Wants to be the Golden Compass. Isn't the Golden Compass. I've read the Golden Compass and the Glass Sentence lacks its charm and writing skills -- but also its cynicism. There are scary bits in this one (nightmare fodder for sensitive middle schoolers) but there's also no secondary depth that would give an adult audience much to chew on and discuss either. 
 Many of the characters end up superfluous and ridiculous (such as the Naval Twins and Chocolate Man) because the plot wasn't worked on enough and the author was so involved in making things quirky that the plot was left on the side. The culmination of that plot (what that glass mystery meant) had me shaking my head over missed opportunities. 
 It was okay. Extra star for the inventiveness of the map magic system, even though in the end it really made very little sense or felt like it contributed to any sense of wonder.