Reviews

The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence

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tinumorien's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

sandra_broadwill's review against another edition

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4.25

I'm not sure I liked this quite as much as the first one, but it was definitely a great follow-up. We jump back in with two new characters, and then jump back and forth to learn how their story interweaves with Evar and Livira's. New reveals that have me amazed at Mark Lawrence's plotting and all the breadcrumbs that were dropped along the way. Such a great series.

the_pale_woman's review

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes

2.5

Was the vibe and dialog different in this book from the first, or has it just been too long of a break for me and this story? I feel like I remember more about the convoluted plot than the character interactions, which is a strange reversal for me. The audio narration is for sure different, right? The voices done for Evar and his crew felt wrong, and I don't remember the first book sounding like that at all. Plus, the narrator gave that same voice to another set of characters, making it a bit too much and, at times, slightly confusing. As if I need that in a story with time travel.

Does this tale take place in a library? Could've fooled me with the lack of any fun book talk. If the setting of this book had been an infinite house, it wouldn't have altered the story here at all. In the first book, being introduced to the library gave the opportunity to talk about the books found in this cool setting. Take that away, and all you have is talk about shelves and paper. I can't find the magic in the components. I need the words and novel ideas expressed and shared. I think the snippets at the beginning of each chapter are great, but it's not enough to make this story the "Library Trilogy."

My last and final gripe that I will express is the book cover. When I look at the two books of this series side by side, I see the differences, and I can get the decision. However, if I'm only looking at one, my brain tells me they are the same design in a different color. And that makes me cringe. I really liked the cover of the first book. That combined with the title and concept got me to pick up a new release. This slight copy makes the sequel feel a little cheap. Plus. You got that bird all front and center, and the stupid thing is only in the book from a far and for about a second. Makes me think that little thought went into creating this cover besides its aesthetic.

I would hold off on reading this one until the last one comes out to good reviews.

fadingapple's review

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adventurous challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

4.5/5 stars

How Mark Lawrence captures my attention and near every waking thought so fully I will never understand....while this second installment in the Library Trilogy suffers a bit from "middle book syndrome" (setting up for book 3 and not quite up to the excitement of book 1), it was still so phenomenal that I nearly gave it 5 stars anyway. But, The Book That Wouldn't Burn is just so good....the distinction was worth it, at least to me.

I am really struggling to write much of a review because I hate spoiling other people but so many of my thoughts are specific to spoilers. So I'll say this: I still adore Evar and Livira, but I also appreciated that they were still main characters but not the only main characters. I loved diving deeper into characters from book 1, but also the new cast that led much of this book's plot and provided the setup for book 3. Lawrence's characters and worldbuilding are nearly unmatched in my opinion, and that continued in this installment.

This series continues to be a new favorite and one that I compare all others to for what a 5 start adult fantasy should be. The writing is elegant, even when dense, with nothing that feels info dumping or overly indulgent. It's a masterclass in character work and worldbuilding, and the plot and theories live rent free in my brain always.

I love this series and am dying for book 3!