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literarylover37's review
1.0
1.5 . Read 2/3 rds and then skimmed to the end. Main character annoyed me and the plot felt too dark for the middle grade style the book was written in.
olivesreadingarden's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This was such a unique read, it took me a while but I still enjoyed it. It's definitely more of a mature YA and even dystopian-like, yet still a fantasy. The only negative really was that I do feel like it was a little longer than it needed to be.
The pacing is pretty fast though, a lot of twists and mystery, and the overall plot was so unique with the true wines and cheeses, the court setting, the whole Caverna underground setting, the double sided Grand Steward, the Kleptomancer.
Watching Neverfell grow into herself and figure out everything out was so interesting, of course, her being only 12 years old I did find her to be a bit annoying sometimes, but she was quirky and fun and her innocence was both endearing but frustrating.
The pacing is pretty fast though, a lot of twists and mystery, and the overall plot was so unique with the true wines and cheeses, the court setting, the whole Caverna underground setting, the double sided Grand Steward, the Kleptomancer.
Watching Neverfell grow into herself and figure out everything out was so interesting, of course, her being only 12 years old I did find her to be a bit annoying sometimes, but she was quirky and fun and her innocence was both endearing but frustrating.
beccagomezfarrell's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
In the unique Caverna, everything is governed by the production of delicacies (cheese, wine, perfume, cartography) with a level of mastery that makes them essentially magical weapons. The citizens' inability to make facial expressions makes for a society in which plotting and intrigue are easily hidden. Very inventive.
beckysee's review against another edition
4.0
One of the most complex middle grade books I've ever read.
Also, Neverfell is such a great protagonist! I love how impulsive she is, and accepts the fact that she's a bit mad.
Also, Neverfell is such a great protagonist! I love how impulsive she is, and accepts the fact that she's a bit mad.
jenniferreads2's review
4.0
Interesting story. A little too long winded and convoluted for young readers, better tailored for adult audiences
lune_3713's review
5.0
Starts off slow but as it processes it better. Neverfell is super interesting as a character with her innocence, madness and risk taking qualities. Weirdly unique characters. The Grand Steward was a fun character to read about
adekka11's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
carolineroche's review
4.0
I find it hard to rate Francis Hardinge's books. Although they are YA and about young people they seem better read by adults. The writing is wonderful but the plots are dense and convoluted. This one is no different. I really loved the book myself but am wondering how many of the young people in my school would enjoy it. Her book The Lie Tree won the adult Costa but not the Carnegie and that shows my dilemma perfectly- where do you place her books?
brandypainter's review
5.0
Originally posted here on Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge was one of the books I had to read for the YAMG Book Challenge. It was the only book potentially destined to come my way in the brackets that I had not previously read. Why? Because it has not been published in the US yet. And this is a TRAGEDY.
This is the story of Neverfell, a wide-eyed, sheltered, compassionate, cheerful, inquisitive girl who longs to explore and see the world outside the front door she has been locked behind as long as she can remember. Characters like this usually drive me insane. There is so much goodness in her. An unbelievable amount of goodness. I normally can't stand this, but Neverfell caught me and held me and made me love her. And even though I knew she was heading for a host of awful discoveries that were going to change and disillusion her, I found I didn't want them to change her. She is naive and far too trusting. There were moments when I wanted to jump in the book and knock her upside the head, but her naiveté is so genuine and believable. She has no reason for cynicism or distrust. She was never taught the possible cruelties of the world, and her world is cruel indeed. Where she is, no one can show the emotions they feel in their facial expressions. Except for Neverfell. People pay to learn how to make expressions and tailor them for the appropriateness of a moment, so they are never genuine. Except for Neverfell. She is the perfect tool and in constant danger as a result. She utterly refuses to see this and stumbles through life with a warm generosity that ordinarily makes me want to walk away from a character and never look back. In this case I wanted to shelter her and help her, meaning I was very much able to relate to one of the other characters in the story she comes across. One more cynical and not quite trustworthy. There is more to Neverfell though. Part of her curiosity is a result of her scientific mind. She is an amazingly talented mechanic. She is also fiercely determined and, it turns out, capable of being sneaky and ruthless herself which made me like her even more. (I know. I obviously have issues.) Everyone thinks she's mad, but really her mind just works differently. So much is made about her appearance, but it is really the way she thinks and feels that throw the people around her off. She is different. Other. And that means she is to be feared or used. Both at the same time occasionally.
Which brings me to the themes in the book. Through Neverfell and the people she comes in contact with, those who want to use her, those who want to protect her, and those who end up working with her, Hardinge paints a picture of a society we all can recognize because we live in it. Despite the world of Carverna being distinctly different from our own, it is exactly like our own. The twisted political maneuverings, the exploitation and intentional subjugation of those that can be forced to work, the falseness of society, and the power of belief in a system is brought out in every word on every page. But it is not at all forced. It is rendered through the contrast of Neverfell and the world around her, thorough her desire to do good and her ability to spark the same in others, through the details in the world building. It is all brilliantly woven together.
Then there is the writing, which is as top-notch as it gets. Beautiful imagery, evocative descriptions, and soul searing emotion are all on display. The world of Caverna is one I could feel, see, taste, and smell. The twistiness of the writing mirrors the twistiness of the world, leaving the reader slightly confused and light-headed in places, exactly as I imagine life in Caverna would be. I felt at times like I was being smothered under the weight of it all just as Neverfell was. I wanted her to get out from underneath that mountain and feel the sun and wind and rain. Hear birds sing. I expect good writing when I sit down with a Frances Hardinge novel, but feel she outdid my fairly high expectations with this one.
Some examples:
No, despite her best efforts she was a skinny, long-boned tangle of fidget and frisk, with feet that would not stay still, and elbows made to knock things off shelves.
There were many who called the Court a jungle, and with good reason. It had a jungle's lush and glittering beauty. The people who dwelt in it, in their turn, were not unlike jungle creatures...There are many dangers in the jungle, but perhaps the greatest is forgetting that one is not the only hunter, and that one is probably not the largest.
He felt a shock, as if her faith was a golden axe and had struck right through his dusty husk of a heart. The heart did not bleed, however, and in the next moment its dry fibres were closing and knitting back together again.
A Face Like Glass has a lot of political intrigue and complexity to it as well. It demands a lot of its readers, whether adults or children. And I love that. Books intended for a child audience who don't talk down to them or underestimate them are the best books there are. It never shies away from the harder more difficult truths it is trying to convey, but simply puts them in a package a child can see, understand, and accept. And running through all of the darkness and hard truths is brightness of hope. This book is everything that I love and it will have a place on my bookshelf forever.
A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge was one of the books I had to read for the YAMG Book Challenge. It was the only book potentially destined to come my way in the brackets that I had not previously read. Why? Because it has not been published in the US yet. And this is a TRAGEDY.
This is the story of Neverfell, a wide-eyed, sheltered, compassionate, cheerful, inquisitive girl who longs to explore and see the world outside the front door she has been locked behind as long as she can remember. Characters like this usually drive me insane. There is so much goodness in her. An unbelievable amount of goodness. I normally can't stand this, but Neverfell caught me and held me and made me love her. And even though I knew she was heading for a host of awful discoveries that were going to change and disillusion her, I found I didn't want them to change her. She is naive and far too trusting. There were moments when I wanted to jump in the book and knock her upside the head, but her naiveté is so genuine and believable. She has no reason for cynicism or distrust. She was never taught the possible cruelties of the world, and her world is cruel indeed. Where she is, no one can show the emotions they feel in their facial expressions. Except for Neverfell. People pay to learn how to make expressions and tailor them for the appropriateness of a moment, so they are never genuine. Except for Neverfell. She is the perfect tool and in constant danger as a result. She utterly refuses to see this and stumbles through life with a warm generosity that ordinarily makes me want to walk away from a character and never look back. In this case I wanted to shelter her and help her, meaning I was very much able to relate to one of the other characters in the story she comes across. One more cynical and not quite trustworthy. There is more to Neverfell though. Part of her curiosity is a result of her scientific mind. She is an amazingly talented mechanic. She is also fiercely determined and, it turns out, capable of being sneaky and ruthless herself which made me like her even more. (I know. I obviously have issues.) Everyone thinks she's mad, but really her mind just works differently. So much is made about her appearance, but it is really the way she thinks and feels that throw the people around her off. She is different. Other. And that means she is to be feared or used. Both at the same time occasionally.
Which brings me to the themes in the book. Through Neverfell and the people she comes in contact with, those who want to use her, those who want to protect her, and those who end up working with her, Hardinge paints a picture of a society we all can recognize because we live in it. Despite the world of Carverna being distinctly different from our own, it is exactly like our own. The twisted political maneuverings, the exploitation and intentional subjugation of those that can be forced to work, the falseness of society, and the power of belief in a system is brought out in every word on every page. But it is not at all forced. It is rendered through the contrast of Neverfell and the world around her, thorough her desire to do good and her ability to spark the same in others, through the details in the world building. It is all brilliantly woven together.
Then there is the writing, which is as top-notch as it gets. Beautiful imagery, evocative descriptions, and soul searing emotion are all on display. The world of Caverna is one I could feel, see, taste, and smell. The twistiness of the writing mirrors the twistiness of the world, leaving the reader slightly confused and light-headed in places, exactly as I imagine life in Caverna would be. I felt at times like I was being smothered under the weight of it all just as Neverfell was. I wanted her to get out from underneath that mountain and feel the sun and wind and rain. Hear birds sing. I expect good writing when I sit down with a Frances Hardinge novel, but feel she outdid my fairly high expectations with this one.
Some examples:
No, despite her best efforts she was a skinny, long-boned tangle of fidget and frisk, with feet that would not stay still, and elbows made to knock things off shelves.
There were many who called the Court a jungle, and with good reason. It had a jungle's lush and glittering beauty. The people who dwelt in it, in their turn, were not unlike jungle creatures...There are many dangers in the jungle, but perhaps the greatest is forgetting that one is not the only hunter, and that one is probably not the largest.
He felt a shock, as if her faith was a golden axe and had struck right through his dusty husk of a heart. The heart did not bleed, however, and in the next moment its dry fibres were closing and knitting back together again.
A Face Like Glass has a lot of political intrigue and complexity to it as well. It demands a lot of its readers, whether adults or children. And I love that. Books intended for a child audience who don't talk down to them or underestimate them are the best books there are. It never shies away from the harder more difficult truths it is trying to convey, but simply puts them in a package a child can see, understand, and accept. And running through all of the darkness and hard truths is brightness of hope. This book is everything that I love and it will have a place on my bookshelf forever.
nenya_kanadka's review
5.0
I'm really starting to love Frances Hardinge. I think my favourite thing about this one was the way the friendships came together in the end--they'd been seeded all along, but you weren't sure who would end up trusting who and whether there would be any kind of victory in the end or not. I also loved the Kleptomancer, who I felt had a good ending too. And the Cartographers were awesome, and all the worldbuilding was aces.
"I can't think straight. But why am I trying to do that anyway? Everybody else thinks straight. That's why nobody expects me to think zigzag-hop."
The protagonist--redhaired, slightly mad, with a tendency to trust everyone (not a safe tendency in Caverna!), full of questions, earnest and bouncy like a puppy, but also full of strong feelings she doesn't immediately know how to identify--I loved her and I think she has a lot more of me in her than many heroines I've read lately. So that definitely kept me engaged. And I know I listed her hair colour first, but it was honestly just the cherry on top of the "oh, I *get* you, kid!" sundae.
Hardinge has this brilliant ability to take adventures with a tinge of horror to them and write them in such a way as to NOT give me nightmares. I don't know if it's because it's YA or just the way she writes, but I found it true about both this one and Cuckoo Song, and I love it.
"I can't think straight. But why am I trying to do that anyway? Everybody else thinks straight. That's why nobody expects me to think zigzag-hop."
The protagonist--redhaired, slightly mad, with a tendency to trust everyone (not a safe tendency in Caverna!), full of questions, earnest and bouncy like a puppy, but also full of strong feelings she doesn't immediately know how to identify--I loved her and I think she has a lot more of me in her than many heroines I've read lately. So that definitely kept me engaged. And I know I listed her hair colour first, but it was honestly just the cherry on top of the "oh, I *get* you, kid!" sundae.
Hardinge has this brilliant ability to take adventures with a tinge of horror to them and write them in such a way as to NOT give me nightmares. I don't know if it's because it's YA or just the way she writes, but I found it true about both this one and Cuckoo Song, and I love it.