Unraveller by Frances Hardinge

Challenge #33 ~ “A book by an author with a first name popular in 1923.”

unraveller

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

My opinion in three sentences:

I enjoyed this one from the very beginning, but as with many of Hardinge’s works that I’ve read, I thought it was longer than it needed to be (such that is had an adverse effect on the overall novel). The world-building was fantastic and I enjoyed the novelty Hardinge infused into some familiar and traditional tropes. However, the pace was high-octane throughout, and as such it was difficult to connect with the characters (and borderline impossible for those that weren’t protagonists), which consequently diminished the impact of the plot twists and big reveals later in the book.

(Without spoiling anything) the best bit:

I’m always a fan when there’s something a little different about a book, whether that’s setting, prose style, niche character interest, theme, (the list goes on)… This one had a double reason to celebrate – a different world (well presented, to boot) and a different stle to usual from a Hardinge novel. In one word: refreshing.

A warning for the book:

I like action-packed books, but I’d never really appreciated fully before the need for slower moments. This is all go from the start, and as such lots of the side characters become unmemorable and easily replaced (which is certainly not ideal when they crop up again at key moments half a book later, leaving the reader to wonder who? A good premise and overall plot, but let down by the delivery, I believe.

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