Glass Town Wars by Celia Rees
Rating: ★★★★☆

Celia Rees is back with Glass Town Wars, a book that totally reminded me of why I loved Witch Child. Her writing style really shines in this one—it’s a cool mix of historical vibes with a twist of fantasy. Set in Glass Town, where imagination turns into reality in unexpected ways, this story hooked me from the get-go.

Rees knows how to build a world that feels both real and totally magical. The characters are vivid, the plots are twisty, and it's just a fun ride through this imaginative landscape. It’s not just about the adventure; there are deeper themes about friendship, bravery, and the power of dreaming big that hit home.

If you’re into Celia Rees’ storytelling or looking for a book that blends history with a bit of fantasy flair, Glass Town Wars is a solid pick. It’s a book that keeps you thinking even after you’ve turned the last page, and that’s always a sign of a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

I have a lot of fondness for Celia Rees; Pirates!, Witch Child and Sorceress are the reason I love historical fiction so much - I can still vividly remember borrowing Pirates! from the library when I was 13, being gutted when I had to take it back before I'd finished it, and then the delight when my parents bought me my own copy for Christmas - so I was excited to try one of her newer releases. Unfortunately I just can't get into this book despite trying several times, so I have to officially DNF it.

I'm currently clearing out all of the books that were published in 2019-20 from my title feedback view!

DNF 50%
I don`t know what i was reading, but did i like it? Nope. I ended up DNF it. it was not for me.

What a shame. I was so thrilled by the idea that this was inspired by the imaginary world of the very young Brontës but was sadly disappointed by the execution. The characters are very thinly drawn, lacking clear motivations and drifting wherever the plot took them without thought it agency.

The plot has issues, not least because it is very unclear what is happening in the initial chapters. A decent knowledge of Wuthering Heights helps, what doesn't is that this is my least favourite Brontë novel! Glass Town is beautifully described but poorly developed as a setting and I just couldn't get on board with Rees's idea that the Brontës childhood world as a parallel for the internet except for the description of them both as "webs". The uneven metaphor is echoed in the sudden shifts of tone and setting and the frankly incomprehensible romance that felt like a box Rees for some reason thought she needed to tick.

The game aspect with its virtual reality features reminded me a little of the Otherland series by Tad Williams, which I read many years ago and am now keen to read again. In that way Celia Rees had done me a favour, I hope rereading that will be a more satisfying experience. For a brilliant take on Glass Town is suggest The Glass Town Game by Catherynne M. Valente

So, there are two frames, both very narrowly constructed, which don't fit together in any way until the last quarter of the book. A more capable author might have been able to pull this off, but, in this case, it just reads like you've walked in halfway through a conversation and have to pretend to know what everyone is talking about, then it turns out the chosen topic isn't remotely worth the mental effort you just wasted.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book. The writing was great and the cover is gorgeous. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting based on the synopsis, but I think lots of YA readers will enjoy it.

there was little to no plot, everything felt really half finished. the characters were horrid as well,and the worldbuilding left a lot to be desired.

I originally picked this novel up due to the game aspect, and I actually found that quite interesting - it was giving me very 'Sword Art Online' vibes once I wrapped my head around it. However, there were aspects of this novel that just were not for me. The Bronte link/promise felt like it was left unfinished as I wanted more links in to that, and at times I felt like the plot wasn't moving at all. Not the worst book I've read but not my favourite as it definitely does not stand out in the genre of 'game' books.

This was an enjoyable book. I had read the author before and this was quite different from her previous books. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an egalley.

I was given a digital review copy of this in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was drawn to it (once again) by the cover and the cover alone. That along with the title reminded me of John Green-esque contemporary book. When I read the synposis it seemed much more sci fi based so I thought 'Why Not?' and clicked request.

We start out by being introduced to Tom, a young man in a coma. How he got there we don't know beyond a social media following of #heroinacoma, and a dodgy girlfriend and Best Mate who are cheating on him together. We then meet Lucy and Joe who are less connected but seem to care more. Lucy is someone who comes to Tom's room in the hospital to read to him and Joe is one of the nurses attending to him. The Dodgy Best Mate then decides that this is a good time to test a piece of tech on Tom. Its sort of like a babblefish from HItchhiker's but it puts him into a false reality where he has various adventures.

Overall this was a confusing book. I liked it is so far as I could grasp where we were and what was going on. There was supposed to be a basis/underlying story that had Bronte undertones but, in all honesty, if I hadn't been told I wouldn't necessarily know that.

The writing was good in and of itself, the world building was where the book lacked. It felt very confusing and very 2 dimensional. I would have loved to have learnt more about the places.

This was a 2.5/5 for me! (rounded up to 3 for GoodReads)

I’m not sure how I feel about this. I was really loving it, but then it all went a bit odd at the end! I was expecting it to continue in the same line, but I lost it when they left Glass Town. It was a bit too random, not sure what happened to the plot.

So, two thirds of it I loved, then hated the last third...

My thanks to Netgalley and Steerforth Press for the advance copy

The plot was promising. This could have been a really good read but I honestly had no idea what was going on. The writing is strong so I think she has the potential to write an awesome book. This wasn't it. I am very thankful for the chance to read this. Happy reading!

The premise of this book was really interesting. Even though the synopsis was small, I was very invested in it. But the execution was totally bland. The Glass Town is not at all explored as much as it should have and the characters were so two-dimensional and boring, and the romance even more so.

I really wanted to liked this story but I found quite confusing and it didn't keep my attention.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I would like to thank netgalley and Pushkin Press for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I had no clue what was happening.

I volunteered to read this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is a interesting read. It was written well and the characters are described good. The pacing is interesting. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone and everyone. This book is in bookstores now for $12.95 (USD).

Glass Town Wars by Celia Rees caught my attention with an interesting premise. In a hospital bed a young man, Tom, lies in a coma. His enterprising friend Milo sees this as a perfect opportunity to test a new gaming experience, a device that will transport Tom to another reality and allow him to escape the confines of the hospital. In that virtual world Tom finds himself caught up in a war and increasingly drawn to a young woman he meets there, Augusta, who is determined to save her kingdom, but in the real world his friends and family are starting to notice that something is amiss, and when Milo confesses that he knows almost nothing about the device he planted or how to get Tom back, it becomes a race against time to rescue him from his own imagination. This sounded like a really interesting idea, and when I learned that the virtual world described within the book was inspired by the early writings of the Brontes I was all in.
Unfortunately , for me the book did not live up to my hopes. The pacing was very slow, and the story line confusing and difficult to swallow, it did pick up a little in the middle and then the ending felt almost rushed. I struggled to engage with any of the characters which made it difficult for the book to hold my interest. There were some attempts at world building, but they were sparse and sporadic at best. I did enjoy the sections of the book that were set in Haworth and gave some insight into the relationships within the Bronte family and how that impacted on their writing, but the way these were scattered throughout the book made it even more disjointed and confusing.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the Publisher , all opinions are my own.

Tom is in a coma. His friend Milo puts a device in his ear, to experiment on him, with a new game which is beyond virtual reality. Thus, Tom is thrown into another world. A world of horse, epaulets, breeches and evidently war. In the real world he can't react to what happens around him. In the other world he is a leader and feels everything. But this world seems to be manipulated by someone else!

With plentiful and rich details, that touch all the senses and a prose ideal for battle and action. Your imagination is 'tickled' by the world building and it is obvious what the author wants to present. I really liked that we see the POV of the 'game' and its characters like Augusta.

Confusing at the beginning, I felt lost with one of the POVs. When Tom starts 'playing' you set aside the confusion and become engaged in the action. So much is happening that you really have to pay attention. It is like a game of strategy. Some changes are abrupt, it feels like there are bits missing. I personally was perplexed in parts, of how some events came to pass.

Playing with the theme of reality, the story has many more layers than first expected. When things start to get even crazier, the POVs start to 'bleed' into each other, that 2nd part of the book is where the story starts to excel.

Intriguing, with a dash of the Brontes and their flair, and a 'fourth wall' feel to it that makes you part & spectator of the story. Even with its faults, there is a 'spark' in this book that keeps you engaged, as do the characters who are beyond likeable. This is a tale of being the underdog and choosing your own fate.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book!

I really wanted to like this but this one just wasn't for me. The whole premise behind the book sounded really interesting and there were certainly some parts that kept me hooked! ... but then the perspective would change or a new character that just plain annoyed me showed up and I would lose interest again. Some of it was the formatting I think but there was a lot of confusing bits through out. I think this has a lot of potential for the right reader, but that was not me.