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yvo_about_books's review against another edition
2.0
“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.
Graphic: Addiction, Kidnapping, Violence, Animal death, Body horror, Classism, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Grief, Murder, Confinement, Drug use, Police brutality, Torture, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Physical abuse
readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Kidnapping, Body horror, and Child abuse
Moderate: Physical abuse, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Torture, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Medical content, Alcohol, Child death, Cancer, Excrement, Ableism, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Suicide, Car accident, Vomit, Infidelity, and Alcoholism
Drowning, sex work.enbae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Kidnapping, Child abuse, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Drug abuse, Grief, Police brutality, Abandonment, Blood, Cursing, and Drug use
Kidnapping of children, Maiming (a.o. of children), Povertyatlantiareads's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Death, Body horror, Blood, Car accident, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Addiction, Police brutality, Medical trauma, and Racism
anniereads221's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Death, Cursing, Blood, Child death, Violence, Vomit, Physical abuse, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Torture, Slavery, Classism, and Child abuse
nicnevin's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Stalking, Terminal illness, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence
uranaishi's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Kidnapping, Confinement, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Grief, Alcohol, Animal death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Death, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Police brutality, Blood, Car accident, Drug use, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: War, Murder, Animal cruelty, Classism, Rape, Abandonment, and Emotional abuse
allisonwonderlandreads's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Murder, Confinement, Death, Kidnapping, Torture, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Death of parent, Classism, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Ableism, Addiction, Animal death, Excrement, Police brutality, Suicide, Blood, Gaslighting, Grief, Slavery, and Chronic illness