Review: Cuckoo Song - Frances Hardinge

Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge, published by Macmillan Children's Books on 8th May 2014

Goodreads synopsis:
When Triss wakes up after an accident, she knows that something is very wrong. She is insatiably hungry; her sister seems scared of her and her parents whisper behind closed doors. She looks through her diary to try to remember, but the pages have been ripped out. Soon Triss discovers that what happened to her is more strange and terrible than she could ever have imagined, and that she is quite literally not herself. In a quest find the truth she must travel into the terrifying Underbelly of the city to meet a twisted architect who has dark designs on her family - before it's too late...

Review:
This is the second book I've read by Frances Hardinge, after 'A Face Like Glass' which I adored.  Although I didn't enjoy this one quite as much, there is no doubt that Hardinge really knows how to craft a story which immerses you completely within it's pages and which whisks you away from reality. 

'Cuckoo Song' is a creepy fantasy about Triss, who's not Triss.  She wakes up after an accident with strange longings and cravings.  She knows who she is but at the same time she doesn't.  She recognises her mother, father and younger sister Pen, but the latter seems to look at her with true hatred and Triss can't understand why nothing feels quite as it should.  As the story progresses, it twists and turns deeper into the fantasy realm where the truth about what really happened to Triss is stranger than anything I could have ever imagined. 

Family is an important theme in the book.  After the death of their son during the war, Triss's mother and father want to keep her at home, safe with them, but their behaviour is suffocating.  Triss can't grow up while they are constantly fussing over her and trying to stop her from going to school or having any friends.  Their attention is poisonous without them even realising it.  The relationship between Triss and her sister Pen was one of my favourite things about the book.  It starts off fractured and almost broken but things change for both of them and they begin to gain a better understanding of one another.

The story is a delicious blend of magic and fantasy which will entrance readers as they follow Triss on a journey of self-discovery and reconciliation.  Although not my favourite of Hardinge's books, I was still in awe of the unique and original plot which kept me glued to the pages.   

Review: A Face Like Glass - Frances Hardinge

A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge, published by Macmillan Children's Books on 10th May 2012

Goodreads synopsis:
In the underground city of Caverna the world's most skilled craftsmen toil in the darkness to create delicacies beyond compare - wines that can remove memories, cheeses that can make you hallucinate and perfumes that convince you to trust the wearer, even as they slit your throat. The people of Caverna are more ordinary, but for one thing: their faces are as blank as untouched snow. Expressions must be learned, and only the famous Facesmiths can teach a person to show (or fake) joy, despair or fear - at a price.
Into this dark and distrustful world comes Neverfell, a little girl with no memory of her past and a face so terrifying to those around her that she must wear a mask at all times. For Neverfell's emotions are as obvious on her face as those of the most skilled Facesmiths, though entirely genuine. And that makes her very dangerous indeed ...

Review:
'A Face Like Glass' is the fifth book by British author Frances Hardinge.  It's one of the most original and spellbinding stories I've ever come across.  I can't even begin to try and compare it to anything else because it stands in a league of it's own and is so unusual and surprising that I could never guess what was going to happen from one chapter to the next.  This is one of those books that will gradually creep up on you to the point that you won't be able to think about anything else.  It's the perfect read for a lazy Sunday when you can read and read all day without ever having to put this book down.

Frances Hardinge has created something truly magical in the world of Caverna - an underground city where people can't express real emotion, where the Grand steward wields power with the help of his Right and Left Eye and where foods are potentially explosive and win can retrieve or hide memories.  I was continually astlounded by the millions of little details that were woven into the story.  This is a world unlike any other.

The most interesting thing about the people of Caverna is that their faces are all masks of expressions which have been learnt as their own faces are blank canvases.  Some people have been taught hundreds of different faces which they can alternate between as required and others, like the drudges of the city, only have two or three.  Amidst the people of the city, we are introduced to Neverfell who is the central figure in the story - an eleven year old girl who is set to change Caverna's whole future.

I have to say that a lot of things happened to Neverfell throughout the story but it wasn't until the very end that I was able to piece it all together and make sense of everything.  The puzzle finally made sense and I could sit back and admire the cleverness and ingenuity of the plot. 

I adored 'A Face Like Glass' and am now depserate to read all of Frances Hardinge's other books.  She's a real talent!  I can't wait to tell everyone I know about this stunning book.  Read it or regret it forever.