• The Glass Sentence

  • Mapmakers Trilogy, Book 1
  • By: S. E. Grove
  • Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
  • Length: 15 hrs and 48 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (117 ratings)

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The Glass Sentence  By  cover art

The Glass Sentence

By: S. E. Grove
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
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Publisher's summary

She has only seen the world through maps. She had no idea they were so dangerous.

Boston, 1891. Sophia Tims comes from a family of explorers and cartologers who, for generations, have been traveling and mapping the New World - a world changed by the Great Disruption of 1799, when all the continents were flung into different time periods. Eight years ago, her parents left her with her uncle Shadrack, the foremost cartologer in Boston, and went on an urgent mission. They never returned. Life with her brilliant, absent-minded, adored uncle has taught Sophia to take care of herself.

Then Shadrack is kidnapped. And Sophia, who has rarely been outside of Boston, is the only one who can search for him. Together with Theo, a refugee from the West, she travels over rough terrain and uncharted ocean, encounters pirates and traders, and relies on a combination of Shadrack’s maps, common sense, and her own slantwise powers of observation. But even as Sophia and Theo try to save Shadrack’s life, they are in danger of losing their own.

The Glass Sentence plunges listeners into a time and place they will not want to leave, and introduces them to a heroine and hero they will take to their hearts. It is a remarkable debut.

This audiobook includes a PDF of maps from the book.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2014 S. E. Grove (P)2014 Listening Library (Audio)

Critic reviews

A Summer/Fall 2014 Indies Introduce New Voices Selection

A Junior Library Guild Selection

One of Publishers Weekly’s Best Summer Reads

"Not since Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass have I seen such an original and compelling world built inside a book.” (Megan Whalen Turner, New York Times best-selling author of A Conspiracy of Kings)

“I think The Glass Sentence is absolutely marvelous. It’s the best book I’ve read in a long time. The world-building is so convincing, the plot so fast-moving and often surprising, and the ideas behind the novel so completely original. I love this book.” (Nancy Farmer, National Book Award-winning author of The House of the Scorpion)

“A thrilling, time-bending debut.... It’s a cracking adventure, and Grove bolsters the action with commentary on xenophobia and government for hire, as well as a fascinating system of map magic.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

What listeners say about The Glass Sentence

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A story with legs

When I started listening to this, I don't think I realized just what a wild ride I was in for. The story really begins to roll after they leave Boston, and doesn't let up. I can honestly say I often found myself trying to shoehorn just a few extra minutes of listening time. It was well performed, and the kind of story that benefits from the slower pace of being read out loud.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Wonderful Adventure

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Overall I thought this was a great book and absolutely hits the mark for it's target audience. I happen to be much older than that group, but still enjoyed the story and stayed with it, interested in where the story would go.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Glass Sentence?

I thought the pirates introduced us nicely to the repeated theme/idea that what we may think is bad or good, maybe something else entirely. And the description of the palace was full of so much wonder, it is beautiful.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Towards the end when the Lacrama is leaving Sophie, the discovery of the glass map, and the growing of plants in the man made soil. I was also caught up in Sophia's parents seemingly being within her grasp, and yet not there at all. I hope this gets resolved in a surprising and delightful way in the next book.

Any additional comments?

The story has a fast pace, and at times I wished for more depth than speed, but that's due to my age and not a limitation on the story. I will buy the next book, and look forward to another adventure with a terrific and diverse cast.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A wonderful reading ruined

What did you like best about The Glass Sentence? What did you like least?

This audio version of Grove's creative and unique fantasy novel is lovely, right up until the moment the protagonist Sophia starts talking. Sophia is such a sensible, smart, matter-of-fact, kick-ass character, but you wouldn't know it based on the whiny, insipid voice assigned to her by this narrator. The rest of the narration is lovely! But Sophia's characterization is too important to be so badly represented. I listened to more than half of this before realizing I couldn't bear it anymore. I returned to the paper book.

Would you be willing to try another one of Cassandra Campbell’s performances?

Possibly, as long as the protagonist isn't a teenaged girl. I've lost my faith in this narrator's ability to do that well.

Was The Glass Sentence worth the listening time?

Grove's book is. This narration isn't.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

What the ever loving heck?

The good: the world is interesting, the characters are reasonably ok; the villain is round and compelling.

The bad: it’s just such a jumble. The opening chapters have almost NOTHING to do with the rest of the book. They could be cut completely and you would have the same book. The logic of the “ages” either makes no sense or is so poorly explained as to seem like it doesn’t make sense. The protagonist literally stumbles into the conclusion of the book without any sort of intent or agency.

I could go on, but I’ll just end with this: why in the world is this called “the glass sentence?” That title has nothing whatsoever to do with this book, so far as I can tell.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Anticlimactic but okay

Cassandra did an excellent job however there were times I couldn’t tell some words because she was trying to pronounce words with accents. She did a great job. I enjoyed listening to her. She wasn’t boring at all. The book itself was alright. It felt somewhat anticlimactic. The pace was fine but the imagination behind events seemed somewhat broken. I never felt like there was a lot of danger. It’s like those movies where you know everything will be okay because they couldn’t kill people off. The book was somewhat predictable. I would recommend this to teen readers.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Very Creative story.

I would recommend this book. It is really creative and fun. But the authors repetitive use of words gets annoying. The narration is ok, but not great.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Its greatest strength is its uniqueness.

A pretty alright book. It says that a review requires at least fifteen words.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Masterful story

Thought provoking. incredibly well written. unusual plot with twists and turns. Scheherazade tells an alternate world Nancy Drew tale.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Imaginative adventure/quest

This trilogy is very creative! I’ve listened to a LOT of books and watched even more movies and I’ve never heard or seen anything quite like it! It would make a great series of movies!!! Even if movies never come close to what’s sparked in our imaginations by books...Read by one of my favorite narrators
Cassandra Campbell...it’s a must listen for anyone who loves fantasy adventure quests!!!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

This book goes on my Top shelf

What a wonderully written story. I am not a big rwader but this one really caught my attention. Thank you!

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