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yvo_about_books's review against another edition
2.0
Finished reading: December 24th 2023
“Doing something when it is hard, because it is the right thing to do, matters more than doing it when it's easy. The world needs light now more than ever.”
I know that I don't read a lot of YA anymore, but I do tend to enjoy a good urban fantasy and there was just something about the blurb of The Library Of The Dead that had me fully intrigued. I was SO excited when my TBR jar thought it was time to finally read it, and I actually expected to end up finding a new favorite... But sadly the complete opposite happened. This had nothing to do with the premise itself, and everything with the writing. I simply clashed horribly with the writing style, and the way the premise was developed was actually rather confusing and vague at times. I strongly disliked all the slang and cursing; instead of feeling natural, the tone was rather forced and I sometimes struggled to understand certain phrases. My dislike for the writing also ment I wasn't really a fan of the main character Ropa, which was where most of the slang appeared. Even my curiosity for the bookish elements, the library and the magic couldn't redeem this story for me, and I confess that I started skimreading long before the halfway mark. I guess it won't come as a surprise that I won't be continuing this series in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
sauvageloup's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
a fun supernatural, dystopian mystery read, enjoyed it.
pros:
- the writing style was different and fun. I got a real sense of who Ropa was and liked her a lot. her character comes through through the writing, with a quirky mix of slang and complicated language and concepts. shes both smart and street smart.
- I also really loved priya and gran as side characters, they were great. priya was a lot of fun to read, and ropa's love for her gran was obvious.
- there was also some lovely descriptions in Huchu's writing, creating a great atmosphere.
- the horror was also genuinely creepy with the Brounie, the eyeless milkman, the unaging siobhan
- while the mystery was great, the tensions ropa had about still bringing money in and helping her family felt very real. she really feels she has to carry everything and doesnt tell anyone older than her, apart from Callender, who fails her.
- I likes the dystopian Edinburgh a lot, made a nice change from London, and the implied breakdown of society which was hinted at but never entirely explained, was interesting.
- priya's magical wheelchair was fab, really interesting application of magic.
- and the bits of African culture, the mbira helping ground the spirits and gran's magic, were great, enjoyed learning about them.
cons:
- I never got a real sense of Jomo, he seemed quite hapless and not particularly helpful, didnt quite get Ropa's loyalty to him.
- occasionally the slang dialogue did feel a bit forced but not often.
- the two main bits of the plot seemed very disparat . the creepy brounie house and the children having elixir made from them were only barely linked.
- I did get a bit frustrated with the refusal to give an in depth explanation of a lot of things, like the collapse of Edinburgh, why the milkman had no eyes, why only the faces of the kids got old, what happened with Ropa's mum, why Ropa's magic didnt work (tho I guess it said at the end that she just needed to be angry enough), how Priya's wheelchair magic worked (why could she go on ceilings but not up a steep hill?). I mean, it's a mystery story and a series so some of these are understandable but there did seem to be a bit too much vagueness at times.
but overall, really enjoyed this read :)
pros:
- the writing style was different and fun. I got a real sense of who Ropa was and liked her a lot. her character comes through through the writing, with a quirky mix of slang and complicated language and concepts. shes both smart and street smart.
- I also really loved priya and gran as side characters, they were great. priya was a lot of fun to read, and ropa's love for her gran was obvious.
- there was also some lovely descriptions in Huchu's writing, creating a great atmosphere.
- the horror was also genuinely creepy
- while the mystery was great, the tensions ropa had about still bringing money in and helping her family felt very real. she really feels she has to carry everything and doesnt tell anyone older than her, apart from Callender, who fails her.
- I likes the dystopian Edinburgh a lot, made a nice change from London, and the implied breakdown of society which was hinted at but never entirely explained, was interesting.
- priya's magical wheelchair was fab, really interesting application of magic.
- and the bits of African culture, the mbira helping ground the spirits and gran's magic, were great, enjoyed learning about them.
cons:
- I never got a real sense of Jomo, he seemed quite hapless and not particularly helpful, didnt quite get Ropa's loyalty to him.
- occasionally the slang dialogue did feel a bit forced but not often.
- the two main bits of the plot seemed very disparat .
- I did get a bit frustrated with the refusal to give an in depth explanation of a lot of things, like
but overall, really enjoyed this read :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child death, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Sexism
a past character's gambling addiction is discussed.atlantiareads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The Library of the Dead was not my typical read, but was a nice change of pace. Theres a good mystery and great cast of characters. I found this book to quite creept at times. Even though the main character is 14, this book i feel like is definitely better suited to an older age range.
Overall i felt the first 130 pages were too slow and were difficult to get through. Truthfully consideted dnf'ing.
I feel like learning more about the greatly detailed magic system and spending more time in the hidden library would have brought me more enjoyment with this book.
Unsure if I will continue on to book 2.
Overall i felt the first 130 pages were too slow and were difficult to get through. Truthfully consideted dnf'ing.
I feel like learning more about the greatly detailed magic system and spending more time in the hidden library would have brought me more enjoyment with this book.
Unsure if I will continue on to book 2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Racism, Police brutality, and Medical trauma
rosemaryandrue's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Ropa, a teenage ghost-talker, is too intent on making a living to work for free. But when a ghost begs for her to seek out her missing son, she gets drawn into the magical underworld of Edinburgh and uncovers the grisly truth.
Astonishingly, I have finally read a physical book! This is a series I've been eying for a while, and honestly I'm not sure why it took so long to get into it.
Ropa is a snarky lead with a strong narrative voice; it took me a little bit to get used to it, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. The world-building is very intriguing - we are in some future Edinburgh that has entered urban decay. There are allusions to some kind of Scottish rebellion in the past, and magic seems to be an open secret. We get enough information on this to flavor the book without really getting a complete grasp on what's going on, but I expect we will learn more in future books. Same goes for a certain mysterious entity and whatever is going on with Ropa's mother.
There was plenty of action and mystery and magic, and I liked following Ropa along on her journey to find Ollie and learn some magic along the way. However, I did find the plot resolved in a somewhat predictable manner - once we were in Arthur's Lodge, about two-thirds through the book, I knew precisely how things would end, and I was not surprised.
On the whole, though, this is a fun urban fantasy with world-building that feels fresh, and I'm excited to continue the series.
Astonishingly, I have finally read a physical book! This is a series I've been eying for a while, and honestly I'm not sure why it took so long to get into it.
Ropa is a snarky lead with a strong narrative voice; it took me a little bit to get used to it, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. The world-building is very intriguing - we are in some future Edinburgh that has entered urban decay. There are allusions to some kind of Scottish rebellion in the past, and magic seems to be an open secret. We get enough information on this to flavor the book without really getting a complete grasp on what's going on, but I expect we will learn more in future books. Same goes for a certain mysterious entity and whatever is going on with Ropa's mother.
There was plenty of action and mystery and magic, and I liked following Ropa along on her journey to find Ollie and learn some magic along the way. However, I did find the plot resolved in a somewhat predictable manner - once we were in Arthur's Lodge, about two-thirds through the book, I knew precisely how things would end, and I was not surprised.
On the whole, though, this is a fun urban fantasy with world-building that feels fresh, and I'm excited to continue the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Classism
Minor: Addiction
oldladysadie's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-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
3.5
I absolutely love Ropa, her Gran and her Zimbabwean magic using the mbira. I wish we got more of that, or at least saw more of the Scottish magic system in use throughout the book.
At times, it felt like this book was trying to be two different stories at once. There was the supernatural mystery with Nicola and the search for Ollie, and there was the titular Library of the Dead (which didn’t factor into the main narrative nearly as much as I expected going in, given it’s the title of the novel).
I still feel like Ropa, Priya and their respective magics are a breath of fresh air, and will most likely read further in the series. I hope future installments spend more time exploring the magic systems that have been set up, though, and that we get more time with the side characters to really get to know them.
At times, it felt like this book was trying to be two different stories at once. There was the supernatural mystery with Nicola and the search for Ollie, and there was the titular Library of the Dead (which didn’t factor into the main narrative nearly as much as I expected going in, given it’s the title of the novel).
I still feel like Ropa, Priya and their respective magics are a breath of fresh air, and will most likely read further in the series. I hope future installments spend more time exploring the magic systems that have been set up, though, and that we get more time with the side characters to really get to know them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse and Police brutality
Minor: Addiction and Alcohol
nicnevin's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Good story set in a post-apocalyptic Edinburgh. Plot was pretty good but I would have preferred more worldbuilding stuff because I am unsure where and when the timelines diverged.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
ashleycmms's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
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
thelizzielibrary's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
I just didn't like this. I love anything set in my second home of Edinburgh, so I struggled through. But I couldn't connect with the character (14yo) or the plot (too dark for that age) so I was mostly reading for Edinburgh mentions (which get 2 stars just for those).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Death, and Alcohol
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