BROKEN GLASS: Review

Could two stories be more different? Broken Glass by Emma Clifton, the second story in the compilation Five Glass Slippers, is practically the exact opposite of What Eyes Can See. While the first story really doesn't have much of a villain, the second has them lurking around every corner. Evil stepmothers, stubborn kings, unkind cinder-factory managers, conniving younger brothers, rather misguided fairy godmothers... and even the heroes are often lacking in many of the more noble qualities.

Practically every character is detestable in some way (but I don't mean that as a criticism of the story, it's what makes this tale work!) Usually, I'm not a huge fan of stories where there's nobody to root for, and yet, there are just enough redeemable qualities about these characters that I was able to hope for redemption and a happy ending. Now, whether or not there IS redemption or a happy ending, I'm not going to tell - just that I was able to hope for it.

The story starts out with Rosalind, an extremely headstrong young woman, being dragged off to the palace and commanded to marry the prince, simply because her foot fits in the slipper from the ball the night before. There's just one problem: she claims that she was NOT wearing the slipper at the ball, and that she only danced with Henry, one of the crown prince's two younger brothers.

The crown prince is also unhappy with the arrangement, as he recognizes at once that Rosalind is not the woman he danced with. But the king is insistent: the shoe fits... so shall the crown. Although Marius and Rosalind hate each other on sight, they eventually form an alliance and concoct a scheme so that everyone can get what they want - Marius will end up with Evelyn (his cinder-girl), Henry and Rosalind will run away together, and everyone will live happily ever after.

Yet, despite the fact that their plan quite literally blows up in their faces... or perhaps because of it... each of these characters learns a valuable lesson about courage, strength, humility, and, yes, even true love.

Overall, I enjoyed this tale. It didn't quite draw me in the way the first one did, but I enjoyed it. I liked the humorous banter between various characters, and I enjoyed the steampunk take on this classic fairy tale. I often found myself chuckling over various bits of witty humor that had been thrown into the mix (the fairy godmother's father is a cart-builder... but who wants to buy horse-drawn carts now that steam-carriages are all the rage?) And I very much wanted to know how it was all going to end.

My only real complaint about the story is that it left rather a lot of questions unanswered. I would have liked to know more about Evelyn and her past. And I would have liked to know more about the kingdom, the world, as well as more about the magic and the role it plays in the grand scheme of things... So much was hinted at, but in such a short story, there isn't much time to expound on those sorts of things.

I'd recommend this story to anyone who likes the steampunk genre, extremely real characters, and a truly despicable villain... or three!

Make sure you swing by here next Tuesday, as the author of this tale will be featured here in part of the Five Glass Slippers blog tour!