The Glittering World

December 1, 2014
When Blue travels to the remote community of Starling Cove to settle his late grandmother's affairs, he's expecting nothing more than a pleasure jaunt with friends and a touch of nostalgia for the place where he was born. What he gets instead is a trip into the mystical and weird, a sense that slowly overtakes him until the night that he and his best friend, Elisa, vanish from their vacation rental, leaving behind Blue's adoring friend Gabe and Elisa's husband, Jason. Told by each of the four characters in turn, the story meanders through their various mind-sets. All four share a certain disconsolate moodiness, whether the character is merely unrooted and unhappy with life, or desperately searching for a long-lost love whose physical absence parallels the emotional separation he's been trying to ignore. This melancholy novel, meant to dance on the edge of horror, strikes a note that is dim instead of dark, wandering deeply into introspection as the plot creeps onward.

October 1, 2015

A simple road trip to the island of Cape Breton, Canada, turns into much more when Blue and his three friends travel there so he can sell his deceased grandmother's house. The area around Starling Cove is magical-the greens are greener, artists churn out more artwork, and the people are happier. Blue doesn't remember much about his childhood at the artists' colony, which burned down, but when he and his friends visit its charred remains, memories return in dreams and flashbacks. And then Blue and his friend Elisa disappear. The locals drop hints about The Other Kind, and Elisa's husband and Blue's friend must investigate to find the two missing friends. Magical realism and a dark fey world collide in this grown-up tale that readers of Holly Black's Tithe (S. & S., 2002) will enjoy. It's told in four sections, each from the point of view of one of the four main characters. Dark fairies live underground in Starling Cove, and their interactions with humans are more like horrific alien encounters than those with beautiful fairies in traditional tales. The main characters are adults who behave like confused adolescents-partying and running away from reality-and many teens will find them relatable. Give to readers who grew up on Julie Kagawa's "The Iron Fey" (Harlequin Teen) series and are looking for something more mature. VERDICT Recommended for fans of dark fairy tales.-Sarah Hill, Lake Land College, Mattoon, IL

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2015

We first meet Michael "Blue" Whitley en route from New York to his remote Canadian hometown. Accompanied by friends Jason, Elisa, and Gabe, Blue is headed home to settle a deceased relative's estate near the idyllic, artsy, and now defunct commune of Starling Cove Friendship Colony. Soon after their arrival, Blue and Elisa disappear into a fantastical world of both nostalgia and physical absence, channeling suppressed and forgotten truths about their shared past. But this isn't the first time Blue has gone missing. He soon begins to recollect buried childhood memories and learns the truth about who he really is. VERDICT Balancing between supernatural and fantasy, this debut novel is fast paced, yet it also succeeds as a reflective tale of self-discovery. Levy divides the narration into four separate sections, one from each character's point of view. Well crafted, atmospheric, and whimsical, this will attract readers who enjoy Neil Gaiman and Mark Z. Danielewski.--Carolann Curry, Mercer Univ. Lib., Macon, GA

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.