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leggup's review
2.0
Interesting story, clunky execution. The characters tell you everything and then later, gasp, they tell it again. It has a very Scooby-Doo vibe. The Library was too little too late and the climactic scenes were in odd places.
hspfost's review
jess_mango's review
3.0
Ropa uses a combo of Zimbabwean magic and her Scottish street smarts to talk to ghosts to help communication between the living and the dead. Hey, its a way to make a living. then she hears something about how kids are being bewitched and having all of their joy stolen. She follows to the clues to figure out what is going on.
This was quite a read. I haven't read much Urban Fantasy so this was change from the norm. Ropa is a fun, young, protagonist giving a BIPOC face to the youth of Edinburgh. The book is set in a somewhat dystopian near future, where people accept the existence of ghosts. At its heart, this book is a supernatural missing persons mystery, so could have appeal to both fantasy and mystery fans.
While I didn't 100% connect with this book as much as I wanted, I would consider picking up the second book in the series.
thank you to the publisher for the audiobook!
This was quite a read. I haven't read much Urban Fantasy so this was change from the norm. Ropa is a fun, young, protagonist giving a BIPOC face to the youth of Edinburgh. The book is set in a somewhat dystopian near future, where people accept the existence of ghosts. At its heart, this book is a supernatural missing persons mystery, so could have appeal to both fantasy and mystery fans.
While I didn't 100% connect with this book as much as I wanted, I would consider picking up the second book in the series.
thank you to the publisher for the audiobook!
pietan's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.5
okevamae's review
4.0
Ropa has a career in the family business – and that business is talking to ghosts. She acts as a messenger between those who have passed on and those whom they left behind – for a fee, of course. Ropa dropped out of school to provide for her family and she doesn’t work for free. That is, until a desperate and recently-deceased mother comes to Ropa because she can’t move on to the afterlife without finding out what happened to her missing son.
The Library of the Dead takes place in a postapocalyptic, alternate-reality version of Edinburgh. What cataclysmic event took place to change the world is not entirely clear, but some kind of catastrophe is mentioned in passing. Smartphones are common in a world where horses and bikes are more common than cars. But this world seems to be set apart from our own by more than just some sort of apocalypse - it combines familiar pop culture references and technologies with a world where things like ghost-talking seem to be known and understood to be real, if not completely commonplace, and the study of magic has a long history. The magic systems are interesting, with ghost-talking facilitated through music and magic being treated like a branch of science by scholars. I’m very interested in learning more about both as the series progresses.
Ropa, who was raised in the slums of Edinburgh and comes from a Zimbabwean family, is a fantastic character, with burgeoning magic powers and a strong focus on taking care of her family. She is just 15 years old, but that shouldn’t keep adult readers from enjoying the book. I believe pretty strongly that a teen protagonist does not automatically make a novel “Young Adult,” and also that both adults and teens should read whatever they are interested in, regardless of the age category a book is assigned by publishers. In my opinion, this book would be good for either adult readers or teens who are comfortable with strong language and dark themes. The characters use quite a bit of slang, and I can’t always tell what’s authentic modern-day Scots and what’s made up as a part of this alternate reality. I can generally catch the gist, but there are a few scenes and characters that are so slang-heavy they are hard to follow.
Overall, I really liked this book and the fascinating world that T.L. Huchu has created. I’m looking forward to the next one!
I received an ARC of this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Library of the Dead takes place in a postapocalyptic, alternate-reality version of Edinburgh. What cataclysmic event took place to change the world is not entirely clear, but some kind of catastrophe is mentioned in passing. Smartphones are common in a world where horses and bikes are more common than cars. But this world seems to be set apart from our own by more than just some sort of apocalypse - it combines familiar pop culture references and technologies with a world where things like ghost-talking seem to be known and understood to be real, if not completely commonplace, and the study of magic has a long history. The magic systems are interesting, with ghost-talking facilitated through music and magic being treated like a branch of science by scholars. I’m very interested in learning more about both as the series progresses.
Ropa, who was raised in the slums of Edinburgh and comes from a Zimbabwean family, is a fantastic character, with burgeoning magic powers and a strong focus on taking care of her family. She is just 15 years old, but that shouldn’t keep adult readers from enjoying the book. I believe pretty strongly that a teen protagonist does not automatically make a novel “Young Adult,” and also that both adults and teens should read whatever they are interested in, regardless of the age category a book is assigned by publishers. In my opinion, this book would be good for either adult readers or teens who are comfortable with strong language and dark themes. The characters use quite a bit of slang, and I can’t always tell what’s authentic modern-day Scots and what’s made up as a part of this alternate reality. I can generally catch the gist, but there are a few scenes and characters that are so slang-heavy they are hard to follow.
Overall, I really liked this book and the fascinating world that T.L. Huchu has created. I’m looking forward to the next one!
I received an ARC of this ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
imchelsi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
A fun mystery, but it didn't feature the library much and I found the narration on the audiobook to be lacking a bit. A lot of the voices blended together which made it a confusing listen at parts.
octopus_farmer's review
dark
mysterious
tense
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
4.0
Spooky!!!
hollyb15's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
lizmcwho's review
mysterious
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
econsidine's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
This is a fun-ish urban fantasy, but I wish there had been more of the actual Library (the coolest & weirdest part of the world) and that the main character maybe had a bit more interesting flaws. She has a great voice as a narrator, but she's a bit too badass & capable for a 14-year-old and so it was kind of boring. How did she get so capable at what she does at her age? How is she so mature? It's not really explained or logical why she succeeds at things when everyone else fails, but maybe it makes more sense as the series goes on. There was very little tension because you knew she was always gonna be fine and save the day, because she's Ropa and she's got plot armor.
I am not upset that I spent time reading this, but I will not be itching to read more.
I am not upset that I spent time reading this, but I will not be itching to read more.