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A review by jodiev
A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge
4.0
Although I've never written a review on a book I've read, I often think about them for sometime afterwards. As an aspiring writer, it is probably good to divest some time in determining what I liked about a book and what bothered me. However, some books aren't even worth it.
That being said, I enjoyed this book, but as I was reading I did find myself annoyed by a few things. Although the storyline was a bit different, I was often reminded of "The City of Ember" (disclaimer - I didn't read the book, but saw the movie).
Both take place in underground tunnels, caverns and cities with the young heroine wanting to escape to the outside world above. As I neared the end of the final chapter, it became apparent that the ending was going to be almost exactly the same as in 'Ember' and I started to get upset ay having invested so much so much of myself in this nearly 500 page book. However, the author redeemed herself in the Epilogue with a twist that I did not see coming.
The author is very good at description, but there was always something missing in the character descriptions. Part of the magic of reading is envisioning the characters and places in your head. Each reader sees them differently, as well as how the writer saw them. I can't say what exactly it was that was missing, but I could never fully visualize the characters. I hadn't read anything else by this author, so I have nothing to compare it to. I now wonder if this was intentional so as to make the Epilogue even more of a surprise. Hopefully, I am not alone in not suspecting the revelation.
I did like the characters though, even if some of their names were a little too telling...Neverfell, Erstwhile, etc.. At times, though, they seemed to act and talk as though they were much older than they were. I also would have liked to have had more of Grandible and The Kleptomancer and delved into their backgrounds a bit, but it was lengthy enough as is.
Again, I did enjoy this book, although the first few chapters were a bit of a struggle. At about chapter six, it really took hold and I strapped myself in for the journey. My remarks aren't to fault the author on anything as it was very well written. These are just feelings and observations I had while reading and are probably more to help me than anything else.
That being said, I enjoyed this book, but as I was reading I did find myself annoyed by a few things. Although the storyline was a bit different, I was often reminded of "The City of Ember" (disclaimer - I didn't read the book, but saw the movie).
Both take place in underground tunnels, caverns and cities with the young heroine wanting to escape to the outside world above. As I neared the end of the final chapter, it became apparent that the ending was going to be almost exactly the same as in 'Ember' and I started to get upset ay having invested so much so much of myself in this nearly 500 page book. However, the author redeemed herself in the Epilogue with a twist that I did not see coming.
The author is very good at description, but there was always something missing in the character descriptions. Part of the magic of reading is envisioning the characters and places in your head. Each reader sees them differently, as well as how the writer saw them. I can't say what exactly it was that was missing, but I could never fully visualize the characters. I hadn't read anything else by this author, so I have nothing to compare it to. I now wonder if this was intentional so as to make the Epilogue even more of a surprise. Hopefully, I am not alone in not suspecting the revelation.
I did like the characters though, even if some of their names were a little too telling...Neverfell, Erstwhile, etc.. At times, though, they seemed to act and talk as though they were much older than they were. I also would have liked to have had more of Grandible and The Kleptomancer and delved into their backgrounds a bit, but it was lengthy enough as is.
Again, I did enjoy this book, although the first few chapters were a bit of a struggle. At about chapter six, it really took hold and I strapped myself in for the journey. My remarks aren't to fault the author on anything as it was very well written. These are just feelings and observations I had while reading and are probably more to help me than anything else.