Glistens by Chess Desalls is a spellbinding paranormal YA novella. Marion is a fairy, known as a Glisten. She is infatuated with Endrick Sparks, a summer school classmate. When she is placed with her best friend, Sal, and Endrick on a last-chance assignment, she feels that she is lucky. Until they get their assignment. In order to pass summer school, they must help a real human that is in danger. Only, it can't be just any human. They have to hear the call of their ward. Marion misses the details of the assignment because as soon as their teacher lifts the Veil, Marion hears and feels her ward's call for help.

At that exact moment, one of her Glisten classmates, Minx, faints. Marion thinks very little of the connection until she feels the call again. When she answers, she finds to her astonishment that her ward is none other than Minx. Disguising herself as her lightning bug self, she discovers that the sickly looking Minx is living with humans and they are treating her unusual ailments as they would a human. Minx's ailments come from a parasitic rabbit that feeds on her when she falls asleep. How can Marion help her charge? If Marion doesn't pass this class, she dooms herself, Sal, and Endrick to a slow and painful death. But, she can't ask for their help or even tell them who her ward is because she has promised Minx. A Glisten can't break a promise between a ward and a Glisten. How can Marion ask for help if she can't tell them anything? Will she lose her best friend and new boyfriend over her first real Glisten assignment?

Glistens by Chess Desalls is a well-written YA paranormal novella. I enjoyed listening to it. It kept me on the edge of my seat to the very end! The end was beautifully executed and the characters were exciting, sympathetic and fun. I hope that the author has a sequel. I would love to read more of Marion, Sal, Endrick, Minx, and the others! The narrator, Julie Hinton, did amazing work on reading the story. Her voice was smooth, her reading flawless, and she portrayed the characters very well. I would recommend Glistens to readers that enjoy YA, paranormal, and fairies. This book is perfect for readers aged 9-17.

Glistens by Chess Desalls is a fun and lighthearted story. Marian Spritz is in summer school after failing to pass her classes to go to the next level to become a Glisten. Originating as fireflies, Glistens are fairies that dedicate their lives to helping those in need. When their professor gives them a Last Chance project to pass, Marian receives her first ward. Things take a peculiar turn when her ward, she’s surprised to learn, is a girl in her class, a girl she thought was just a regular mean girl. While determining how to pass, Marian is dealing with her infatuation with her best friend’s cousin, Endrik. An encounter with a rabbit adds more problems than she’s prepared to deal with. The rabbits the Glistens are afraid of aren’t the cute animals we know and love. These are shadow creatures that feed on the energy of the Glistens and fear the light.

Chess Desalls writes a fun modern take on the fairies we know. These aren’t your typical fairies like we see in Peter Pan. The Glistens live in the human world, blending in by using glamour on their homes and school. One of the characters even has a human cell phone. They watch reality dating shows. The Glistens do dishes and chores. Aside from shrinking and turning into a firefly, they’re pretty average. Glistens have a lot of heart and humor. There’s the compassion Marian shows her sick ward. There’s the humorous Glisten dating show that’s reminiscent of The Bachelor. They may eat pollen nuggets and disguise their school house to look like a barn, but they read like real people. Marian is navigating home, school, and a crush. She’s relatable, because she’s realistic. Glistens is light, fluffy and humorous.