Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore

In the magical world of Lorinar, Nimira is an exotic and dark-skinned trouser-girl who sings and dances in music halls for money. She's away from her homeland of Tiansher and is extremely poor, so when weathly Hollin Parry offers her a job singing with an automaton, she readily accepts. But rumors that the automaton is haunted cause Nimira to closely examine it and she discovers that a fairy is trapped in the mechanical body! As she talks to Erris, the fairy, he tells her how the current Ambassador of Magic killed the previous Ambassador and how fairies are being tortured by a council of sorcerers that Hollin is a part of. As Nimira tries to help Erris, she can't help falling in love with him, and is determined to find a way to save him.

I thought that Magic Under Glass was an okay book. The synopsis makes it sound like it will be an action-packed romantic fantasy, but I think it fell short of its expectations. I liked how the author created a new magical world, but it had parallels to history, like Lorinar resembling England and Tiansher, where Nimira was born, resembling India or Africa. I also liked the similaries to Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, which I am currently reading (weird coincidence). However, I didn't think the relationship between Nimira and Erris, the automaton, was believable. She was supposed to be in love with him, but there wasn't much development, character- and relationship-wise, between the two of them. I also thought that the action at the end was lacking. It was a little silly and not as riveting and engrossing as it could be. The ending was a bit of a cliff-hanger, too, so I don't know if the author is planning on writing a sequel or not, but I think it could use one. Even though there were things I disliked about Magic Under Glass, I still enjoyed reading it and I think fans of fantasy will find this book to their liking.

6 out of 10.

Note: I am planning on changing the cover when the new one is released. This one is beautiful but it doesn't accurately depict Nimira's physical appearance.