Storm Glass (Harbinger #1)

Fran

Rating: really liked it
Two young girls. Two distinct, opposite worlds. Cettie of the Fells lives in a dark world, a world of poverty, hunger and disease. Her clothing is threadbare and there are holes in her shoes. Stealing food is the only way to obtain nourishment. Sera Fitzempress lives in a floating manor in the upper world of wealth and privilege. Beautiful waterfalls are found on her estate in the clouds. The water turns to mist before it reaches the underbelly of society, the home of the poor and wretched. The floating manors and estates are controlled by the Mysteries. Neither Cettie nor Sera is comfortable in her world and each seeks freedom and control over her destiny.

Cettie hopes to qualify for the lottery through hard work. She yearns for a position in one of the floating manors. A chance meeting with Lord Fitzroy might be her way out. She attempts to speak to him, with deference, while begging him to adopt her. The first step would be for Fitzroy to buy her deed. Children down below are frequently signed away by their parents. Deeds can be transferred from owner to owner.

Sera lives a lonely life with only her governess, Hugilde, for companionship. She is an only child with no playmates. Her father has never let her experience life outside the manor. Sera is unable to focus on her studies. Why learn about life outside if she cannot experience it? Upon learning that Lord Fitzroy has brought Cettie home to his manor at Willow Fog, Sera is anxious to meet her. Sera's efforts are thwarted.

At age fourteen, privileged children are sent to school to learn the Mysteries. What are the Mysteries and how are they used? Why would Lord Fitzroy, a decorated hero, take waiflike Cettie aboard his skyship and fly her to his manor?

Determined citizens from down below strive for a better life. If successful they might have their time in the sun, their floating estate. Seemingly successful, well dressed members of society however can easily topple from grace. Despite the long hard climb to the top, a rapid decline can follow when other businessmen plot your economic destruction. They relish it! They relish your tumble back to the tenements.

I did not expect to be so captivated by this Sci Fi/ Fantasy read! "Storm Glass (Harbinger #1)" by Jeff Wheeler is the first book in a planned five book series. I anxiously await Harbinger #2! An excellent read.

Thank you 47North and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Storm Glass".

Montzalee Wittmann

Rating: really liked it
Storm Glass by Jeff Wheeler and narrated by Kate Rudd is a fabulous world that is fleshed out magnificently! Floating mountain cities, the poor people and the life they live on the ground, the magic that keeps things going they call the "Mysteries" , and the ship's that soar through the sky! It is all so cool!
The characters are well developed and either terrifying or wonderful. Sure their are others but all are unique!
The narration is excellent too! I will certainly follow this series!

R.K. Gold

Rating: really liked it
I don’t feel like writing a full review. It had its moments but I wasn’t invested in any of the characters. I may continue the series because I have KU and I definitely want to watch the antagonists lose.

✨faith✨trust✨pixiedust✨

Rating: really liked it

"We all learn, little woman, that before we can be old and wise, we must at first be very young and foolish."

This is marketed as young adult, and while the writing style and pacing were definitely of that genre, the main characters were both 12 throughout the entire novel, which was surprising to me at first. The plot was well paced, though, and the characters well rounded, so it was not a bad thing by any means.

I was drawn into the story and the world as soon as Cettie's character was introduced. She had a gothic quality to her that reminded me of Jane Eyre, and her storyline gave me strong Mansfield Park vibes, which I really liked and appreciated.

Unfortunately, I did not feel such about our other heroine, Sera, at least not for a long while. I found her initially more along the lines of the princess part of Barbie's The Princess and the Pauper: whiney, ungrateful, and ~so unconventional~ But after some hardships, her character really blossomed into someone I genuinely cared about.

"Some knowledge, important knowledge, requires a price to be paid before it is learned. The secrets must be guarded. But they can be learned."

I was not a huge fan of the unnecessary love interests, as they made the 12 year old protagonists feel much older, especially since their respective love interests were both a few years older than them. The other secondary characters, such as Sera's governess Hugilde, Mr Durrant (an iconic gem of a man), and Anna were all great additions that helped to populate the world and expand the breadth of the characters.

I did not like the random thoughts from a seemingly unimportant character, Lady Corrine of Pavenham Sky, as they were largely unrelated to the themes of the novel, and served only to reiterate worldbuilding, spew pointless philosophy, and distract from the plot. The character in question, when she did appear, did not seem even remotely like her philosophical self.

The malevolent spirits and their influence in Cettie's life, as well as Fitzroy's apparent ability to ward them off, was immediately compelling and I was dying to know more about them. I loved the worldbuilding as a whole and was fascinated by the mixture of myth and science. It reminded me a lot of one of my favorite underrated novels, Dominion by Shane Arbuthnott, with its historical feel and steampunk mixed with otherworldly fantasy aspects.

"That's the thing about stories. They can touch on truths that some people are not ready to hear."

Read this review and more on my blog here!

Mel (Epic Reading)

Rating: really liked it
Whew! This book really surprised me. The main two girls POV we get are so well done. The economic and social lessons are brilliant. The plot is fast and interesting. I would love to see this picked up by a major publisher so it isn’t restricted to Kindle. Because of the kindle only format, I had to read this book on my phone instead of my e-reader. However it’s a testament to how well done it is that I didn’t mind reading on my phone one bit.

World Building
Normally what Jeff Wheeler has done to simplify any complex world building that might be needed would bug me. For some reason in this structure and with our younger lead gals I didn't mind that the answer to everything supernatural, unknown or unexplained (ie: floating islands, floating buildings, etc.) being:
"Of course, it was all explained by the Mysteries, which meant it wasn’t to be explained at all.”
I mean could you leave yourself any more room to be vague and have things just magically happen? I dunno if it's because of our younger lead characters, or just because Wheeler convinced me, but I didn't hate this explanation. Also perhaps I tolerate this answer because there is promise that the Mysteries are explained to those who pass certain educational milestones and that our lead gals might each get there. Which just makes me want to keep reading the books in this series! So maybe Wheeler is just clever and knew how to hook me in.

Lead Girls
The two point of views (first person) that we get in Storm Glass are from two younger girls (I think they were 10-12). One whom is very privileged and one who has come from the dirt of nothing up to privilege in the blink of an eye. At first I wanted more of the poorer girl's story from before she was 'saved'. But as time went by I realized that Wheeler was telling those stories in small snippets as our poorer gal experiences the grandeur of the privileged society she is thinking the stories of her past; which we then experience. Both girls are relatable and likeable in their own ways.
Each chapter with their POV tended to go on fairly long and everytime I didn't want to leave that girl's POV; until I got a couple pages in to the next POV and felt the same again. Wheeler has very compelling writing.

Genre Novel
For sure Wheeler has given us the beginning of the series (called Harbinger) that is fairly genre typical. We have some characters who differ, a fantasy world, socio-economics, and the ever endearing politics of said world. Then we have the fantastical Mysteries, some shady folks, and some really fun locations to visit. Storm Glass felt like a book I'd read a thousand times and would love to read a thousand times more. It was comfortable and felt like it fit in my brain nicely not unlike: LOTR, Shannara, WoT, and other (slightly older) fantasy does. For this reason some may find it 'dated' in its style. But for this girl, who was born in 1983 and read GoT at 16, it felt perfect.

Overall
The biggest downfall to this book is that I can't get it on my Kobo as it's Kindle only. Seriously TOR or Orbit need to jump on this series like now!
I am however going to order myself the series in paperback so I can enjoy it in all it's printed glory. I'm very happy to have found a unique but comfortable series to fall into.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Betty

Rating: really liked it
Storm Glass is set in a Dickensian world where the the wealthy live in manors magically suspended in the sky by means of something called the 'mysteries", something only the sky-dwellers are privy to learn and understand. The unfortunate, impoverished people live below in "the Fells", where their short lives are marked by hard work, hunger, and meager means. This duality is explored through two characters: Seraphin Fitzempress, heir to the throne, who is kept isolated from everyone by her father and battles loneliness as a result; and Cettie Pratt, a girl who lived in the Fells with a negligent guardian until she meets Vice Admiral Fitzroy, who agrees to take her to his sky manor when she pleaded with him to take her away from her miserable home—only to have to contend with his Keeper of the House, Mrs. Pullman, who wants Cettie back in the Fells where she belongs.

I was completely enchanted with this novel. The story is told alternately from Cettie and Seraphin's points of view, and it was easy to see the similarities between the two girls, despite how different their lives were. I enjoyed reading about both of them, though I must admit I was most sympathetic to Cettie—it was hard not to be, since she definitely had a harder life than Seraphin.

There are many things that happened in the story regarding the Mysteries (not to mention, people involved in the girls lives) that I would love to discuss in this review, but since these things aren't referenced in the blurb, I feel like it would be bordering on spoiling to talk about these things in detail. That's a crying shame, too, because oh my goodness these things are some of the best portions of the book! Suffice to say that a LOT of things happened that were (depending on the event in question) exciting, frightening, and even heartbreaking.

I am thrilled beyond measure that Storm Glass is the first in a series of books, because I can't wait to visit this captivating world again.

This is the first time I've read a book written by Jeff Wheeler, but it definitely won't be the last!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves reading young adult fantasy... and I hope you'll love it as much as I did!

(The second book in the series, Mirror Gate, will be released on August 28, 2018.)

I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of 47North via Netgalley.

Amber J

Rating: really liked it
“No one truly belongs anywhere, Cettie. We each are given a life to live. And we live it as best we can.”
― Jeff Wheeler, Storm Glass

I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler free way. If you feel anything in my review is a spoiler and is not already hidden in spoiler brackets please let me know. Thank you.

12 year old Cettie is parentless, hungry, and scared. Till a man comes. He can see her ghosts too, and he can banish them. After a plea from her, she is off to stay with him in his manor in the sky with hopes of being adopted. While some of the household welcomes her with open arms. Some do not. Then there is Sera. A princess. While her life may seem perfect, she is a prisoner in her own way. With hopes and dreams to be free and able to help the poor of the fells. After her father is made prince regent. Things begin to change in her world. And certain information will turn everything she's known upside down.

I listened to this one the KU audio. The narrator wasn't bad. I'm unsure though if my rating is due fully to the story though. I think without it being on audio, I may have given it a lower rating. There really wasn't a whole lot to the story. I think its because it was setting the series up and that's what makes it feel so uneventful to me. That being said though, the story did have its high points and in the end I will listen to the next book in the series as well with high hopes that the story progresses and get better. I liked the characters. They were each so different and unique in there own ways.

How I choose my rating:
1* Did not finish, or hated it but forced myself to finish.
2** Didn't really like it. Didn't hate it but not sure why I finished it other then for some closure.
3*** I liked it. I had some issues with it, but as a whole it was good. I probably won't reread again ever, but there is a chance I might finish the series. (If part of one) But if not it's not a huge loss.
4**** I really liked this book. Maybe not a work of genius, but highly entertaining. I might reread this again, and I will finish the series. (If part of one) I would recommend to those I know hold interest in this books content.
5***** I loved this book. I found little to no issues with it at all. I will definitely be rereading this and probably more than once. I will finish the series and reread it multiple times. (If part of one) I will recommend this book to EVERYONE!!!!

Alaina

Rating: really liked it
Intrigued to bored to OMG IT'S OVER!

Storm Glass was an interesting book. I found the cover to be cool looking and the synopsis to be interesting.. and so I dove into it. However, after diving into it I was going through the roller coaster of this is boring to ooooo I am intrigued. I will also admit that this book had some good twists and turns that I didn't always see coming. Especially that ending.

Cettie and Sera were adorable. I liked how they were constantly intrigued and up for the challenge. I also really liked how they weren't so cliche - in a way? Cettie was a poor orphan girl and Sera was a princess. Now Sera was kind of like Jasmine from Aladdin (again, in a way?) because she wanted to somehow give the poor rights. If she is Jasmine.. then Cettie is like Aladdin. Again, they were adorable and even though I was starting to ship them - I still couldn't believe my eyes with that ending.

Other than all of that, I felt like the book was rather slow-paced.. or maybe it was just me and my reading habits. I just couldn't get into the book at times.. and other moments were just me not wanting to read this book because I had other beautiful babies to dive into.

Overall, I'm glad that I stuck with it because it was a pretty good book. I'm definitely intrigued to dive into the next one - just hoping that it's a bit more fast paced.

BAM the enigma “Ask me if you need help with a book”

Rating: really liked it
Netgalley #64

Many thanks to Jeff Wheeler, 47 North, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
Jeff Wheeler is the father of clean fantasy. I love his Kingfountain series. So when I saw he was created a new world I jumped at the chance to read about it. This one is set above the clouds. And on the dirty ground. Guess who's rich and in power? We find an orphan, Cettie, with an ability to sense ghosts rescued by a brilliant politician, Fitzroy, who takes her home and prepares to adopt her as part of his family.
I found the cloud city fascinating, especially when people went bankrupt. There was a symbiotic relationship between the two levels. One could not exist fully without the other. And I was intrigued by the spirit world and how it's controlled. I want to learn more about that. Really I just want to read this entire series. This is a fantastic start!

Amanda

Rating: really liked it
You can also read my review here: https://devouringbooks2017.wordpress....

Storm Glass was a cool fantasy novel that followed the lives of two young girls who came from very different parts of the fantasy world created in the book. Sera was a princess and lived on a floating manor in the sky and Cettie was practically homeless and living with the poor in the world down below.

The fantasy world created was quite fascinating. Although there are many modern inventions such as zephers, which are like flying spaceships, the time period seemed to emulate the 1800's with fancy dresses and balls, but also the poverty that you would expect in a Dicken's novel. There were also magical Mysteries that people studied, which added to the fantasy element.

The characters were interesting. I found them to be a bit younger than I typically read about. I read a lot of young adult novels, but in this story the two main characters were only 12 years old. I did find them interesting though. Cettie and Sera were both inquisitive young girls that had a lot of integrity. There were many injustices against the poor and rather than be a spoiled little girl, Sera, the princess, wanted to fight for the rights of the poor.

The plot was okay. It certainly wasn't predictable, at no point did I know where this book was going. But I expected a better plot, but the book was more about the world building then the events. I think the plot could have been more interesting and been done better. It was slow-moving and at times lost my interest. I did not see how the two girls stories were related for the majority of the novel.

It was full of very good world building and if it were to become a series I would be interested to see where it goes. As a stand alone it falls a little flat though. The plot could have been done much better, but the world building was so fascinating that I continued reading. This would not be at the top of my list for young adult fantasy, but I wouldn't count it out because the world building was so cool.

Liz Leiby

Rating: really liked it
This is somewhere between 2.5 and 3 for me. Low end because the writing was not my favorite. I felt like the author did a lot of “telling” - it made me, as a reader, feel like the author assumed we (readers) would be stupid. Maybe this book is suppose to be for an audience who doesn’t pick up on things easily, but even if I was 16, I think I would still feel almost insulted by this writing style. Give the reader a little credit, ya know? Needless to say, it wasn’t for me.

What DID work for this book was the premise. The world building and the plot were not bad. The ending was a little rushed, but not horrible. The split world, one in the sky, one on the ground, separated by class and money- it’s really intriguing. It seems like this is the first of a series and the author does set it up that there’s plenty of material and world building left that I could see the reader still learning new things by the 3rd book or however long it will be. I think the idea behind this book is really strong, but someone should have told him he was being too obvious.

Not sure if I’ll read the rest of the series...

(I was provided a copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for a review)

Hannah

Rating: really liked it
Absolutely nothing happens in the first 70% of this book. The next 25% has an actual plot, and the last 5% is "hey, there's definitely going to be a sequel, yo."

Tana 🌻 Cozyreadings

Rating: really liked it
18/06/2019

Copy provided by netgalley in Exchange for an honest review

Just because something doesn't happen constantly doesn't mean it won't happen at all. Many of the consequences we face are delayed.

3.75 stars

Going into this I only saw positive reviews, so my attention was immediately grabbed. The whole mysteries thing was really interesting to me.
I enjoyed it enough, and it was nice to read from the perspective of two young girls. However the plot didn’t really grip me. It took me while before I realized what the plot even was, and to be fair I'm not really sure still. I was afraid that there would be some romance involved, and I'm glad it didn't: the girls talked about are 12. That would have been a big no for me.

Three things bothered me in the end:
1) Why did Ms. Pullmann hate Cettie so much? Was it just because she came from the Fells, or was it because she is so powerful? This confused me to no end.
2) The ending wrapped up waaaay too neatly. Also: Fitzroy had to be blind to not see that Cettie got worse after she had to go back to that little attic room.
3) The ghosts are real and the people in the Fells know they are. Why do the people in the sky not believe them? There's enough evidence that they in fact exist.

I'm glad that I decided to power through this one. I enjoyed myself enough, even if not that much happened. I am looking forward to the next installment, since I do want to go back to this world and figure this whole mysteries thing out. Also: the ending showed that the next book will be in a schoolsetting, and boy do i like me a good schoolsetting.

The possibility of gaining riches stimulates the mind of rich and poor alike. Both strive for it. Some people gamble with coin. Some gamble with reputation.

Jamie

Rating: really liked it
What a fabulous start to a new to me series! I've recently been dipping my feet into the fantasy genre more and more and I'm finding little gems all over the place! This one was a little different from other ones I've read ; the two main characters are young girls aged 12/13 ish but the book they never felt that young at all, I felt throughout the story they were in their teens. There were floating castles and air ships ! And not air ships like future sci-fi stuff.. but like sailing ships from way back when that sail through the air. It was so flippin cool! Then there's the lower caste of people that live on the land beneath the floating castles/lands and your home can easily crash to the ground if you lose your money. And there's magic! Yep, this was a VERY COOL story and i'm moving right into book 2. I think in the next book several years have passed and our protagonist will be mid /late teens so I'm looking forward to see what happens next.

P.S. This was on the Kindle Unlimited READ AND LISTEN FOR FREE and the narration was really good!

Quintin Zimmermann

Rating: really liked it
Floating cities levitating above the muck and mire of the downcast. So begins a new series by Jeff Wheeler, which is set centuries after his lauded Covenant of Muirwood series.

The two main protagonists are the young girls, Cettie and Sera, representing the dichotomous nature of society, in a world whose nature is not too dissimilar to our own.

This world is imbued with rites of power, which are as Delphic as they are complex. This power is only studied by the privileged few with four major schools: the Mysteries of War, the Mysteries of Wind, the Mysteries of Law and the Mysteries of Thought.

This is my first Jeff Wheeler novel and I really enjoyed his light, breezy writing style. While this series is clearly Young Adult fiction, it belies the depth of his characters that can be quite insightful in their observations.

I am most definitely looking forward to exploring this world further through the upcoming books as well as Jeff Wheeler's previous series.