Odd ramblings of an obsessed reader

Book Reviews

The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge

The Lie Tree

 The Lie Tree

The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge

 

Dark and menacing, The Lie Tree is a complex and eerie mix of historical fiction, murder mystery, thriller and dark fantasy. I found the story deeply compelling, which carried me through the slow parts (the tree only made its appearance halfway through the book). But it was worth the wait. The tree brought with it several dark, unexpected twists.

Dark and menacing

The story is told through the eyes of Faith, who constantly pushes the extremely tight boundaries constricting feminism in Victorian England. Not necessarily the most reliable narrator, but certainly the most adventurous. Faith is both clever and sly. The perfect combination when one needs to manipulate events… which don’t always go as she planned.
4 Star

Recommended age: 12+

Title: The Lie Tree
Author: Frances Hardinge
Publication Date: 7 May 2015The Lie Tree
Publisher: Macmillan
Source: Review copy

Purchase this book:
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Book Depository
Loot.co.za

Add to your shelf:
Goodreads

It was not enough. All knowledge – any knowledge – called to Faith, and there was a delicious, poisonous pleasure in stealing it unseen.

Faith has a thirst for science and secrets that the rigid confines of her class cannot suppress. And so it is that she discovers her disgraced father’s journals, filled with the scribbled notes and theories of a man driven close to madness. Tales of a strange tree which, when told a lie, will uncover a truth: the greater the lie, the greater the truth revealed to the liar. Faith’s search for the tree leads her into great danger – for where lies seduce, truths shatter.    — Abstract from Goodreads.com

The fact that I received a copy of this book from the publisher does not influence my policy to write an honest review.

5 Comments

  1. This sounds like such an atmospheric and intelligently written novel. Glad to hear you enjoyed it so much! Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! <3

  2. I’ve heard so many great things about this, and your review just solidified my urge to read it. It sounds like a wonderful atmospheric novel. Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous review! <3

  3. I loved this book, it’s such a clever story with a great main character. I love the cover of your copy, it’s really pretty.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d bloggers like this: