Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.

Quick & Dirty: A different departure from the first book. More of a contemporary story about self discovery with paranormal hints.

Opening Sentence: I’m flying.

The Review:

Glass Heart by Amy Garvey is the follow up book to Cold Kiss. Garvey made a fan out of me when I read Cold Kiss and couldn’t wait to read Glass Heart. There was something about the way Garvey wrote Cold Kiss. How it symbolized love as unforgiving and relentless. Garvey writes in a way where her message stands out, becomes powerful and emotionally crushing. Needless to say, I couldn’t wait to dive in.

In Glass Heart, Wren is a little more sure of her power. Her relationship with Gabriel is growing, but they still haven’t fully addressed the issue of Danny. Picking up right where Cold Kiss left off, Wren is intoxicated with the adrenaline rush of her powers. Where she was reluctant before, she feels more confident and sure. But she only hesitates using it because of her conscience, and because of Gabriel. Wren’s newfound addiction to magic becomes dangerous, and she slowly begins to slip. Wren loses control of her life at home, of her relationship with Gabriel, and everything else around her.

Wren is a lot stronger, a little more grown up, and a lot more confident. She’s more outspoken, never backing down from what she feels. Magic plays a large role in her life, and it seems to consume her. For a while, I thought she didn’t learn from the incident with Danny. Wren’s emotions consume her, allowing her to act before thinking. It brings her to a lot of danger, many things that I couldn’t believe she did. It wasn’t as easy to love Wren. I thought she was making the same mistakes. I wish that she would just learn from someone properly, instead of living through her life blindly.

I loved Gabriel in Cold Kiss, but had a hard time feeling the same in Glass Heart. Where I thought he was someone who stood by Wren, he was distant now. I realize that he has his own issues, but it seemed that his character persona changed a little. He wasn’t the saving grace anymore, but that was probably the point. Wren probably had to find her own way, learning the hard way and etc.

Magic in a contemporary setting is never easy. Garvey wrote this world very realistically but with a few paranormal elements here and there. The introduction of new characters, writing to get to know existing ones, Garvey did it in a way that wasn’t mundane or uninteresting. Garvey wrote in twists and a plot that flowed well with the main characters issues. Garvey also hints on acceptance of self and the discovery to it. Wren falls in the wrong crowd, lured by what she believes is “right now.” It was interesting to see how Garvey wrote that problem and brought about the solution.

Glass Heart is a different type of story, not necessarily following in the same pattern as Cold Kiss. It’s okay, because it drew me in more. I was hooked; intrigued by how Garvey would develop Wren and where she would take her. Glass Heart was darker and edgier, definitely appealing to my age.

Great read. Looking forward to more of Garvey’s work.

Notable Scene:

Then he looks up and sees me, and his smile stretches out, warm and slow, the truth of it right there in his strange gray eyes.

Happiness is a sudden stare flare, so perfect it takes my breath away. Even with Geoff banging around in the kitchen and Trevor grumbling at a customer, all I can think is, Yes, this. I want to keep this.

I push my hair out of my eyes, and let it come. It’s nearly transparent, hovering in midair — a photograph, square and old fashioned. The rippled edges make it look as if it’s been torn from a sheet of paper. It flutters to the floor, and Gabriel, Jess, and Dar smile out at me from its face, soft and blurred like a wet watercolor.

It’s a picture torn right out of my head.

FTC Advisory: HarperTeen provided me with a copy of Glass Heart. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

I adore Amy Garvey's writing style. And this book had me literally laughing out loud many times. But I think Cold Kiss should have been left as a stand-alone. The only real purpose I found was to tie up the loose ends from Cold Kiss. We also see Wren learning about and trying out her magic a lot more. (Robin, too!)

I still love Wren and her two friends, Darcia and Jess, but something about how Gabriel is portrayed in Glass Heart made me like him a little less. We do get about three significant new characters in this on but since they are not mentioned in the summary, I'll leave you to meet them on your own. Let's just say I only like one out of the three. Robin, the mom, Aunt Mari, and Mr. Purrfect are still awesome, too.

Three stars because I really love the characters, the writing, and the humor. No more than that because I didn't connect with the plot. Cold Kiss was such and intriguing story, but nothing in Glass Heart really left an impression on me. However, it was a really quick read and it was nice to get a ton of questions answered. Because of that, if you really liked the first one, please read this one!

I don't know if there is anymore about Wren, Gabriel, and their friends coming, but if there is I will read it. And I can't wait to read more from Amy Garvey. ( )

If you’ve followed the blog for the last year or so, you know that Cold Kiss was one of my favorite books last year. It was fresh, emotional and the writing was absolutely gorgeous. I was a bit hesitant to read this installment because I felt that everything ended perfectly (or at least as perfect as it could considering the circumstances) in the first book and I wasn’t sure where the story could go from there.

In Glass Heart Wren has picked up the pieces (or at least has made a pretty good start) after sending Danny, the love of her life, back to the grave. Things are looking up for her. She and Gabriel’s relationship is going strong and her relationship with her mother is on the mend, even if her little sister’s mood swings tend to cause a bit of family tension. When Wren meets Bay and Fiona, she finds herself finally connected to others with powers like hers and she can’t help but explore them despite Gabriel’s insistence that she stay away from these people and keep her powers at bay. As Wren involves herself with Bay and Fiona despite Gabriel’s warnings she soon realizes she may be getting in over her head and she might just lose Gabriel in the process.

As I said before, I wasn’t sure why Cold Kiss needed a sequel, and after reading Glass Heart, I know that it really didn’t. I’m still not exactly sure what the point of the book was. Don’t get me wrong, Ms. Garvey’s writing is flawless and I love her voice and the way she so deeply and effortlessly gets the reader into her characters heads. It was the story I had problems with. I get why Wren feels the need to understand and explore her powers, but she made a ton of really bad decisions, and constantly tested her relationship with Gabriel and the rest of her family by not following their warnings. There were several times when I wanted to just smack her. She was also very wishy washy. One minute she’s fighting with Gabe and then she’s reflecting on how she can’t live without him. All I could keep thinking was, “Then quit acting like an idiot.” In the first book I could totally understand why Wren did what she did with Danny, and the journey she takes to make things right was deeply emotional and heartbreaking. I hoped to see a smarter, stronger Wren in this book, but that didn’t happen.

When I finished the book, I was very underwhelmed. Ms. Garvey’s writing kept me reading, and I really hoped the story would turn around and take me to the same place that Cold Kiss did, but sadly, it just didn’t deliver. ( )

As you can see, lately I have been catching up on a lot of sequels. After Cold Kiss amazed me, I'm totally thrilled to have had the chance to read this story.

Right at the start of this story, the reader steps right into the story where the author left off. If you have not read the first book, I strongly suggest you do. I'll do my best not to have any spoilers in this review, but be aware that a lot of what is going on in this story, jumps into this one. So, with that said, things get much more dangerous for Wren. She is learning to work with her powers and seems to being a good job, but you know there is always trouble lurking around the corner. I liked that this plot is a bit darker than the first. Wren just wants to be accepted by the one she loves, yet find herself leaning towards a bad crowd.

The love interest is major drama. And honestly, I felt like it was all Wren fault. For me, I understand where she is coming from but I too also get where Gabriel is coming from. Some parts of the story, I wanted to smack some sense into Wren. A lot of problems could have been prevented if she for once, listen to him. *SMH* Teenage girls! LOL!

Not to mention that awesome plot twist and turns and major character additions that sweetens up this story. I'm happy that as the reader, I got some more insight on what really happen between...you know who.

Glass Heart is a good sequel, but I expected more. I wanted to feel the same high I got with the first book, but it just wasn't there for me. Still, Glass Heart is smart and exciting. The parts of danger and darkness, left my heart pounding for more. Glass Heart is good. ( )