Glass Heart by Amy Garvey

Glass Heart by Amy Garvey
Release Date – September 18, 2012
Publisher Website –  Harper Collins
Publisher Social Media -  Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader
Pages -  320 pages
My Rating- 3/5
**obtained from publisher via BEA for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Wren can do things that other people can only dream of. Make it snow on a clear, crisp day. Fly through an abandoned tunnel. Bring a paper bird to life. 

Wren knows her abilities are tinged with danger—knows how easy it is to lose control—but she can't resist the intoxicating rush. And now that she has Gabriel by her side, someone who knows what she can do—what she has done—she finally feels free to be herself. 

But as Wren explores the possibilities of her simmering powers, Gabriel starts pushing her away. Telling her to be careful. Telling her to stop. The more he cautions her, the more determined Wren becomes to prove that she can handle things on her own. And by the time she realizes that Gabriel may be right, it could be too late to bring him back to her side.

It is rare that a paranormal element in a story takes a backseat to the emotional, but Amy Garvey does just that. In Cold Kiss the death of Wren’s boyfriend, and her subsequent emotions in dealing with his death were the heart and soul of the story. In Cold Kiss the paranormal aspect takes centre stage a little more, but the pains of growing into her powers are what shine. I love the ease in which Amy Garvey brings forth emotion and that she can make it feel real.

Wren’s powers are the focus of this story.  She is experimenting with them, and testing them. Gabriel is not pleased with Wren’s decision to use her magic and it is the main cause of friction between the two. Power has the capability to be dangerous because it can be addictive. We meet some new characters that quickly show the damage that powers like Wren’s can do in the hands of the wrong person (or someone without a proper support system). Wren deceives, and sneaks around to keep feeling the rush of using her magic.  Her behaviour runs between defiant and wanting to back off herself. Gabriel is wonderfully supportive, just as he was in Cold Kiss. Their relationship is filled with that wondrous first stages of falling in love. I appreciated that Gabriel was such a great example of a caring, sweet boyfriend, while still having him be a teenager.

The relationships in the story are all woven so wonderfully that they feel organic. The family relationships were especially fantastic. The relationship between Wren and her sister was a blend of love and aggravation. They love each always, but fight the way that only siblings can. Amy Garvey’s talent is bringing life to all these different relationship types - romantic, friendship and family.

The ending of the novel was the only draw back for me. It felt hurried and some things were not explored to their full potential. There is a major plot point that felt brushed aside in a couple of pages. The unexplored plot points reminded me of the storyline of Wren’s father in the first one. I am not sure if there is going to be another sequel, but there is certainly the opening for one.

A witch story that focuses on the ties in relationships rather than the paranormal. I wished some things had been explored more in depth, but still enjoyed Amy Garvey’s wonderful character development.