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A review by naideraid
The Glass Demon by Helen Grant
4.0
I read this book years ago and completely forgot I even owned it. Overall, I enjoyed it. As I was re-reading, some of the stuff came back to me, but I was surprised at how much of the book was still... well, a surprise.
So, my likes for this book.
1. The suspense -- this book does a good job of keeping you interested in the mystery surrounding the glass and Lin's family.
2. (for the most part) Lin's narration -- there were some parts I didn't like about her voice as the narrator of the novel, but overall, I enjoyed it. There were points where I was very sympathetic to her as the protagonist.
3. The characters -- I really liked the wide variety of characters. We only got to see them partially through Lin's eyes, but I still greatly enjoyed what I read.
And my dislikes.
1. There was... some really awkward comments made about fat people that I really didn't appreciate. One of the very minor characters (who, let's be honest, didn't really need to exist) was almost the stereotypical type of fat (constantly eating sweets, heavy breathing, sweaty--basically "gross") and was mocked by Lin for it. This really didn't help me like Lin more as a character.
2. Lin -- I have a love-hate relationship with Lin Fox. There were times I really liked her and others where I sort of wished someone would tell her off. Mostly I liked her, but there were a few points (some of them related to the point above) where I didn't like her much at all.
3. Pacing -- Some of the pacing of the novel was a bit off. There would be times where I'd be hung up on suspense and then brought back down by excessive narration. It wasn't constant, in my opinion, but there were a few moments that really brought me down.
4. Flowery prose -- There were times when I liked the metaphors being used, but there were others where it felt a bit excessive. I didn't necessarily hate it, though. It just dragged certain points of the novel out when they didn't need to be dragged out.
So, my likes for this book.
1. The suspense -- this book does a good job of keeping you interested in the mystery surrounding the glass and Lin's family.
2. (for the most part) Lin's narration -- there were some parts I didn't like about her voice as the narrator of the novel, but overall, I enjoyed it. There were points where I was very sympathetic to her as the protagonist.
3. The characters -- I really liked the wide variety of characters. We only got to see them partially through Lin's eyes, but I still greatly enjoyed what I read.
And my dislikes.
1. There was... some really awkward comments made about fat people that I really didn't appreciate. One of the very minor characters (who, let's be honest, didn't really need to exist) was almost the stereotypical type of fat (constantly eating sweets, heavy breathing, sweaty--basically "gross") and was mocked by Lin for it. This really didn't help me like Lin more as a character.
2. Lin -- I have a love-hate relationship with Lin Fox. There were times I really liked her and others where I sort of wished someone would tell her off. Mostly I liked her, but there were a few points (some of them related to the point above) where I didn't like her much at all.
3. Pacing -- Some of the pacing of the novel was a bit off. There would be times where I'd be hung up on suspense and then brought back down by excessive narration. It wasn't constant, in my opinion, but there were a few moments that really brought me down.
4. Flowery prose -- There were times when I liked the metaphors being used, but there were others where it felt a bit excessive. I didn't necessarily hate it, though. It just dragged certain points of the novel out when they didn't need to be dragged out.