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A review by frootlupo
The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? Yes
4.75
This story’s predecessor (The Book that Wouldn’t Burn) was my favourite book I’ve read so far this year - so I had VERY high expectations and hopes for it’s sequel, and let me tell you, The Book that Broke the World certainly did not disappoint!
Mark Lawrence brought this story in a very different direction than I was expecting, but that wasn’t a bad thing at all. Like the first book, we are both drawn into the individual stories taking place, while also constantly wondering how these various plots are going to intersect. As mysteries are slowly revealed and we learn more and more about the world we are invited to make more and more guesses at how everything is interwoven even while caring more and more about the character and their journeys.
There is a budding romance that surprised me with how much I got invested in it. It also led me to care much more about character that truthfully I somewhat skimmed over in the last novel. By the end of the story I might have actually cared more about this new relationship that the one between our driving protagonists (but only a bit).
This is also one of the few stories in any media that revolves around time-travel that I actively enjoy and where I don’t get all caught up in quibbling with the logic of. You could squint at this, as the book basically claims “time-travel doesn’t make sense and that’s the problem” - but it’s not wrong! Truthfully it’s kinda satisfying that time-travel’s inherent paradoxical nature is one of the things causing a lot of the problems in this world.
The trilogy’s larger theme of tribalism, discrimination, and enmity was continued from the first book with the same deftness and nuance. I appreciate the gentle but decisive direction and tone that Lawrence takes.
Finally, I deeply appreciated how seamless the tone and story felt from the first book. You can really tell that the series was all written at the same time. The only tiny drawback is that The Book that Broke the World does feel like a middle novel - but the cohesiveness of the narrative is more than worth that tiny concession.
I am deeply looking forward to Book 3 - if it keeps up the same level of quality (or, dare I dream, exceeds it) The Library Trilogy is very heavily in contention for one of my favourite series of all time!
Mark Lawrence brought this story in a very different direction than I was expecting, but that wasn’t a bad thing at all. Like the first book, we are both drawn into the individual stories taking place, while also constantly wondering how these various plots are going to intersect. As mysteries are slowly revealed and we learn more and more about the world we are invited to make more and more guesses at how everything is interwoven even while caring more and more about the character and their journeys.
There is a budding romance that surprised me with how much I got invested in it. It also led me to care much more about character that truthfully I somewhat skimmed over in the last novel. By the end of the story I might have actually cared more about this new relationship that the one between our driving protagonists (but only a bit).
This is also one of the few stories in any media that revolves around time-travel that I actively enjoy and where I don’t get all caught up in quibbling with the logic of. You could squint at this, as the book basically claims “time-travel doesn’t make sense and that’s the problem” - but it’s not wrong! Truthfully it’s kinda satisfying that time-travel’s inherent paradoxical nature is one of the things causing a lot of the problems in this world.
The trilogy’s larger theme of tribalism, discrimination, and enmity was continued from the first book with the same deftness and nuance. I appreciate the gentle but decisive direction and tone that Lawrence takes.
Finally, I deeply appreciated how seamless the tone and story felt from the first book. You can really tell that the series was all written at the same time. The only tiny drawback is that The Book that Broke the World does feel like a middle novel - but the cohesiveness of the narrative is more than worth that tiny concession.
I am deeply looking forward to Book 3 - if it keeps up the same level of quality (or, dare I dream, exceeds it) The Library Trilogy is very heavily in contention for one of my favourite series of all time!