“The Girl in the Glass Palace was an engaging and unusual YA read with plenty of atmosphere, heart and mystery. It has that lovely ‘just one more chapter’ quality…”

“There’s a lovely mixture of mystery, historical drama, romance and supernatural elements here.”

I must say, I very much enjoyed this YA novel from the pen of talented writer Chris Lucas. Luke is a young lad who isn’t exactly sure where his life is heading, so when he discovers a mysterious door leading to Tressel Park, a beautiful place that shouldn’t exist, naturally he goes through it! What he finds on the other side is a Victorian world, a strange little boy called Oliver, and Callie, a young woman trapped by the expectations of her family and the time she lives in. I really liked the way the mystery unfolds because you’re constantly wondering what is actually going on.

The relationship between Luke and Callie is probably my favourite part. They come from completely different worlds, yet there’s an immediate connection between them, and watching Luke become more confident and determined as the
story progresses works really well. Luke starts the book feeling rather lost and frustrated with himself, particularly when he compares himself with his more successful friends and family, but his experiences in Tressel Park give him
something worth fighting for. Callie is also a great character – intelligent, thoughtful and quietly rebellious, despite living in a world where her choices are very definitely not her own. Their conversations have plenty of humour too, which stops the story becoming overly gloomy.

There’s a lovely mixture of mystery, historical drama, romance and supernatural elements here. The glass palace itself is beautifully described and feels almost like another character – warm, magical and inviting, but with something unsettling lurking underneath. I also liked the way the novel gradually reveals the darker side of Callie’s world, particularly the pressures placed on women and the secrets hidden behind the respectable façade of the Von Tressel family. The story does become quite tense towards the latter stages, and there are some genuinely dramatic moments where I was definitely thinking, Oh no… this is not going to end well!

Overall, I thought The Girl in the Glass Palace was an engaging and unusual YA read with plenty of atmosphere, heart and mystery. It has that lovely ‘just one more chapter’ quality because you want to find out more about Tressel Park,
Callie, Oliver and the strange connection between Luke’s world and theirs. I particularly enjoyed the combination of modern-day humour with the Victorian setting, and Luke’s gradual transformation from a rather directionless teenager
into someone willing to take real risks for another person. There are some darker themes along the way, but ultimately this is a story about friendship, courage, love and finding something worth believing in.

This is what my 15 year old son thought –
I really enjoyed this book. At first I wasn’t sure what to expect, but once Luke discovers the door to Tressel Park, it gets really interesting. I liked the mystery around the glass palace and the fact that Luke and Callie are from completely different time periods. Some of the darker parts were pretty intense, especially when you find out more about what has happened to the characters, but that made me want to keep reading. I also liked Oliver because he added something different to the story. Overall, I’d definitely recommend it to other teenagers who like a mixture of mystery, romance, history and a bit of supernatural stuff.

A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review
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