Name: anya's review of The Glittering Edge by Alyssa Villaire
Item: The Glittering Edge
Rating: 2.5
Author: anya

Alyssa Villaire

An unputdownable gothic contemporary fantasy with the feuding families of Romeo and Juliet, the dark magic of Krystal Sutherland and a love triangle to rival The Inheritance Games.

The locals of Idlewood whisper of a tragic love story that began a decades long blood feud.

For as long as anyone can remember, the De Luca witches and the wealthy Barrion family have been sworn enemies. Ever since the curse that changed their fates forever. Now, if a Barrion falls in love with you, you’ll die.

But when Penny Emberly’s mother becomes the curse’s latest victim, she must bring together two bitter rivals, Alonso and Corey, in order to save her mum’s life and stop the feud for good.

But as the trio navigates unpredictable magic, the tangled web of their family histories, and complicated attractions, it becomes clear that there’s more than dark secrets at play.

Can Penny find a way to break the curse . . . without losing her heart in the process?

The Glittering Edge

anya

This book’s idea of humanising its side characters is to never allow them to be truly bad, perceived as bad, or to linger in their bad. The aspects that might’ve worked (like Alonso actually being an annoying dork instead of the ✨bad boy✨ everyone thought he was, and Corey’s shallow understanding of being black/mixed in a affluent family with a racist patriarch) felt accidental, and not what was intended (Alonso is ✨misunderstood✨ and is a ✨good boy✨, Corey is meant to be deeply affected by the racism/he’s aware that he needs to perform the Model Minority). Maybe things get better with book 2 and Villaire gets a better grasp of what she’s trying to tackle, but as it stands book 1 doesn’t read like a bunch of teenagers facing off against the deep-seeded magical rot of their town, it just reads like a millennial woman who’s been to therapy and/or watched youtube videos about it finally got to write her loosely inspired by 

Whitley

This book’s idea of humanising its side characters is to never allow them to be truly bad, perceived as bad, or to linger in their bad. The aspects that might’ve worked (like Alonso actually being an annoying dork instead of the ✨bad boy✨ everyone thought he was, and Corey’s shallow understanding of being black/mixed in a affluent family with a racist patriarch) felt accidental, and not what was intended (Alonso is ✨misunderstood✨ and is a ✨good boy✨, Corey is meant to be deeply affected by the racism/he’s aware that he needs to perform the Model Minority). Maybe things get better with book 2 and Villaire gets a better grasp of what she’s trying to tackle, but as it stands book 1 doesn’t read like a bunch of teenagers facing off against the deep-seeded magical rot of their town, it just reads like a millennial woman who’s been to therapy and/or watched youtube videos about it finally got to write her loosely inspired by Charmed/Practical Magic idea. 

to preface: i am a realist and a pessimist and admittedly a big time nitpicker. and i acknowledge that contemporary urban fantasies aren’t able to have super long word counts like i’m used to in reg fantasy. and i am writing this long ass review because of the book itself and what it's a greater indicator of in the publishign industry. also maybe i got possessed by a hateful ghost during this?? idk like im not even joking i opened up a google doc for this. i did not start this book believing that it would be a great revolutionary masterpiece because i got it off tiktok and frostbitestudios copy paste art but i was unfortunately intrigued. heavy on unfortunate, because i may not have had high standards but i still 

standards going into the glittering edge. the average rating on goodreads pans out to be above four stars (from around 400 reviews), but there are some inherent problems with the glittering edge. the first is a structural problem, the second is a character problem, the third is a pacing problem, and they’re all intertwined so i jump back and forth in this review sorry big whoop im a hypocrite.

the book is written from three POVs, which is always interesting to read but difficult to do well for the author, especially when trying to keep track of what specific characters are aware of. the blurb vaguely points to penny being the main character, though it follows the trio (penny, alonso, and corey) fairly equally in terms of chapters. as a result of having split chapters, i wasn't expecting massive character growth from any of them, the only character who had the slightest hint of personal development was corey. he was also the most interesting, even though he didn't have magic (which is usually a fun character trait that you can play with especially depending on the magic system). his family is a major stakeholder in this book not only because of the curse/bargain thing and how that shapes their perception of love, but because of the overhanging pressure of his future in their company. he, more than anyone else, begins to acknowledge that a lot of his actions have actually been quite harmful when he's always viewed it as protecting himself and his family. 

alonso is kind of the runner up in terms of character growth. as the only one in the main trio with magic, the fact that he has to actively hide it from his family is somewhat explored.  he's also conveniently (and this is partly a structural/magic system gripe on my end and by no means am i trying to vouch for a fuck ass complicated system in a ya urban fantasy) knowledgeable about magic. there's some context in the book that his family did try to teach him things about magic when he was younger, but he reiterates that he actively avoided this (again, a possible trait to exploit upon or delve deeper into but it's greatly restricted bc of chapter length?? idk). the author does mention that once they agree to try and break the curse, alonso is actively trying to learn more and practice his magic, but i found it really hard to believe that in the one month(? i think) before they try to break the curse that he learnt so much convenient knowledge. it would make sense if it was all related to curses and things (as that should be his focus) but some of it was kind of niche/off hand. if it was to be attributed to his family teaching him, the broader concepts he mentioned from his childhood were a good start but more specific throwaway instances would be helpful. like, a great example which could also better develop his relationship with penny (another problem i have who is surprised) would be him talking about his family's old favourite spells because it would show him opening up to penny by slowly embracing the potential positives of his abilities and talking about his family, which he doesn’t really like to do. the fact he’s telling 

this would be huge. then there’s him introducing penny to whatever the fuck bike polo is. Im going to go look that up. oh my god it’s a real thing it’s never been more clear that im not american. ok back to the point, he lacks depth where there could have been so much depth!! 

a bit roundabout but it brings to me to my issue with the magic system. like i said, i wasn’t expecting a goddamn sanderson 900 page constant explanation but the conveniently placed knowledge about magic was a bit too much for me. i addressed my issues with alonso’s magic, but i also have problems with miles, the other prominent(ish) witch in the book. yes, his role is provide them with information but it’s written very robotically and goddamn i should have highlighted for examples but he’s nothing more than a convenient explanation scapegoat. second, corey knew a 

ton about magic. at first i was really confused because i thought the barrions were also witches because he knew so much about it. it would make sense that by extent of being cursed and the de lunas having their magic removed + going to the council for help that they would know something, but it seemed more like knowledge that wouldn’t be given to corey? the dynamics of the magic system were just very unclear and slotted in whenever magic was needed to advance the plot. and it genuinely felt out of touch as an urban fantasy sometimes because the elements of magic and society didn’t feel properly integrated. the potential of having them explore the good and bad sides of magics if they needed to explore on their own would have been a lot better off than the usual: penny: oh man we’re doing this magic thing but what if there’s consequences? and corey/alonson: oh dont worry girl its actually this ___. like because of the de lunas having no magic we never really get to see its full extent? 

at the beginning of the book, corey and alonso have a deep-rooted hatred from each other as a result of a generational feud. when i first read it, i thought it would be a reasonable four or five generations-ago problem, close enough for the details to be remembered and justify the hate, but far enough that any original aggressors wouldn't be able to influence the situation (disregarding magic). it would also, (most importantly for me at least) allow for the hatred to be more potent, having evolved and grown into something wild and uncontrollable. the basis of the hatred itself is extremely powerful: losing loved ones because of someone else will get someone's blood pumping. however, despite the feud, there's no real back and forth aside from corey and alonso’s catfights. it’s totally possibile this is because the de lucas (alonso’s family) are at a significant disadvantage in the power dynamics between the two families. but because it's traceable to corey and alonso's grandparents, i'd expected more vicious forms of retaliation from the de lunas in particular, as they lost their magic (though this could be reasonably explained as a more depressive/giving up response). 

continuing in the same vein of character development (/more into character dynamics and relationships), alonso and corey are both written as potential love interests for penny. there's going to be a sequel, at least, so who she'll actually end up with is kind of unclear especially since corey's still grappling with how the bargain affects his perception of love (again, a good thing and sign of potential growth and development). alonso, on the other hand, is just penny's love interest. he's got the potential to be interesting (which maybe will be investigated in the next book idk) but so far his personality traits have been reduced to: exterior bad boy, angry at the world, #magic. we get no example of like how alonso is currenty in love with her aside from oh she looks so pretty she’s so nice, whereas with corey we get to see his realisation develop. it’s more of an infatuation he’s always had but never could explore (which AGAIN has so much potential but nah). we see a tiny bit of 

 he fell in love with her in that one classroom example, but aside from that, nothing much. he’s just 

 and always has been, so their relationship (though, yeah it’s in its baby stage) just like. means nothing to me. the fact that he’s never really been able to interact with her before they started bonding (and he was like in love with her before then) makes me wish it had been written as more of a ‘crush’ sort thing that could fully evolve when he learns who penny is as a person. honestly her being with corey would be more interesting. one part of the book genuinely made me put my kindle down because i was like holy shit this is not a real sentence (it was). penny’s trying to think of reasons why the de luna’s are nice and shes like oh ok yeah reason one: alonso is super nice and we’ve been bonding and reason two: his aunts gave me pasta! like. what. which leads me to…drumroll…

my problem with penny. oh penny my penny. she falls into so normal girl trope (and there’s some attempt at having her be an outcast because her mom is like?? flirty?? like yeah she could have compounded on the whole conservative town thing to explain why magic is so secret and shit but no. like her mom’s cafe still has plenty of business she can’t be that much of an outcast for penny to have been totally bullied). it’s normal girl undergoes hardship and becomes tough like (bruh that one line at the gala where her friend naomi says omg i cant believe you just said that when penny like lightly brushed a lit match against dylan in some pathetic roast). on its own it’s kind of sad to read (in a pathetic not emotional sense) because a lot (i mean most) great stories are built on overcoming challenges. and she has plenty; her dead dad (as is necessary), her mum being in a coma, having to handle the cafe on her own, coming to terms with new relationships and changes in old ones. there’s so much goddamn potential i’m tearing out my hair. penny just falls flat as a character but if there’s one thing she’s gonna try her goddamn best to get shit done and i respect her for that honestly. i genuinely thought she was going to turn out to have magic as well somehow because i kept forgetting her backstory (it’s that unmemorable), , i genuinely thought her mum had grown up in idlewood her whole life because the way it was explained was so messy and all over the place. also i hate the need to push for like a ‘petname’ from parents because i read sweetpea twice in one page and had enough. her dad doesn’t contribute that much on account of him being dead but to me he’s a far more interesting person but i think that’s just because he’s in the band - honestly, though, he could have been penny’s link to magic somehow. maybe im just a sucker for magic but there was a distinct lack of it - or rather, there was pretty much only a singular source through which we learn about and experience magic (++ more potential bonding points for her and alonso as they navigate magic together). again, this is why i feel like the magic is so freaking out of place man. back on the penny rant, its legitimately kind of depressing how everyone just describes penny as like basically being boring and having nothing special about her - and it’s kind of true. aside from the drag show thing there’s nothing really special, like a hobby or whatever that gives her more dimension. this would be something to be fleshed out early on because i know she does not have time to be having a hobby when her mum’s in a coma, and there was 

of time for her to do that in beginning. it took a really long time to get to the freaking point (ie. coma) trying to set the scene for the rivalry, which could have been done a lot quicker and maybe carried throughout the book? 

because another gripe for me - and i’m also reading a sanderson and this was on kindle for context - this book was so LONG. i could have cut out maybe 15% of the scenes because they just felt like filler scenes. the deadline for the full moon being in a month was definitely given so they could write in a lot of character bonding scenes but i honestly could have done without them. the middle of the book was like a quicksand pit and i almost didn’t survive because at the start it was slow, then it sped up with the discovery of magic, then we had to wait and go on mini pilgrimages during the month wait, then the ending finally picked up because they did the ritual and it didn’t work so they had to try again. at least the ending didn’t cough out a 100% success rate.

this leads me to my last-ish point. i would say if you want a character driven rather than plot driven book read this but its being driven by a blind bat. just in general, the book is not super well written? i think this is part of the author and partly due to the editor. the quality of editing in books nowadays is genuinely shocking. like ANYTHING can get published. the glittering edge is an example of this but it’s not the extreme of shit books. however, straight off the bat the writing is clunky, very simple, offers nothing meaningful, and i think this is partly because the way the author wrote around the tense they picked was really robotic. like there’s quite a few ways to get descriptive with this tense and it just wasn’t. and i’ve known since fourth wing that the publishing industry is doomed but this is just..man. for an example (and in no way am i claiming im a published author im just trying to show alternatives), here’s how i’d rewrite one scene.

“And that’s all thanks to Alonso’s grandpa, good old Giovanni De Luca. No witch coven can curse endless generations of mortals without punishment, so the Council of Witches sealed the De Lucas’ magic forever. Now, every De Luca until the end of time will be born with their magic under lock and key.

Or that’s how it’s supposed to work. As far as Vera knows, Alonso is as magic-less as the rest of them.

Nimble blinks slowly at Alonso as if she can read his mind. He glares at her, then looks away.

Somehow Alonso’s mom manages not to yell. “You know as well as I do that when our family gets its magic back, we’ll need to be here. This plot of land is where our ancestors settled, and this soil gives our magic strength. It’s almost impossible to resettle a coven—it takes decades to get back a fraction of the power you had before. I don’t want to know what my great-great-grandmother would think if she heard you right now.”

Thanks to good old grandpa Giovanni, the De Lucas suffered a coven’s nightmare, and very little scared people who could use magic. Past death, past torture, the Council of Witches had - without much deliberation and plenty of scornful looks at the De Lucas - sealed their magic away. Forever. Alonso has imagined, in several different scenarios, the stupid grins on the Barrions’ faces when they’d found out that every generation of the De Lucas would suffer, just like every generation of the Barrions would. They would be happy with themselves, the psychotic freaks. No, as long as the De Lucas suffered they’d be fine kicking it up in their mansion while everyone they loved died. They wouldn’t see how his mother had explained the basics of magic to him with forced indifference, her hands mimicking the movement of empty magic. How his aunts still faltered mid-speech, sentence ending on a rhyme meant for a spell. As far they know, he suffers a worse fate: never knowing magic at all.

to be, at least. For Alonso, ever since Nimble, it’s been 

Simmering under his skin, waiting. His familiar winds through his legs, as if sensing his inner turmoil.

Alonso’s mother huffs tightly, pinching her brow. Lets out a slow, long breath without making eye contact and finally says, “Your great-great grandmother would strangle you right now for even suggesting that. The very soil beneath our feet is rooted to our magic, Alonso. To resettle a coven…”

“...would take decades to regain even part of its original power. I know,” Alonso mutters, “As if we’re ever going to get our magic back.”

,” Vera corrects sharply, but her fierceness falters for a second, replaced by surprise.

It’s desperation driving those helpless thoughts. Because anything Alonso’s ever wanted has slipped through his fingers.

i leave you with my final thought (if you haven't succumbed to boredom). it’s SO LAME that the barrions are in heating and cooling. it’s probably realistic like idk about businesses and stuff and its probably important but  you’re trying to tell me that corey’s whole existential crisis about the ceo thing w julian was over 

to preface: i am a realist and a pessimist and admittedly a big time nitpicker. and i acknowledge that contemporary urban fantasies aren’t able to have super long word counts like i’m used to in reg fantasy. and i am writing this long ass review because of the book itself and what it's a greater indicator of in the publishign industry. also maybe i got possessed by a hateful ghost during this?? idk like im not even joking i opened up a google doc for this. i did not start this book believing that it would be a great revolutionary masterpiece because i got it off tiktok and frostbitestudios copy paste art but i was unfortunately intrigued. heavy on unfortunate, because i may not have had high standards but i still had standards going into the glittering edge. the average rating on goodreads pans out to be above four stars (from around 400 reviews), but there are some inherent problems with the glittering edge. the first is a structural problem, the second is a character problem, the third is a pacing problem, and they’re all intertwined so i jump back and forth in this review sorry big whoop im a hypocrite.

the book is written from three POVs, which is always interesting to read but difficult to do well for the author, especially when trying to keep track of what specific characters are aware of. the blurb vaguely points to penny being the main character, though it follows the trio (penny, alonso, and corey) fairly equally in terms of chapters. as a result of having split chapters, i wasn't expecting massive character growth from any of them, the only character who had the slightest hint of personal development was corey. he was also the most interesting, even though he didn't have magic (which is usually a fun character trait that you can play with especially depending on the magic system). his family is a major stakeholder in this book not only because of the curse/bargain thing and how that shapes their perception of love, but because of the overhanging pressure of his future in their company. he, more than anyone else, begins to acknowledge that a lot of his actions have actually been quite harmful when he's always viewed it as protecting himself and his family. 

alonso is kind of the runner up in terms of character growth. as the only one in the main trio with magic, the fact that he has to actively hide it from his family is somewhat explored.  he's also conveniently (and this is partly a structural/magic system gripe on my end and by no means am i trying to vouch for a fuck ass complicated system in a ya urban fantasy) knowledgeable about magic. there's some context in the book that his family did try to teach him things about magic when he was younger, but he reiterates that he actively avoided this (again, a possible trait to exploit upon or delve deeper into but it's greatly restricted bc of chapter length?? idk). the author does mention that once they agree to try and break the curse, alonso is actively trying to learn more and practice his magic, but i found it really hard to believe that in the one month(? i think) before they try to break the curse that he learnt so much convenient knowledge. it would make sense if it was all related to curses and things (as that should be his focus) but some of it was kind of niche/off hand. if it was to be attributed to his family teaching him, the broader concepts he mentioned from his childhood were a good start but more specific throwaway instances would be helpful. like, a great example which could also better develop his relationship with penny (another problem i have who is surprised) would be him talking about his family's old favourite spells because it would show him opening up to penny by slowly embracing the potential positives of his abilities and talking about his family, which he doesn’t really like to do. the fact he’s telling penny this would be huge. then there’s him introducing penny to whatever the fuck bike polo is. Im going to go look that up. oh my god it’s a real thing it’s never been more clear that im not american. ok back to the point, he lacks depth where there could have been so much depth!! 

a bit roundabout but it brings to me to my issue with the magic system. like i said, i wasn’t expecting a goddamn sanderson 900 page constant explanation but the conveniently placed knowledge about magic was a bit too much for me. i addressed my issues with alonso’s magic, but i also have problems with miles, the other prominent(ish) witch in the book. yes, his role is provide them with information but it’s written very robotically and goddamn i should have highlighted for examples but he’s nothing more than a convenient explanation scapegoat. second, corey knew a shit ton about magic. at first i was really confused because i thought the barrions were also witches because he knew so much about it. it would make sense that by extent of being cursed and the de lunas having their magic removed + going to the council for help that they would know something, but it seemed more like knowledge that wouldn’t be given to corey? the dynamics of the magic system were just very unclear and slotted in whenever magic was needed to advance the plot. and it genuinely felt out of touch as an urban fantasy sometimes because the elements of magic and society didn’t feel properly integrated. the potential of having them explore the good and bad sides of magics if they needed to explore on their own would have been a lot better off than the usual: penny: oh man we’re doing this magic thing but what if there’s consequences? and corey/alonson: oh dont worry girl its actually this ___. like because of the de lunas having no magic we never really get to see its full extent? 

at the beginning of the book, corey and alonso have a deep-rooted hatred from each other as a result of a generational feud. when i first read it, i thought it would be a reasonable four or five generations-ago problem, close enough for the details to be remembered and justify the hate, but far enough that any original aggressors wouldn't be able to influence the situation (disregarding magic). it would also, (most importantly for me at least) allow for the hatred to be more potent, having evolved and grown into something wild and uncontrollable. the basis of the hatred itself is extremely powerful: losing loved ones because of someone else will get someone's blood pumping. however, despite the feud, there's no real back and forth aside from corey and alonso’s catfights. it’s totally possibile this is because the de lucas (alonso’s family) are at a significant disadvantage in the power dynamics between the two families. but because it's traceable to corey and alonso's grandparents, i'd expected more vicious forms of retaliation from the de lunas in particular, as they lost their magic (though this could be reasonably explained as a more depressive/giving up response). 

continuing in the same vein of character development (/more into character dynamics and relationships), alonso and corey are both written as potential love interests for penny. there's going to be a sequel, at least, so who she'll actually end up with is kind of unclear especially since corey's still grappling with how the bargain affects his perception of love (again, a good thing and sign of potential growth and development). alonso, on the other hand, is just penny's love interest. he's got the potential to be interesting (which maybe will be investigated in the next book idk) but so far his personality traits have been reduced to: exterior bad boy, angry at the world, #magic. we get no example of like how alonso is currenty in love with her aside from oh she looks so pretty she’s so nice, whereas with corey we get to see his realisation develop. it’s more of an infatuation he’s always had but never could explore (which AGAIN has so much potential but nah). we see a tiny bit of why he fell in love with her in that one classroom example, but aside from that, nothing much. he’s just in love with her and always has been, so their relationship (though, yeah it’s in its baby stage) just like. means nothing to me. the fact that he’s never really been able to interact with her before they started bonding (and he was like in love with her before then) makes me wish it had been written as more of a ‘crush’ sort thing that could fully evolve when he learns who penny is as a person. honestly her being with corey would be more interesting. one part of the book genuinely made me put my kindle down because i was like holy shit this is not a real sentence (it was). penny’s trying to think of reasons why the de luna’s are nice and shes like oh ok yeah reason one: alonso is super nice and we’ve been bonding and reason two: his aunts gave me pasta! like. what. which leads me to…drumroll…

my problem with penny. oh penny my penny. she falls into so normal girl trope (and there’s some attempt at having her be an outcast because her mom is like?? flirty?? like yeah she could have compounded on the whole conservative town thing to explain why magic is so secret and shit but no. like her mom’s cafe still has plenty of business she can’t be that much of an outcast for penny to have been totally bullied). it’s normal girl undergoes hardship and becomes tough like (bruh that one line at the gala where her friend naomi says omg i cant believe you just said that when penny like lightly brushed a lit match against dylan in some pathetic roast). on its own it’s kind of sad to read (in a pathetic not emotional sense) because a lot (i mean most) great stories are built on overcoming challenges. and she has plenty; her dead dad (as is necessary), her mum being in a coma, having to handle the cafe on her own, coming to terms with new relationships and changes in old ones. there’s so much goddamn potential i’m tearing out my hair. penny just falls flat as a character but if there’s one thing she’s gonna try her goddamn best to get shit done and i respect her for that honestly. i genuinely thought she was going to turn out to have magic as well somehow because i kept forgetting her backstory (it’s that unmemorable), , i genuinely thought her mum had grown up in idlewood her whole life because the way it was explained was so messy and all over the place. also i hate the need to push for like a ‘petname’ from parents because i read sweetpea twice in one page and had enough. her dad doesn’t contribute that much on account of him being dead but to me he’s a far more interesting person but i think that’s just because he’s in the band - honestly, though, he could have been penny’s link to magic somehow. maybe im just a sucker for magic but there was a distinct lack of it - or rather, there was pretty much only a singular source through which we learn about and experience magic (++ more potential bonding points for her and alonso as they navigate magic together). again, this is why i feel like the magic is so freaking out of place man. back on the penny rant, its legitimately kind of depressing how everyone just describes penny as like basically being boring and having nothing special about her - and it’s kind of true. aside from the drag show thing there’s nothing really special, like a hobby or whatever that gives her more dimension. this would be something to be fleshed out early on because i know she does not have time to be having a hobby when her mum’s in a coma, and there was plenty of time for her to do that in beginning. it took a really long time to get to the freaking point (ie. coma) trying to set the scene for the rivalry, which could have been done a lot quicker and maybe carried throughout the book? 

because another gripe for me - and i’m also reading a sanderson and this was on kindle for context - this book was so LONG. i could have cut out maybe 15% of the scenes because they just felt like filler scenes. the deadline for the full moon being in a month was definitely given so they could write in a lot of character bonding scenes but i honestly could have done without them. the middle of the book was like a quicksand pit and i almost didn’t survive because at the start it was slow, then it sped up with the discovery of magic, then we had to wait and go on mini pilgrimages during the month wait, then the ending finally picked up because they did the ritual and it didn’t work so they had to try again. at least the ending didn’t cough out a 100% success rate.

this leads me to my last-ish point. i would say if you want a character driven rather than plot driven book read this but its being driven by a blind bat. just in general, the book is not super well written? i think this is part of the author and partly due to the editor. the quality of editing in books nowadays is genuinely shocking. like ANYTHING can get published. the glittering edge is an example of this but it’s not the extreme of shit books. however, straight off the bat the writing is clunky, very simple, offers nothing meaningful, and i think this is partly because the way the author wrote around the tense they picked was really robotic. like there’s quite a few ways to get descriptive with this tense and it just wasn’t. and i’ve known since fourth wing that the publishing industry is doomed but this is just..man. for an example (and in no way am i claiming im a published author im just trying to show alternatives), here’s how i’d rewrite one scene.

ORIGINAL SCENE (ALONSO):

“And that’s all thanks to Alonso’s grandpa, good old Giovanni De Luca. No witch coven can curse endless generations of mortals without punishment, so the Council of Witches sealed the De Lucas’ magic forever. Now, every De Luca until the end of time will be born with their magic under lock and key.

Or that’s how it’s supposed to work. As far as Vera knows, Alonso is as magic-less as the rest of them.

Nimble blinks slowly at Alonso as if she can read his mind. He glares at her, then looks away.

Somehow Alonso’s mom manages not to yell. “You know as well as I do that when our family gets its magic back, we’ll need to be here. This plot of land is where our ancestors settled, and this soil gives our magic strength. It’s almost impossible to resettle a coven—it takes decades to get back a fraction of the power you had before. I don’t want to know what my great-great-grandmother would think if she heard you right now.”

REVISED SCENE:

Thanks to good old grandpa Giovanni, the De Lucas suffered a coven’s nightmare, and very little scared people who could use magic. Past death, past torture, the Council of Witches had - without much deliberation and plenty of scornful looks at the De Lucas - sealed their magic away. Forever. Alonso has imagined, in several different scenarios, the stupid grins on the Barrions’ faces when they’d found out that every generation of the De Lucas would suffer, just like every generation of the Barrions would. They would be happy with themselves, the psychotic freaks. No, as long as the De Lucas suffered they’d be fine kicking it up in their mansion while everyone they loved died. They wouldn’t see how his mother had explained the basics of magic to him with forced indifference, her hands mimicking the movement of empty magic. How his aunts still faltered mid-speech, sentence ending on a rhyme meant for a spell. As far they know, he suffers a worse fate: never knowing magic at all.

That’s how it’s supposed to be, at least. For Alonso, ever since Nimble, it’s been there. Simmering under his skin, waiting. His familiar winds through his legs, as if sensing his inner turmoil.

Alonso’s mother huffs tightly, pinching her brow. Lets out a slow, long breath without making eye contact and finally says, “Your great-great grandmother would strangle you right now for even suggesting that. The very soil beneath our feet is rooted to our magic, Alonso. To resettle a coven…”

“...would take decades to regain even part of its original power. I know,” Alonso mutters, “As if we’re ever going to get our magic back.”

“When,” Vera corrects sharply, but her fierceness falters for a second, replaced by surprise.

I listen, Alonso wants to say, I want to care.

It’s desperation driving those helpless thoughts. Because anything Alonso’s ever wanted has slipped through his fingers.

i leave you with my final thought (if you haven't succumbed to boredom). it’s SO LAME that the barrions are in heating and cooling. it’s probably realistic like idk about businesses and stuff and its probably important but  you’re trying to tell me that corey’s whole existential crisis about the ceo thing w julian was over heating and cooling.

ok im done.

5 glittering nimbles reading to kick ass stars 

This is the book for you. WHAT A DELIGHT. I loved the premise, plot, pacing and beyond all else the characters were so lovable with entirely their own voices and desires that came through. I found myself drawn to the writing and how the anxiety and social fears were depicted. I love nimble and Alonso ahhhhh I’m so sad because now I have to wait for the next book to come out but that Sylvia Plath quote??? You got me!

5 glittering nimbles reading to kick ass stars 

If you love 

Practical magic 

The Raven Boys 

Gothic fantasy

Witchy coven vibes

Small towns 

Cursed families 

Mysteries 

This is the book for you. WHAT A DELIGHT. I loved the premise, plot, pacing and beyond all else the characters were so lovable with entirely their own voices and desires that came through. I found myself drawn to the writing and how the anxiety and social fears were depicted. I love nimble and Alonso ahhhhh I’m so sad because now I have to wait for the next book to come out but that Sylvia Plath quote??? You got me!

anya &
The Glittering Edge by Alyssa Villaire

Reviews

Join the club

anya &The Glittering Edge by Alyssa Villaire

Reviews

Join the club

anya &
The Glittering Edge by Alyssa Villaire