Review: Sisters of Glass by Stephanie Hemphill
Sisters of Glass by Stephanie Hemphill
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers
ARC received through Netgalley
I will preface this review by saying that I know absolutely nothing about poetry. When I hear about famous poets I say “I must read those some time!” but as you all know, I never do. I know they’re those strange people that don’t fill the page like normal writers do, and sometimes just put maybe two or three words on a single page. They can ramble on about an old shoe and their work will be called a masterpiece. I don’t get poetry at all.
That being said, I enjoyed reading Sisters of Glass. The book is a young-adult historical romance set in Venice, and all written in free verse. For those of you that don’t know what free verse is, here’s a quote from Wikipedia: “Free verse is a form of poetry that refrains from consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any other musical pattern”.
It was an interesting book and I enjoyed reading about Maria, the youngest daughter of a Venetian glass-maker. Her father’s last dying wish is that she should marry a nobleman. Her beautiful older sister, who is way more suitable to navigate the world of nobility, is condemned to work in the furnace. With the arrival of Luca, a skilled glass artist, Maria is getting even more confused whether or not she should obey to her father’s wish.
I’m a sucker for everything historical, and I loved the Venetian setting. It has a certain charm with the gondolas and the piazzas and even the floodings, although maybe not that much fun, add to the credibility of the story. I very much enjoyed the descriptions Ms Hemphill has weaved carefully. There is a lot of attention to detail in this story which was great to read.
Although I liked how the romance progressed between the different characters, I still felt like this story could have been a little longer. Maybe it’s just because I’m not used to this format, but at times I wanted more. I wanted more emotions, more of the interactions, more of everything.
Overall Sisters of Glass was an interesting little book and I would recommend it for people that are in love with Venice or historical settings, and that like a flush of romance in their reads.
Maria would like nothing more than to allow her beautiful sister, who is far more able and willing to attract a noble husband, to take over this role for her. But they cannot circumvent their father’s wishes. And when a new young glassblower arrives to help the family business and Maria finds herself drawn to him, the web of conflicting emotions grows even more tangled.
- Review: Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen (4/5 Stars)
- Review: The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray (5/5 Stars)
- Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton (4.5/5 Stars)
- Review: The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell (5/5 Stars)
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