You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
ellemnope 's review for:
House of Glass Hearts
by Leila Siddiqui
2.5 stars.
I wanted to like this book so much more. A beautiful cover, an intriguing premise, and a diverse cast of characters...I was very much looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I didn't get what I had expected. Instead, this felt like two very different pieces of literature wedged together.
There are two POVs and a dual timeline that weave together to create the full narrative. The first POV is in the present with a folklore background, a fantasy feel, and a writing style that I would place in the middle grade range. The second POV is in the past, is heavily historical fiction with a touch of fantasy, and is written in a way that borders between YA and adult. This odd dichotomy made for a book that felt awkward.
The first POV was the one that caused me the most issues. I love middle grade reads, so the age level feel wasn't a problem for me. Instead, the writing here didn't feel as carefully crafted and often felt like it jumped around without giving transitions or anchoring the story. The characters were a bit gauzy and didn't really get enough development. They were also stated to be teenaged characters, but acted more like the middle grade set. The fantasy element was interesting and I loved the folklore inclusion, but these pieces lost a bit of their logic and just didn't work for me.
The second POV I loved. Seriously. If this book had been written as a historical fiction with some fantasy elements and followed the second POV storyline for a longer period of time with the same writing style throughout it would have been at least a 4-star read for me. These sections felt much more genuine. There was a solid atmosphere, better characters, and a great emotional component. There still were gaps in the logic and a lack of full explanation when it came to the fantastical elements, but I definitely felt more interested in these pieces and had much more of a connection with the characters. A full fleshing out of this plot line would have been magical.
There is definitely a good sense of imagination to the narrative. There is some great storytelling talent there and I think with some work on the writing and consistency to the feel of the narrative, there could be some great works from this author in the future. Unfortunately, this debut piece just didn't shine as much as I had hoped.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *
I wanted to like this book so much more. A beautiful cover, an intriguing premise, and a diverse cast of characters...I was very much looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I didn't get what I had expected. Instead, this felt like two very different pieces of literature wedged together.
There are two POVs and a dual timeline that weave together to create the full narrative. The first POV is in the present with a folklore background, a fantasy feel, and a writing style that I would place in the middle grade range. The second POV is in the past, is heavily historical fiction with a touch of fantasy, and is written in a way that borders between YA and adult. This odd dichotomy made for a book that felt awkward.
The first POV was the one that caused me the most issues. I love middle grade reads, so the age level feel wasn't a problem for me. Instead, the writing here didn't feel as carefully crafted and often felt like it jumped around without giving transitions or anchoring the story. The characters were a bit gauzy and didn't really get enough development. They were also stated to be teenaged characters, but acted more like the middle grade set. The fantasy element was interesting and I loved the folklore inclusion, but these pieces lost a bit of their logic and just didn't work for me.
The second POV I loved. Seriously. If this book had been written as a historical fiction with some fantasy elements and followed the second POV storyline for a longer period of time with the same writing style throughout it would have been at least a 4-star read for me. These sections felt much more genuine. There was a solid atmosphere, better characters, and a great emotional component. There still were gaps in the logic and a lack of full explanation when it came to the fantastical elements, but I definitely felt more interested in these pieces and had much more of a connection with the characters. A full fleshing out of this plot line would have been magical.
There is definitely a good sense of imagination to the narrative. There is some great storytelling talent there and I think with some work on the writing and consistency to the feel of the narrative, there could be some great works from this author in the future. Unfortunately, this debut piece just didn't shine as much as I had hoped.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *