A review by polyphonic_reads
Twilight Robbery by Frances Hardinge

4.0

As most Frances Hardinge books, this one was absolutely excellent. She writers fantastic worlds and characters and doesn't shy away from the darker side of life. People in her books live in abject poverty, children are kidnapped, there are quite explicit deaths on stage. These are, I remind you, middle grade children's books. She doesn't condensed to children either on the subject matter or on the execution. The only reason I'm giving this 4 rather than 5 stars is that a major plot point rests on exotisation of brown people and the main character dressing in brownface. Given the general lack of racial diversity in Hardinge's books, I think it is a real letdown. The book could also be about 100 pages shorter - there were a bit too many twists and turns in the last fifth or so.