Book Review- The Dark Side of the Glass by J.M. Frey

eBook
Release date: June 1, 2012
Publisher: Double Dragon Publishing
Author: J.M. Frey
Thank you to J.M. for providing this eARC for review.

Mary was a fan of the vampire drama ”City By Night”, until she woke up in the show. At first, Mary is thrilled – who wouldn’t want to live alongside their favorite TV characters? The charm fades when Mary realizes that the extras still don’t speak, the matte paintings don’t become real, and all the infuriating flaws in the writing are just amplified when you have to try to interact with the shallow characters.  And then, of course, the lead character Leondre DuNoir falls for her! But Leondre’s admiration comes with its own set of problems: Antonio, Leondre’s psychotic stalker, has a habit of killing off the girls-of-the-week. To stay alive, Mary has to find a way home from a world that, pardon the pun, totally sucks.

I've been a fan of J.M.'s for awhile. I first saw her on the SPACE channel's Doctor Who season finale special that aired awhile back.
Then I met her briefly at the SPACE channel's season six screening last April.
I started following her on Twitter and Facebook, and I've been meaning to pick up her first book, Triptych, for awhile now.
So when she put the call out asking bloggers to review her new novella, I jumped at the chance!

The Dark Side of the Glass is an amazingly FUN read! It breaks the fourth wall in a magical, wonderful way.
I couldn't help but think...What would it be like if I woke up in my favourite show, Doctor Who or Once Upon A Time?
According to Ms. Frey, it wouldn't be as great as you'd think. ;)

Mary is a fantastic character. Very easy to relate to, with her many flaws and quirks.
And Leondre (LOVED his name! Ha!) was perfectly written.
I often wondered if J.M. herself had somehow experienced waking up in a fantasy TV land, her leading man was written so well. ;)

The writing is fun and light, with just enough humour and romance to keep you turning the pages.
There are more than a few laugh-out-loud moments.
It's a short book, but there's a LOT written in those 100-ish pages. I definitely didn't feel cheated or left wanting as I so often do after finishing a short book.

And without saying too much, I'll say that the end is brilliant. I LOVED it, and it left me grinning like a fool.

This book is unique and refreshing and I really enjoyed every minute of it.
It would make a great day-at-the-beach or long-commute read--Although you might get a few stares from strangers once you start giggling aloud at the funny bits.

It reminded me so much of a Canadian vampire show that I used to love, 'Forever Knight', and it even had a touch of 'Angel' to it--albeit the lighter episodes of both.

I can't recommend this book enough, and I really feel like this review isn't doing it justice.
So....PLEASE read The Dark Side of the Glass! And then go tell J.M. how awesome it was!