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readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Violence, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Suicide, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Car accident, and Alcohol
Drowning, sex work.plantybooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This might be my best book of the year. It isn't very educational, but I loved it, right book at the right time.
In The Library of the Dead we meet Ropa, a 14 yr old school drop out who is licensed to be a Ghost Talker. She delivers messages from the dead to the living- for a fee, of course. This profession leads her to all sorts of places expected- nursing homes- and unexpected- baking secret recipe cakes with her clients. (one of my favorite moments!)
As the story starts, we are brought to a dystopian era Edinburgh, where there is no NHS, no social support systems. Ropa lives in a Caravan with her Grandmother, and her little sister Izwi in poverty. Ropa is pragmatic and a bit hard at the edges, but one day a ghost who can't pay begs for her help. She is annoyed, but her Grandmother reminds her that she should help those she can when she can. So Ropa sets out to find a missing child, and leads us all on a wild, unpredictable, and unique adventure filled with magic, mayhem and a fox named River. I admit, reading as an adult, I did have several moments where I wished Ropa would consult some of the older people in her life, but remembering being 14, I understood why she didn't. Her very teenage impulsiveness often pushed the narrative along, all while giving me some anxiety!
There were moments- when I just sat and thought- how did the author come up with this craziness, and how on earth did he make it all work right into one story that fit perfectly at all angles? I loved it...
Not all the characters are well developed, and they mostly all serve as "props" for Ropa, but as the story is mostly Ropa- it works in this novel. The plot itself unrolls very unevenly, but wraps up nicely by the end. I felt the cast of characters was diverse, there is representation of black and brown people, disabled people, older and younger people, and bad and good people.
I read this via audiobook. I felt the narrator was excellent- her accent was charming to me, and understandable, but because it was an audio book- I apparently thought Izwi the sister was "Esme" until I looked it up. That said, I enjoyed the narration. I checked out the second and see the narrator has changed, so I hope they will be just as good.
If you are looking for weird, but not gruesome, with a nice touch of humanity and pragmatism, this is the book for you. I'm hoping there will be more that just 2.... please?
In The Library of the Dead we meet Ropa, a 14 yr old school drop out who is licensed to be a Ghost Talker. She delivers messages from the dead to the living- for a fee, of course. This profession leads her to all sorts of places expected- nursing homes- and unexpected- baking secret recipe cakes with her clients. (one of my favorite moments!)
As the story starts, we are brought to a dystopian era Edinburgh, where there is no NHS, no social support systems. Ropa lives in a Caravan with her Grandmother, and her little sister Izwi in poverty. Ropa is pragmatic and a bit hard at the edges, but one day a ghost who can't pay begs for her help. She is annoyed, but her Grandmother reminds her that she should help those she can when she can. So Ropa sets out to find a missing child, and leads us all on a wild, unpredictable, and unique adventure filled with magic, mayhem and a fox named River. I admit, reading as an adult, I did have several moments where I wished Ropa would consult some of the older people in her life, but remembering being 14, I understood why she didn't. Her very teenage impulsiveness often pushed the narrative along, all while giving me some anxiety!
There were moments- when I just sat and thought- how did the author come up with this craziness, and how on earth did he make it all work right into one story that fit perfectly at all angles? I loved it...
Not all the characters are well developed, and they mostly all serve as "props" for Ropa, but as the story is mostly Ropa- it works in this novel. The plot itself unrolls very unevenly, but wraps up nicely by the end. I felt the cast of characters was diverse, there is representation of black and brown people, disabled people, older and younger people, and bad and good people.
I read this via audiobook. I felt the narrator was excellent- her accent was charming to me, and understandable, but because it was an audio book- I apparently thought Izwi the sister was "Esme" until I looked it up. That said, I enjoyed the narration. I checked out the second and see the narrator has changed, so I hope they will be just as good.
If you are looking for weird, but not gruesome, with a nice touch of humanity and pragmatism, this is the book for you. I'm hoping there will be more that just 2.... please?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide and Vomit
jim_jam's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The style of the writing is a bit irritating at first but you get used to it. Overall, an alright read but not amazing. Would probably have given up if it was not an audiobook/ was longer. The world building feels sort of half done and rushed, as does the plot and most of the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Pedophilia, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Medical trauma, and Murder
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-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
The Library of the Dead is a fantasy with dystopian and mystery elements, fast-paced enough to pull it all off without getting stuck. There's a paranormal focus that includes carrying messages for ghosts and astral projection onto different planes. The eponymous library is located under a graveyard (entrance through a mausoleum, naturally) and serves the needs of magical scholars and now one autodidactic teenager on a pro bono mission from a recently departed ghost to figure out why children in Edinburgh are going missing.
Ropa is a no-nonsense protagonist who could take a starring role in the argument for why you should take 14-year-olds very seriously indeed. She's self-assured, the main breadwinner for her family, and has a tough exterior protecting a heart of gold. She loves to learn, and her unmastered magical abilities are just out of reach. One of my favorite aspects of the book is how strongly her voice comes through in terms of the language and tone chosen by the author. Ropa has a quick, dry sense of observational humor, and she doesn't waste energy skirting around the truth as she sees it. I also loved her friendships and her relationships with her grandmother and younger sister. They provide a positive and supportive foundation as Ropa's detective work gets increasingly dangerous and complicated.
The plot wasn't particularly surprising on the mystery front, but Ropa's detective work led her through so many strange magical situations and action-packed scenes that I didn't mind. I'm delighted that this is just the beginning of a series because I can't wait to see how Ropa grows, how the deepening intrigue is resolved, and how her relationships evolve. The dystopian world-building is also still incomplete, so I am curious to know more about this near future world and the series of atrocities and bad decisions that got us there. This book has so much heart, and I definitely recommend it.
Ropa is a no-nonsense protagonist who could take a starring role in the argument for why you should take 14-year-olds very seriously indeed. She's self-assured, the main breadwinner for her family, and has a tough exterior protecting a heart of gold. She loves to learn, and her unmastered magical abilities are just out of reach. One of my favorite aspects of the book is how strongly her voice comes through in terms of the language and tone chosen by the author. Ropa has a quick, dry sense of observational humor, and she doesn't waste energy skirting around the truth as she sees it. I also loved her friendships and her relationships with her grandmother and younger sister. They provide a positive and supportive foundation as Ropa's detective work gets increasingly dangerous and complicated.
The plot wasn't particularly surprising on the mystery front, but Ropa's detective work led her through so many strange magical situations and action-packed scenes that I didn't mind. I'm delighted that this is just the beginning of a series because I can't wait to see how Ropa grows, how the deepening intrigue is resolved, and how her relationships evolve. The dystopian world-building is also still incomplete, so I am curious to know more about this near future world and the series of atrocities and bad decisions that got us there. This book has so much heart, and I definitely recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Animal death, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Slavery, Suicide, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Grief, and Gaslighting