Ava Read a Gorgeous Cinderella Tale ~ Glass Across the Sea

Hey there, friends.

Do I have tags I’m supposed to be doing?? Absolutely. Am I about to give you yet another not-quite-review post of a book before I forget what I loved about it?? You better believe it.

But first!! A story of how I came into possession of this book.

Once upon a time, on a day my old journal Madi tells me is September seventh, 2024, I was snooping around on Sara Ella’s Instagram account. I was rather chuffed to discover that she had a WIP set for publication in the fall of 2025. That seemed very far off then, and I promptly forgot all about it.

Fast forward to around this spring. Sara started sharing more information about the first book in the series. Count of Monte Cristo and Cinderella inspired, the title, some stories surrounding the events of the making of the book, and eventually the cover!! Absolutely delighted was I to discover that it was light-based.

I, of course, planned to buy Glass for my October book of the month. We finally got preorder information, and I jumped through all the hoops to make sure I got preorder goodies. Release day came and went. My friend got her book on the fourth, I was supposed to get mine on the sixth. Well. The sixth came and went. So did the following two days. FINALLY, it came on the ninth!! JOY!!!

I read it in three days. It was amazing. And now, enough about me, onwards to the book!!!

---

Light always finds a way to break free . . .

Noelle Perrault has felt drawn to the tales her glassmaker father told of the four Firefly artisans since she was a child. But when her mother falls under a curse, Noelle suspects the stories are more than mere fables. Their last hope is for her father to embark on a desperate journey to another realm, where he must seek a miracle. Alone but not defenseless, Noelle is forced to navigate battles that rise against her beloved home, while her dearest friend, the prince, vows to help her father.

Dante Marin is a prince prepared to bear the crown. But the king offers an ultimatum: find the fabled Firefly Vestiges, believed to hold the Lamplighter’s ancient power, or forfeit the crown. Only then will Dante be considered worthy of his birthright and given the freedom to choose his bride. But how does one hunt down a legend?

Connected by the past, but forced apart in the present, Noelle and Dante must discover the truth about the Firefly and Vestiges before they lose all hope—and each other—for good. But breaking a curse comes at a great sacrifice—one neither of them predicted. With a mysterious foe rising to power, will they survive, let alone succeed? Or will darkness shroud their future, shattering the light they’ve striven to restore?

---

🥰 Reasons I Adore Glass🥰

• That cover is to die for. Sara said she wanted it to be her “pretty dress” book and wow did Emilie Haney ever deliver. Look at the dress!! And the lighthouse!! And the ocean around Noelle’s feet!! And the detail in the firefly pin and pumpkin and the sky and AAAAHHHH!!! Also the lighthouse foil imprint under the dust jacket is delightful (I know I use the word “delightful” far too much when writing these but I just can’t help it).
• So I preordered and got goodies, and that included a signed copy. And wow is it pretty. I have two signed books now, A Time to Die and now Glass. Nadine’s signature is very…lonely on the first page. Sara, however, included the reference to John 1:5, a lil heart, and the phrase “True light breaks free!”. There’s just something about knowing your favorite author interacted with your specific copy, y’know??
• We’ve already established that I adore light/dark imagery in books, and this book catered to that specific theme. Light is very involved when you’re a glassmaker (as Noelle and her father are).
• The way Sara took two tales and merged them together with her own imagination is truly beautiful. You can see hints of Cinderella and the Count showing through, but it’s a new story entirely.
• West x Aurelia, anybody?? Or maybe Margeaux?? Hear me out, y’all.
• “Even shattered glass, lost across the sea, finds its way back to shore. But not before it is changed—made more beautiful and more refined than the day it was broken.”
• Friends to lovers 🥰 While there are elements I enjoy about enemies to lovers, I really, really like the friends trope.
• Multiple POVs!!! The ✨lore✨ that is unveiled as we get into different characters’ heads…masterfully done. There was never any confusion about whose thoughts we were reading.
• This gave me some Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, AND Cinderella vibes. The whole French atmosphere in general gave me Beauty and the Beast. Noelle being [redacted] gave me Elsa specific vibes (🎶the cold never bothered me anyway🎶 except…heat). And of course it’s supposed to be Cinderella, that should be obvious.
• The myriad references to a book that exists within Glass (the Lamplighter Parables)…I love it.
• I CALLED IT MWAHAHAHA (I would tell you, but…spoilers…)
• le 🌊ocean🌊 is almost a character of its own. I should have been born on the coast.

😐 And This is Included Why??😐

• Not something I wish wasn’t included, but something I wish was. I won’t say anything outright (bc spoilers), but for you who have already read this, were you or were you not disappointed with Dante on that last page?? WAS IT THAT HARD TO GIVE US LIKE, THREE MORE PARAGRAPHS, SARA??!??!? I’m in agony.
• Honestly no complaints from me other than nervously wondering how long I’ll have to wait for book two…

Coda

Truly, I just love Sara Ella. Her books are always gorgeous, inside and out, just like her 🥰 For a splendid interview with Sara Ella, I shall direct your attention to my friend Journey’s lovely post here, if you haven’t already seen it. HOW COOL IS IT THAT JOURNEY GOT TO INTERVIEW SARA ELLA??!?!?? I’m still not over how amazing that is.

Anyway. See you next week. Probably.

*bows and exits stage*

Always,

Ava 🥛➡️🌊

P.S. Ava from the past, Thursday morning to be specific, has a PSA: this weekend I’ll be at a youth conference, so if I don’t respond or acknowledge comments and such in a timely fashion, you know why 😉