"Glimmerglass" by Jenna Black is a story of a teenager named Dana who leaves her drunken mother behind in the states to travel to Avalon to meet her Fae father. Yet, once in Avalon, she's caught within petty political games and several abduction attempts on her person because of her identity as a Faeriewalker - one who can pass through the human and Fae world without complication.If that particular summary sounds interesting, then I have to tell you that the way the story unfolds is nowhere close to the level of intrigue of the premise. The political games and even the contrast between the human and Fae world are never fleshed out or added upon in this book, choosing instead to focus on Dana's encounters with some interesting characters that have more assumptions attached to them than proper fleshing out. I say this constructively and critically, because I think it could've been a much better story and lived up to its proposal. Not saying that the author doesn't have potential to build more as she goes further in the series, but for the first book - it doesn't measure very well. The book has an easy prose style to read, and that's something I'll give Black due credit for on all counts. The events are a little formulaic (Dana has many encounters of where she's abducted or held against her will in some fashion), and while that might have worked in certain ways - Dana isn't a strong enough character to make that formula work. She's particularly selfish, immature, and at bit shallow in spurts. It's almost too many flaws and the conflict too thin to really care for her.I did however, like the side characters and the intrigue of the antagonists. Yet, unlike Dana, they're not really given that much time to be fleshed out. Much about them, in Dana's eye, is assumed rather than delivered in a "show not tell" fashion. For example, when Finn's character contrasts are introduced - he's on one hand an intimidating bodyguard, and the next he's simply "hot". Some of the other male characters are treated in the same manner, like Ethan (who seems like a fun character to start). The only one I think that wasn't was Keane, and he has promise to be a very interesting character in the series to come despite a late introduction. Still, It feels very paper thin, and not particularly natural. I didn't dislike the book at all, but I think there are better stories out there that flesh out the fantasy and the teenage sentiment much better than Glimmerglass, with more likable protagonists even. It's particularly disappointing because it has such a beautiful premise, and could've had so much more to it than the thin projective. I don't know if I'll read the next book yet, but I'd say to simply know what you're getting into before you read this book. The protagonist isn't really a typical teenager, but she has plenty of angst and there are moments in this book where she's put in genuine peril and not simply given the loop around. But I warn that those situations do not compose the majority of the book.Overall score: 2/5
