A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge
Dec. 26th, 2012 10:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
In the underground city of Caverna, the world’s most skilled craftsmen create delicacies beyond compare: cheeses that can show you the future and perfumes that convince you to trust the wearer, even as they slit your throat. The people here are unlike any other: they have faces as blank as untouched snow. Expressions must be learned, and the famous Facesmiths will teach a person to display joy, despair or fear – at a price.
Into this dark and distrustful world tumbles Neverfell, a girl with no memory and a face so incredible to those around her that she must wear a mask at all times. For Neverfell has a face that shows her emotions. A face incapable of lying. A face that is a dangerous threat and an irresistible treasure – a face that some would kill for …
Neverfell has spent her whole life hidden away by gruff master cheesemaker, Grandible and hides her face behind a black velvet mask. Her only experience of the underground world of Caverna with its artisans who can make wines and other products that defy the imagination is through the tales she hears from Erstwhile, an errand boy who sometimes calls around. But when a series of events leads to Neverfell leaving Grandible’s protection, she finds herself exposed in a world of intrigue and malice – where facial expression is something that has to be bought from a Facesmith and the slightest transgression can lead to cruel questions of the Enquirers.
With no memory of her past and innocent of the cruelty of others, Neverfell finds herself the pawn in a dangerous game of court intrigue. Her only weapon is her face, which is incapable of hiding her emotions, which she must learn to use in a world where appearances are everything …
Frances Hardinge’s middle grade novel is an inventive, intelligent and satisfying fantasy tale of innocence, deception, loyalty and standing up for what’s right. It’s cheesepunk for a modern age that any child aged 9+ will enjoy.
Neverfell is a charming and infuriating character. Trusting to a fault, I did get irritated at times by her willingness to believe characters who scream malevolence but that is part of who she is. I love her loyalty, her desperation to have a friend and her shock at discovering how badly she’s been manipulated by others. Her battle on behalf of the Drudges (the underclass who do all the work but are only permitted a couple of basic expressions) had me cheering her on and I admired her resilience and inventiveness.
The side characters in the book are also great. From the manipulative winemaker Childerskin to the paranoid Great Steward who’s brain has divided itself into the left and right side (neither of which trust each other) to the chaotic Kleptomancer whose audacious thefts are confounding the Great Steward’s court. I loved Neverfell’s relationship with drudge Erstwhile, which is complicated but tender.
The plot is complicated to summarise but unfolds in a logical way that’s easy to follow. The whole book is brimming with ideas and inventiveness, which I found breathtaking. Hardinge is one of the very best fantasy writers working today and I’m anxious to read what she does next.
The Verdict:
Frances Hardinge’s middle grade novel is an inventive, intelligent and satisfying fantasy tale of innocence, deception, loyalty and standing up for what’s right. It’s cheesepunk for a modern age that any child aged 9+ will enjoy.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the free copy of this book.
In the underground city of Caverna, the world’s most skilled craftsmen create delicacies beyond compare: cheeses that can show you the future and perfumes that convince you to trust the wearer, even as they slit your throat. The people here are unlike any other: they have faces as blank as untouched snow. Expressions must be learned, and the famous Facesmiths will teach a person to display joy, despair or fear – at a price.
Into this dark and distrustful world tumbles Neverfell, a girl with no memory and a face so incredible to those around her that she must wear a mask at all times. For Neverfell has a face that shows her emotions. A face incapable of lying. A face that is a dangerous threat and an irresistible treasure – a face that some would kill for …
Neverfell has spent her whole life hidden away by gruff master cheesemaker, Grandible and hides her face behind a black velvet mask. Her only experience of the underground world of Caverna with its artisans who can make wines and other products that defy the imagination is through the tales she hears from Erstwhile, an errand boy who sometimes calls around. But when a series of events leads to Neverfell leaving Grandible’s protection, she finds herself exposed in a world of intrigue and malice – where facial expression is something that has to be bought from a Facesmith and the slightest transgression can lead to cruel questions of the Enquirers.
With no memory of her past and innocent of the cruelty of others, Neverfell finds herself the pawn in a dangerous game of court intrigue. Her only weapon is her face, which is incapable of hiding her emotions, which she must learn to use in a world where appearances are everything …
Frances Hardinge’s middle grade novel is an inventive, intelligent and satisfying fantasy tale of innocence, deception, loyalty and standing up for what’s right. It’s cheesepunk for a modern age that any child aged 9+ will enjoy.
Neverfell is a charming and infuriating character. Trusting to a fault, I did get irritated at times by her willingness to believe characters who scream malevolence but that is part of who she is. I love her loyalty, her desperation to have a friend and her shock at discovering how badly she’s been manipulated by others. Her battle on behalf of the Drudges (the underclass who do all the work but are only permitted a couple of basic expressions) had me cheering her on and I admired her resilience and inventiveness.
The side characters in the book are also great. From the manipulative winemaker Childerskin to the paranoid Great Steward who’s brain has divided itself into the left and right side (neither of which trust each other) to the chaotic Kleptomancer whose audacious thefts are confounding the Great Steward’s court. I loved Neverfell’s relationship with drudge Erstwhile, which is complicated but tender.
The plot is complicated to summarise but unfolds in a logical way that’s easy to follow. The whole book is brimming with ideas and inventiveness, which I found breathtaking. Hardinge is one of the very best fantasy writers working today and I’m anxious to read what she does next.
The Verdict:
Frances Hardinge’s middle grade novel is an inventive, intelligent and satisfying fantasy tale of innocence, deception, loyalty and standing up for what’s right. It’s cheesepunk for a modern age that any child aged 9+ will enjoy.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the free copy of this book.
