BOOK REVIEW - MAGIC UNDER GLASS by JACLYN DOLAMORE

Title:           MAGIC UNDER GLASS
Author:       JACLYN DOLAMORE
Publisher:   Bloomsbury
Pages:        Paperback, 225 pages
Acquired:   Purchased from The Book Depository

RATING:   3 OUT OF 5

Description from Goodreads: 

Nimira is a music-hall performer forced to dance for pennies to an audience of leering drunks. When wealthy sorcerer Hollin Parry hires her to do a special act - singing accompaniment to an exquisite piano-playing automaton, Nimira believes it is the start of a new life. In Parry's world, however, buried secrets stir.

Unsettling below-stairs rumours abound about ghosts, a mad woman roaming the halls, and of Parry's involvement in a gang of ruthless sorcerers who torture fairies for sport. When Nimira discovers the spirit of a dashing young fairy gentleman is trapped inside the automaton's stiff limbs, waiting for someone to break the curse and set him free, the two fall in love. But it is a love set against a dreadful race against time to save the entire fairy realm, which is in mortal peril

REVIEW:

This book sat on my shelf for a couple of months as I played catch up with series I had been hanging out to the new releases for!!! Now that I am all caught up it's time to read all the books I purchased that looked like they could be pretty good!
Magic Under Glass is the debut novel for Jaclyn Dolamore.  There is a sequel to be released in 2012, Magic Under Stone.
Overall, I enjoyed the story. It made for a quick and easy read. I liked that Erris' soul/being was trapped inside the automaton which could only "come to life" when wound by a key. Jaclyn wrote Erris in a very clever way - though once de-robed I lost any romantic connection with the poor machine!!  the image I conjured up just wasn't very satisfying!!
Nimira was a little too hung up on her past lavish life in her home country.  Face it girl, you cracked the poops with your menacing dad and left.......you had to take whatever job you could and the fancy dancing that was highly regarded back home was seen more as a poor-girl's dance club in your new world!! Suck it up lovey!!
Hollin is a bit of dithering fool.  He needed to grow a set and a back bone at the same time!! LOL!! He had all good intentions with Nimira but just seemed lacking any strength in his manliness. He did come through, a bit, in the end.
I liked Miss Rashten.  She was just plain mean, nasty and calculating from the start to the end. Her character was very good to have around in the house.
Annalie is wonderful. Though a back-seat character, I found her to be very likeable from her first entrance. Annalie and her magic were just simply misunderstood by her husband Hollin and manipulated by the likes of the dastardly Mr Smollings.

Enjoy! 

Marissa