The Glass Gargoyle by Marie Andreas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
When I started reading The Glass Gargoyle, I thought it was going to be a fun read. The more into it I got, the more I realized it was something much rarer–a *great* one, with characters that jump off the page, led by a really likable but unlikely heroine I could easily become best friends with. I also loved the rising paranoia as friend became foe and foe became friend–you never know if anyone is what they seem (save for Taryn, the heroine–and even she has her secrets!) The tension and suspense kept me on the edge of my seat, thanks to an original and unpredictable plot. Grim things happened far too often–and yet, if I could enter that world and go drink at the Shimmering Dewdrop with Foxy and Harlan and Taryn, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
Taryn’s three little fairy friends prove to be full of surprises. They flutter perilously on the edge of cuteness, but they are never cutesy. They are exasperating, lovable and (like everyone else in the novel) full of surprises. They are hilariously funny at times (the squirrels. Oh, the squirrels!). And brave, as well as loyal. In fact, the whole book is a skillful maze of magic, humor, horror and surprises, and the world they all inhabit is fully realized, rich and elusive. The ending too was absolutely perfect, and wicked, and made me laugh out loud.
Marie Andreas slowly peels away layer upon layer, getting to the true core of each of the key characters with breathtaking skill. I am going to buy a hard copy print version of this book: It’s going in my bookshelf of lifetime favorite books. And I sure hope there are more adventures for Taryn and her friends that I can tag vicariously along for.