REVIEW ~ GLASS HEART (COLD KISS #2) by AMY GARVERY

Series: Cold Kiss #2
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: September 18, 2012
Format: ARC
Pages: 320
Source: Received from publisher for review.

Wren can do things that other people can only dream of. Make it snow on a clear, crisp day. Fly through an abandoned tunnel. Bring a paper bird to life.

Wren knows her abilities are tinged with danger—knows how easy it is to lose control—but she can't resist the intoxicating rush. And now that she has Gabriel by her side, someone who knows what she can do—what she has done—she finally feels free to be herself.

But as Wren explores the possibilities of her simmering powers, Gabriel starts pushing her away. Telling her to be careful. Telling her to stop. The more he cautions her, the more determined Wren becomes to prove that she can handle things on her own. And by the time she realizes that Gabriel may be right, it could be too late to bring him back to her side.
 

When I finished Cold Kiss, and wiped all my tears away, I imagined that Wren and Gabriel had a sweet "happily ever after". But considering that Wren is a witch with unharnessed powers and Gabriel is psychic, I suppose I should have known better. Wren is happy with Gabriel, slowly and surely falling in love with the boy who supported her when she needed to save herself. But the pull of her magic is strong. Wren has the ability that few witches her age have experienced. Wren's power worries Gabriel. That and his hesitation to reveal pieces of  his past has Wren frustrated and more than happy to find friends who share her power. But magic demands a price, and Gabe may be the one to pay up.

Amy Garvey has the most masterful way with words. Her words flow in such a lyrical, striking, poetic manner that they feel like a punch in the soul. I believe that she could make even the most mundane of stories sound whimsical and gripping. I'm just simply in awe of her style.

Cold Kiss is one of my favorite books. So I should say that I had (maybe unreasonably) high expectations for Glass Heart. I did enjoy the story. It was very nicely written, but there just wasn't a hook that I felt pulled me inside the story. The bulk of Glass Heart is the forging of a solid, enduring relationship for Wren and Gabriel, which gives natural drama, but it wasn't all that exciting. There was a lot of back and forth between the two, fighting and making up. I enjoyed it, because I love the writing and I love the characters, but I could see how other readers might feel a bit frustrated.

Glass Heart is by turns charming and whimsical, yet dark and twisty. And though it doesn't share the same desperate intensity, it's a book Cold Kiss fans will enjoy.

Favorite Quote:

"Being with Gabriel isn't like that at all. It's a taste of the cleanest, sweetest water you can imagine, cool and pure and addictive, rushing in to fill every crack, soothe every smarting, rough place inside, but it never fills me up. Even now, I always want more." (pg 4)

"When Gabriel takes my hand, pressing our palms together and twining our fingers, our heartbeats are right there, suddenly one, a sure, steady pulse echoing through our skin. It's hypnotic, perfect, seeping into every cell as if we're fused, and all the ways I can think to describe it are too much and too little. It's like a candy buzz, or the first dizzying swoop of beer in your stomach, the sensation of floating right before you fall asleep, the needling heat of a foot gone to sleep. All of it and none of it, but good. So good...." (pg 46)


You can purchase Glass Heart at:
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