The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass

Thank you to Netgalley for my eARC of The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass.

The concept of nature being used in magic to create a being isn't a new one and I was looking forward to seeing how the author would give it a new fresh look. We are given our main character, a girl made by her witch mother to be an assassin. She is the latest it appears to have been made for her role and is clearly the best as her sisters for want of a word, have been broken down to the natural parts.

I was drawn to the book due to the beautiful cover, the intriguing story idea and what appeared to be interesting characters.

I wasn't disappointed. My favourite character was one I imagine a lot of readers will also like; Tav. I haven't until now read a story with a non-binary character in (mores the pity as diversity is a must to me) and Tav is skillfully written. I loved how their gender and pronouns are subtly talked about making it so that Tav the person is at the forefront of the tale for how they intrigue Eli and how it is them wing human that distracts our assassin from their reason being on Earth rather than their gender. I can see many readers who identify as non-binary gravitating towards the character and seeing themselves in the fiesty and yet, caring bike-mad Tav.

The author's attention to detail with the characters is wonderful and each one is unique in both their way of being and their way of interacting with one another and their journey to Eli's home world. I think the reader will find themselves easily relating to jokes, or their reactions to situations as our main three (and Kite) are so easy to visualise. I did however find that same attention to detail lacking somewhat in the description of the world Eli comes from, it is of course always relatively easy when the story takes place in a world we know but The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass predominantly takes place elsewhere. I struggled for example to feel as though I were in The Labyrinth with the witch-children. Somewhere that would be innately scary to outsiders but comforting to those lived there. I would have loved some more world-building just to show just how unsettling certain places and events would be for those experiencing them.

I am eager to see if the worlds will be described more in book two - of which there must be after that cliff hanger. (I can still here the 'Noooooo!' in my head as I was left wondering what next can befall our heroes)

The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass is a fantastic novel you will really enjoy, the characters are all unique and brilliantly written so you feel you know them. There is an age old battle of good versus evil going on plus a little more - I'm not telling you will find out when you read.

Bring on book two, I have a multitude of questions, theories and hopes I need resolving!