Name: Melissa Palmer's review of Glitter by Aprilynne Pike
Item: Glitter
Rating: 4
Author: Melissa Palmer

Aprilynne Pike

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Aprilynne Pike comes a truly original new novel—Breaking Bad meets Marie Antoinette in a near-future world where the residents of Versailles live like it’s the eighteenth century and an almost-queen turns to drug dealing to save her own life. Outside the palace of Versailles, it’s modern day. Inside, the people dress, eat, and act like it’s the eighteenth century—with the added bonus of technology to make court life lavish, privileged, and frivolous. The palace has every indulgence, but for one pretty young thing, it’s about to become a very beautiful prison. When Danica witnesses an act of murder by the young king, her mother makes a cruel power play . . . blackmailing the king into making Dani his queen. When she turns eighteen, Dani will marry the most ruthless and dangerous man of the court. She has six months to escape her terrifying destiny. Six months to raise enough money to disappear into the real world beyond the palace gates. Her ticket out? Glitter. A drug so powerful that a tiny pinch mixed into a pot of rouge or lip gloss can make the wearer hopelessly addicted. Addicted to a drug Dani can sell for more money than she ever dreamed. But in Versailles, secrets are impossible to keep. And the most dangerous secret—falling for a drug dealer outside the palace walls—is one risk she has to take.

Glitter

Lila Harrison

"A teenager living in an alternate-history futuristic Versailles must escape its walls by selling a happy-enducing makeup called Glitter"--

Melissa Palmer

Book #85 Read in 2016
Glitter by Aprilynne Pike

Inside the Palace of Versailles, people dress, live and act like it is the 18th century, ignoring the modern-day world outside. Danica longs to be part of that modern-day world. She is used as a pawn by her mother and engaged to the king as part of her mother blackmailing him. Danica is desperate to raise enough money to secure her escape but at what cost? She begins to deal a highly addictive drug to her society mates. This book would be ideal for fans of the Red Queen series and such. I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review.

Lacy W

Find this review and others like it at https://aravenclawlibraryx.wordpress.com

tw: drug use, death from drug overdose, violence against women, death, sexual assault repeated through the book, slavery

I’m not sure about this book. It was an okay book. I didn’t hate it by any means but I didn’t quite love it though. It had some pretty interesting aspects about it. The world building was interesting, if a little confusing. But I don’t know. There was something about it. I can’t quite put my finger on it. 

The story is told through first person POV in the eyes of Danica or Dani. Maybe that’s what hindered my ability to truly love this book. Dani was an okay MC. She was really selfish though. She only truly cared about her friends when it was convenient for her. She would gripe and moan that she was becoming this awful person but then did absolutely nothing to change the way she behaved. When her friends called her out on being horrible, she apologized but then went right back to being awful while complaining all about it. 

I think what confused me was the world building. Dani lives in the Palace of Versailles in France but there is also a normal world because in one of the first scenes, Dani wears jeans. Plus their king is also going to the CEO of the company that owns a lot of the world, kind of like Amazon but it’s a pharmaceutical company. It really confused me at times. Maybe things will be better explained in the second book. 

Overall, I didn’t quite love this book but I didn’t hate it either. The world building, while confusing, was interesting and kept me reading so I could learn more about it. I didn’t like Dani or her personality. I’m intrigued enough to read the second book and maybe then I’ll enjoy it more and get the answers I’m looking for.

Campbell Berry

This is probably my favorite book of all time. Is it flawless? Of course not. But it keeps me entertained and I feel connected to the characters. I like that the characters aren’t entirely good or entirely bad. They are a mix of both.

Ley Stanton

Futuristic Marie Antoinette meets Breaking Bad. 
When I saw the synopsis for this book, I thought it was too ridiculous to be good. While over-the-top at parts, the book delivered far more than I thought possible. By the end of this book, I was flipping through the end-pages looking for more.
When we first meet Danica, she is incredibly unlikable. My the end, not much has changed; but you can't help but feel sorry for her. Through situations about of her control, she's been forced to make some horrible decisions to keep herself alive. Affianced to a terrifying King and controlled by her mother, there's not many places that Danica can turn. Through an interesting string of events, she ends up as a drug dealer to the residents in the new Palace of Versailles. Trying to free herself from that place, she also finds herself involved with a man who is not free to make his own decisions. 
While her actions hurt those around her, you have to wonder if you would make any different decisions. Danica was not likable, but she was understandable. There were not many places that she could turn for credible help because she is the future Queen. 
I love the fact that we are given an unlikable main character who keeps fighting despite how the odds are stacked against her. My biggest problem with this book is actually the world-building. We are given a loose idea of how this world came to be but it feels incredibly fake at times. The technology is too convenient and fails at the perfect times. I just found that part of the story to be very annoying, it took away from an otherwise amazing book. Obviously it didn't bother me enough to dock anything from the star rating.
Overall, this was an amazing read. It was a wild ride from start to finish. While this isn't listed as part of a series, I'm going to keep hoping that there is another book so I know where Danica goes from there. Because, let me warn you, that's one hell of an ending.
I would highly recommend this time to anyone looking for a fast-paced read that is different from anything I've ever read before. Glitter is incredibly unique and will leave you breathless. 


*I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* 
Excuse me while I go buy a hard-copy of this stunning book, just look at that cover.

Marissa Scudlo

It was an interesting book that the main character Danica is rather the type of character that doesn't want the pretty dresses and is very bit a princess but rather is doing another thing which made her go to be a dealer. I would say the book is quite good seeing how the author using both old histories of the ideas of the future. The ending of the book is still a kick in the gut and I cannot wait to see what will happen to Danica. 
On an another word, the book, and the tv show Versailles more so the characters of Sophie and Béatrice who in the show are mother and daughter and their relationship is very similar to that of Danica and her own mother. Who both are using their daughters to gain power and favor in the court but the show is not for young audiences I say that but rather for older audiences.

Karleigh McCarville

This book was absolutely amazing. I love love dani and saber so much. I need the second one like yesterday!!!

Mythos

"Outside the palace of Versailles, it's modern day. Inside, the people dress, eat, and act like it's the eighteenth century. The palace has every indulgence, but for one pretty young thing, it's about to become a very beautiful prison. When Danica witnesses an act of murder by the young king, her mother makes a cruel power play...blackmailing the king into making Dani his queen on her eighteenth birthday. That gives Dani six months to escape her terrifying destiny."--Page [4] of cover.

Lila Harrison &
Glitter by Aprilynne Pike

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Lila Harrison &
Glitter by Aprilynne Pike