In the magical world of Lorinar, Nimira is an exotic and dark-skinned trouser-girl who sings and dances in music halls for money. She's away from her homeland of Tiansher and is extremely poor, so when wealthy Hollin Parry offers her a job singing with an automaton, she readily accepts. But rumors that the automaton is haunted cause Nimira to closely examine it, and she discovers that a fairy is trapped in the mechanical body! As she talks to Erris, the fairy, he tells her how the current Ambassador of Magic killed the previous Ambassador and how fairies are being tortured by a council of sorcerers that Hollin is a part of. As Nimira tries to help Erris, she can't help falling in love with him and is determined to find a way to save him.
I thought that Magic Under Glass was an okay book. The synopsis makes it sound like it will be an action-packed romantic fantasy, but I think it fell short of its expectations. I liked how the author created a new magical world, but it had parallels to history, like Lorinar resembling England and Tiansher, where Nimira was born, resembling India or Africa. I also liked the similarities to Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, which I am currently reading. However, I didn't think the relationship between Nimira and Erris, the automaton, was believable. She was supposed to be in love with him, but there wasn't much development, character- and relationship-wise, between the two of them. Even though there were things I disliked about Magic Under Glass, I still enjoyed reading it, and I think fans of fantasy will find this book to their liking.
Reviewer Age:18
Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston, Pennsylvania United States
