{Review + Excerpt} GLASS FROST by Liz DeJesus

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FIRST FROST!

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O P E N I N G   H O O K:

    TERRANCE WAS HERE.
    Bianca took a deep breath, and as she exhaled, her lips trembled. She felt like the last leaf on a bare tree. The breeze could've knocked her off her feet. She blinked, wondering if she was hallucinating somehow. She wouldn't be surprised, especially after everything she had been through in the past few weeks. But no matter how many times she blinked, Terrance was still in front of her.
    Her heart skipped a beat. Love. The agony and ecstasy of it all coursing through her veins.

(Page 6, US e-book edition)

GLASS FROST is a direct sequel to its predecessor, FIRST FROST. I re-posted my review of the first book today if you'd rather read that one instead, since spoilers abound moving forward!

Return to Everafter with Bianca for another great adventure. In FIRST FROST, Bianca discovered that she's the descendant of Snow White. She has more power than she ever imagined possible, and she's going to need to learn all about it in order to survive her second visit in Everafter. Someone has stolen one of Cinderella's magical glass slippers, and if both shoes come together, evil magic will ensue. The quest is full of peril, but with her beloved Terrance and their friend Prince Ferdinand at her side, Bianca is ready to once more save the realm...if she can figure out how to do so!

If you're a fan of mashed-up fairy tales such as the ones Alethea Kontis spins (ENCHANTED, HERO), you'll love this series from Liz DeJesus. While FIRST FROST was sweet and made you want to live in a fairy tale museum, GLASS FROST takes the world so much further. There's more grit, more interlocking tales, more wonder, more danger, more romance. There's just more. I was so much more enchanted the second time around, anad loved seeing all of the fairy tales woven into the story. DeJesus is a pro at descriptive setting. In the first book, she made me want to live in a fairy tale museum. This time around, I wanted to live in the cottage of the Seven Dwarves. Such stunning visuals that you wish really existed!

DeJesus has also gotten her hands dirty exploring her characters in more detail. One of my complaints in the first book was that  the characters weren't all that deep. They were still intriguing and interesting, but there's wasn't that much depth. We really begin to see them and explore more in this latest novel. There are also a lot of great new characters, and the story had an overall richer feel in tone. I'm really intrigued to see where DeJesus takes us next, and watching Bianca and Terrencce as their bond grows even deeper.

~*~

Bianca turned around, ready to leave the Fairy Realm, defeated and with no answers when something hit her. What if Fanny could understand her questions regardless of what the queen thought? What was the harm in asking? Bianca shrugged and turned back toward Fanny. Terrance put a hand on her shoulder and tried to stop her. His eyes widened, with a look he asked her what she was doing. She patted his hand and walked away, convinced that what she was about to do was right.

“What does she think she’s doing?” Titania asked.

Bianca hesitated for a moment, worried about what the queen would do to her. But Titania remained still, almost as if she was as curious as everyone else to see how Fanny would react to Bianca.

Fanny danced around Bianca as though she were invisible. She just twirled and giggled as though someone had told a funny joke.

Why won’t she see me? Am I invisible to her?

“Hello,” Bianca cried. She touched Fanny on the elbow, hoping deep inside to make a connection. A flash of light blinded her momentarily, and she felt an electric current race through her body. The power from that knocked Bianca on the floor on her rear end.

Fanny miraculously stopped. She remained silent at first. Then she turned her dark brown eyes at Bianca. They held so much sorrow and pain.

“Fanny, can you hear me?” Bianca asked.

“Yes,” she replied. Her eyes widened in surprise, as though she was amazed that she was still able to use her voice.

Fanny then gagged. She got on all fours and heaved until a single white rose passed through her lips. The flower was covered with bile and saliva as it fell heavily on the ground.

Bianca sat beside Fanny, her hand hovering over her shoulder precariously. She was scared of what else would happen should she touch Fanny once more.

“I’m so sorry. I forgot that it would cause you pain to speak.”

Fanny looked into Bianca’s eyes. She shrugged and gave Bianca a sad smile.

           

“My name is Bianca. Those are my friends over there, Ming, Terrance, and Prince Ferdinand. We’re all here because we need your help.”

 

~*~

C O N T E N T R A T I N G S

Content Ratings: highlight between ( ) for details

Romance: PG ( lots of (clean) kissing )

Language: PG13 ( light language )
Violence: PG13 ( some blood; one particularly gruesome image toward the end )

Other: --

~*~

C O V E R   D E S I G N:

I would love a little cohesion between the covers in this series. Maybe there will be a redesign when the third book releases!

The Snow White theme is definitely important in this series--and this book!!! So the apple and Snow White-esque model work well for the theme!

   ~*~

O F F I C I A L   I N F O:

Title:  GLASS FROST

Author: Liz DeJesus

Release Date: July 19, 2013
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Received: For Review

SUMMARY:

When joined together, Cinderella's slippers grant the wearer her heart's desire. But whose wish will be granted?

When Cinderella’s glass slipper is stolen, Queen Felicia sends her faithful steward Terrance to the real world to retrieve his love and witch-in-training, Bianca Frost. The power of the glass slipper in the wrong hands could ruin peace in Everafter. Bianca must gather every bit of magic she has learned in the past few weeks to find the slipper and protect her new love. Together, Bianca, Ming, Prince Ferdinand, and Terrance venture deep into the heart of Everafter to seek clues as to who has stolen the slipper and why. Along the way, they uncover what happened to the Seven Dwarves after Snow White married the prince, but also learn the awful risk of tampering with black magic and the high price that must be paid for magical aid, even when used for good.

Bianca and Terrance’s relationship is put to the test. Through the pain of suffering and loss, Bianca must determine if following her gallant boyfriend into his faraway world is in fact her heart's desire.

~*~

Liz DeJesus was born on the tiny island of Puerto Rico. She is a novelist and a poet. She has been writing for as long as she was capable of holding a pen. She is the author of the novel NINA (Blu Phi'er Publishing, October 2007), THE JACKETS (Arte Publico Press, March 31st 2011) FIRST FROST (Musa Publishing, June 22nd 2012) and GLASS FROST (Musa Publishing).

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