Mountains made of glass by Scarlett St Clair

I received an advance review copy of this book, and this review represents my honest opinion. Thank you to netgalley, Scarlett St Clair, and Bloom books for the opportunity to read the book.

Firstly, the artwork in this book is absolutely amazing. The cover and the art inside really add to the story, and I have no doubt will make for a beautiful physical edition.

Every time the male love interests long nails were mentioned, I cringed, and then he cut them and seemed so proud. The bar for me in fantasy romances is too high at this point for that to sway my opinion much. I wasn't a fan of the smut leading into talks of her deceased family. I get that he's trying to get her to fall for him by caring, but it's hardly appropriate pillow talk.

Naeve is probably the best part of the book because she constantly calls our love interest out on his stupidity. Gesela starts out seeming like she's resourceful enough to take care of herself and then seems to lose all that so our love interest can keep saving her. I think the book needed a female main character who could match him in a way that made him feel ever so slightly unneeded. He would have benefited from that.

The book unfortunately suffers from being too short to carry the plot and all the smut that's crammed into it. It takes place over 7 days, so the romance was guaranteed to be fast, but they went from hate/lust to love with very little development outside of their bedroom activities. I mean, sure, he was nice to her and saved her from a few situations, but they only really have a few moments of genuine emotional connection.

I think had the book been longer with more space for romantic development and plot, it would have the potential to be really good. We don't really get a huge amount of worldbuilding either, which it definitely needs. I didn't hate the smut in the sense of it being bad it was just a lot in so short a book.

Overall, I've gone with 2 stars because it just didn't live up to the potential it plot wise. But if you want a smutty read with a little plot, this one is definitely for you.

"You were made for this."
"Made for what, sweet creature?"
"Heartbreak."

Once again Scarlett St. Clair has written something addictive. The best part? There are going to be 5 more of these!! Yay! Anyone who knows me will tell you I am a sucker for fairytale retellings of any and all kinds. Mountains Made of Glass blends elements from at least 10 different fairytales. From classics such as Snow White, Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin, and Beauty and the Beast, to Irish fairytales, Grimm Brother stories, and Hans Christian Andersen works. Any lover of fairytales will immensely enjoy this story and have so much fun discovering all the references to fairytales of old.

"Is there anyone worse than you?
Vicious creature, there is always something worse."

I actually did not know this was a novella, and I knew very little about the plot besides the absolute basics. So you can imagine my pleasant surprise when I discovered this was not a retelling focused around one story, but pulled elements from various stories. From magic mirrors, to elven princes, selkies, and magic wardrobes along with curses, magical bargains, and enchanted forests, this was the perfect blend of old and new storytelling, with a romantic twist.

"Magic was the darkness that existed between the trees, the place where light did not shine, and it had taken everything."

This is very much written as an original dark fairytale and I enjoyed every second of it. Magic does not have to be explained and anything and everything is possible. If you are a reader who enjoys logic and common sense in a fantasy book: look elsewhere. The plot was great and the characters were even better. I love a good enemies to lovers and when you throw in a magical curse, things get even better. Overall, this was a strong start to this new series and I am excited to see where we go next!

Mountains Made of Glass is a captivating fairytale retelling. This was my first read by Scarlett St Clair and I jumped at the chance to read it since the plot and the cover were so intriguing - thank you so much Sourcebooks Bloom Books and NetGalley for the free copy! If you are into fairytales, faes, magical forests and enchanted castles - and like your fantasy reads on the darker and steamier side - then this is just the perfect little read for you!

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book

3.5 stars.

There Scarlett goes again, making me fall in love with men my father would never approve of 🙄 I loved the spice, the drama, and Casamirs overall lack of romantic knowledge (I can relate far too well…. Awkward). I only with the story and “falling in love” was strung out a little longer and in more detail!

Scarlett St Clair's world-building and imagery are enchanting. She is known for writing strong female characters who face seemingly insurmountable odds (King of Battle and Blood, A Touch of Chaos) and while I am drawn to that, I would love to see some variety in their characterizations. I found myself wishing that Gesela had more of a background to lean into and that her heritage was more fully explained. The Prince is a typical St. Clair male, arrogant, cock-sure, and wounded (though I did enjoy the Adrian/Hades' callouts with "Are you well?"). The story was far too short and while the beginning felt moderately paced, the last 50 pages or so were rushed. It felt like it was set up for a slow burn of enemies to lovers, but it raced through and rushed toward the inevitable climax.

I will read the rest of the series, but I will also manage my expectations differently.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 | 🌶️🌶️/5


I was given this ebook by netgalley and Bloom Books, in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the concept of this book, it had enough world-building for a short story, and the details of a fairy tale retelling and the spooky vibes were well executed.

Maybe because I usually read series, I find it hard to give a high score to short stories (this is just over 200 pages), as I always feel like I ‘want more’ and that some aspects could be more developed, especially in the Fantasy genre that always requires some sort of world-building.

In this case, my issue is the romance aspect of this story, it felt too instantaneous and lacked a depth of connection and feelings between the two main characters.

So if you are in the mood for something short and spicy with fairytale retelling elements, give this book a try!

Once again SSC is proving why she’s one of my favorite spicy fantasy authors. This is the first in her new fairytale series and it was a lot of fun! It was about as ridiculous and out there as all fairytales should be and I enjoyed all the magic and curses. With a book this short it’s hard not to have insta-love, but I wish it was drawn out JUUUSTTTT a little bit more. 18+

I loved this! I was in a bit of slump with the other book I was reading and was afraid it was just a reading slump, in general, but this captured my attention immediately. I read it all in one day, couldn’t put I down!

Scarlett did a great job of making us care about these characters in a very short amount of time. I think that the world-building was tight, as well. And as always, her spice was 🔥. Honestly, the only thing that could have pushed it to a 5 for me was if I had cried or if the stakes were a little higher. But overall this was a very fun, engaging novella. I think she accomplished what she set out to do and I am looking forward of the new installments of this series!

Thank you to Net Galley and Scarlett St. Clair for an ebook in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Wow this was such a cute and fun read! I’m not usually an “insta love” kind of girl but it was really enjoyable nonetheless.

✨REVIEW: Mountains Made Of Glass by Scarlett St. Clair

⭐️ Rating: 3.5/5
🌶️ Spice: 3/5
📖 Genre: Fantasy Romance
#️⃣ Pages: 219
📚 Format: Available now only in ebook
🧚🏼‍♀️ Fairytale Retelling #1
✍🏼 Same Author As: A Touch of Darkness and King of Battle and Blood series

💭 THOUGHTS
Never would I have thought that I needed a fairytale mix with darkness and spice! But I got it and I loved every second of this read!!

It’s a face paced, short read but Scarlett St. Clair did a stunning job with the plot and the description/creation of the creatures and fairyland. As a reader this fairytale retelling will keep you engaged and guessing the ending along the way.

If you loved Beauty and the Beast, then this book has your name written all over it plus it has a touch of other fairytales & folklore as well.

Read if you like 🫶🏼
Enemies to Lovers
Fairytales
Curse breaking quests
True Love

💛Thank you @sourcebooks @read_bloom and @netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

💛If she writes it, I’m going to read it.

💛 Congratulations to Scarlett St. Clair on this newest release!

A short piece that does a good job with the premise, but underbakes the characters just a bit. Not a bad time, but I prefer my romance with more meat.

Firstly, I’d like to say how much I adore this cover! It’s so lovely and I couldn’t stop staring at it while reading the book.

Secondly—this book! I was nervous because this has been an anticipated read of mine but I had no reason to be. I enjoyed the main characters and their relationships. Scarlet does such a beautiful job curating these endearing and wonderful characters with seemingly real personalities and ambitions. I absolutely busted out laughing so many times! This book was so fun, eerie and swoony!

I loved this! It was such a fun read and I got sucked immediately! It kept my attention and I couldn't put it down! It wasn't a long read and I finished it in one sitting! I will definitely read anything this author published!

This was a fun read! I usually read longer books, but I really enjoyed this short,
fast paced tale! I loved all the inspiration from different fairytales and stories. It was dark and spicy, yet sweet and whimsical at times! Even though it was a shorter book, there was a lot of interesting world building that I’m excited to explore more in the next books! I can’t wait to read more of these delicious fairytales from Scarlett St. Clair!

Finished this book in one day, I could not put it down. It was an easy read with plenty of spice and a great plot.

This a quick-spicy-fairytale/retelling mixed with some dark fantasy.. love the world building and characters..
The story is alluring.. is intriguing .. and is a helluva HOT ..
7 brothers 7 kingdoms
Curses
Magic
Lord Prince
Hate/love
Enemies to lovers
Sensual/ seductive
Closed-off heart.
A beauty and the beast retelling in the most darkest, spiciest and addictive way.
.
Special thanks to publishers and #netgalley for giving me this ARC in exchange of my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

CW: kidnapped, death of sibling, non-consensual voyeurism, death of family, grief

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f fairytale novella
-hate sex
-BATB vibes
-grumpy magical elf prince

I enjoyed this dark fairytale retelling. There were hints of a bunch of different fairy tales. Dark, with a bit of adventure and magic that had me turning the page to see how things would work out. Very curious to see what will happen with the next prince.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloom Books for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love Scarlett St. Clair and her books. I am partly through Hades x Persephone and love each book. I was so excited to see she is writing fairytale retellings. This was a short read. The beginning cut to the chase without much back story. I loved the characters and wish this would've been a full story. It was lacking the emotional depth between the characters. They went from hating each other to loving each other with not much development in the plot.

Overall, if you're looking for a spicier retelling novella, this is for you! I am very excited to see where she decided to take the other novellas!

Mountains Made of glass is a fairytale retelling of beauty and the beast mixed with some other dark fairy tales. This book is a really great quick dark fantasy retelling. The writing was smooth and entertaining, keeping me wanting to read until the very end. I look forward to reading more from Scarlett St. Clair in the future.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review of this book!

I'm a sucker for a good fairytale retelling especially when it comes to spicy retellings. This book gave me mixed emotions I will say.

Overall, I liked the fairytale aspects and the blending of the familiar with some unique stories. This book was a super quick and easy read. I thought the spicy content was decent throughout. I really liked the concept and the characters for the most part. I will say there wasn't much of a plot besides the "romance".

I will say I thought the pacing was wonky. It moved really fast, and in my opinion it made the romance awkward and rushed at times. The world-building was also weak. The world felt very vast and complex, but it wasn't really explained or elaborated on. For the length of this book, I feel like the world was too intricate. It also felt like the "conflict" of this book was super random and rushed.

In the end, I liked the simplicity of the plot and the overall length. However, I did struggle with the pacing and the lack of world-building. I will most likely continue on with this series as it comes out. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a nice, spicy yet simple fantasy retelling.

Overall Rating: 4.2/5