Reviews

Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge

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sashapasha's review against another edition

5.0

Fabulous characters, brilliant writing.

Some excellent things within:
* A warrior goose
* A precocious twelve year old with unconvincing eyebrows
* A wordsmith conman
* A highwayman turned reluctant and perplexed hero
* A number of warring gentlemanly guilds and various other colorful factions
* River-floating coffee houses that move from place to place on a schedule
* A wealth of intriguing world building
* Names taken very seriously and dictated by a Name Day god (and date and time of birth)
* Characters with hidden depths
* Wigs for different activities, and a wig so enormous that it’s suspended from the sedan chair rather than attached to the person’s head
* “The pursuing coffee house” in a sentence
* Weddings of the dead
* “…there is one thing that is more dangerous than Truth. Those who would try to silence Truth’s voice are more destructive by far...”

Saracen is an absolute darling of a goose.

timinbc's review against another edition

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4.0

Calling this a children's book is going to deprive a lot of grownups of a fun read.

You have to like a book that contains, "Follow that coffeehouse!"

Good lead character, some peripheral characters that appear to be made of cardboard but turn out otherwise. Decent plot, including some very believable parts of a young girl working out for herself that things are not as they seem. Nicely dysfunctional society with a lot of tensions that an author can hang a plot on.

There's a big scene near the end involving sailing that suggests Hardinge isn't a sailor, but that's a quibble.

Recommended for all.

gwennoliaid's review against another edition

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5.0

One of my favourite books as a child - unique in many ways among children's fiction for not 'dumbing down' the language, meaning you can get lost in the beautiful writing as well as lost in the plot. Really beautiful writing that treats childrens fiction with respect - and beautifully so.

aeolias's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

gemrox's review against another edition

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adventurous informative lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

emlo's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I didn't enjoy this book as much as the lie tree or skinful of shadows. I found the plot a little difficult to follow at times. It was sill a good read with a really interesting world and characters.