Review: Glitter (Glitter #1) by Aprilynne Pike

Book Blurb:

A royal murder. The promise of a throne she never wanted. And a glittering drug that is her only way out.

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. 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.

My Review:

4 Out Of 5 Stars

Genre: Another-World, Dystopian, Historical, Royal-Court, Survival, Suspense--

Set in a world of decadence and glamour, Dannika is desperate to escape. From the outside, it looks like she has the perfect life betrothed to the King and CEO of the most successful company in the world, but in reality she was sold to the despicable King by her power hungry mother and Dannika is dying on the inside. When she has one last chance to try and claim her freedom, she takes it- even when it means she will be working with a master criminal and the drug Glitter.

I feel like I went into this book pretty blind, not really knowing what the book was about but willing to give it a whirl since the cover pretty and I liked the author. And when I say the cover is pretty, I mean absolutely gorgeous and eye catching and I would have read the book without liking the author for the cover alone. (Feel free to swing by my Instagram page for a picture of the cover in the wild!). And yes, I do pick books based on cover- the more stunning, the more I need to get it. There was mystery, darkness, glamour, angst and romance found within the pages of the book. And yes this was YA, but most certainly geared towards the older YA adult readers due to content. This was such a convoluted mess with so many twists and turns that were shocking and I never predicted​.

The world building was pretty epic and such an odd mish-match I was surprised how well it went together- and my favorite part of the story. We have a future filled with incredible technology like eye computer lens and android systems that will dress you and monitor all actions. And then we have this society that dresses and acts like it was French royalty during the 17th century and replicates the ways and court of the old Kings of France's past. Everyone who lives with in Versailles must live up to these standards of dress and action, as well as with titles and rules- while at the same time having the technology to help things go smoothly. There was even a historical society that had to approve everything and tours where "regular" people could come and see the court in all it's finery and proper actions. It was such a crazy unique idea I absolutely loved it.

​Dannika is our main character, the narrator of the book, and the person that I was surprised to find myself liking. ​Why am I surprised to like the main character you ask? Well, because she was a drug dealer. Dannika was willing to sacrifice everyone in the palace to be able to obtain her freedom- this is one of those debates of the welfare of 1 versus the many. And let's add in the fact that she lied to everyone, got them addicted to her crazy expensive "make-up" against their will to fit in, never once disclosing that she was getting them hooked on drugs. And yet, despite all that, I empathized for her- her corset pulling was such a small outward sign of her lack of control and inner turmoil. (Oh and by the way she was also at least partly responsible for 2 deaths.) Her life seemed so out of control and unhappy, that her choices didn't even matter, her desperation more a driving force for everything. She was the biggest victim (at the start of the book) but then she pretty much said screw it, I will get out regardless of the cost and went on her merry way ruing those around her. I hat to say it, but I respected her. She made so many bad choices, but she knew who she was and the cost of what she wanted. It was interesting how she was able to create such loyal relationships, even when her actions were known, which I guess shows how compelling she was as a person. To anyone else in her world, she would be seen as the villain, yet she was the ingenue.

I have encountered a LOT of mixed reviews on this story, so I am fully aware that it is not for everyone, but I enjoyed the twisty, dark, dangerous, glamorous read. FYI, HUGE shocking cliffhanger ending so be prepared for that bomb to drop. Overall I really found myself engrossed in this world and I look forward to the next book.