Review : The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge
The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge
Pages : 384
Genre : Historical Fiction, YA
Stand alone
My Rating : 4.5/5
About the Book :
In pursuit of revenge and justice for the father she idolizes, Faith hunts through his possessions, where she discovers a strange tree. A tree that only bears fruit when she whispers a lie to it. The fruit, in turn, delivers a hidden truth. The tree might hold the key to her father’s murder. Or, it might lure the murderer directly to Faith herself, for lies—like fires, wild and crackling—quickly take on a life of their own.
My Thoughts
The Lie Tree is a unique YA novel that excellently combines many genres I love – Victorian historical fiction, magical realism and mystery – and wraps all of it in beautiful writing. It’s like few I have read before in the YA category. In fact, I would say that, if the story interests you, don’t let the YA tag stop you. While the book is appropriate for a YA public, it doesn’t make use of most of the tropes and clichés readers often associate it with. I definitely feel this could please a wider audience.
The pace of the story is appropriately slow and the atmosphere, unsettling. The mystery was dark and heavy, reminding me of Gothic novels (something else that I love!) The characters are complex, the story not too predictable, and the lie tree a fascinating addition to what would have been an interesting mystery even without magic.
There is so much to love about the book, but what I loved most was its main character, Faith. She is such a resourceful and bright character! She has a scientific mind and she questions everything, from her father’s choices to faith to her role as a woman. The topic of her gender and its imposed limitations is central to the story, and it feels thought provoking without neglecting other important aspects of the book.
The plot is, maybe, where the book lost me a little bit (but still, only a tiny bit). While I can appreciate a slow pace, I need to feel that things are moving in one direction or another. Here though, I felt, especially in the first half, that things were too slow, almost standing still. It’s a small flaw but I can see why other readers didn’t appreciate this part of the book.
Small pacing issue aside, The Lie Tree was everything that I love in reading, and some more. It was the second book I read in 2017, and what a great way to start the year! I’ll be looking for more by Frances Hardinge, no doubt about it!
I can tell how much you loved this but I’m not sure this is for me.
I have tried Frances Hardinge in the past but she didn’t click with me. I have this one to try, though. Hopefully we get along better!
Never heard of the author or the book before, however the story sounds fascinating. I might give it a try.
Happy Reading!