The Glass Sentence

I normally don't, and hate to do, this, but I actually finished this book in one day--and when I first started reading it, I would never have expected that.

I had a feeling, before I started reading, that it would be a well-written book, and a really good one. (Possibly an unfair judgment based on the more serious-looking cover; possibly good intuition.) I wasn't disappointed.

The beginning is, admittedly, slow. Not uninteresting, but slow. However, the pace rapidly picks up right around where it needs to, around 100 pages, so that I was totally immersed and ready to follow along.

I also didn't mind the slowness too much, because the world-building here is intricate and superb. It's a bit confusing at first, but once you put it all show more together, you just want to know more--and Grove provides more. Layer upon layer of detail, story, and discovery.

I also really fell in love with the characters. Sophia is believable as a precocious child--both wise beyond her years, but definitely a child. I held my breath many times because I kept wondering if her childlike trust was going to work her against her. Theo, Shadrack, Veressa, and the many characters we encounter--not even excepting the antagonist--are all three-dimensional and interesting. (Calixta was so funny!) I also really loved Sophia and Theo's friendship. Though it was hardly a banter-fest like [b:Unspoken|10866624|Unspoken (The Lynburn Legacy, #1)|Sarah Rees Brennan|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333397426s/10866624.jpg|15781826] and the Lynburn Legacy books, there were also a few great lines of dialogue that I enjoyed.

If I had to pinpoint a fault, it would be that much of the story is people just talking. (But I don't really consider that a big fault, considering how much I love Jane Austen and other classics where not much "happens".) The story starts by giving you almost the full text of several parliamentary speeches; many characters tell long stories throughout. But the reason I didn't mind is because the stories were actually fascinating, and also related to the plot.

Another thing that I found a bit questionable, though, is Sophia and Theo's approach to lying towards the end of the book. As an adult, I get it that Grove is not just trying to say lying is great, and it was even kind of cute and humorous. But still, I'm not sure that that's a good mesage to be sending, even though the characters are obviously in somwhat exceptional situations.

The ending was also lovely--complex, satisfying, and even beautiful in an unexpected way. When I first saw that this was a "Book 1", I inwardly groaned; I was kind of hoping it was a standalone. But now that I've been so totally won over by Grove's storytelling and world-building, I'm so glad there's more. And I think more series/trilogy-writers could benefit from following Grove's approach, of telling a full, complete story with a satisfying ending within one book, and only leaving you slight hints of what the trouble in the next book might be about.

This is probably one of my favorite books this year, though it was still a bit scarier/more violent than I was prepared for, given that it's a middle-grade book. (Hence the docked star.) So it wasn't a book I had zero qualms with (which is rather rare), like [b:The Winner's Curse|16069030|The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, #1)|Marie Rutkoski|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1377023523s/16069030.jpg|21861552] or [b:All Four Stars|18289482|All Four Stars|Tara Dairman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1380568400s/18289482.jpg|19188924] this year. But if more middle-grade fantasy were this intricate, well-developed, and full of characters that tug at my heart deeply, I don't think I'd read any other age bracket or genre. show less

A fascinating world, and a plot full of maps and mapmaking and map makers and archivists (all of which are inherently fascinating, of course). The relationship between the main character and A Boy is handled lightly and doesn't eclipse her adventure; plus it's rather sweet. Also fashionable polite pirates!

Be warned: there's some disturbing stuff here, some moments and memories of torture and cruelty that I found extremely unpleasant and stressful.

8/24/24: this book makes ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE girl HELP no shot this is my sixth reading this is joining Keepers and 100 Cupboards oops. Um yeah this makes less sense the more I read it but unfortunately I love it so. Well.
- How. How in the world did the Tracing Glass and its compatriots find their way back to 13 year old Sophia chat HELP is this just a cycle, bound to be repeated? of a memory that occurred once to bring about the Disruption and reenacted by Sophia to stop the destruction of the world? I think that's the most likely explanation at this point. The idea that Sophia sees things out of time makes no sense she's not seeing the future just a self-fulfulling prophecy as far as I can tell?! at least in alignment with the show more sequels?!
- Theo is my favorite character hello I love him thank you!
- yelling at the way Sophia just decides to trust these insane pirates girl I am so concerned you are so lucky they're good people
- WATER MAPS????????
- uh the way the whole Sandmen debacle exists bc of Blanca and then never brought up in the series again. That is insane what do you mean she uses sand to create memory globes. Don't like that
- rahhhh lost Ages I still love the Ages thing aughgh this world refuses to let me gooo
- the Marks are so flipping weird lmao what even is that all about
- Good LORD the collapse of the Glacine Age. the freaking THOUSANDS of Lachrima HELLOO???
- GUYS OMFG do they ever figure out how to pool the waters back together?? auahouhgadgldgkhgda;hdk
- would like to reiterate what i was talking about last year about the MG/YA divide esp in light of certain discoveries made today about Keepers and i am definitely throwing Mapmakers in with that lot but I wanna knoww soooo much moreee :(((
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March 25 2023 - scattered thoughts upon a fifth read:
- It has been far too long since I've reread this. Skipped a year rip
- It is abundantly clear that SE Grove is very much a historian in the way the chapter starters are written & in the general descriptors of this world - the heavy focus on culture. I love it. I genuinely think this was one of my 'foundational' books that drove me to want to study history lol it's just - cause and effect - the things we will do because of what we have done - this world's developed SO wildly because of the intermingling of time beyond time & it's super cool. Anthropology!! History!! I love liberal arts!! - I desperately!! wish we could've gotten MORE of this world. Little things teased - mentioned - forgotten - tantalizingly there but also not. This is a world that I want to be in - this world of mismatched time and perilous exploration - of histories beyond linear time, where maps reign supreme and memories can be captured in perfect detail. And that's the thing - HOW DO YOU MAP MEMORIES? Shadrack and his maps - cloth, wood, glass, metal, water - Blanca and her Sandmen - HOW? In the next book we learn about sticky gemstones, but that doesn't really explain the transference of memories to these map materials and I WANT to KNOW.
- Truly and seriously curious how the Marks came to be, too - what in the World. How is one born with metal bones or plant limbs.
- There's also just - 40c Japan??? Hello!?!??? !!!! One of the fun things about this series is its ability to just throw cultures together into a mishmash of what could've been because it IS in here - the three great cities of the Baldlands, for example - but oh MAN there were some places I am wildly curious about that are never talked about. Ages are SO cool esp in the next books but there is just SO! MUCH!!
- I think that, honestly, Sophia is a wonderful MC. This book is more not as character-focused, not really, and I'm fine with that because I enjoy the world and the intricacies so much (even if a lot of them were Not Explored). But Sophia's so - I don't know she's just so thirteen and yet so beyond her age like she's supposed to be at the same time. I like her! A lot! She has very 13 year old emotions and recklessness but is also so competent and determined. And as much as I am puzzled by the whole time thing in this world it's something chalked up to it being you know. Fantasy. and the Great Disruption. but I like her whole losing track of time thing through the series and the importance of such. She's a unique MC without being 'not like the other girls' - partially, I think, because there ARE simply no other girls. She's surrounded by those older than her - Dorothy was the only one around her age mentioned and she's not in Boston - which is probably not ideal but mildly fascinating to her character bc like Shadrack bro take a wild guess why she's so beyond her age ! Theo's the closest one in age and he's literally sixteen there's a massive gulf between thirteen and sixteen & also he's a guy & also she just met him (lmao). But ye I've realized I really like her POV.
- On the note of characters, Theo. I LIKE him - he's understandable. He's a jerk at times but it makes sense and he Tries. Maybe I'm just overfamiliar with these stupid books & know how things go after this one but anyway that's what it seems like to me - he actually goes from being u know. Every man for himself to caring for Sophia & her companions & sticking by them. Anyway he definitely cares after when - well, when he comes back in Nochtland. He's cool. I like the S/T dynamic a lot from perfect strangers to unexpected traveling companions to saving each other and betrayal and trust and absolute insanity and Further Adventures (even if she kind of definitely has a slight crush on him but again 13 year olds are something else I was one myself once.)
- I kind of wish we had gotten some sort of scene w Shadrack & Veressa's reunion bc That's Wack hello lol imagine meeting your former best friend slash partner ?? after like fifteen years apart because of a bitter argument just bc his niece showed up and immediately brought insanity with her.
- shout OUT to the pirates I've always loved them
- Using soils to date Ages - that was a neat nerd thing. I like it a lot.
- OK ok ok. The self-fulfilling prophecy - I still thoroughly enjoy that trope despite the difficulties of such. BUT the question is - what?? I honestly think it's better off unexplained like it was - but there's that part of me that's still attempting to figure out what, exactly, HAPPENED there. The map - it was a thread of memories that wasn't perfect but still came to pass through Sophia - but it didn't detail the maps or the pause with Blanca nor did it have the bit where Sophia flees after Blanca stays - it isn't really a map of memories unless it is, just of something else that happened, once... in the past or in the future, fallen into Talisman's hands through the conjoining of Ages... but it had the Insignia Rule... it should stay unexplained, part of the mystery of the Great Disruption, but I am so SO curious about this self-fulfilling prophecy, especially the importance of the silver thread and Theo.
- I am mildly just kind of sad about the Lachrima now. So many of them with the Southern Snows.. yo what happened to the Sandmen ??? we never find out. I'm a little mad.
- I think that my particular genre is those books that border MG and YA... Keepers, Mapmakers, The Apothecary all fit into that confusing group, I think. It is not a thing that's like - good for marketing bc it's difficult to read w actual middle graders & doesn't have the YA tropes that make YA what it is but I like it. A lot - and this is the most Christine thing in the world but it's fun to reread because of the more in-depth worlds than MG tends to have while not being distracted by like, YA romance (which has its place but not in these books). But I might be genuinely losing my mind bc this series is def MG rather than YA yet it has elements that are kind of like. Hello why would a kid be reading this. I think it's kind of insane how we define things - speak of arbitrary but also necessary. This is my personal definition of this series, anyway.
- anyway I am just generally pretty pleased with the books I read in 2018. That was a good year for books. I am excited to keep rereading these again because I am reminded of just how much I enjoy this world... truly incredible procrastination methods... there is way too much I need to get done in this next week and I am just going to read instead lol I really SHOULD do school but there are like five kids running around yelling over here currently. cool! I am not moving.

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2021 - bro i love this world more and more everytime i reread these. also theo is amazing
ALSO IS THAT A SELF FULFILLING "PROPHECY" I SEE

Ay I forgot how much I liked this world show less

This is the first book in the Mapmakers Trilogy and I was really excited to read this, the concept sounded so neat! I ended up struggling with this book a bit. I loved the creative world-building and the idea of the world splitting into different times and Ages. However, this story moved very slowly.

A lot of the first part of the book dealt with the politics of this world (which I didn't enjoy) and then we moved on to more of an adventure (which I did enjoy). We never really got back to the politics or the impact they have on the rest of the world. I felt like the book was a bit disjointed and the story wasn't tied together very well.

Additionally I liked, but never really loved, the characters. They are interesting and okay, but could show more have used more depth.

The pacing was definitely off for the story. Much of the story was very slow and boring, but these sections were occasionally punctuated by intense action scenes. This book just felt long and I almost stopped reading it multiple times.

Overall this was okay. The world-building and some of the ideas in here are amazing. However, the story was a bit disjointed, the pacing was off, and the characters were just okay. I won't be continuing with the series. show less

This young adult fantasy novel explores issues of time, exploration, immigration and the “stranger,” discrimination and science. In 1799, the world changed radically: the Great Disruption threw all continents into different time periods, different eras coexisting in a chaotic mix and match of generations and historical periods. Europe is back to a papal state and parts of North America are pre-historical. Africa is a land of Pharaohs to the North whereas parts of Asia and South America are far into the future. In the Baldlands, past, present and future are dramatically fused into one single territory, the Triple Eras. In 1891, Sophia Tims comes from a family of explorers and cartologers who, for generations, have been traveling and show more mapping this New World. Boston. Eight years earlier, her parents left her with her uncle Shadrack, the foremost cartologer/mapmaker in Boston, and went on an urgent mission. They never returned. One day Sophie arrives home to find their house ransacked, her uncle kidnapped, and their secret map room—housing mystical maps containing memories—emptied of all of its treasures. Sophia, who has rarely been outside of Boston, is the only one who can search for him. Together with Theo, a refugee from the West, she travels to different territories (and ages) and encounters pirates, hidden cities, undiscovered ages, and legendary creatures—hoping to find her uncle and uncover secrets that will save not only her but maybe the world. I found this book intriguing, imaginative and exciting and would highly recommend it. I especially enjoyed the way that many of the social issues that we are currently dealing with today were subtly part of the story, particularly the issues of immigration and isolationism. 4 ½ out of 5 stars, Can’t what for the sequel. show less

This book was spectacular. It's often that I praise the world building in a book, but this book had to build innumerable worlds to encompass all that are manifested in this strange alternate reality.

Obviously Sophia is orphaned. Obviously she's raised by a beloved uncle who then disappears. Obviously the mysterious boy pops up when you least expect it. Obviously she's the key to saving the world, but what's interesting is that it her greatest flaw that ends up being her asset.

The author does not hand you the solution to every mystery and there is no neat bow tying up a resolution. I'm excited to read the next book because obviously it ends with some sort of cliff hanger. You've been warned.

This one was a mixed bag for me. On the one hand, I appreciated the unique world full of fractured time zones, newly invented creatures like the lacrima, and maps on different surfaces that record different kinds of information. On the other hand, it felt like none of these were really properly explained -- why does a lacrima have no face, how does a piece of glass record information, why does metal record different information for the same place and time? Coming off a book by Kelly Barnhill, who is a master of fantasy prose, Grove's felt clunky at best. And when it came to plot, the kidnapped uncle, rescue by pirates, and labyrinth could have come from any action/adventure novel.