Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for an advance reader copy of this book for an honest review .

That cover, that storyline - how could I not request this book ? Alas, even with all that head start, this book just didn’t work for me. I just didn’t like the writing style and didn’t enjoy the book .

I think the main reason this was a three star read is because the beginning was very hard to acclimate myself to the culture, the setting, and the characters. It was almost as if there was a book one, and I'd not read it. I do appreciate the authors honesty and vulnerability in her story. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this.

The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass by Adan Jerreat-Poole immediately caught my eye because of its cover. I got this as an ARC from Netgally. This book is really amazing! I really like it buuuuut... For the most part the writing style was interesting and original. I really love Eli and how she grew up in all the story, she met new people who help her very much in her mental issues beause for the first time she´s be treaten like a person, a real person with feelings and ideas and that it's a huge impact for her. It just seems to need more work.

Synopsis was highly misleading, just like a movie trailer gives away all the good stuff. Attempted to read but couldn’t get into the weird mesh of modern and fantasy. I’ve seen it done better in other series.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars

Oh, had this book potential! The idea is solid, the characters could have been very interesting, but it was all underdeveloped. But given that is a debut novel, I expect more, better books from the author because the talent is there, it just need to be nurtured.

I received an ARC from Dundurn Press through #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Even teenage assassins have dreams.

Eli isn’t just a teenage girl — she’s a made-thing the witches created to hunt down ghosts in the human world. Trained to kill with her seven magical blades, Eli is a flawless machine, a deadly assassin. But when an assignment goes wrong, Eli starts to question everything she was taught about both worlds, the Coven, and her tyrannical witch-mother. Worried that she’ll be unmade for her mistake, Eli gets caught up with a group of human and witch renegades, and is given the most difficult and dangerous task in the worlds: capture the Heart of the Coven. With the help of two humans, one motorcycle, and a girl who smells like the sea, Eli is going to get answers — and earn her freedom.

I was so excited about this preview and this plot.

This debut novel by, Adan Jerreat-Poole, left me a little confused. I was enthralled with the writing style and descriptive wording. I also loved the cover of the book. It was definitely eye-catching. I enjoyed the beginning of the book but it got a little muddled for me in the middle and could not keep my attention. I would pick it up and read several pages and put it back down. I guess what I am saying is it just wasn’t what I was thinking it would be and I had to try really hard to finish it. This really isn't how I like to read novels for enjoyment. Honestly, I did have high hopes for this debut but it just didn't do it for me.

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass (hey, shout out for the lgbtqia representation!) caught my eye with its unique cover. I really, I mean REALLY wanted to like this book. It was very hard to get through and I was left feeling very confused about what I'd just read. I even waited a couple weeks to form my thought but still... just blah.

The story itself was interesting enough (who doesn't love assassins, witches, ghosts), but the plot was all over the place. I think this could be a very could book if some of those confusing empty spaces were filled. There's a lot of potential here and it wasn't... not worth reading?

The first half was intriguing enough that I'd read a sequel. The end, well, was just OK.

I was given a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I absolutely adored reading this book! The wonder of the magic along with the found family and dangerous mission all came together to form a story I loved from beginning to end. Eli is such a compelling character, and it was fascinating to read about her existence balanced between worlds. Tav and Cam and Kite were all read characters as well. Ugh it was so good.

I do think there was a liiiittle bit left to be desired in terms of some of the world building. I took me a little too long to realize that thee human city was in fact on our earth instead of a completely made up world. I also wish there was a little more time and description spent on day to day life in the City of Eyes. It just seemed like such a cool place and I wanted to know more.

I can't wait for this to be published so I can get my own copy, and I will absolutely be pushing this book on anyone who asks me for a recommendation from now on. Can't wait for the sequel!

Unfortunately I did not enjoy this. The world building was all over the place, the character development was lacking, and frankly the writing was super choppy. This needs some major work to get to even a 3 star rating in my opinion.

The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass had SO much potential! With one of the most unique, creepy and darkly magical settings I've ever read, I was immediately sucked in and eager to learn more. With the type of disturbing descriptions that give you the good shivers (reminded me of Pan's Labyrinth, at times), I couldn't have put this book down even if I had wanted to - but I didn't want to.

What detracted from my morbid fascination was the characterization and world-building. While I was really impressed by the diversity of the characters, they lacked any real depth. Eli, for example, was supposed to be this fearless assassin, made by witches for that sole purpose. I never saw that side of her though. The only missions we bore witness to were considered failures, and her actions came from a place of fear - not skill or experience. When she was given an opportunity to show off her fighting skills, I felt underwhelmed by how quickly she fell. Instead of this dangerous assassin, I felt like I was watching a little girl in her mother's shoes, playing the part. She was also very emotional, which I found surprising for someone who was only part human, and who had been raised in such a dangerous environment - trained from birth to be feral, self sufficient and obedient to the Coven.

I also never truly got a good sense of who Cam or Taz were, outside of their gender expressions and sexual orientations. I feel like there was a lot of care and attention given to ensuring that we understood that Taz was a nonbinary boi and that Cam was gay, but outside of their experiences as members of the LGBT community, I couldn't tell you anything about either of them.

As for the world-building, I think I have a pretty strong grasp on how the City of Eyes and the City of Ghosts are connected and their relationship to each other. I also learned a little bit about the Coven, which helped answer some questions from early in the book. Unlike most YA Fantasies that try to cram all the world-building into the first few chapters, The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass spread the world-building throughout the entire book - which I did appreciate; there just wasn't enough of it. I think if we had spent some time with Eli in the City of Eyes prior to jumping into the plot, we could have had more of a foundation to go through the rest of the book with.

And then there's the plot. I felt like there were a lot of key moments that were rushed, which had me scrambling to understand what had just happened. Again, given that Eli was made by witches to do their bidding, I had a hard time understanding her decision to go against them when she joined forces with Taz and Cam. There were several moments of betrayal that weren't surprising or meaningful, as they seemed to happen out of nowhere and, ultimately, had no consequence. And the big twist felt glossed over!

So why 3 stars if I had issues with the characters, world-building and plot? Despite my issues, The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass was so compulsively readable, I would still say I enjoyed it; this feels like a world I will think about for a while. And if there is a sequel? I would definitely pick it up!

For all that I am so totally enamoured of this concept, I am not the reader for this book.
I can see everything that the author Is putting in. I see the time, the effort, and so many beautiful concepts that I want to adore it, but it may be my lit degrees pulling it apart.

I’d love to see the readers of ‘Hazel Wood’ or ‘A Curse So Dark and Lonely‘ finding This book and finding something amazing in it.

I really wanted to enjoy this story. I tried so hard to push through it in the hope of being amazed because the plot description sounded so interesting and I'm a fan of budding authors. Unfortunately, this just didn't do it for me. The world building was all over the place and lacked structure so there's no clear design of the world and hierarchy of the witches. The characters aren't explored enough to make them interesting...somewhat likeable...but not memorable enough for me to be rooting for anyone in particular. The story itself doesn't really flow well so I kept waiting for this buildup of the story to really tie into the plot and find a world that I wanted to get lost in. I liked the author's writing style. With some refinement and adjustments this could truly be a great story. The cover art is beautiful. Overall, I gave this a 3 though I struggled with that decision and kept thinking of giving it a 2 because of how disappointed I was.

Thank you to Netgalley and DunDun for letting me read this ARC.

At first I was very intrigued by the writing style. It felt like reading song lyrics. But my wonder became exasperation. I just couldn’t get myself invested in the story.

The world building has something to it. But I felt more magic was needed. Eli is a strong character, but again I just didn’t connect with her.

I will be honest, I felt it was time to put this book down at 30%. If a book doesn’t catch your eye by reading that amount is just not worth it.

There's a lot to like in The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass: some parts didn't flow quite as well as others did, but the promising premise, wonderful prose and some great character interactions along the way carried the story wonderfully. I'm looking forward to seeing where the characters go next.

I think this might be be 3rd bad YA book in a row and this does not bode well for me.

okay lets admire the beautiful cover because tha'ts about 90% of the reason why I wanted to read this book - something to remind me not to read a book because of it's cover.

Although this novel had so much potential, I found it dry and difficult to get through. I couldn’t connect to the characters or their relationships with each other. This was a really hyped book all over #bookstagram so I was really excited to finally get around to reading it and I have honestly I was disappointed in a book. The blurb makes the book sound so so good but actually reading the book I just felt quite underwhelmed and in all honesty... bored. Most of my tabs for this book were for "this annoyed me". I feel like it had all the recipes for a good story but it just didn't come together well for me. Characters are a major focus for me, as a reader. If I can't connect to them, I can't enjoy my experience with the book. And that is exactly what happened to me in this case

I had such high hopes for this debut but I have to say I was a bit disappointed. It was a very interesting premise, but it just wasn’t carried out quite right. I felt like the story lacked in most departments, the characters didn’t feel developed enough, the world wasn’t completely explained and there were a few plot holes. I will say I loved the writing style and also enjoyed the lgbt representation.

Eli is a made thing, a pet with made for hunting ghosts. When she fails, she has to run away because if she doesn't she'll be disarmed and unmade.

This book had so much potential, but it fell flat for me. The first half was so full of action and I loved how Eli grew as a character but, the last half of the book just didn't hold up. Some situations were really strange.. I mean, is that really necessary? Sadly I can't say anything because SPOILERS and I want the people to read this book I was super disappointed because I wanted to love it so much.

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass by Adan Jerreat-Poole immediately caught my eye because of its cover. However, it is also described as a book fans of The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert would enjoy, so I was drawn to it even more. I went in only knowing that the book was set in a fantasy world with witches and assassins.

The novel follows Eli, a teenaged assassin that was created by witches in the City of Eyes to hunt ghosts. She accepts her fate as a “made-thing” and obediently does as she is told. She becomes a machine, traveling to and from the City of Ghosts, or the human world, using her trusted blades to do the bidding of others. However, Eli begins to question herself and her duties when a mission goes wrong.

While in the human world, Eli meets and later befriends Cam and Tav. They introduce her to humans and witch renegades who are working against the powerful witch Coven. They plan to harness magic to help save the Earth by stealing the Heart of the Coven. For Eli, this serves as a way to find answers and her own freedom.

I really liked Eli’s character, and I found myself even more intrigued to see how she changed as she developed a closer relationship to Cam and Tav. I appreciated that all three helped each other grow, so I became invested in their stories. I also thought it was great that the author incorporated a lot of representation and LGBTQ+ characters - Eli seems to be queer, Cam is gay, and Tav is non-binary.

While I enjoyed some aspects, this book did not completely work for me. It seemed like a very unique story at first, but it lacked proper world-building. I wished for more detail about the City of Eyes and its magic. Plus, the writing style and language were not my favorite at times. I also felt like there was a lot happening, but some of it did not seem purposeful. The plot branches off in so many directions, but in this case, less is more. A few things seemed distracting or irrelevant because of everything else that was happening, so I felt as though the book was not following a central idea or story anymore.

The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass is entertaining, and I can see why people would enjoy it. Adan Jerreat-Poole creates an intriguing story with wonderful characters, but it did not quite live up to my expectations. However, I would still be tempted to check out this book’s sequel solely because of the characters.

Thank you to the publisher, Dundurn, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this novel before its release.

I found the plot, setting and characters very interesting. I liked the diversity of characters and level of complexity not only displayed by Eli, but also Tav and Cam, who join her on her journey. I found myself engrossed in the story and wondering what would happen next. This story doesn't have a clear "Good guy" or "bad guy". Everyone exists in the grey area.

The author's vivid descriptions bring both the human world and the witch world to life. I was easily able to step into the world and become immersed in the story. I liked the conclusion/set-up for a sequel and this world is one I'd definitely come back to.

While I enjoyed the novel over all, there are some parts that confused me. Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention, but it was difficult for me to remember who some of the minor characters were in relation to one another. There were also some aspects of the world-building that I feel needed to be explained a little better or expanded upon.

Magic, supernatural and action are the main words that can be used to describe The Girl of Hawthron and Glass. Also, we need to acknowledge the incredibly gorgeous cover for it. How stunning is it ??

Now, that's a book that pulls you in right at page 1 ! I was super happy to realise the story was fascinating right from the start. We get Eli, who is some kind of mysterious weapon, but also turns out to have some feelings, we get magic, witches, a dark and dangerous world that still get called home, very distinctive companions, betrayal and so much more !

I loved seeing Eli evolve throughout the whole book. She was made to be a weapon and grows to become more than this, with the help of Kite, Tav and Cam. Speaking of which. The queer rep is so strong in this book, and I loved how all of those characters are not all defined by gender or sexual preference, which was a nice change for me since I rarely stumble upon fantasy/sci-fi books that have meaningful queer characters. Here, they are definitely main characters, with a purpose and a mind of their own.

However, I feel like they were not used as much as they could have. They have a mind of their own and everything, but they still felt like tool-characters. Each of them has a special ability/use that will help Eli through her journey, but besides that, I didn't think they had too big of an impact in the book. They deserved better, especially Cam.

Another character that I would have loved to discover more was Eli's mother and maker, Circinae. She's a power-seeking witch who would do anything to rise in status in the Coven, yet, we can sometimes notice her affection for her daughter and I'm sure Circinae has much more to offer as a character than what we got here. Same goes for the Hedge-Witch, who literally plots a whole revolution, and does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING during the book about it. She's basically just like "Okay, you guys go do dangerous stuff for me and we'll see later". SHE DOES NOTHING. What use are you really ???

Fortunately, the story is so fast paced you don't really have time to dwell to much on side characters. There is not a moment to rest (which is probably why I read the whole thing in less than 48 hours, when I would normally take at least 4 days) and action is everywhere. Though sometimes the plot felt a little rushed and I struggled to understand all the details of everything that was going on, I kept flying through the book because the story was so engaging. I just wished I had gotten more details about the City of Eyes and about some relationships, like Eli/Kite, who get some flashbacks during the story, but not nearly detailed enough for us to understand their true bond.

There are so many interesting aspects in this story, so many things to be read ! I really think those of you who enjoy reading about magic will enjoy The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass. Bonus point if you want more queer/diversity in your reads ! You most definitely won't get bored reading about Eli and her companions, so enjoy the ride !