Magic Under Glass

Did You Know?

• Dolamore's inspiration came from her interest in the Victorian era and automaton.
• She wrote the first draft in two months, then rewrote it twice over two years.
• Bloomsbury Publishing faced criticism for using a white woman on the cover to depict the brown-skinned heroine Nimira.

Plot summary

The story is set in the kingdom of Lorinar, at war with a neighboring fairy kingdom. Nimira, a woman of aristocratic roots, works as a dancer after her mother's death and her father's disappearance. She accepts an invitation from the magician Hollin Parry to live in his palace and perform with a robot activated by a silver key. Nimira discovers the automaton is Erris, a cursed fairy prince, and that Hollin's wife Annalie is trapped in an attic under a sorcerer's control. Nimira and Erris fall in love and help free Annalie, though Erris's fate remains uncertain. The sequel continues their story.

Adaptations

The Columbia Center for Theatrical Arts staged a musical adaptation of Magic Under Glass and Magic Under Stone in July 2017 at Howard County Community College Smith Theater in Columbia, Maryland. Costume designer Kristen Clark exhibited the musical at the 2017 World Stage Design in Taipei, Taiwan. American Latino TV featured the musical in an episode in November 2017.