GLASS HEART

Exploring new magical abilities that include the power to resurrect the dead is a game to Wren, but when she meets Fiona and Bay, suddenly magic turns deadly serious.

Desperate to learn more about the power she began to use in series opener Cold Kiss (2011), Wren presses her mother for help. Unfortunately, secrecy, shame and pain keep her from teaching Wren or her younger sister, Robin, about the possibilities and responsibilities inherent in their newfound magic. Frustrated, Wren pushes everyone away, including Gabriel, the boy who knows everything about her. Looking to her new friends, who have abilities of their own, Wren begins leading a secret life full of spells and excitement. But while Fiona seems mostly fun and frivolous, Bay is dark and dangerous. Wren discovers just how bad it is when Bay begins threatening the ones she loves most. Tropes and clichés abound in this sequel. Readers will quickly grow tired of Robin’s temper tantrums and their mother’s ineffective parenting. The twin mysteries surrounding Wren’s and Gabriel’s fathers fail to pay off when revealed. The one saving grace is Wren. She manages to be at once a simple teenage girl in love and the wielder of immense magical power. Despite the overly familiar storylines, Wren is completely believable and endearing.

A mixed bag of magic and romance.