Glimmerglass (Faeriewalker Series, Book #1) by Jenna Black

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (May 25, 2010)

"Dana Hathaway doesn't know it yet, but she's in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, again, Dana decides she’s had enough and runs away to find her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the captivating, magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn't just an ordinary teenage girl—she's a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and the only person who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie. 

Soon, Dana finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone seems to want something from her, from her newfound friends and family to Ethan, the hot Fae guy Dana figures she’ll never have a chance with… until she does.  Caught between two worlds, Dana isn’t sure where she’ll ever fit in and who can be trusted, not to mention if her world will ever be normal again…"

Glimmerglass is Jenna Black's first foray into the world of YA books.  I have to say that I was enchanted by the characters, and by the worlds that Black created.

Dana's struggles as a sixteen-year-old girl living alone with an alcoholic mother lead her to search for her biological father, a man she knows little about, not even his name. Her mother has told her many different stories about her father, depending on her state of sobriety at the time. All Dana really knows is that he is Fae, and considered powerful. During one of her mother's drunken stupors, Dana takes advantage and finally finds out her father's name is Seamus Stuart. She contacts him, and before she knows it she is on a plane bound for London: final destination Avalon.

Avalon is an independent state within Great Britain where Fae and humans live together. Fae cannot leave Avalon; they cannot carry the magic outside the walls of the city.


From the time she arrives in Avalon, Dana's life is in danger. She is kidnapped - twice. Her father is nowhere to be found, and she is accosted at the border by a woman she finds out is her Aunt Grace. But is this her Aunt? And where is her father? Who are friends and who are enemies?


As Dana learns more about life in Avalon and neighboring Faerie, she comes to realize that her very existence threatens almost everyone. She is a Faeriewalker, one of the rare individuals who can cross into Faerie, and into the human world. But what does that mean for Dana?


A well-written and magical book that weaves together the existence of Fae and Human, and those born of both worlds.  The first book in the series will captivate you, leaving you wanting more. Fortunately, there are two more books in the series, each one delving deeper into Dana's struggles and triumphs.


Wonderful books for teens and young adults.