I am not a great fantasy reader. The Glass Sentence is a good adventure. Some of the characters seem too flat. Sophia's annoying insistence on Theo's not lying seemed unrealistic, even for a sheltered child. Grove did a lot of world drawing, but the search for Shadrack and the pursuit of Sophia and Theo by the Sandmen keep the reader turning the pages. There were a lot of threads to be pulled together at the end of the story and to me, it was not completely satisfying. Her mother's letter mentions a place not mentioned on the six pages of maps at the front of the book. The clues to the story's ending were well forshadowed, but some items just seemed to magically appear from thin air. Fantasy readers, however, will be anxiously awaiting the second volume. I was intrigued by the circumstances of this new world but still wasn't totally sold on this book until 75% of the way through. Sophia lives with her Uncle a famous cartographer and adventurer. She is raised by him because her parents went on a exploration and have not returned for many years. Sophia is precocious, innocent and pensive. She has an ethereal and other worldly quality produced by her talent for loosing track of time. She is a child born without time in an age where time taints everything. Before Sophia is born post the great disruption. She is in Boston which counts its year as 1891 however various other parts of the world cite very different dates for themselves. It is into this world that Sophia finds her own adventure and learns more about the world than she ever wanted. I was frustrated with Sophia's ability to be adult about some situations and a child about others. It was a disconcerting combination. It also seems strange that her closest and longest companion on this adventures back story is very thin. He is perfect for the challanges that face Sophia on her journey but you learn little about his actual path. How did he know about Shadrack? Why does he want to go back to the Baldlands? Why does he just become part of the family? Sophia seems to find awesome people all along her way that are exactly what she is looking for and she also just happens to be headed in the exact destination though no one seemed to know that in the whole book. All in all this book really picks up halfway through, when writer finds solid ground and takes off sprinting. The concepts for this fantastical time puzzle world are really well thought out and described. I hope the momentum continues in the second book.
What do You think about The Glass Sentence (2014)?
really interesting. well written and a new twist on adventuring. did not care for the ending.
—knikki
Fun book for kids with adventure and some fun fantasy to go along with it.
—kirby
Great concept, nice world building...let's see where it goes.
—GeorqeoussNicia
