The Library of The Dead by T. L. Huchu
Product details
Web ID: 13393822A Good Start to a Series
The aspects of The Library of the Dead which work well for me and the ones that don’t work for me, I believe are both symptoms of this book being the first in a series. In this book, Huchu does a good job of worldbuilding through the characters actions and what they would know and comment on. He also does well in creating characters who I am curious to learn more about as I meet them. That said, the pacing of the book was a bit off for me. The early chapter felt slow and it seemed to take awhile for the main action of the story to occur. Huchu uses this time well, introducing us to the characters and world and I think this worldbuilding will be helpful in future books, however it made this book feel as though it took longer then needed for the story to continue. Additionally, other than our main characters, Hucu did not go as much in depth or create character journeys for other characters. He sets up enough in this book that I do believe he will likely go deeper into other characters in future books. Overall, this book was a good set up for a series that I’m excited to read more of, but the pacing and secondary character depth could have been done better. All that said, I would recommend this book if magical Scottish mysteries sound interesting to you.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Ghost talk and mystery
A bit of an international spin on the ghost talker trope - some mixed superstitions and myths feed into the mystery which adds a bit more interest than the usual.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Did not meet expectations
Unfortunately this book fell way short of what I was expecting. After reading the summary and based off cover illustration and title I was so excited for this book and thought this was going to be exactly what I was looking for. Nope it definitely missed that mark for me. The writing style was hard to follow. Had to keep going over sentences to try and make them make sense. And some there was just no making heads or tails out of it. Like this sentence “she listens with that caring face nurses are wont to have.” Pg. 40 This book was hard to stay engaged in and unfortunately the writing style or lack of, was the downfall for me. It felt like the author was trying to hard, so it felt like a lot of over descriptive setup that half the time had no relevance to the story and again just made in hard to follow. In the end just left me feeling like I fell for the old clickbait. I wish I could read the book I was expecting to read from the start. Where is that book. The one that actually set in a library maybe. And written with a main character that is likable and not whatever this character was.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
This book had a lot of potential, book 2 A+!
This book had a lot of potential, but it feel flat for me with all the various "dazzle" that wasn't explored enough. I will give it the benefit of the doubt that a lot of it is set up for the series and will be explore further in future books. The futuristic poverty and crumbling of a society taken over by the elite is well done. The world built feels like a future we could be facing. The struggles to make ends meet, cops being the ones to fear, and a vast class separation in quality of life, all well written and really brought the setting to life. The magic aspects had a lot of moving parts, many which left more questions than answers. Instead of pulling me through the story it left me wondering why we were even given that information. They mystery ended up being a bit obvious and there isn't really any character growth for those we follow throughout the story. Kind of a "back to where we started" ending. I will probably read the next book when it hits Libby just to see if it dives more into the magic and the library. If you enjoy paranormal lite, where the average world is laced with magic, and teens saving the day you'll enjoy this story. TW: Child abduction, child harm.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Fabulous new fantasy! Can’t wait for more!
I absolutely adored The Library of the Dead, the first in the new Edinburgh duology by T. L. Huchu! “Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghostalker – and they sure do love to talk. Now she speaks to Edinburgh’s dead, carrying messages to those they left behind. A girl’s gotta earn a living, and it seems harmless enough. Until, that is, the dead whisper that someone’s bewitching children – leaving them husks, empty of joy and strength. It’s on Ropa’s patch, so she feels honor-bound to investigate. But what she learns will rock her world. Ropa will dice with death as she calls on Zimbabwean magic and Scottish pragmatism to hunt down clues. And although underground Edinburgh hides a wealth of dark secrets, she also discovers an occult library, a magical mentor and some unexpected allies. Yet as shadows lengthen, will the hunter become the hunted?” Full of rich world building, and wonderful character building, this series is one I cannot wait to read more of! Thank you so very much to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge books for allowing me the opportunity to read this title in exchange of an honest review.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great premise, but falls short of potential
The book spends a lot of time on insequential details. Details that are never revisited or have no bearing to the overall story. For instance, three paragraphs detailing the main character picking at a lock. A lot of detail, it seems, to just add length to the book. Also , the writing is very disjointed from chapter to chapter. It bounces around and leaves the reader trying to make sense of this world the author is creating. The writing style is also full of short hand and full of Scottish lingo. Lastly, the main character's development goes back and forth. She seems to have a strong sense of self and yet, lets people walk all over her at points throughout the book. It's frustrating to say the least. This is one book that I honestly wish I never spent time reading.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Contemporary Fantasy in Edinburgh
Take a little bit of V. E. Schwab's City of Ghosts, throw in some of The Sixth Sense, and mix in a smidge of Trainspotting and you'll get The Library of the Dead. This contemporary fantasy is about a young woman who can talk to the dead and earns money by delivering their messages. Ropa, the main character is an extremely dynamic character who really makes the story and will keep you turning the page to find out what's happening, but also for what she'll say about it.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com