Holiday Romance: Glass Heart by Amy Garvey
PUBLISHER:
Sequel to Cold Kiss
Romance : Two Snowflakes!
That Holiday Feeling: Three Snowflakes!
When I first learned of the sequel to Cold Kiss I was a little surprised. The story of Wren , Gabriel and Danny seemed very much resolved in the previous book. However there are some interesting plot developments that justify some exploration in a sequel.
You could read Glass Heart on it's own but I would suggest getting Cold kiss because its wonderful!
In Glass Heart several months have passed since the events of Cold Kiss and Christmas is fast approaching. Wren and Gabriel have comfortably fit into each others lives. They have fallen into intimate but not boring routines: meeting each other at the school lockers, visiting each other at work, and spending many Friday evenings wrapped in each others arms.
It is in these scenes that Garvey's writing skills shine. Amy takes mere words and strings them into magical chains of narrative that draws you into the emotion of the scenes. Whether she is describing the environs of the gangs coffee shop Bliss, the bonding sessions between Wren, Jess, and Darcia (her best friends) or the tension Wren's sister Robin is experiencing, the reader is intimately involved.
The arrival of Christmas adds a new twist to the dynamic of Wrens family and her relationship with Gabriel. Wren's mother decides that Gabriel and his sister Olivia should come to the holiday dinner, Wren is stressing about what type of gift to give Gabriel, and Robin is livid that the father they have recently discovered is still alive, isn't going to join in the family festivities.
With all this stress it is understandable that Wren would find solace in using her magical gifts. Something just clicks into place when Wren uses her powers to levitate, clean the counters at Bliss, or make a magical gift for Gabriel.
Yet Gabriel is not pleased, and though he isn't forcing his own psychic gifts on Wren to learn her secrets or understand what she is feeling about magic his message to her is clear. He wants her to stop, to be careful, to not be herself.
The pain of this makes Wren careless and fair game for two teens who also have magical powers. Teens who like to "play" with their gifts, very destructive and murderous games.
I really enjoyed seeing the culmination of Wren and Gabriel's relationship, but Wren seemed to have lost the strength and knowledge she gained in Cold Kiss.
She is easily hurt and lashes out a Gabriel who is just trying to keep her safe. There is a subplot in the book about a missing kid that ties into Wren's adventures with Bay and Fiona but it seemed to just drag the book down.
I was much more interested in Wren's sister Robin and her journey but this plot point was only superficially resolved.
There are bright points in the book and glimpses of what I loved in Cold Kiss, but a lot of it was slow. I did enjoy the ending however.
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