aquilleanmenace's review against another edition
5.0
Como es una segunda parte es difícil hablar de él sin hacer spoiler, pero solo diré que está a la altura del primer volumen. Una trilogía completamente excepcional.
khveronika's review against another edition
2.0
To me, this book was simply a mess. And it's a pity since there actually was an interesting idea and story behind the mess of the writing.
It's all about the adventures of uncovering the secret behind a book, where all the birth and death dates of the people living on Earth are listed. The main character is on a quest to find out its origins as well as other connections. These were for instance interferences of the governments of various countries in major events, even seemingly "natural" catastrophes, in order to reach their goals by any means.
First of all I have to say that with this book, it's not advisable to simply start with the second part (I picked it up in a bookshop while traveling & didn't realize that it was a continuation of the first part). Maybe that was also the problem why I often had the feeling that the story line and all the characters were muddled up.
Nevertheless, the style in general was full of flaws. The characters seemed flat & you weren't really able to relate to any of them. Every once in a while the narrative changes up that it simply doesn't fit with the rest. The connection of the different stories taking place next to each other were connected in a sloppy way. It was more of a nuisance switching between the different scenes, often too abrupt & simply confusing.
Still, a rating of 2 stars because of the excellent underlying idea of the whole book. And maybe, having read the first part before that, everything wouldn’t have seemed as mixed up :)
It's all about the adventures of uncovering the secret behind a book, where all the birth and death dates of the people living on Earth are listed. The main character is on a quest to find out its origins as well as other connections. These were for instance interferences of the governments of various countries in major events, even seemingly "natural" catastrophes, in order to reach their goals by any means.
First of all I have to say that with this book, it's not advisable to simply start with the second part (I picked it up in a bookshop while traveling & didn't realize that it was a continuation of the first part). Maybe that was also the problem why I often had the feeling that the story line and all the characters were muddled up.
Nevertheless, the style in general was full of flaws. The characters seemed flat & you weren't really able to relate to any of them. Every once in a while the narrative changes up that it simply doesn't fit with the rest. The connection of the different stories taking place next to each other were connected in a sloppy way. It was more of a nuisance switching between the different scenes, often too abrupt & simply confusing.
Still, a rating of 2 stars because of the excellent underlying idea of the whole book. And maybe, having read the first part before that, everything wouldn’t have seemed as mixed up :)
willowfae's review against another edition
This wasn't as good as Library of the Dead, but I still enjoyed it.
misunosa's review against another edition
4.0
I liked the book. It's entertaining and I couldn't put it down. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that I thought the book was a little long for such a simple plot. I liked the first one much better! This one had a nice story but many details were added that weren't necessary just to make it sound like there was a longer story than there really was.
danifigo's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
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
4.0
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
‘The smart thing is to prepare for the unexpected.’
‘Book of Souls’ is the sequel to ‘Library of the Dead.’ It follows the same ancient library, listing everyone together with their dates of birth and death, but is particularly focussed on one previously missing volume, for 1527, which has appeared at a London auction.
Two groups particularly want this volume: the government who wants to keep everything to do with the library classified, and a group of former employees who want the world to know about the library, and to discover the truth behind the last date listed in the library (9 February 2027). Through these former employees, Will Piper, whom we met in ‘Library of the Dead’, becomes involved in the hunt for the 1527 volume.
There are three separate, interconnected timelines in this novel and the story moves between them. The earliest of these follows the fate of the Abbott of Vecti’s priory, after the fire that he believes destroyed the library. The second follows how the 1527 volume ended up separated from the others, and the third is in the present.
I enjoyed this novel as a fast page turning read although it didn’t engage me quite as strongly as ‘Library of the Dead’.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
‘Book of Souls’ is the sequel to ‘Library of the Dead.’ It follows the same ancient library, listing everyone together with their dates of birth and death, but is particularly focussed on one previously missing volume, for 1527, which has appeared at a London auction.
Two groups particularly want this volume: the government who wants to keep everything to do with the library classified, and a group of former employees who want the world to know about the library, and to discover the truth behind the last date listed in the library (9 February 2027). Through these former employees, Will Piper, whom we met in ‘Library of the Dead’, becomes involved in the hunt for the 1527 volume.
There are three separate, interconnected timelines in this novel and the story moves between them. The earliest of these follows the fate of the Abbott of Vecti’s priory, after the fire that he believes destroyed the library. The second follows how the 1527 volume ended up separated from the others, and the third is in the present.
I enjoyed this novel as a fast page turning read although it didn’t engage me quite as strongly as ‘Library of the Dead’.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
natalijamalbasic's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
spiritismus's review against another edition
4.0
Je komt niet vaak een boek tegen dat het eerste deel weet te overtreffen. Ik genoot ervan dat in dit deel de historie van het verhaal dieper werd onderzocht. Dit ligt meer bij mijn interessegebied, daarom geef ik deel 2 een ster meer. Dit deel hield me in zijn greep en ik ben enthousiast om door te lezen in deel 3. Tevens vond ik het personage Will Piper in dit deel 'aardiger' dan in het voorgaande deel, waardoor ik me beter in hem kon meeleven.
dijana_z's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this one better than the first one. The main reason that I got into this series is because of the historical moment. I love the stories that took place before our time, and in this second book we get to read about Nostradamus, Shakespeare and Calvin and stories about how the Library changed their life. And I think that this book ended the way that the first one should have ended.