If you’ve ever had the longing to get lost in a fairy tale like a child, this is the book you’ve been waiting for. I began The Glass Castle one evening and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning reading it until I couldn’t hold my Kindle up any longer. I finished it the next morning.
Avery and her brother Henry, who is three, are kidnapped while they are in the woods. I’m not sure where Henry is taken, but Avery finds herself in a castle.
She is thirteen and so are all of the other children in the castle. They too have been kidnapped and are made to live in the castle and work. If she tries to escape, she is told the rest of her family will be in danger.
Avery’s mom had told her stories about an evil king’s castle. While listening to them, she would be swept away to another world, forgetting just how poor and hungry they were. These were her most treasured memories of her mom. Her father had even built her a castle in the trees.
She makes friends and falls in love, but yet she still manages to escape only to find that her father isn’t at the house she grew up in: six strange dirty men are living there. She runs to her tree castle to hide, but her adventure is only beginning.
The king is growing old and is worried because he has no heir. Well, his first wife did have a son but this son is supposed to have died. And what fairy tale would be complete without a wicked queen? Scheming Angelina has her hooks in the king and has definite plans that will leave her as the one who rules.
This fairy tale is complete with a gorgeous castle, secret tunnels, and the Forbidden City, a place where those who try to escape are said to be sent and never seen again. Secrets abound as does deception. Avery discovers the stories her mom told her are full of frighteningly similar descriptions of the castle in which she was being held. She finds the only one who can save her from the mess she finds herself in is God.
This is the first book in a series, so it does end in a cliffhanger. I was sent a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. If you would like to lose yourself in this fairy tale, I have provided an Amazon link below.
Amazon Link: The Glass Castle
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Favorite Sentences:
How could she have possibly known that a simple walk in the woods would turn dangerous?
The old woman began to laugh—a hollow, unhappy sound—revealing several missing teeth and a deep scar along her right cheek.
For good or evil—and she suspected evil—her life was about to change forever.
Avery would have asked for more if she hadn’t just eaten enough breakfast to feed her entire village back home.
And beneath the ceiling where an oppressive mural of the kingdom’s darkest stories had been painted to life, Avery sought the face of God, convinced He could use her to split history.
About the Authors:
Trisha White Priebe is a wife, mom, writer, editor, and shameless water polo enthusiast. She advocates for orphans, speaks at retreats, and enjoys assisting her husband in youth ministry.
Jerry B. Jenkins, a former vice-president for publishing at Moody Bible Institute of Chicago and currently a member of the board of trustees, is the author of more than 175 books, including the Left Behind series.
