Scan barcode
A review by sugarbloom
The Lost Conspiracy by Frances Hardinge
5.0
This...this book is art.
I'm still in shock. Let me just say it was an extremely pleasant surprise.
The language, characters, plot, setting, culture, everything, are all genius.
The twists, oh the twists! I had to read carefully, weighing every word, to make sure I wasn't missing anything, but it was still fast-paced and quick to follow.
The descriptions...there are several of my favorite kind, which make me stop and think "Oh, that's how it is, isn't it!" Like "self-control hissing out of him like grain out of a bag" and "once again, the conversation fell screaming into the language chasm".
The setting is gorgeous - the island is richly populated with so many people groups who have languages, customs, superstitions of their own, and they clash in a way I wish mine would - senselessly, furiously - like real humans' do. Their legends are beautiful.
I genuinely didn't expect it to be told from the perspective of one of the "smiling tribe of traitorous murderers" mentioned on the cover, but am glad it was. I also liked the other perspectives. The setting and voice is gritty, rich, gorgeous. The only thing that threw me out of the story (I read it in three sittings) were wondering if Hathin had ever seen some of the things she was comparing objects to. I can't think of any right now, but I did think "has she ever seen that, as an island child?"
Few books can make me turn to the back flap to see "who the heck wrote this?" but this one did. And somehow the author looks perfect. She has quirky, fuzzy, arched eyebrows and a black hat. She's strange and she doesn't care who knows it.
It's also quite funny in parts. Also mildly creepy. I love the way Hathin talks to the volcanoes, and I was hoping - oh, I was hoping - that things would turn out similarly to the way they did. It was highly satisfactory.
There was mild language, no magic or sexual content. Most of the supporting characters had an arc or an interesting tidbit, so much so that I loved them nearly as much as the main character. The themes are so cleverly tied in....
Read it. Just read it.
I'm still in shock. Let me just say it was an extremely pleasant surprise.
The language, characters, plot, setting, culture, everything, are all genius.
The twists, oh the twists! I had to read carefully, weighing every word, to make sure I wasn't missing anything, but it was still fast-paced and quick to follow.
The descriptions...there are several of my favorite kind, which make me stop and think "Oh, that's how it is, isn't it!" Like "self-control hissing out of him like grain out of a bag" and "once again, the conversation fell screaming into the language chasm".
The setting is gorgeous - the island is richly populated with so many people groups who have languages, customs, superstitions of their own, and they clash in a way I wish mine would - senselessly, furiously - like real humans' do. Their legends are beautiful.
I genuinely didn't expect it to be told from the perspective of one of the "smiling tribe of traitorous murderers" mentioned on the cover, but am glad it was. I also liked the other perspectives. The setting and voice is gritty, rich, gorgeous. The only thing that threw me out of the story (I read it in three sittings) were wondering if Hathin had ever seen some of the things she was comparing objects to. I can't think of any right now, but I did think "has she ever seen that, as an island child?"
Few books can make me turn to the back flap to see "who the heck wrote this?" but this one did. And somehow the author looks perfect. She has quirky, fuzzy, arched eyebrows and a black hat. She's strange and she doesn't care who knows it.
It's also quite funny in parts. Also mildly creepy. I love the way Hathin talks to the volcanoes, and I was hoping - oh, I was hoping - that things would turn out similarly to the way they did. It was highly satisfactory.
There was mild language, no magic or sexual content. Most of the supporting characters had an arc or an interesting tidbit, so much so that I loved them nearly as much as the main character. The themes are so cleverly tied in....
Read it. Just read it.