Glass Town by Steven Savile

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

Have you ever picked up a book not really knowing what to expect, then were completely blown away? That was me with this book, and since it just came out I didn't have a lot to go on. I honestly didn't even know what genre to call it (and really still don't!) but I think that was part of what made this novel so good. Glass Town by Steven Savile combines urban fantasy, part thriller, part magical realism, and part old Hollywood glamour to create an engaging, unique plot with new and inventive concepts.

This story follows main character Josh Raines as he attempts to piece together a decades-long family obsession. After his grandfather passes away and leaves him a note detailing some of the family history, Josh has to figure out what really happened so long ago and if there's a chance of making it right. You see, Josh's great-grandfather's girlfriend Eleanor Raines mysteriously disappeared, and he believed that a prominent family in town, the Lockwoods, had something to do with it. Throw in an extraordinary feat by a magician and you're left with Glass Town, a realm trapped in time and space, hidden away from the outside world, where Eleanor has been trapped all these years. Josh soon discovers Glass Town and the truth about what happened, but can he outsmart the still-present Lockwoods and make right the mistakes made that caused the men in his family to obsess for so long?

Glass Town really did surprise me in the best of ways. The characters were beautifully written, and the concepts were so unique. It was very refreshing to see that there are still some really good new ideas in fiction out there! It was creepy with a touch of romance, a fair amount of murder, and a lot of magic. The plot was surprisingly easy to understand as well, considering how elaborate the idea behind Glass Town is. I have to mention that the cover is gorgeous as well! I only really had 2 small issues with this book. First, it was a little bit slow and dragged in some places. And second, there were some really graphic and gruesome sex scenes (if you can call it sex since a ghost/monster is involved!) that seemed a little much to me. Otherwise, this is a really unique read that puts some great new twists on the old concepts of magic and corruption. I could see this being an absolutely fantastic movie!


Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press for sending me a copy to review!