Sisters of Glass
by Stephanie Hemphill
2.5 Stars: An Okay Read
Publication: March 27, 2012 (Hardback)
Pages: 160
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf BFYR (imprint of Random House Children’s Books)
Buy it: Amazon (Hardcopy) | Kindle | B&N | Book Depository
Maria is the younger daughter of an esteemed family on the island of Murano, the traditional home for Venetian glassmakers. Though she longs to be a glassblower herself, glassblowing is not for daughters—that is her brother’s work. Maria has only one duty to perform for her family: before her father died, he insisted that she be married into the nobility, even though her older sister, Giovanna, should rightfully have that role. Not only is Giovanna older, she’s prettier, more graceful, and everyone loves her.
Maria would like nothing more than to allow her beautiful sister, who is far more able and willing to attract a noble husband, to take over this role for her. But they cannot circumvent their father’s wishes. And when a new young glassblower arrives to help the family business and Maria finds herself drawn to him, the web of conflicting emotions grows even more tangled.
This story was a little too packaged for my enjoyment. I enjoyed the glass working and setting, and Maria is a nice girl. However, the verse didn’t work for me. While there was lovely imagery worked into the verse, the feelings didn’t convey themselves to me, and the story seemed to be given to me instead of taking place in my mind. The verse ended up looking like a prose whose lines have been chopped up and separated; if it worked, it would have made this even more of a fairy tale. Those who enjoy stories with nice, packaged endings might enjoy this as a light read.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher. No payment was received in return for a review. The receipt of the book had no influence on the opinions expressed in my review.
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Bookworm1858 says
Yeah, this one didn't really work for me either. Everything seemed too perfectly prepared especially in regards to the sisters' love lives.
Christina Kit. says
The setting sounds awesome, very original, with all the Murano glass-blowing.
It's awful you didn't like it. Sometimes verse is hard to identify with.
Caylin Rufus says
Why would you say that
Shortskie says
Sorry to hear this book didn't do it for you. But thank you for the review.