CHILDREN OF THE BLACK GLASS

Siblings Tell and Wren journey down the mountain alone to the sorcerers’ home to save their father’s life.

When their father wounds his only good eye mining sorcerer’s glass from the mountain, village rules say he must heal in 30 days or be left on a glacier to die following a farewell ceremony. The children will be separated to live with adults who will beat them and treat them like servants. But Tell is 14, almost old enough to travel to the town of Halfway like the other men. They go once a year to sell black glass and bring back provisions for the harsh winter. Tell is determined to sell the sorcerer’s glass himself so he can make enough money to get medicine for his father and keep his family together. His 12-year-old sister, Wren, sneaks away to join him. But when they stumble on a dangerous plot to take over Halfway—one that also puts their entire village in great danger—Tell, Wren, and their new Halfway friends must unravel the scheme and try to save everyone. The central concept of this debut novel from screenwriter Peckham is intriguing but execution is lacking, and the to-be-continued ending is unsatisfying. More of a play-by-play than a fully realized novel, the book features characters who lack depth and circumstances that are often too convenient. This harsh world includes child and animal abuse. Characters are presumed White.

A series opener that skims the surface.