The Glass Demon

Helen Grant’s debut, The Vanishing of Katharina Linden was an Alex Award winner last year, and one of our own Best Adult Books 4 Teens 2010. (You can read the blog review here.)

Needless to say, there has been a great deal of anticipation for her second novel, which does not (in the least!) disappoint.

Both novels were published for the young adult market in the U.K. (but for adults here in the states). They were both nominated for the Carnegie Medal, Britain’s top award for children’s or young adult literature.

GRANT, Helen. The Glass Demon: A Novel. 320p. Bantam. 2011. pap. $15. ISBN 978-0-385-34420-3. LC number unavailable.  

Adult/High School–Grant’s follow-up to The Vanishing of Katharina Linden (Delacorte, 2010) is a similarly engrossing tale. Lin Fox finds herself in a falling-down castle deep in the woods of Germany while her father attempts to resuscitate his academic career. For generations, the village has lived with the legend of the Allerheiligen Glass–medieval stained glass windows that are said to have been cursed by a demon, bringing death to those who gaze upon them. Like the quest for the Holy Grail, the question of the Glass’s existence has split academia, and Lin’s father is obsessed with determining the truth. On Lin’s first day, she meets Michel, a mysterious boy who eventually becomes her only ally. It’s soon clear that the villagers want the Foxes gone. What’s unclear is if the escalating threats to her family and mounting village deaths are the result of Michel’s mad father, or the Glass Demon himself. Combined with the mystery is the story of Lin’s everyday teenage concerns: fitting in at school, pining over a crush, and worrying about family dynamics. Grant is a master of style, creating a foreboding, gothic mood with clever cliffhangers ending each chapter and grisly descriptions within the action. Teens will root for Lin and Michel as they find themselves in a heart-pounding struggle with evil. The brilliant combination of horror, fairy tales, mystery, and romance equals a can’t-put-it-down experience. Highly recommended for its literary quality and boundless appeal to teens.–Priscille Dando, Robert E. Lee High School, Fairfax County, VA

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