Scarlett St. Clair has quickly become a must-read author for me. When I saw that she planned on writing several novellas that are loosely fairytale retellings, I knew that I would devour them immediately.

This story was an interesting twist on Beauty and the Beast. To be freed, Gesela must guess correctly the name of the dark elven prince who holds her captive. She also must, of course, fall in love with him.

While this plot included very dark elements of the fairytale canon, the romance was still sweet (though obviously toxic at times).

I am excited to read the rest of this series!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Dark retelling with a lot of classic fairy tale vibes. Fun read, engaging and will keep you turning the page to find out what comes next.

Fans of St Clair's other work will really enjoy it.

I enjoyed this book and will be getting the second one when it comes out. I love the fairy tale aspect and the world building. Although this book was short I enjoyed it a lot.

I received this as an arc from net galley and my review will be 100% honest.
I am obsessed!!!
Live, laugh, love Scarlett st. Claire’s books.
I read a touch of darkness before so my hopes were high BUT NOT THIS HIGH.
At first I thought this was going to be a Snow White retelling cause seven brothers, seven dwarfs? You know. But it was more of a beauty and the beast WHICH I LOVED!!!
The characters were amazing (main characters, not so much the side ones)
The writing was so GOOD!!! I loved how easy it was to read and how quick it was. I do however wish it was longer.
The world building. This was a fantasy so I was expecting a lot of world building so I was confused by how short it was but there wasn’t any world building. We got a map and I’m pretty sure a glossary type page but that’s it.
Book was spicy, I’d say around a 4/5 on the spice scale.
There was a lot of smut scenes especially for how short the book was but they were all written well.

Overall this is a book I will recommend but do keep in mind if you like lots of world building this might be for you.

Mountains Made Of Glass

Friday on the Netgalley app I began reading Mountains Made of Glass by Scarlett St. Clair, and finished it today (Sunday). The novel is a mash up of various fairytales created to become a story all of its own. Gisela’s town of Elk has always been cursed and each time the residents break a curse there’s another curse and death that occurs. When Gisela thinks she broke a curse by accidently killing a toad, the toad turns out to be a cursed elven prince and the elven prince’s brothers banish her to their seventh brother who is under a curse of his own, they call him the beast. Gisela must guess his name in seven days and only then will she be free. If Gisela speaks the name with love, it’ll free the beast too. Mountains Made of Glass was my first time reading from Scarlet St. Clair and I’m glad I did, it was a fairytale mash up that was made into a story of its own.

Pros

I love the nods to other fairytales many of them I recognized and many of them I didn’t know about and until reading the Authors Note. Some of the most obvious nods are to Beauty and the Beast, The Frog Prince, the Magic Mirror from Snow White. The guessing the prince’s true name was an obvious nod to Rumplestiltskin. Some of my favorite characters besides the main characters were The Mirror & Wolf the Raven. I’m so glad Scarlett is writing more sequels to this novel.

Cons

I felt as though the overuse of the F word was unnecessary and there was constant smut everywhere. I don’t mind sex scenes, but less is more. I also felt the end was wrapped up almost too quickly.

Overall

Despite the overuse of the F word and so many sex scenes, I definitely want to read more from Scarlett St. Clair in the future. I hear her Hades and Persephone series are great and I love mythology as much as I love fairytales, folklore and legends. If you can handle the sex scenes, and you enjoy books with magic, I recommend this.

I think Mountains Made of Glass is an amazing retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It’s the right amount of hatred, loathing, and pain. Some aspects in the story that really worked for me is that we saw both perspectives of the main characters. It was fun seeing them both fall in love with each other. I also liked the language used in the book, it’s flowery and really pulls you into the story.
And who knew the nickname creature could be so hot ;).

Review of an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a sucker for Beauty and the Beast stories, so I really wanted to like this book, but sadly it didn't fully engage me. I think the main issue lies in how short the book is, as the hate/insta-lust feels rather forced, and I didn't feel I got to know the characters well enough to really care about them.
For me the cruelty of the prince in the beginning just made me question why Gesela would have any feelings for him at all, there's also the issue of this all happening in barely a week, which goes back to the story being too short.
One major gripe for me was that in the time Gesela is with the Beast only gets food 3 times and barely eats any, so how she's standing by the end I have no idea. It might not bother some people, but it really stood out to me.

I did like the world and the set up in the beginning of the book, which could lead to more interesting stories as this series progresses.
The last 25/30% of the story felt more cohesive as well, though on threat towards the end fell kind of short for me.
I would have enjoyed to see more elements of the world and side characters as well. The mirror, Naeve and Wolf were def MVPs.
I also found the mix or lore and fairytales interesting.

If you like short magical stories with spice this is the book for you, but if you enjoy a bit more depth to your characters it's safe to skip.

<n>Be prepared to lose yourself in the spooky and enchanted fae land with Gesela and Casamir in Mountains Made of Glass by Scarlett St. Clair. It was a wonderful fairytale retelling full of magical twists, fantastical turns, otherworldly creatures, complicated love and fierce passion.</b>

Gesela has been living a dreadful life at the fringe of the village. People didn't like her. She lost her sister and parents. She hate the fae and enchanted forest. But by cruel twist of fate she kills an elven prince who was in form of a frog and his brothers kidnap her and send her to the most cruel brother. Casamir is known as the Prince of Thorn and he needs Gesela to fall in love with him in next seven days else the curse will erase his true name forever..

<b>Casamir is adorably grumpy and brooding and full of Bitter sarcasm. His mirror and his brownie try their best to make him more likable to Gesela. But he has never been loved truly and so he doesn't know how to love someone else. He was angry and violent because of his curse but Gesela changed his world. This Woman is so fierce and sassy! She may have been living a miserable life but that hasn't taken away her fire. She isn’t intimidated by the elven prince or his scary tactics. It was an explosive..The enemies to lovers tension was exquisite. The fantasy or magical part was so beautifully written. I felt like I have been transported to a beautiful and mystical world of fairy, pixies, selkie, curses and magic. It was exciting and utterly fascinating. It's the age old tale of an antihero falling in love and I enjoyed it so much!</b>

I reviewed an early copy voluntarily

Mountains Made of Glass not only has a kick a$$ cover and illustrations inside, it was a solid read. This is the first time that I actually felt that I was reading a fairy tale, a slightly darker and sexier one. This was such a good blend of so many amazing classic fairy tales with the author’s own spin, it was hard not to be absorbed and binge it. You get Fae, magic🪄,fairies 🧚🏻‍♂️, the enchanted forest 🌳and a touch of darkness and some steam 🔥so if you like all of that, definitely worth a read. Did I wish it was a full length novel? Yes! And I was a bit bummed knowing it was a novella because I always feel like I need more. But, I think it worked here and I was left very content. Six more books to follow and if they were all out now, I would have binged them all 😁 4.5⭐️

(arc copy provided in exchange for an honest review. this in no way changes my rating or review.)

hmm not sure how to feel about this one!!

on one hand it had less insta-love than i had feared, given the premise of the book was for our MC to fall in love with someone within a week, so i really appreciated that. instead, there was some intense enemies-to-lovers vibes, followed by some fun hate-fucking, and just a sprinkling of lovey-dovey behaviour. it was honestly very impressive how little insta-love there was!

on the other hand, i wasn't sure how to feel about either character. maybe it's because the book was so short, but i just couldn't get attached to anyone. the MC was reasonably badass but also a little stupid, like i did spend a bit more time than i would've liked screaming at her... but hey, not everyone can be einstein. and at least i really liked a couple side characters, i honestly wish we got more of Wolf, Naeve and Mirror!

i also really enjoyed the different mythologies and fairytale creatures and traditional storylines woven into one short book, it was very impressive and quite interesting to read about!

there was some iffy stockholm syndrome kidnapping type vibes... but hey that's beauty and the beast for you, i knew what i was getting into. all things considered, this wasn't too bad, and it at least kept me entertained for a couple days :).

thank you so much to the author, publisher and netgalley for the arc copy provided!

Mountains made of glass by Scarlett St Clair

I received an advance review copy of this book, and this review represents my honest opinion. Thank you to netgalley, Scarlett St Clair, and Bloom books for the opportunity to read the book.

Firstly, the artwork in this book is absolutely amazing. The cover and the art inside really add to the story, and I have no doubt will make for a beautiful physical edition.

Every time the male love interests long nails were mentioned, I cringed, and then he cut them and seemed so proud. The bar for me in fantasy romances is too high at this point for that to sway my opinion much. I wasn't a fan of the smut leading into talks of her deceased family. I get that he's trying to get her to fall for him by caring, but it's hardly appropriate pillow talk.

Naeve is probably the best part of the book because she constantly calls our love interest out on his stupidity. Gesela starts out seeming like she's resourceful enough to take care of herself and then seems to lose all that so our love interest can keep saving her. I think the book needed a female main character who could match him in a way that made him feel ever so slightly unneeded. He would have benefited from that.

The book unfortunately suffers from being too short to carry the plot and all the smut that's crammed into it. It takes place over 7 days, so the romance was guaranteed to be fast, but they went from hate/lust to love with very little development outside of their bedroom activities. I mean, sure, he was nice to her and saved her from a few situations, but they only really have a few moments of genuine emotional connection.

I think had the book been longer with more space for romantic development and plot, it would have the potential to be really good. We don't really get a huge amount of worldbuilding either, which it definitely needs. I didn't hate the smut in the sense of it being bad it was just a lot in so short a book.

Overall, I've gone with 2 stars because it just didn't live up to the potential it plot wise. But if you want a smutty read with a little plot, this one is definitely for you.

"You were made for this."
"Made for what, sweet creature?"
"Heartbreak."

Once again Scarlett St. Clair has written something addictive. The best part? There are going to be 5 more of these!! Yay! Anyone who knows me will tell you I am a sucker for fairytale retellings of any and all kinds. Mountains Made of Glass blends elements from at least 10 different fairytales. From classics such as Snow White, Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin, and Beauty and the Beast, to Irish fairytales, Grimm Brother stories, and Hans Christian Andersen works. Any lover of fairytales will immensely enjoy this story and have so much fun discovering all the references to fairytales of old.

"Is there anyone worse than you?
Vicious creature, there is always something worse."

I actually did not know this was a novella, and I knew very little about the plot besides the absolute basics. So you can imagine my pleasant surprise when I discovered this was not a retelling focused around one story, but pulled elements from various stories. From magic mirrors, to elven princes, selkies, and magic wardrobes along with curses, magical bargains, and enchanted forests, this was the perfect blend of old and new storytelling, with a romantic twist.

"Magic was the darkness that existed between the trees, the place where light did not shine, and it had taken everything."

This is very much written as an original dark fairytale and I enjoyed every second of it. Magic does not have to be explained and anything and everything is possible. If you are a reader who enjoys logic and common sense in a fantasy book: look elsewhere. The plot was great and the characters were even better. I love a good enemies to lovers and when you throw in a magical curse, things get even better. Overall, this was a strong start to this new series and I am excited to see where we go next!

Mountains Made of Glass is a captivating fairytale retelling. This was my first read by Scarlett St Clair and I jumped at the chance to read it since the plot and the cover were so intriguing - thank you so much Sourcebooks Bloom Books and NetGalley for the free copy! If you are into fairytales, faes, magical forests and enchanted castles - and like your fantasy reads on the darker and steamier side - then this is just the perfect little read for you!

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book

3.5 stars.

There Scarlett goes again, making me fall in love with men my father would never approve of 🙄 I loved the spice, the drama, and Casamirs overall lack of romantic knowledge (I can relate far too well…. Awkward). I only with the story and “falling in love” was strung out a little longer and in more detail!

Scarlett St Clair's world-building and imagery are enchanting. She is known for writing strong female characters who face seemingly insurmountable odds (King of Battle and Blood, A Touch of Chaos) and while I am drawn to that, I would love to see some variety in their characterizations. I found myself wishing that Gesela had more of a background to lean into and that her heritage was more fully explained. The Prince is a typical St. Clair male, arrogant, cock-sure, and wounded (though I did enjoy the Adrian/Hades' callouts with "Are you well?"). The story was far too short and while the beginning felt moderately paced, the last 50 pages or so were rushed. It felt like it was set up for a slow burn of enemies to lovers, but it raced through and rushed toward the inevitable climax.

I will read the rest of the series, but I will also manage my expectations differently.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 | 🌶️🌶️/5


I was given this ebook by netgalley and Bloom Books, in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the concept of this book, it had enough world-building for a short story, and the details of a fairy tale retelling and the spooky vibes were well executed.

Maybe because I usually read series, I find it hard to give a high score to short stories (this is just over 200 pages), as I always feel like I ‘want more’ and that some aspects could be more developed, especially in the Fantasy genre that always requires some sort of world-building.

In this case, my issue is the romance aspect of this story, it felt too instantaneous and lacked a depth of connection and feelings between the two main characters.

So if you are in the mood for something short and spicy with fairytale retelling elements, give this book a try!

Once again SSC is proving why she’s one of my favorite spicy fantasy authors. This is the first in her new fairytale series and it was a lot of fun! It was about as ridiculous and out there as all fairytales should be and I enjoyed all the magic and curses. With a book this short it’s hard not to have insta-love, but I wish it was drawn out JUUUSTTTT a little bit more. 18+

I loved this! I was in a bit of slump with the other book I was reading and was afraid it was just a reading slump, in general, but this captured my attention immediately. I read it all in one day, couldn’t put I down!

Scarlett did a great job of making us care about these characters in a very short amount of time. I think that the world-building was tight, as well. And as always, her spice was 🔥. Honestly, the only thing that could have pushed it to a 5 for me was if I had cried or if the stakes were a little higher. But overall this was a very fun, engaging novella. I think she accomplished what she set out to do and I am looking forward of the new installments of this series!

Thank you to Net Galley and Scarlett St. Clair for an ebook in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Wow this was such a cute and fun read! I’m not usually an “insta love” kind of girl but it was really enjoyable nonetheless.

✨REVIEW: Mountains Made Of Glass by Scarlett St. Clair

⭐️ Rating: 3.5/5
🌶️ Spice: 3/5
📖 Genre: Fantasy Romance
#️⃣ Pages: 219
📚 Format: Available now only in ebook
🧚🏼‍♀️ Fairytale Retelling #1
✍🏼 Same Author As: A Touch of Darkness and King of Battle and Blood series

💭 THOUGHTS
Never would I have thought that I needed a fairytale mix with darkness and spice! But I got it and I loved every second of this read!!

It’s a face paced, short read but Scarlett St. Clair did a stunning job with the plot and the description/creation of the creatures and fairyland. As a reader this fairytale retelling will keep you engaged and guessing the ending along the way.

If you loved Beauty and the Beast, then this book has your name written all over it plus it has a touch of other fairytales & folklore as well.

Read if you like 🫶🏼
Enemies to Lovers
Fairytales
Curse breaking quests
True Love

💛Thank you @sourcebooks @read_bloom and @netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

💛If she writes it, I’m going to read it.

💛 Congratulations to Scarlett St. Clair on this newest release!