Small town charm is often a lie - places that should fit this archetype perfectly never quite live up to the expectations. Alyssa Villaire’s ‘The Glittering Edge’ reconciles this fact with the truly endearing parts of living in a small town, with an added magical twist.
Decades-long blood feud between two families - De Lucas, rumoured to be witches, and wealthy Barrions has held the imagination of the small Idlewood for decades. It all started with a tragic love triangle, which ended in what the more spiritually-inclined believe to be a curse on the Barrion family. To fuel the rumour mill further, the Barrion family is struck by tragedy time and time again - anyone unlucky enough to fall in love with one of them is passes away in tragic, often violent circumstances. When this fate strucks Penny Emberly’s mother, she is determined to do everything in her power to break the curse, even if it means an alliance with both Alonso de Luca and Corey Barrion. The unlikely trio races against time to solve the mystery which haunted Idlewood for so long and make sure no more innocent lives are lost.
Alyssa Villaire has a knack for crafting realistic characters with flaws and motivations akin to real people. This is particularly true for the three main characters of this novel - Penny, Alonso and Corey. Penny in particular is a fantastically well-written character, with a realistic experience of anxiety. I also really liked reading about her internal conflict around whether leaving her small town could be the right choice, even if to avoid being left behind by everyone else.
Another character whose characterisation deserves a mention would be the main antagonist (purposely keeping this vague to avoid spoilers) - this person wasn’t written off as evil for the sake of it, or only existing to pose an obstacle to the main characters. On the contrary, they had their own motivations, which could be interpreted as morally grey, even if their means to an end are not as contentious…
My only criticism here is that I wish this extended to the side characters a bit more - as a lot of them, including Penny’s best friend Naomi, feel like an afterthought and could do with a bit more fleshing out.
The relationships between the characters, be it romantic or familial were portrayed well, with the standout being the slowly building romantic relationship between Penny and one of the other leads (this built at a good pace and was not rushed at all), grudging friendship between the three main leads (I particularly loved the addition of the text threads!) and Penny’s familial relationships. One criticism I have here is the not so subtle set-up for a love triangle, which I hope will not be explored in the sequel.
Another aspect of ‘The Glittering Edge’ I greatly enjoyed was the exploration of the ‘small town charm’ trope. The reality of such towns is captured well in the fictional Idlewood - the seemingly tight-knit community has a darker side, including neighbours prying in others’ affairs, racism and antagonism towards outsiders or anyone considered ‘different’ from what the ‘perfect’ inhabitant should be.
The pacing, while not fast until the ending of the novel, worked well for the setting - the three main leads slowly investigate the curse and uncover clues and leads along the way, which push the story forward, keeping the reader engaged. The addition of magic into the mix made this all the more exciting - not only this, while simple, the magic system was explained well and felt rather unique, especially given the ‘real world’ (as saying ‘urban’ feels off about Idlewood’!) setting. Lastly, I have to refer to the twist at the end which I loved… but to find out more, you’ll have to pick this book up for yourself!
‘The Glittering Edge’ is heartfelt story which captures the reader with its well-written characters, sprinkle of magic and reminds us that even in the darkest times, joy may be found with your friends and loved ones.
Final rating: 5/5 stars
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