* * *
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.
So guess who went all fangirl in the bookstore when she
eyed this one? That’s right – me. Cold Kiss was one of my Top 10 reads from
last year so I squealed ever so slightly when I saw this. To recap, Wren’s a
witch and in the previous book brought her dead boyfriend Danny back to life…
sort of. He was really more zombie-like and eventually with Gabriel’s help (he
just happens to be psychic); Wren righted everything by returning Danny to the afterlife.
In Glass Heart, Wren and Gabriel are together now and she's enjoying her newfound happiness though it’s clear that she’s still working on
moving past Danny. Being her first love, she does tend to compare the two guys.
The most notable difference that bothers her is that Danny was an open book to
her and Gabriel is the opposite.
The struggle in Glass Heart is Wren’s curioisty to learn more about her powers, to let loose and be herself. She accepts that magic is a
huge part of who she is and wants to be able to unleash that part of herself. Gabriel on the other hand is insistent on discretion. Gabriel has this quiet reassuring quality about him and he’s very much her protector. He’s constantly worried for her and
admonishes her every now and again for her lack of judgment. This difference in opinion drives a
wedge between them and forces Wren to fall in with other like-minded people with the
same abilities. This spells trouble.
There’s a distinct difference between Cold Kiss and Glass
Heart. Glass Heart doesn’t have the heavy weight of mourning and loss
that the previous one did. This time it's purely
about high school and the growing pains of finding your place. Wren’s
feeling hopless because she cannot publicly show her abilities and she envies
her friends who can show off their talents. Glass Heart is also about rebuilding family. Now
that her mother openly admits to their magical inheritance, Wren, her sister, her
mother and aunt have to work through the transition.
I was happy with Cold Kiss as a standalone and to be
honest, I had no idea how it could even go further from there. Amy Garvey did a wonderful job allowing Wren to be a typical adolescent. It’s tough enough being a teenager these days but being one
with special abilities can be an isolating experience. Wren may behave like a petulant child occasionally
making some seriously questionable decisions but this is what Glass Heart is all about –
developing into your own through false starts and rough moments. In the end she realizes where exactly she is.
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