Tempered Glass by Beth Overmyer
Verve survived a dangerous transformation into the Fire Queen, but can she survive the power that was given to her?
In the second installment of the Blade and Bone series, Verve seeks to tame and conceal her magic. But when tragedy strikes, she’s forced to return to a land she never wanted to see again and confront - or evade - a darkness she hoped had died. The Gate of the Dead has been opened and there are few places to hide.
With her secret husband at odds with her way of breaking the curse, Verve finds that love can make an unreliable ally, and that anger is a potent weapon.
Readers of Carissa Broadbent will love this thrilling series weaving an intriguing world of fantasy and folklore.
About the author
Beth Overmyer was born and raised near Oberlin, Ohio, and she hasn’t moved far since. One of Beth’s greatest inspirations for her writing is found in the author J.R.R. Tolkien, especially his fantasy novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Other literary heroes include Brandon Sanderson, Agatha Christie, Jane Austen, Douglas Adams, and Neil Gaiman.
When not writing, Beth can be found reading fantasy novels, cozy mysteries, and non-fiction. She has also volunteered at her local public library as a creative writing club leader. Most of Beth’s education was at home, taught by her mother and various moms in P.A.T.H. and N.iC.H.E., two homeschool groups that met at churches in northern Ohio. After high school, Beth attended a community college, studying theatre. She decided that the written word was more her style, so after taking a few courses, Beth took to writing as her career.
bethovermyer.com / X: Bethyo / Instagram: bethovermyer
Review
‘Tempered Glass’ is an adventure-filled tale full of magic, suspense and full of twists and turns! This is the second book in the series after ‘Brittle’ and follows the story of Verve and how she is dealing with her new circumstances. This technically could be read as a standalone but your understanding and enjoyment of the story would be enhanced by reading ‘Brittle’.
‘Tempered Glass ups the ante as life is very different for Verve now that she is half-fae and getting a hold of her magic. Now that her captor and enemy has died she has returned to the heart of her family to heal and recuperate. But of course this doesn't go well and Verve is pulled back into the world of magic again and has to face her reality that as the Fire Queen she might even be putting her family into danger.
Verve is an independent and strong individual even before all the events in book one take place but she is even stronger now! A magic she struggles to control as the power is immense. Verve has developed as a character in the first book she came off as a bit bratty at times, but she has calmed and matured in this outing. But she can still be a tad naive which I actually liked even if I was silently screaming at her!
Once again Beth’s writing instantly immerses the reader in a rich and detailed world. It doesn't take a lot to visualise the scenes as the world-building aspect is done extremely well. The storyline was original and inventive and I flew through this in a couple of sittings! I can't wait to see what will happen in book three!
Let me know if you pick this one up!
