In A FACE LIKE GLASS your face will freeze like that. Maybe it’ll be stuck in Face No. 456, Joyous Rapture at Excellent Characters, or Face No. 943, Unbridled Excitement for Plot Development. Either way, you’ll be smiling throughout. In the world of Caverna facial expressions have to be taught. The poor only know a few expressions (happy and dutiful) while the rich learn all the intricacies. Neverfell has been raised in seclusion by a Cheesemaker, learning the secrets of his trade. But there’s something wrong with her face, something that the Cheesemaker tells her to keep hidden.

When Neverfell finds herself lost in Caverna, after falling through a literal rabbit hole, you learn how beautiful and dangerous it can be. Caverna is rich and complex. You don’t doubt that this is a world where cheeses can explode or wine can erase memories. It’s rare that a book can pull off a naive narrator and an unreliable one. The fact that they are the same character? Amazing. Neverfell is the best kind of naive: she’s sweet, kind, and utterly entranced with the world around her. I never grew tired of her optimism, even when I saw all the daggers poised to stab her in the back.

There are moments in A FACE LIKE GLASS where the perspective shifts and we see Neverfell through the eyes of other characters. These scenes become important, as we learn more about the power struggles and madness of Caverna, but I wanted to keep Neverfell for myself. There are almost no pauses in the novel, every time Neverfell finds her footing, there’s another stair, another new power, to yank her out of place. All these missteps are purposeful. Just when you think that perhaps the novel should have been shorter, or cut into two books, there’s payoff after payoff that makes the page count worth it.

The moment I finished reading, I wanted to read A FACE LIKE GLASS again. The ending is perfect and complete. It so refreshing to have a novel that ties up all the loose ends. While I want more of the world, I’m happy with how the characters are settled. Pick up this book immediately. Don’t let the fact that it can be classified as Middle-Grade fiction dissuade you. I could give you reasons like the carefully crafted writing or the fully-developed characters. Instead, pick up this book if you want to experience Face No. 864, Satisfaction of a Well-Written Book.

If you enjoy such movies/books as Labyrinth and Alice in Wonderland, this book is perfectly up your alley.

Once upon a time—and that is really the only way to start to talk about the fantastical world of this novel—a cheesemaker named Grandible finds an abandoned child in his labyrinthine home underground.
Grandible isn’t just any cheesemaker—he’s THE cheese artisan of Caverna, a city with no shortage of spectacular craftspeople. Behind his well-defended door, the reclusive genius makes cheeses that are the stuff of legend: the emerald-rinded Whitwhistle, which issues a fluting melody as it settles, the paralyzing Poric Hare-Stilton which Grandible puts on double duty as a booby trap, and the labor-intensive Stackfalter Stilton that needs to be turned every 141 minutes exactly—a task that requires at least two workers to accomplish. Even in Caverna, a city where artisans compete against each other in an ever-more-spectacular competition to pique the jaded interest of the city’s immortal ruler. Grandible’s talent is the stuff of legend. He could be a darling of the court, but for reasons known only to himself, he’s gone into seclusion, barricading his doors against the world outside and refusing the society of the city.

And the child, who somehow finds her way into his tunnels and survives on his potent cheeses, is not just any child. Grandible protects the girl—he calls her Neverfell—the only way he knows how—by keeping her hidden and hiding her face with a velvet mask. But safety in Caverna is an illusion, and when Neverfell follows a white rabbit out of the safety of Grandible's tunnels, she must confront a dangerous world, where Facesmiths help citizens express subtle emotion through their features, where the Kleptomancer carries out spectacular thefts, and where every person she meets is caught up in at least one scheme. As Neverfell discovers the city’s darkest secrets, she realizes that her own forgotten history is tangled up with Caverna’s treacherous past.

This book is so wonderfully, eerily weird. Hardinge is brilliant at creating creepy worlds that slowly untether themselves from reality, twisting into complex, elaborately detailed fantasy lands. (See also: Cuckoo Song, The Lost Conspiracy) Nothing is ever simply what it seems—eddies of undercurrent swirl beneath the surface of every scene, every character, and every conversation. Neverfell, whose innocence gives her power even as it puts her in danger, is a tempestuous person, as emotional and changeable as her dangerous face, but it’s the other characters who make this book come to life: staunch, angry Erstwhile who grew up one of the city’s disposable Drudges; Madame Appeline, the celebrated Facesmith whose sad, sweet faces remind Neverfell of something she can’t remember; the Grand Steward, who has lived so long that nothing interests him and he’s started plotting against himself; and Caverna herself, a living city full of literal twists and turns with plans of her own.

I kind of loved this book. It’s beautifully imagined, and the writing has a dreamy lyricism that draws you into the complicated, shadowy world of Caverna. And it's so darn interesting: It raises all kinds of questions about the ways we know ourselves and other people, the importance of feelings—even when they’re bad or unattractive, the power of words and storytelling and believing. Like most Hardinge books, it’s for middle grades with an asterisk—it’s creepy and dark, and not all readers are ready for that, but it’s also a book that young adults and even adult-adults could really love. As long as you don't mind a little time on the dark side, put this one near the top of your library list.

I enjoyed this title the further I got into it. There are some very unique ideas (exploding cheeses, mind altering wines, etc.) that are presented in a whimsical way. I got a little lost in the plot a few times, but the story kept my interest and it all came together fairly well in the end.

What can I say except that, once again, Frances Hardinge, has blown my socks right off. Talk about creating mood and atmosphere and ambiance!! The best part? While Hardinge is able to deliver this consistently throughout all of her novels, each story is also wonderfully unique creating a thrilling reading experience every single time. This speaks volumes of her as an author and demonstrates just how finely nuanced her writing style is. I wish I could pick just one aspect of "A Face Like Glass" that stood out to me, but much like "Cuckoo's Song" and "The Lie Tree," it really is a combination of everything that make it a compelling and engrossing read - one that sinks right into your skin. Definitely a must have for all library collections and one that I will certainly put into the hands of both reluctant and avid readers.

Wow, was this a ride! If you're having Alice in Wonderland withdrawals or you need some major peculiarity and whimsy, then step righ tup because I've got a book for you. My favorite one-line description of this book comes from Catie's review over at the Readventurer, in which she says "What if Alice grew up down the rabbit hole, and she needed a little white rabbit to lead her…out? " I couldn't summarize it better than that.

A Face Like Glass is darkly magical in all of the best possible ways. The world-building so, so strong and the characters are beautifully quirky and just ever so slightly odd - or rather obviously odd at times.

I hesitate to provide any sort of summary or details regarding the content of this book because half of the fun for me was discovering what was happening in this world, what the norms of living were, and what would happen next. I will, however, mention the setting itself, Caverna, which is a vast underground city in which the characters of this book live. Neverfell, however, has never quite felt that she fit in. The people of Caverna are born without the knowledge of how to shape their faces to express emotions as we normally do, and are thus taught how to mold their faces into specific expression by Facesmiths. The wealthy and privileged have access to many more expressions and Faces than those of the lower classes, such as the Drudges.

Neverfell is one of the most strikingly complex characters that I have read in a while. Her transformation in this book is written expertly and her person development is done in such a subtle, realitisc manner that I couldn't help but be captivated by her. I loved how her innocent character was made to come to grips with the reality of the world around her, and I truly appreciated how Hardinge guided Neverfell in such a way that she stayed true to her character.

In fact, all of the characters in this book are fleshed out extremely well. Just when you think you know someone or their personality, you suddenly realize you don't. Faces reveal many things about a person, and somehow a lack of facial expressions also does.

One of the most interesting aspects of this world is the work of craftsmen, who develop Wines that can make you forget certain memories, such as forgetting a memory of a book so that you can re-read it for the first time over and over again, Cheeses that can make you feel wonderful things and literally see stars, and Perfumes that can befuddle the senses of those around you. One of my favorite things in books like this is the sheer attention to detail and the ways in which elements such as those just described are brought to life and so much fun to read (this is also something that I loved about Heartless).

There were so many wonderful themes bouncing around this book, and I feel like there is something for everyone in here. Although this book is marketed for younger readers, I think that there are some darker truths hidden within these words that older readers/adults can also pick out and learn from.

A Face Like Glass is full of adventure, excitements, and plenty of twists along the way. Things seemed to slow ever-so-slightly at about the three-fourths mark, and I worried that the rest of the book was going to continue moving downhill, but fortunately it picked back up as we neared the final portion.

Overall, I've given A Face Like Glass four stars!

The world of this novel is a particularly inventive, complex one. Hardinge has done an amazing job with the world-building. We are presented with myriad cultural rules and a complex political situation. Toss in a strange girl completely unprepared to navigate any of it, a pawn in a game she can't begin to understand, and its a recipe for a fascinating read. All of this world-building, though, means that the pacing is on the slow side, a situation compounded by the complexity of the characters. It must move slowly for the reader to follow the plot, but this can feel like it is dragging. It's a book that takes a fair amount of dedication.

DNF

I could not understand the world (the history and the physical make-up) and the characters were two-dimensional.

I honestly did not finish this one. The development of the beginning of the story seemed to take quite a while and lost my interest. I do hope to come back and finish it at some point!

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Amulet Books for the opportunity to read and review A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge. A Face Like Glass is a strange story of a lost girl in a world where people are taught expressions or "faces" by Facesmiths. This girl, Neverfell, was given a mask to cover her face because it's different. She's brought to society and lives with a family while she learns how to act and react when around others. This is an odd story full of symbolism of human nature and society. The epilogue helps the story make a bit more sense, but the oddities and ramblings still overpower the story. The writing is well done but the story is not for me, too stretched and too vague; 3 stars.

I have tried. I have tried, and tried, and tried to finish this book, but it keeps making me want to bang my head on the desk and give up. Never fear, I will finish this...eventually. But wow.

Throughout the majority of the first 45% of this book we learn a LOT about cheese. Like an insufferable amount of cheese. Then from about 45% of the book to 55%, Neverfell is "arrested", indentured to one house...and then another...and then kidnapped by the Kleptomancer...escapes...and I don't know...what on earth is actually happening in this book?! To propel myself through the chapters, I have been trying to find similarities between this and Alice in Wonderland. But even my vast imagination is at a stand-still. Once I return and finish this book, I will write a more comprehensive review, but for my sanity, I need to take a break.

The author's wide-ranging imagination and vivid turn of phrase are on display once again. While I don't personally care for naive characters who stumble about cluelessly causing trouble, I did admire the skill that was used to make it clear to the reader that Neverfell is missing important cues, while at the same time not mocking her for missing them. The world of Caverna was immersive and filled with interesting things at every turn. I would definitely recommend this to young people who enjoy fantasy, are looking for something different, or just want to play in a vividly realized world.

A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge

Pros: fascinating world-building, interesting characters, twisting plot

Cons:

Neverfell was found around the age of five in the tunnels of Cheesemaster Grandible. Seven years later, a series of errors has her emerging into the wider world of Caverna and the mysterious Court that rules it. For in a world where Faces must be learned and lying is a fact of life, Neverfell’s face can change expression with her emotions, and lying is beyond her skill.

The world of Caverna is fascinating. You’re introduced to it - and all of its various workings - slowly, through Neverfell’s eyes and experiences. While she’s told early on that everyone lies and manipulates, her own trusting and trustworthy natures make it hard for her to protect herself from the plots of others. As the book progresses, you learn more about the world and the darknesses it’s based on.

The plot takes a lot of turns I wasn’t expecting, which was a real joy. Neverfell’s a great character and her constant curiosity has her acting in unpredictable ways. She starts off hopelessly naive, but over the course of the book learns what society is like, and that not everyone she meets has her best interests in mind. The Kleptomancer is really fun, and I’d have loved seeing more of him and of the brilliantly insane cryptomancers.

This is a fun book, one that briefly touches on numerous discussion points, so it would make a great book club novel.

I started reading this book thinking it sounded really cool. The whole idea of it was totally different from anything that is out on the market now. I have to say from the beginning I had a hard time reading this story and unfortunately about 20% into the story I stopped reading it. I just couldn't get into the story. I was forcing myself to keep going and I just didn't like the story at all.

DNF at 12%

This one sounded so interesting. Unfortunately as soon as I began reading it I knew it wasn't for me.

I decided to stop reading, I wasn't enjoying myself already, and I don't think the book could have gotten any better to change my mind. I wasn't a huge fan of the main character, or the storyline. The whole thing about learning Faces and living underground, it sounded cool from the synopsis, but as soon as I started reading about it, I found it kind of strange and boring.

While this one wasn't for me, you definitely may like it. Don't put it down just because of my review, I've seen some amazing reviews for this book. Wishing the author and the publisher best of luck.

I thought I would like this but alas. It took me just forever to finally get *into* the story and by the time I did, I didn't care for it. Nothing stood out or interested me.

I just couldn't get into this book. It didn't hold my interest, and with many books out there, I just don't want to waste my time on it. However, the writing was decent and the author did a very good job on the imagery.

Well this book was definitely different. It consists of an nation that was built underground using elaborate methods by people that pretty much have no real facial expressions having to be taught the ones they can use. I would find this very off putting to say the least especially since the lower classes are trained with very few expressions making them really unable to convey their true emotions. The main character Neverfell comes from above ground and has a face that shows all of her thoughts like glass would hence the title. The book is about her being used as a tool by everyone while she struggles to regain control of her life. It is a really good premise but I had a hard time really getting into the story though I enjoyed the little details sprinkled throughout. I can only give it 3/5 stars.