Why did I listen to The Shadow Glass?
The Shadow Glass was available for review on Netgalley. When I read the synopsis, it reminded me of movies that came out in the 80’s. These included Labyrinth, The Never Ending Story, and Princess Bride. Based on this, I was excited to enter the world of Iri.
What’s the story here?
The Shadow Glass was a fantasy movie that came out in the 80’s. It did not do well in the box office but, has found a bit of cult like following. The writer of the film, Bob Corman, took the failure at the box office especially hard; and he was never the same. Now in present day, Bob has and his son Jack returns to his childhood home to put everything is rest. Except it is not easy to put away the things of the man who broke you. Especially when the puppets from the movie suddenly seem to be coming alive and fighting their own war.
How did I like The Shadow Glass?
The Shadow Glass started a little slow for me. I think it was because I’m a little rusty with my fantasy reading. Plus, the beginning was more of an introduction to Jack and his relationship with his father. It was a complicated relationship. When he was younger his idolized his father but when his father fell apart, so did their relationship. So being back in the house where everything happened brings up some unexpected memories and situations which he never fully dealt with. These memories and situations have also affected how he has lived his live and had several failures.
When the puppets that were in the movie suddenly start coming alive, this complicates things even more, and this is where things get exciting. Jack wants nothing to do with his father’s puppets as they are part of his legacy. He would rather just sell them off and make a profit. He also thinks he might be losing his mind except he’s not the only one seeing them. The puppets are battling each other and the battle is for the actual shadow glass which has been broken up in four pieces for protection. Now the battle of good versus evil is happening and Jack is caught right in the middle.
I loved the Kettu warriors. They were fierce, brace, and not afraid to put Jack in his place. As the battles went on, I began to fear for them as I knew that there was always the chance that one of them would get injured or killed. I didn’t want anyone getting hurt by the evil warriors around them . I really felt like we were going on a quest to find the shadow glass. There were twists and turns and delightful new characters to get to know. Throughout the quests Jack has a wonderful character arc. He begins to realize that while his father suffered, he never really knew the depth of his private battles. This can be a difficult lesson and I really enjoyed the way it was tackled in the book. Plus Jack makes a pretty decent hero if he has his head on straight.
How was the narration?
The Shadow Glass is 10 hours and 16 minutes long. The narrator Colin Mace kept the story interesting with his choices of voices for the various characters. It made it easier to tell the characters apart especially since he used a grittier voice on the more evil characters. With his narration, I felt like I was on a journey – a quest to find the four pieces of shadow glass before everything is destroyed. The Shadow Glass felt like a tribute to those 80’s movies that may not have been popular in the box office but found their own devoted community. It is a tribute to the imagination – to magic – and to the impossible. It has the potential to being a continued saga – hopefully it will be!
Rating: 4 Stars
**I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**
**Audiobook Review Layout courtesy of Good Books and Good Wine**
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