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witchqueen76's review against another edition
2.0
I have got 67% through the book and given up. I feel like there is a really great story hidden underneath all the description. I love imagery but there is just too much of it in this book. It reads like a new Graduate trying to sound clever...yes the language is beautiful, but most of the time the words in the book are unnecessary. In fact even the imaginitive bits of the book are just there, for show, with little or no point to them. The characters lacked depth for me, I didn't care about any of them. I didn't give it 1 star because this is someone who can write... probably better than me, but for me it just didn't work.
milleskaanvad's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.75
_hollypocket's review against another edition
3.0
A very sad and beautifully written love story, rich in description and imagery, unfortunately let down by some of the more irrelevant plot lines and characters.
dayseraph's review against another edition
4.0
It's true - her feet are glass. Very melancholy and magical.
thefolklorefaery's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
jessica_patient's review against another edition
4.0
Loved the visual description, very atmospheric. A modern fairy tale for adults. I will be recommending this to everyone :)
noisyhearts's review against another edition
5.0
This book was recommended to me when I was looking for some fairytale-eqsue fantasy and it's the exact book that I never knew I wanted to read. Beautiful, evocative and absolutely enthralling. I didn't want it to ever end but nonetheless found it an incredibly satisfying read. Absolutely magical. I highly recommend this book.
blodeuedd's review against another edition
4.0
I honestly do not know where to start. How do I explain a book like this, how can I get you all to see the magic in it?
It is a strange tale about a girl, Ida who returns to St Hauda's Land in search for answers. Her feet are turning into glass, yes glass. She does not know why but she remembers a man who had mentioned glass bodies in the bog. Could he hold the answer? Here she meets Midas, a strange young man who loves to take photos, and they fall in love, slowly, awkward, but in love.
Perhaps you now see the strangeness in this book. Her body is slowly being transformed into glass, and when it finishes, well no one can live in a body of glass. These islands are a strange place. There is talk about a strange animal with white eyes, and this whole place seems to ooze strangeness. Like it is some kind of distant land far far away where these strange things can still exist, hidden away from the rest of the world. And the people here have grown used to them. Used to finding strange things like moth-winged cows.
It was a great story, hauntingly beautiful and sad. I felt like I was there, on this damp, cold island. The language took hold of this feeling and made me stay. It is not a happy story, there is coldness creeping in the edges of this book and there are a lot of unhappy people in it. Still it felt magical.
The story is not just a story, it jumps in time. We get to see Midas' dad, who wasn't a nice man, and who shaped who Midas is now. We also get to see Ida's past, and she hadn't a nice dad either. Their mothers seemed frail. And then there is the longing, both had mothers who others longed for. Lost passions, with more sad flashbacks. To understand the now, you have to understand the past.
I shall not forget the lovestory. Midas meets Ida, they see something in each other. The slowly move towards each other, and they seem so perfect for each other. But the clock is ticking, not only to find a cure, but for them to finally do something.
I liked Ida, I would not have been as brave as she was, to see my feet turn to glass would surely have driven me insane. And I had to love Midas, he was strange, but so lovable. I could picture him before me.
This is Shaw's first novel, and if he continues in this style then I am sure we will hear much more about him.
If I sum it up, it is like a strange fairytale, the girl with glass feet, and the awkward prince she meets.
Blodeuedd's Cover Corner: Simple and nice.
Reason for Reading: I picked this one from their catalogue and got it from the publisher.
Final thoughts: This is just a book you have to try for yourself. Words can't describe it....4
It is a strange tale about a girl, Ida who returns to St Hauda's Land in search for answers. Her feet are turning into glass, yes glass. She does not know why but she remembers a man who had mentioned glass bodies in the bog. Could he hold the answer? Here she meets Midas, a strange young man who loves to take photos, and they fall in love, slowly, awkward, but in love.
Perhaps you now see the strangeness in this book. Her body is slowly being transformed into glass, and when it finishes, well no one can live in a body of glass. These islands are a strange place. There is talk about a strange animal with white eyes, and this whole place seems to ooze strangeness. Like it is some kind of distant land far far away where these strange things can still exist, hidden away from the rest of the world. And the people here have grown used to them. Used to finding strange things like moth-winged cows.
It was a great story, hauntingly beautiful and sad. I felt like I was there, on this damp, cold island. The language took hold of this feeling and made me stay. It is not a happy story, there is coldness creeping in the edges of this book and there are a lot of unhappy people in it. Still it felt magical.
The story is not just a story, it jumps in time. We get to see Midas' dad, who wasn't a nice man, and who shaped who Midas is now. We also get to see Ida's past, and she hadn't a nice dad either. Their mothers seemed frail. And then there is the longing, both had mothers who others longed for. Lost passions, with more sad flashbacks. To understand the now, you have to understand the past.
I shall not forget the lovestory. Midas meets Ida, they see something in each other. The slowly move towards each other, and they seem so perfect for each other. But the clock is ticking, not only to find a cure, but for them to finally do something.
I liked Ida, I would not have been as brave as she was, to see my feet turn to glass would surely have driven me insane. And I had to love Midas, he was strange, but so lovable. I could picture him before me.
This is Shaw's first novel, and if he continues in this style then I am sure we will hear much more about him.
If I sum it up, it is like a strange fairytale, the girl with glass feet, and the awkward prince she meets.
Blodeuedd's Cover Corner: Simple and nice.
Reason for Reading: I picked this one from their catalogue and got it from the publisher.
Final thoughts: This is just a book you have to try for yourself. Words can't describe it....4
onemonday's review against another edition
3.0
This was a difficult book to rate. It left me confused.. The reason why I took this book from the library was its beautiful cover. And the story that seemed so mysterious, girl with glass feet, that’s something different! And it was. I liked the way this book was written and the characters with the issues of their past. But it also left me with so many questions!! Why this happened to Ida? What was the white monster? What an earth was the cattle Henry Fuwa raised..? Well, I guess this is just one of those books you don’t need to understand, you can like it anyway ;)
sclinch915's review against another edition
3.0
I love the characters, I loved the story, I loved the romance. What really led me to this book was the idea of a world not quite our own, with fantasy and fairy tale elements. And yet, I got very impatient with it halfway through. Too often the author let his wonderful world get to heavy with description and introspection. I lost interest with anything other than direct interaction between the characters. Those interactions, and the main plot are what make this book worth a chance.