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Charlotte O.

Ink, Iron, and Glass by Gwendolyn Clare (3/5)

Ink, Iron, and Glass is a fiction/fantasy novel, and the first in a duology. It follows the story of the girl Elsa, who has the innate ability to create new worlds through a branch of science called scriptology. By simply writing with the right pen in the right book, she can bring worlds to life, like the world penned by her mother, that she comes from. But when her home is attacked, and her mother kidnapped, Elsa must go to the real world in order to save her. Set in alternative Victorian Italy, Elsa finds a society of young scientists, gifted in alchemy, mechanics, and scriptology. There she meets Leo, a charismatic mechanist with a tragic past, Porzia, a scriptologist with heavy responsibilities on her shoulders, and Faraz, an alchemist with a big heart and a strange creature. Together, they uncover a political conspiracy and a plot to create a devastating weapon. With her new “friends”, Elsa races to save her mother, her world, and the new world she is growing to love.

The plot of this book definitely grabbed my interest. It was a fast read, with a fast plot. There was a breadth of characters, (that were mostly likable), the idea creative, and there were several twists that I never saw coming. The novel didn’t really provide a strong moral, and wasn’t much more than a read for amusement, not one to teach a lesson. The book was entertaining enough for me to want to read the sequel, however, I found myself disappointed.

The writing wasn’t anything special, (often undescriptive, and unappealing to the senses) and the original idea and spirit of the book that drew me in was lost by the end of the novel. The characters felt flat and undeveloped, often being bipolar, and whiny. The romance, meant to have such an influence on the story, was rather predictable, and felt cliche at times. This book heavily relied on a fast pace, however, I often found myself having to flip back to understand what was going on, and reread confusing passages. The lack of depth put into the elements that could have made this book amazing, (like the magical worlds and abilities,) was what I found the most disappointing. I wouldn’t classify this book as bad, but certainly not as great either. Ultimately, the idea was far cooler than the execution. If someone was asking me for a really good novel to read, this would not be the one I’d recommend. I would call this a “last resort” novel, for when you’re out of ideas of things to read. This book is nothing noteworthy, but is diverting. My advice to you if you wish to read this, is to not go in with high expectations, because they will not be met.




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