Synopsis: Rani Trader's parents ran a small business, but they found that their daughter was gifted with glass. They paid for her to get into the glassworkers' guild. After taking food to one of the glasswrghts, she sneaks into the cathedral to see the prince installed as the new leader. However, her attempt to save him from an assassin backfires and she is seen as one of the traitors. Rani flees for her life and learns what it is like to live as a member of each of the casts in the city. She eventually finds that her brother is one of the assassins and that everything she believed is incorrect.
Review: Reminded me a bit of 'The Prince and the Pauper' but with a bit of murder thrown in. ( )

This was a light, fun fast read. (especially after Rushdie!) Set in a medieval-style fantasy world, a young apprentice accidentally uncovers a plot against the royal family within her guild. Her attempts to do the right thing only get her deeper in trouble, as she unwittingly gets involved in secret societies on both sides of a political conflict.
I did have some problems with the book: with the title, I would have expected the author to do some research into glassblowing and traditional methods of working with glass. We don't get to see any of that. The protagonist, Rani, could have been in any guild. When, as punishment, the guild is disbanded, too, there's no mention of how glass might be valuable to society and where they're going to get it if all glasswrights
are banned.
Also, Rani is hopelessly naive. That's ok - some people are. But the author makes it painfully obvious who's lying, or whatever, and that Rani doesn't see it. The book would be more entertaining if things were equally opaque (or transparent) to both the reader and the protagonist.
Lastly, I really had a personal problem with the author portraying a strict, oppressive caste system as being "good." I know it's important to understand all sides of an issue - but I didn't feel there was enough exploration of the issue to justify her stance. ( )

Disclaimer : This review entices the whole of the serie's, not so much a explanation of the storyline it self, but just my feelings of the books.

I consider myself a fairly tough guy in the general sense of things, and not many books really manage to touch me in a really emotional way that give u the feeling of kinship with the character your reading about. This serie's however had me in tears a few moments during the reading sessions, the concept of the glasswright as a profession was well done, the characters as mentioned really moved me, world building however in my opinion was not the best, a bit more explanation about places would have been nice.

The biggest disappointment about this serie's is that the author sofar has not written anymore fantasy like it, the only thing she writes currently is cheesy chick lit (no offence to the lovers of that but its not fantasy :D)


( )

Der Anfang des Buches hat mich an andere Geschichten, wo ein junges Mädchen ein plötzlich schreckliches Schicksal durch macht und sie eine Entwicklung durch macht, erinnert. In der zweiten Hälfte entwickelt sich die Erzählung doch noch interessant und spannend.und ich werde die Fortsetzung in Angriff nehmen. ( )

TBR