ashes of Twilight (St. Martin's Griffin, 2012), the group must work together to survive. The world outside the dome, while beautiful, is not the safe haven for which they have hoped. Many of the group who survived the explosion and subsequent flood are children, making the group more vulnerable. Wren takes the survival of the group personally and believes that her curiosity is the reason for the death and destruction. She worries about rovers, others who escaped the dome and are determined to survive at all costs. The survivors soon discover temporary salvation that arrives by airship from America. Their new friends Zan, Levi, and others share food, medicine, weapons, and training. Wren finds herself questioning her feelings for Pace and recognizing her growing attraction to Levi and the fascinating life he represents. When word arrives that their friends still inside the dome need help, they decide to embark on a rescue mission. The steampunk elements of this novel are more prominent than the first. Unfortunately, Wren's voice comes across as weaker and more self-involved in this installment. Uneven pacing further slows the action. Overall, however, the cliff-hanger ending will keep fans of the first book following Wren's adventures.-Kelly Jo Lasher, Middle Township High School, Cape May Court House, NJ

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