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A review by aggiew3thrgirl
Girl Under Glass by Monica Enderle Pierce
4.0
I'm going through a little bit of a dystopian and sci-fi kick at the moment. GIRL UNDER GLASS definitely fit the bill to feed my book addiction. This book veered from my usual YA reading, focusing on slightly older characters in a different head space than most of the YA characters I'm used it. It was a refreshing change.
The whole idea of this book, Earth having been invaded by aliens already a long time prior to the beginning of the story, was intriguing. We weren't taken to other worlds, but the world building was necessary nevertheless, as GIRL UNDER GLASS certainly doesn't take place in the world as we know it. Enderle Pierce did a good job giving us enough of the backstory early on that we weren't completely lost, but help back some as well, so we were still left asking questions about the backstory through the book. That said, there were some areas where I felt like I could have used a little more information to fully engross myself in the world, and the answers I asked early on (that would have been useful to know early on) weren't given until closer to the end of the story.
The story really centers on the main characters Rachel and Ehtishem, the circumstances under which they meet, and the trust/relationship that builds between the two of them. Rachel has not had a good life, but she does have her daughter, who she will stop at nothing to protect. Ehtishem is guarded (that's an understatement) and mysterious. I love how the characters evolve over time, but they do not lose their past...it is always there haunting them to some extent. In fact, it was almost annoying how much Rachel's past haunts her until I stopped to think about her motivations for her actions. Enderle Pierce does a good job staying true to the characters and allowing their actions to be dictated by realistic motivations, whether that be something from their past or the people they love.
The relationship between Rachel and Ehtishem unfolds within a fairly action packed story, particularly toward the end of the book. The main characters are faced with prejudice (another understatement), what can only be described as evil characters, forced escape, and basically saving the world. I enjoyed the glimpses of post-alien-invaded Earth as well as the alien vessels orbiting Earth at different levels. The underlying mysteries were what sealed this book for me. Like I said earlier, Enderle Pierce gives enough information to keep the reader guessing and questioning what is going on in the story, and this lasts from beginning to end.
I definitely hope her next book in this series (or what I hope is a series!) comes out soon!
The whole idea of this book, Earth having been invaded by aliens already a long time prior to the beginning of the story, was intriguing. We weren't taken to other worlds, but the world building was necessary nevertheless, as GIRL UNDER GLASS certainly doesn't take place in the world as we know it. Enderle Pierce did a good job giving us enough of the backstory early on that we weren't completely lost, but help back some as well, so we were still left asking questions about the backstory through the book. That said, there were some areas where I felt like I could have used a little more information to fully engross myself in the world, and the answers I asked early on (that would have been useful to know early on) weren't given until closer to the end of the story.
The story really centers on the main characters Rachel and Ehtishem, the circumstances under which they meet, and the trust/relationship that builds between the two of them. Rachel has not had a good life, but she does have her daughter, who she will stop at nothing to protect. Ehtishem is guarded (that's an understatement) and mysterious. I love how the characters evolve over time, but they do not lose their past...it is always there haunting them to some extent. In fact, it was almost annoying how much Rachel's past haunts her until I stopped to think about her motivations for her actions. Enderle Pierce does a good job staying true to the characters and allowing their actions to be dictated by realistic motivations, whether that be something from their past or the people they love.
The relationship between Rachel and Ehtishem unfolds within a fairly action packed story, particularly toward the end of the book. The main characters are faced with prejudice (another understatement), what can only be described as evil characters, forced escape, and basically saving the world. I enjoyed the glimpses of post-alien-invaded Earth as well as the alien vessels orbiting Earth at different levels. The underlying mysteries were what sealed this book for me. Like I said earlier, Enderle Pierce gives enough information to keep the reader guessing and questioning what is going on in the story, and this lasts from beginning to end.
I definitely hope her next book in this series (or what I hope is a series!) comes out soon!