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hstbooks94's review
funny
hopeful
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A cute book that gave me the nostalgia of reading fairytales as a child. I did feel that the ending was a bit rushed though. Loved Castor as a character!
stitchsaddiction's review
5.0
The summary of Glassheart was what initially drew me to the book - mixing the very real fallout of the World War II with magic, ong with the stunning cover artwork. 'They' say don't judge a book by its cover but I definitely did when Katharine Orton's novel caught my attention.
The main character has lost everything to a bomb destroying her home and she found comfort and a new home with Antoni, her adoptive Uncle. The two have created a family in the wake of great loss to both of them and I found the author's gentle way of showing that a 'found' family is one that is an important and supportive as those bonded by bloody. Over and over, the imagery of broken things being brought back to being whole is shown through Glassheart to further show that things as well as people, can heal given time.
The book flows well and it may sound silly but I welcomed the fact nothing was too drawn out nor was it too short. The mix of magic with the reality of post war England is wonderfully woven together and the imagery is rich and atmospheric which aids the reader in being truly immersed in the world our heroine finds herself.
I cannot recommend Glassheart by Katharine Orton enough. It is a phenomenal novel for anyone who is a middle grade reader or those who need a touch of magic in their lives- both the good and bad. You will be left breathless by the tale and their will be the fluttering of excitement, fear, and the desire for good to triumph once you pick up your copy to read.
The main character has lost everything to a bomb destroying her home and she found comfort and a new home with Antoni, her adoptive Uncle. The two have created a family in the wake of great loss to both of them and I found the author's gentle way of showing that a 'found' family is one that is an important and supportive as those bonded by bloody. Over and over, the imagery of broken things being brought back to being whole is shown through Glassheart to further show that things as well as people, can heal given time.
The book flows well and it may sound silly but I welcomed the fact nothing was too drawn out nor was it too short. The mix of magic with the reality of post war England is wonderfully woven together and the imagery is rich and atmospheric which aids the reader in being truly immersed in the world our heroine finds herself.
I cannot recommend Glassheart by Katharine Orton enough. It is a phenomenal novel for anyone who is a middle grade reader or those who need a touch of magic in their lives- both the good and bad. You will be left breathless by the tale and their will be the fluttering of excitement, fear, and the desire for good to triumph once you pick up your copy to read.
saccalai's review
3.0
Took me a while to get into the book, though it gets pretty much right into the story immediately. I think that confused me a bit. However, once I got further in I enjoyed it. The magic is pretty cool, seeing spirits through pieces of glass and travelling through the spirit paths.
bexcapades's review
5.0
Wow, wow, wow! This was a beautiful story. It is magical and real & touches upon the beautiful truth that if you show someone kindness when they are hurting then you can truly change a life.
Nona is strong & fierce whilst also being the right balance of confident and insecure. Orphaned in the war, her adopted father Uncle Antoni cared for her and teaches her what it means to make beautiful pieces of art with glass. She keeps her own token, a half heart made of glass, close to her not realising how important it will be in shaping her destiny.
I loved Castor and could picture his smile very vividly while I was reading.
Brilliant middle grade book that could be enjoyed by anyone, especially as a class book for Year 5/6.
Nona is strong & fierce whilst also being the right balance of confident and insecure. Orphaned in the war, her adopted father Uncle Antoni cared for her and teaches her what it means to make beautiful pieces of art with glass. She keeps her own token, a half heart made of glass, close to her not realising how important it will be in shaping her destiny.
I loved Castor and could picture his smile very vividly while I was reading.
Brilliant middle grade book that could be enjoyed by anyone, especially as a class book for Year 5/6.
stephbookshine's review
4.0
This middle-grade fantasy adventure is exciting and more than a little scary – mirror magic, ‘rattlesticks’, war/Blitz trauma – so definitely not for the faint of heart!
The main character, Nona, lives with her Uncle Antoni (not actually her uncle, but he took her in when she was orphaned in the war), but from the very first page he is acting strangely. With magic and monsters at every turn, Nona has to try to rescue her uncle, herself, and pretty much everyone else along the way.
There is no escaping the tragedy in this story, but the author keeps the action moving instead of getting bogged down in the emotion, and so the focus becomes more about survival, love and hope – the realities of learning to continue living through grief – and the question of whether loss can make monsters of us all.
I didn’t find myself quite connecting with the character, perhaps because we only meet Nona and Antoni after the storyline is already underway, or because it isn’t clear whether some of the paranormal entities can be trusted, and so I found that I wasn’t quite as engaged with the story as I would have liked. That said, I LOVED Castor, and Nona grew on me as the story progressed.
This would be ideal for the older or very brave middle-graders… Minishine (8) would be scared stiff!
The main character, Nona, lives with her Uncle Antoni (not actually her uncle, but he took her in when she was orphaned in the war), but from the very first page he is acting strangely. With magic and monsters at every turn, Nona has to try to rescue her uncle, herself, and pretty much everyone else along the way.
There is no escaping the tragedy in this story, but the author keeps the action moving instead of getting bogged down in the emotion, and so the focus becomes more about survival, love and hope – the realities of learning to continue living through grief – and the question of whether loss can make monsters of us all.
I didn’t find myself quite connecting with the character, perhaps because we only meet Nona and Antoni after the storyline is already underway, or because it isn’t clear whether some of the paranormal entities can be trusted, and so I found that I wasn’t quite as engaged with the story as I would have liked. That said, I LOVED Castor, and Nona grew on me as the story progressed.
This would be ideal for the older or very brave middle-graders… Minishine (8) would be scared stiff!
cookiecat73's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
writing style really got on my nerves
bluewithstars's review
5.0
A wonderful dark and gothic tale to keep you on the edge. Another triumph by Katharine Orton.
hareii's review
5.0
Wow, what an incredible book!
First of all, it felt /so/ much like I was reading a Ghibli movie in book-form? The tone, the scale of the story, everything - which just made it even more enjoyable. The characters were great and fully fleshed out, and surprisingly mature for a children’s novel. The exploration of glass making was fascinating, for someone who lacks knowledge of it, and the adventure this story told is one I won’t forget for a long time.
And Castor! Wow! What brilliant interactions between him and Nona, a wonderful friendship that reads so realistically for a fantasy novel. I loved this book, it was so good!!
Oh! And also! What the hell was that eldritch horror /thing/ in the last few chapters? I am so impressed that Orton managed to write a horrific, eldritch monster that sounded actually terrifying… and just get it into the book. I can see that creature in my mind’s eye, and it isn’t… fun.
First of all, it felt /so/ much like I was reading a Ghibli movie in book-form? The tone, the scale of the story, everything - which just made it even more enjoyable. The characters were great and fully fleshed out, and surprisingly mature for a children’s novel. The exploration of glass making was fascinating, for someone who lacks knowledge of it, and the adventure this story told is one I won’t forget for a long time.
And Castor! Wow! What brilliant interactions between him and Nona, a wonderful friendship that reads so realistically for a fantasy novel. I loved this book, it was so good!!
Oh! And also! What the hell was that eldritch horror /thing/ in the last few chapters? I am so impressed that Orton managed to write a horrific, eldritch monster that sounded actually terrifying… and just get it into the book. I can see that creature in my mind’s eye, and it isn’t… fun.
cathyp72's review
4.0
This is a good middle grade story that mixes a tale of grief and loss after war with a magical tale of spirits and healing. I liked Nona's character a lot, she is strong despite her loss and shows great courage when facing the soldier, a dark character made terrible by his own great loss. I felt the soldier was well developed and a slightly more complex villain than I expected. My favourite character was Castor, a wonderfully imagined creation. The stories resolution was both hopeful and convincing and I felt that the idea of stained glass holding magic made for a good tale.