Thanks to Netgalley for gifting me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.



I really wanted to like this book, I really did. It had such potential but it fell flat in so many ways. I pushed myself hard to try and finish it but it took me ages.

The synopsis had me hoping for a kickass witchy assassin vibe but the character development and world building was lacking and all over the place.

It did however have wonderful representation and felt that there could be massive potential.

I unfortunately did not like the writing style or the storyline as much as I thought I would so I ended up giving it a really low rating and DNF-ed it.

Every time I review books I truly wish that I'll like them. However, this was not this case at all.
This book has a lot of mistakes. Most of the characters are dull. Though I appreciate that there are a lot of lgbt+ characters, it doesn't change the fact that the main character's personality is blank, so the only one I actually liked was Tav.

The pacing of this book is really slow and it doesn't help that the plot is short and most of the time about nothing. Which means that I was so bored when I read this, that I wanted to DNF it a lot of times. And, world-building was really confusing from the beginning, but I liked how original it was, so it makes me even more disappointed that this book wasn't as good as I hoped.

Overall, I don't think that I would recommend this book, but if you're willing to read it, give it a try. You never know, hopefully, you'll like it!

*thank you NetGalley for sending me an arc in return for an honest review *

I was wary before beginning ‘The Girl of Hawthorn & Glass’ as I’ve mostly seen pretty negative reviews. However I think I enjoyed it more than most. I liked Eli’s world and the characters, especially Clytemnestra & Cam. I enjoyed the descriptions, I kinda wished our story would of come from the children in the labyrinth as I found them intriguing. However, I must admit that around 70% it got kind of tedious and confusing, it almost felt like descriptive words were just being added for the sake of it which made the story really hard to follow. I wasn’t 100% sure what was happening at some points and at others all the description made it seem like nothing much as happening at all. It felt like we kept building up to a solid bit of action and then it would just disappear in a confusing cloud of description. Saying all that, I really do feel this had great promise and overall I did enjoy it, I really hope the author builds on this to bring us something brilliant in the future.

Thank you Netgalley & Dundurn.

I give this story 3.5 stars out of 5. I would have liked to be more in the world building department. And I found something's a bit confusing. I did like the characters, especially Tav, and Cam. I liked Eli as well but again found her to be a bit confusing at times. I also found the story a bit slow at times. I would continue reading the series cause I do want to know what happens. I think it would be interesting if Tav and Eli ended bbn up together. Overall, I did like this story, I think I just need to read it again cause I think some of the confusion is on me.

3 for neutral, I tried on a bunch of occasions to try and read this book, but could never get into it. I will update at later date if able to get into it and finish.

***Thank you to NetGalley and the DunDurn for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Expected release date May 16, 2020.***


I REALLY wanted to love this book – the cover is beautiful, the summary sounds AMAZING, and the preface by the author was very powerful.

Once I started the story however, I just wasn’t able to get into it. The characters for the most part didn’t really speak to me, and I had a bit of trouble following the story line. That being said, I probably will also read the follow-up to this story when it comes out because it features my favorite character from the book.

Adam Jerreat-Poole has the most beautiful imagination. The way he made Eli this thing made of stick and gods know what. I fell in love with his writing at first glance. The problem with the story that I had is that I have an ARC copy., which was not fully edited, typos, plot holes, scene holes and whatnot. Basically once she was on motorcycle everything went to hell. I could not enjoy the romance part, the meeting with a witch on Earth or none of that. I know that with proper editing this will be a beautiful story and I cannot wait to read a finished edition.
But definitely a very unique book, and I can not wait to have it in my collection.
Provided by NetGalley.

I’m just wondering if I read the same book as everyone else? The world completely wrapped me up. The words tightened like a choker around my throat until the end, where I expected to be released but instead found myself still reaching for air. Were there pacing issues? Sure. But the story itself is one that weaves itself before your eyes, and the picture this painted moves like a Ghibli film. Eli begs to live up to expectations. To be useful. To be loved. To find a place between the worlds where she belongs.

I am completely invested in her and her journey from tool to her own being. From a blade being wielded to a crocodile using her own teeth.

Tav is a sweet BEAN who just wants to save the world. They ‘re doing their best. How hard would it be to have to shift the world’s view of you as you come into who you are, only to have to shift again when you find there are bits of this new self that aren’t as human as you believed? I love them.

It’s just beautiful, and I don’t understand how the rating can be as low as it is. Adan is a lyricist, and I am so glad I gave their work a chance. I can’t wait for the sequel.

2 STARS at best ★★✩✩✩
This book is for you if… you fall in love first and foremost with the characters. It wasn't for me but I feel this might be exactly what some readers might need.

⤐ Overall.
Ugh. What is going ONNNNah. You know when you didn't enjoy a book and don't care although you feel like you should? Well, I didn't really enjoy this book but am honestly livid that I don't. I had high hopes, fueled by the cover and the powerful preface Adan gave their readers. I really, really, really, realllyyy wanted to love this but I just didn't feel the suspense at all. The characters are amazing, lovely, adorable, all of them. Tav, omg if I just had a fraction of their spit. And the way Cam cares is just too much for anybody with not above average emotional capacities. They were somehow crystal clear to me, interesting and very distinct from each other.

The world-building, on the other hand, lacked in so many places that I had an extremely hard time settling into the book. I suppose the plot of A Girl of Hawthorn and Glass might be described as original but I wouldn’t know because the aids to help imagine the universe of this book are thin as paper mâché. I couldn't picture Eli's homeworld at all, much less the people and creature inhabiting it, didn't get the faintest idea of the dynamics despite the introduction of the council and her maker/mother. It was rough and I had the hardest time pushing through.

Some of Adan's prose is also quite irritating. It's challenging to get behind ‘she was like an ant on a giant pile of black sand’. What does that even mean?

Does it make any sense at all that I love all the characters but felt 98% detached from the story?

⤐ What’s happening.
‘What’s the magic word?’ ‘I was trained to kill?’ ‘Good enough for me.'

Eli belongs in the human world like fish belong in the desert. Or at least that's what everyone tells her. The more time she spends in the City of Ghosts - the more contact she has with humans - the less certain she is of those words and her life as an assassin. And then she meets Tav who are badass and strong but also soft in all the right ways, and Cam who cares in a way few people care. And then Eli questions her alliances ... again.
_____________________
writing quality + easy of reading = 2.5*

pace = 1*

plot/story in general = 3*

plot development = 1*

characters = 5*

enjoyability = 2*

insightfulness = 3*

This was a unique story however I just could not find myself investing in it as much as I wish I could have. I did not feel as connected to Eli and her motivations. The stakes in the story were high yet the reactions from most of the characters didn’t match up. Eli is suppose to be an assassin and yet nothing about her really spoke to the degree of someone who would have been an assassin. The story didn’t really do much for me and I just couldn’t invest in it. I loved that there was LGBTQ+ representation however the characters were lacking in their stories, motivation, and backgrounds. The fantasy element was not really stretched out and the world building wasn’t well fleshed out. I really tried to like the book and characters however sadly it just did not work for me.
*thank you netgalley for sending me an arc in return for an honest review *

I gave this novel a 3 star review, the story itself was a little rushed and didn't make sense sometimes. I got a little bored sometimes when trying to work out what was going on.

The characters were okay but i personally couldn't connect to them.

A sharp, whimsical and darkly magical tale of witches and bones, blades and thorns. Carrying the reader from the gritty injustice of the world we know to one where children are the terrors in the night and made girls are tools used for power.


I received a eARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.


The arc I received was evidently a very early edit of this book so will not judge it too harshly on parts that have most lightly been improved since.


The world(s) is intriguing and the magic system unique and unapologetic in its raw wildness.
Some descriptions felt like lines of poetry and I really loved this aspect.

The characters are well written and fleshed out.
There is some beautiful diversity and representation among the cast.
Relationships between the characters are intricate and well developed.
My only quam was how quickly the main romantic relationship developed, it felt a little abrupt. Though, in comparison to many YA romances, it wasn't overly rushed.
The plot felt a little wavering to me pacing wise but this wasn't a major turn off.
The writing itself felt somewhat clunky at times but as I said earlier, this is an early edit and I'd imagine it's improved much since.

Overall a fun magical adventure filled with wit and a very original take on magic and witches.

*I received an arc from NetGalley for an honest review.*

I’ve seen a lot of negative reviews for this book, but I honestly enjoyed it. I haven’t read Neverwhere or The Hazel Wood, which this book has been compared to, so I can’t comment on how similar it is to those books. To me it has hints of classic 80s fantasy movies such as The Neverending Story with a dash of Daughter of Smoke and Bone. It’s not a happy feeling book, which is probably why others didn’t like it. I loved the darker feeling to the story and the world building was intriguing. I loved the main character, Eli, as I am a sucker for snarky badass characters. I also liked Tav and Cam but felt they could have used a little more character development. This book has a great representation of LGBT characters that come off real and not trivial. I also want to say that I love the book cover and think it looks beautiful.

Eli is girl made by witches to kill ghosts. She travels from the City of Eyes to the City of Ghosts (Earth) to complete the missions that the Coven send her on. When a mission doesn’t go as planned, she begins to question everything she knows.

After a second assignment in a row goes wrong, Eli finds herself stranded on Earth. There she meets a group of people who know about magic and want to bring it to Earth to help fix their problems. She begrudgingly joins their cause so she can get back home. Along the way she finds new friends and reunites with old ones. Will their team be able to defeat the witches and get the magic they need? You’ll have to read the book to find out. (less)

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this e-Arc. Will read more from this author in the future. See star rating for my review.

This book!!!! Wow it was so awesome and unexpected. I was sold on the premise when I read it. Queer witches? Sign me up. I really enjoyed this story so much. I absolutely loved Eli, Tav and Cam. My favourite part of this book though was hands down the world building. The world building on this book was some of the best world building I’ve read in a while. So intricate and detailed. So much thought and time when into this story.

The pace of this book was really great. I never felt bored at all. I literally read the last half of the book in one sitting. I was invested. I loved Eli so much. She is such a badass character and she was so interesting. Like how she could change eye colour and her teeth? Like what? It’s so cool. I’ve never seen that done before.

My only complaint which isn’t really a bad thing is that I wish we seen a little more a romance? Maybe we’ll get that in the next book which I am pumped for. But that’s what drew me into the premise so that’s what I was expecting. I still loved this book though.

I loved Tav as well. I really liked the inclusion of there dead name. However, I feel like some people could take that the wrong way. I thought it was cool and was a cool way to include the experiences of trans people into a fantasy setting. I really liked it!

I really loved the ending of this book!! Like holy shit!! I need the next book immediately. Like wtf?? So good. I highly recommend this book when it comes out later this year!! So worth it!!! Can’t wait to see Eli in the next book.

First I want to thank Netgalley and Dundurn for providing me a copy of this book for an honest review, but I'm sorry to say I didn't like it.

The reason I didn't like this bookis because I thought the story lacked of sense, and the world building was really poor and hard to get. There weren't any descriptions or explanations of how this world worked, The City of Ghosts and the City of Eyes were confusing, especially the last one, there was a labyrinth, a forest, a coven, a home and you went from one to the other without much explanation of how they were connected. Sometimes a book can turn boring because of to much time spent world building, but this one was on the other extreme.

The story was super hard to follow, every turn was like coming out of nowhere and the sceneries were odd, we went from one place to another, from one situation to another, and it felt awkward.

Finally, I didn't care for any of the characters, I couldn't connect with them, they were just uninteresting for me.

Maybe another person can love this book, but it wasn't for me.

YES YES YES

THIS BOOK WAS INCREDIBLE, I THOUGHTFULLY ENJOYED.

I loved the world, character,s and storyline. Will be picking up the sequel (if there is one), and will be reading more of this author's books.

From assassins to witches to magic and revenge, I loved the premise of THE GIRL OF HAWTHORN AND GLASS. I love how well written this story is and the kind, aware representation of non-binary characters. In fact, the characters were pretty much my favorite part about The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass because they were so fleshed out, complex, and deep. I genuinely cared about their struggles and rooted for them throughout the story.

My only gripe is the slow pacing of the book overall, as I generally enjoy something a bit consistently faster. But if you like slower paces, this is totes your jam.

Oh, my feelings for this are so complex.

Things I loved:
- The nuanced, thoughtful writing of a non-binary character in a way you don't often find in books. There was no forced awkwardness or confusion, it was written as something natural and taken-for-granted-- and I loved it.
- The characters in this book were deep, complex, interesting, and I wanted to know what would happen to them and what they would do next.

What I didn't love:
- This book was too slow. The pacing of the story would have been so much better served by moving a little faster, especially with such rich characters to work with. But I struggled to keep my attention in the story at the pace that it moved. I wanted a little more excitement.

Overall-- I'll still watch this author for what comes next. Can't wait to see what it is.