Frances Hardinge Interview with Holdfast * * 'All was perhaps. * Guardian * The sense of identity that Frances creates in all of her characters, whether minor or major, makes real, tangible, interesting personalities that are a genuine joy to spend time with. * .uk * It's magical, menacing stuff * * This multi-layered fantastical novel is one to curl up with and savour. Every sentence is an elegant, perfectly constructed gem * .uk * A strange tale of fantastical beings, strange occurrences, buried secrets and ultimately, family relationships of all shapes and sizes * .uk * Frances Hardinge, author of the award-winning novels Fly-by-Night, Twilight Robbery and A Face Like Glass, puts an imaginative spin on the well-worn tales of changelings in her new YA novel Cuckoo Song. * NetGalley * This book is a work of art. * .uk * I love this book so much I tried to savour it like I do with sweets! * * This melange of the historical and fantastical in Hardinge's gloriously rich metaphor-laden style is unlikely to be to every child's taste-but it's probably too good for them anyway. * * Hardinge brings sophistication and literariness to children's fiction whilst never skimping on the entertainment and satisfaction quotient. * * The most original mid-fantasy I have read in a long time. I'm not eloquent enough to say how amazing I think this book is and I can't recommend it highly enough! * NetGalley * It's a compulsive read without naked demands for attention the tension is, for the most part, in uneasiness and anxiety, in a nagging feeling that things aren't right. There are deeper themes than just that of a girl trying to find herself: the effects of war on a societal level as well as personal the depths of cruelty people can be capable of in the name of vengeance autonomy forgiveness love. The writing- oh my goodness, the writing is superb.

Right now.' - Patrick Ness This story is really clean, but outstandingly creepy, and I'm completely entranced by the world that Hardinge created.

Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge