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jaipal's review against another edition
4.0
This novel is set in a world that is similar to ours except for one very important fact. About a hundred years before, the world changed by what people called the Great Depression. Different places are in different timelines, so they might be out of sync by several hundred years with each other.
The story starts in 1891 Boston, MA. There is no more United States as different cities belong to different ages. A young lady named Sophia Tims is thought how to read maps by her famous cartographer uncle Shadrack. She goes on an adventure, escaping kidnappers and trying to find her uncle.
It's an interesting world and there is so much more to explore. Sophia meets with other people who join her on her quest to keep an artifact safe while searching for her uncle.
The villain's motives are understandable although the means are heavy handed.
I would recommend this book for anyone who likes adventure stories in a fantasy land that is similar to our 19th century earth and yet quite different.
The story starts in 1891 Boston, MA. There is no more United States as different cities belong to different ages. A young lady named Sophia Tims is thought how to read maps by her famous cartographer uncle Shadrack. She goes on an adventure, escaping kidnappers and trying to find her uncle.
It's an interesting world and there is so much more to explore. Sophia meets with other people who join her on her quest to keep an artifact safe while searching for her uncle.
The villain's motives are understandable although the means are heavy handed.
I would recommend this book for anyone who likes adventure stories in a fantasy land that is similar to our 19th century earth and yet quite different.
shinesalot's review against another edition
4.0
Fun adventure story, great, likable characters. Took me a little while to get into it, but once I was in, I was hooked.
storywarden's review against another edition
3.0
Possibly a bit distracted while listening to this so take those 3 stars with a grain of salt.
yokorie's review against another edition
5.0
4.5/5
A fantastic book. The worldbuilding was extremely rich and engaging, and I look forward to exploring more of this world in future books. Which is why I was a little upset and took issue with some of the turns that Grove took within the story.
Grove at points makes use of "deus ex machina," a term used to describe a seemingly impossible coincidence to get characters out of a sticky situation. The book starts out just fine, but these increase in number as the book continues.
I also feel that there were some plot points that were not followed up on, and some of the character's actions and decisions were not explained sufficiently or dropped entirely. Unfortunately, I cannot be specific with my examples as many occur in the second half of the book and would require spoilers, but I will say that even the title and tagline on the cover leave me at a loss as to how they relate back to the story.
The reason that I didn't dock more than half a star for these things, as well as the fact that I'm more disappointed than angry, is that Grove is clearly a fantastic writer and a brilliant worldbuilder. I hope that Grove has set aside some of these ideas to be resolved in later books, and that she wasn't pressured to send the final copy before it was time (no pun intended.) I also couldn't help but feel that she sold herself short at times, or wrote herself into a corner even though she pushed the envelope in every other aspect of the book.
That aside, these elements do not diminish how enjoyable it was to read the Glass Sentence. I am amazed that it's only Grove's first book. Aside from the worldbuilding, I very much enjoyed Sofia as a protagonist. She's adventurous and curious, determined and kind. The characters she meets along the way are also interesting, and compliment each other well. I have no complaints about any other aspect of the book (pacing, length, setting, etc.), and hope my lengthy paragraph above doesn't make it seem like I disliked the book. What I listed were my only issues with the book.
Hopefully some of the kinks iron themselves out and the second book is better than ever, but until then the Glass Sentence deserves the high praise it has been receiving and was a wonderful way to start off my 2015 reading challenge.
A fantastic book. The worldbuilding was extremely rich and engaging, and I look forward to exploring more of this world in future books. Which is why I was a little upset and took issue with some of the turns that Grove took within the story.
Grove at points makes use of "deus ex machina," a term used to describe a seemingly impossible coincidence to get characters out of a sticky situation. The book starts out just fine, but these increase in number as the book continues.
I also feel that there were some plot points that were not followed up on, and some of the character's actions and decisions were not explained sufficiently or dropped entirely. Unfortunately, I cannot be specific with my examples as many occur in the second half of the book and would require spoilers, but I will say that even the title and tagline on the cover leave me at a loss as to how they relate back to the story.
The reason that I didn't dock more than half a star for these things, as well as the fact that I'm more disappointed than angry, is that Grove is clearly a fantastic writer and a brilliant worldbuilder. I hope that Grove has set aside some of these ideas to be resolved in later books, and that she wasn't pressured to send the final copy before it was time (no pun intended.) I also couldn't help but feel that she sold herself short at times, or wrote herself into a corner even though she pushed the envelope in every other aspect of the book.
That aside, these elements do not diminish how enjoyable it was to read the Glass Sentence. I am amazed that it's only Grove's first book. Aside from the worldbuilding, I very much enjoyed Sofia as a protagonist. She's adventurous and curious, determined and kind. The characters she meets along the way are also interesting, and compliment each other well. I have no complaints about any other aspect of the book (pacing, length, setting, etc.), and hope my lengthy paragraph above doesn't make it seem like I disliked the book. What I listed were my only issues with the book.
Hopefully some of the kinks iron themselves out and the second book is better than ever, but until then the Glass Sentence deserves the high praise it has been receiving and was a wonderful way to start off my 2015 reading challenge.
rmpiano's review against another edition
4.0
What a creative way to make time travel and alternate history stories intersect. It got a bit confusing in parts but I also immediately checked out the next one. So glad my local library recommended this!
nssutton's review against another edition
5.0
This was beautifully, wonderfully executed. I've been waiting for our library to get a copy since Nancy Pearl mentioned it in an NPR article earlier this year and it was absolutely worth the wait. It was a true adventure, with interesting world building, twists, layered storytelling, and a compelling band of characters. I had difficulty imagining the ages in motion, but I didn't mind. Who would have thought cartology would be such an interesting fantasy plot propeller? (Millions of people, I'm sure. This directionally challenged girl? Less sure). Comparisons to The Golden Compass are not off point, although I enjoyed this one far, far more.
Reading with a baby has proven to be more difficult than I thought. I do it, but I don't get lost in books as easily and if something isn't catching my attention, I will just let it linger on and on. But I was so excited each time I got to sneak a few pages of this, which you can see I finished in the dark after a feeding.
Reading with a baby has proven to be more difficult than I thought. I do it, but I don't get lost in books as easily and if something isn't catching my attention, I will just let it linger on and on. But I was so excited each time I got to sneak a few pages of this, which you can see I finished in the dark after a feeding.
dejahentendu's review against another edition
4.0
bright and cheerful. I enjoyed this sweet romp through the young lady's life. The story is well enough contained to be stand alone, but definitely leads into a second.
bookladykd's review against another edition
4.0
5 stars for truly inventive world building. 3 stars for rather shallow and stereotypical characters.
evenshadow's review against another edition
2.0
This reeks of an author who was told that they had a good idea far too many times, and who then never took the idea any further. There are so many plot holes it's hard not to fall in. Good intentions, but terrible execution.
eowyns_helmet's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to love this book. The idea at the center is fascinating, but the first 40 pages (that's where I gave up) are essentially an enormous info dump with no action. Sure, there's a big vote and our heroine (I guess), Sophia, basically falls asleep (?) on a tram. But there were so many other tempting books on my shelf... so pass (great title, though!)...