Friday Fancies: Glimmerglass by Jenna Black

Sorry I'm a little late with Friday Fancies this week. I've been writing like a madwoman this week and worked myself into a stupor. But better late than never, and without further ado...

Friday Fancies is where I tell you all about a recent read I really liked, and then give you the chance to win a copy. Easy? Right.

This fortnight's Friday Fancy: GLIMMERGLASS by Jenna Black, first in her young adult Faerywalker series.

What it's like: a cool mix of faeries and the real world. There's a faery world that you can visit via immigration and passport control (cool, eh?) in a place called Avalon, where the human and faery worlds intersect. The heroine's dad is some kind of big-time faery dude in Avalon (and she ALREADY KNOWS THIS, folks!! It's not a 'OMG I am a FAERY!?!' book) and she runs away from her unlivable-with mother to stay with him. Warring faery hijinks ensue.

Why it's cool: did I mention it's not a lame big reveal? I mean, yeah, there are secrets to be uncovered, but the author has done so much more with them than dump them in your lap and expect you to be gobsmacked.

The heroine is gutsy. There's no mooning around or whining. The adult characters are more than plot-convenient ciphers. And the guys (it's  more a romantic elements than a romance) are interesting as well as hot. Yay! What's more, they don't inexplicably fall for a heroine who would be about as fascinating to them as a mosquito. They all actually talk to each other. Real relationships in a fantasy YA, folks. Can I recommend this any more?

If you're a writer: see above. All that whiny, annoying, unbelievable stuff that drives you insane about YA fantasy? This book doesn't do any of it. The characters' emotions are never allowed to follow plot-convenient lines just because. Also, the 'infodump' parts are really well handled -- there's a lot of explaining to do about Avalon and how the two worlds intersect, and it's never boring or obvious.

Right. Wanna win a paperback copy of this awesome book? Of course you do. Just leave me a comment here, follow this blog, tweet me something nice, etc.. Christmas is coming, you know, so let's all make friends while we still can.

I'll choose a winner at random. Giveaway closes midnight east coast US time next Thursday, 23 December. If you live where the Book Depository ships, you can win.

So you tell me: Do you like books about faeries? What are some of your favourites?