I can't really rate this fairly. It's not my type of book. I really thought this was going to be something different....

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This has been on my TBR pile for so long, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. I really enjoyed the storyline and seeing the characters change throughout the story was a great character development. The plot was great and kept my attention. I'm glad I got the chance to read this and will be on the lookout for more in the future!

This book was amazing. I blew through this title. While I am not a fan of glorifying the economy of addiction, this book was just fantastic.

Glitter by Aprilynne Pike contains on-page physical and sexual abuse, and I would have appreciated some kind of trigger warning. I did not finish this book, and will not be reviewing it further. Thanks so much for the opportunity!

It’s the French Revolution all over again in Glitter, a wacky ode to conspicuous consumption. Set in a not-too-distant future when the upper class lives in a recreation of pre-Revolution Versailles (complete with over-the-top decadence, capricious royalty, and really big dresses), this book is as full of scheming, flirting, danger, and over-the-top outfits as you’d expect. Danica’s the lucky girl chosen to be the new Queen — mostly because her mom was able to blackmail the king after Dani witnessed him murdering someone. (Oops.) But Dani has no desire to be any kind of queen, and she decides that dealing the super-addictive drug Glitter is her ticket out of Versailles and into the real world. As you can imagine, that plan has a few potential problems.

I mean, if this book didn’t end on a GIGANTIC CLIFFHANGER, I would probably say it’s a weird and hilarious hoot, but since it does end on a giant cliffhanger, which is my readerly pet peeve, I say steer clear. It’s a meh execution of an idea that’s never fully conceived, and it definitely isn’t engaging enough to forgive a complete lack of resolution. Nope. Do not pass go, do not read the “sequel.” (Because come on, with a cliffhanger like that, it’s not really a sequel. IT’S THE OTHER HALF OF THE BOOK. Grr.)

I did not think I would like this book as the time period was not something I thought I would enjoy reading about. The storyline is really phenomenal and it has superb ending. I can’t wait to read sequels to find out what happens!

What a fascinating idea, but unfortunately I had trouble getting into the GLITTER world so this is a DNF for me (for now at least, I may try again in the future).

I really liked the description of this book and was eager to read it, but it really didn't work for me. The writing was odd, and honestly, a lot of it was ridiculous. I thought it sounded really cool, but it just kept getting worse. I wish I hadn't finished it.

Take a heap of old-school Versailles, a healthy cup of future tech, a dash of drugs, and a heap of fancy dresses, and you have Glitter. Set in the future against a lavish backdrop of Versailles (basically stolen from the French by a corporation), Glitter is a story about Danica, a 17-year-old girl trying to escape from a difficult situation and getting into the drug trade to do so. Not only is she selling drugs, but her client base is entirely unaware (at least at first) that they’re getting hooked on drugs.

I actually thought it was refreshing to read a book where the protagonist was unlikable and did despicable things with only a bit of remorse. It was always interesting to see how much farther Danica would go in her efforts to save herself, and she rarely disappointed. I mean, by the end, she was going to abandon everyone she ever cared about and leave a wave of tragedy and chaos behind her to save herself from a marriage. I’m not saying she should’ve married Justin without a fight, but she didn’t even TRY to go to the authorities.

The one thing I really didn’t like about this story was how the romance seemingly came out of nowhere. Danica obviously was attracted to Saber, but there wasn’t a lot of lead-up before they were suddenly making out. It just…happened. But I was more interested in Danica’s intricate web of lies, so it wasn’t a big deal for me as a reader that the romance wasn’t fleshed out.

I received this book as a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review from Random House Books for Young Readers and NetGalley (quite a long time ago).

"From #1 New York Times bestselling author Aprilynne Pike comes a truly original new novel—Breaking Bad meets Marie Antoinette in a near-future world where the residents of Versailles live like it’s the eighteenth century and an almost-queen turns to drug dealing to save her own life.

Outside the palace of Versailles, it’s modern day. Inside, the people dress, eat, and act like it’s the eighteenth century—with the added bonus of technology to make court life lavish, privileged, and frivolous. The palace has every indulgence, but for one pretty young thing, it’s about to become a very beautiful prison.

When Danica witnesses an act of murder by the young king, her mother makes a cruel power play . . . blackmailing the king into making Dani his queen. When she turns eighteen, Dani will marry the most ruthless and dangerous man of the court. She has six months to escape her terrifying destiny. Six months to raise enough money to disappear into the real world beyond the palace gates.

Her ticket out? Glitter. A drug so powerful that a tiny pinch mixed into a pot of rouge or lip gloss can make the wearer hopelessly addicted. Addicted to a drug Dani can sell for more money than she ever dreamed. But in Versailles, secrets are impossible to keep. And the most dangerous secret—falling for a drug dealer outside the palace walls—is one risk she has to take."

See, this actually DOES sound original, and hence I'm in!

I thought this book was something totally different, so unable to rate fairly.

This was such a cool concept, but the main character is so selfish and horrible. Even a flawed protagonist should have some redeeming qualities to make them sympathetic, and I just couldn't find anything

I had trouble staying with this book. I can see it appealing to younger people but for me it just didn't keep my interest.

I'll admit, I was drawn to this book because the cover is so beautiful. I love history, but for some reason, I'm not usually a big fan of historical fiction. I've been wanting to read more of the genre, and I picked up this one because of the dystopian spin. I thought historical fiction combined with one of my favorite genres would make this an enjoyable read for me, and I didn't hate it, but it wasn't something I loved and I don't think I'll be continuing on with the series unfortunately.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title. Unfortunately, I have lost interest in the title, partly due to trusted reviews, and will not be reviewing the title. I have, however, promoed the title through my weekly recap with links to Amazon. Thank you again, and I apologize for the inconvenience this may cause.

I didn't get to reading this book but I read the 2nd book and loved it. I loved how it was set in the future but still in the time with all of these tech stuff. I loved that this was grey with the main people in the story.

I did not love this book nor did I hate it. It just was not my kind of book. The reason being, I had no idea that it was set in France. For me, for some reason that setting just bugs the crap out of me. I couldn't get past this. I have a friend on the other hand that would love this book, the French royal setting is right up her ally. It was not a bad book it just was not the type that I would go for.

Set in a world of decadence and glamour, Dannika is desperate to escape. From the outside, it looks like she has the perfect life betrothed to the King and CEO of the most successful company in the world, but in reality she was sold to the despicable King by her power hungry mother and Dannika is dying on the inside. When she has one last chance to try and claim her freedom, she takes it- even when it means she will be working with a master criminal and the drug Glitter.

I feel like I went into this book pretty blind, not really knowing what the book was about but willing to give it a whirl since the cover pretty and I liked the author. And when I say the cover is pretty, I mean absolutely gorgeous and eye catching and I would have read the book without liking the author for the cover alone. (Feel free to swing by my Instagram page for a picture of the cover in the wild!). And yes, I do pick books based on cover- the more stunning, the more I need to get it. There was mystery, darkness, glamour, angst and romance found within the pages of the book. And yes this was YA, but most certainly geared towards the older YA adult readers due to content. This was such a convoluted mess with so many twists and turns that were shocking and I never predicted​.

The world building was pretty epic and such an odd mish-match I was surprised how well it went together- and my favorite part of the story. We have a future filled with incredible technology like eye computer lens and android systems that will dress you and monitor all actions. And then we have this society that dresses and acts like it was French royalty during the 17th century and replicates the ways and court of the old Kings of France's past. Everyone who lives with in Versailles must live up to these standards of dress and action, as well as with titles and rules- while at the same time having the technology to help things go smoothly. There was even a historical society that had to approve everything and tours where "regular" people could come and see the court in all it's finery and proper actions. It was such a crazy unique idea I absolutely loved it.

​Dannika is our main character, the narrator of the book, and the person that I was surprised to find myself liking. ​Why am I surprised to like the main character you ask? Well, because she was a drug dealer. Dannika was willing to sacrifice everyone in the palace to be able to obtain her freedom- this is one of those debates of the welfare of 1 versus the many. And let's add in the fact that she lied to everyone, got them addicted to her crazy expensive "make-up" against their will to fit in, never once disclosing that she was getting them hooked on drugs. And yet, despite all that, I empathized for her- her corset pulling was such a small outward sign of her lack of control and inner turmoil. (Oh and by the way she was also at least partly responsible for 2 deaths.) Her life seemed so out of control and unhappy, that her choices didn't even matter, her desperation more a driving force for everything. She was the biggest victim (at the start of the book) but then she pretty much said screw it, I will get out regardless of the cost and went on her merry way ruing those around her. I hat to say it, but I respected her. She made so many bad choices, but she knew who she was and the cost of what she wanted. It was interesting how she was able to create such loyal relationships, even when her actions were known, which I guess shows how compelling she was as a person. To anyone else in her world, she would be seen as the villain, yet she was the ingenue.

I have encountered a LOT of mixed reviews on this story, so I am fully aware that it is not for everyone, but I enjoyed the twisty, dark, dangerous, glamorous read. FYI, HUGE shocking cliffhanger ending so be prepared for that bomb to drop. Overall I really found myself engrossed in this world and I look forward to the next book.

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Great read! Another reason why I enjoy Aprilynne Pike!

Glitter is hard to describe, but here it goes: Dystopian Marie Antoinette. In a not-so-distant future, a company has been able to purchase the Palace of Versailles from France. That's because of a devastating international illness (or plant failure, I can't recall) and the company's ability to solve that issue. Okay, so Versailles has been sold off to a company--and for some reason that I haven't yet figured out, the company decided to run Versailles as if it were indeed the 1780s, with the CEO of the company being the king, everyone wearing period wear, etc. The only concession to modernity is a fleet of hidden robots and a computer system, MARIE, that essentially organizes the show.

In this setting, our heroine, born and raised in this life, is forced by her mother into a position of prestige. Our heroine has fears for her life and wants her freedom. Her efforts to do so lead her to danger, to the obligatory hot guy, and to various mysteries.

What's good: You have to give it to the author for the creativity of the set-up. I also enjoyed the dress and historical details, because hey, why not?
What's bad: Despite the perils faced by the heroine, she's a terrible person. In addition, she's a Special Snowflake who is always the most beautiful, most graceful, etc.--you get the idea.

Also, the book ends on a note built for a sequel. I *loathe* books that cheat the reader this way, so I thought it should be mentioned--if you're reading this book, you're essentially committing to at least two