Review – Glamour in Glass

Title: Glamour in Glass

Author: Mary Robinette Kowal

Genre: Fantasy/Regency/Romance

Publisher: Tor Books

Publish date: April 10, 2012 (1 edition)

Available at: Amazon – Barnes and Noble

If you have not read Book One then do not read the blurb of Book Two or the review below because it contains spoilers.

In the tumultuous months after Napoleon abdicates his throne, Jane and Vincent go to Belgium for their honeymoon. While there, the deposed emperor escapes his exile in Elba, throwing the continent into turmoil. With no easy way back to England, Jane and Vincent’s concerns turn from enjoying their honeymoon…to escaping it.

Left with no outward salvation, Jane must persevere over her trying personal circumstances and use her glamour to rescue her husband from prison . . . and hopefully prevent her newly built marriage from getting stranded on the shoals of another country’s war.

If anything, the second book in the series is better then the first. There’s more action. There’s more romance of a different kind. There’s more adventure.

Jane proves to be of very stern stuff when she attempts to rescue Vincent. She does bend but she does not break.  In the time before his arrest, their marriage undergoes some strain and again her strength comes to play.

What I really liked about this book was how glamour played a more interesting role. Vincent and Jane endeavor to record glamours in glass, thus the title. It’s never been done before so they’re pioneers in the field. Glamour also ends up having some practical usage in the end instead of being purely decorative.

Vincent is learning to treat Jane as an equal partner in all things. I really liked seeing that. Jane helps him with his glamurals which are constructs of glamours. She helps build them and she helps with the design. He’s still used to working on his own and he makes quite a few mistakes, but he values her as a partner and it shows. I don’t think you make the transition from being a bachelor and working alone to being married with a working partner without some gaffes.

I think what I liked most about this book was that it didn’t have a suger-coated ending. It ended in a very realistic way. My biggest disappointment was that there wasn’t another book waiting for me when I was finished.

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