The Glass Spare & The Cursed Sea by Lauren DeStefano This duology intrigued me simply because the magical power of the protagonist, Wil, was turning alive objects -- humans, plants, animals, etc. -- into gemstones. Kind of a bizarre concept, except DeStefano makes it work. That is what fascinated me. Unfortunately, that's the only thing which fascinated me. Sure, the plot is a bit predictable, but there's enough differences the reader stays entertained long enough to finish the books. ...