Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith

25 reviews

julbel's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

A fun, unique story of the battle between heaven and hell. The character dynamics are compelling, their individual qualms of what is right insightful, and their realizing their potential gratifying. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Death

Moderate: Suicide, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Suicide attempt

leafhead's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A love letter to those who write. Beautiful story with lovable characters. The only reason it did not get five stars is that the story is kind of all over the place with themes. Kind of like the author threw in everything cool they could think of. It's a lot of fun, but it's a lot. At times I found myself wishing it had a tiny bit more focus on just one character/theme.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Self harm, Suicide, and Violence

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Bullying

madzie's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Violence, and Death

Moderate: Religious bigotry and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders

jessicalarson125's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Suicide

Minor: War, Violence, and Blood

jules_reads_books's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Violence, and Child death

Moderate: Suicide

paigereitz's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

Wow wow wow. This book is a masterclass on the human condition and humanity's drive for storytelling and literature. It turns tropes on their heads. It's witty and laugh-out-loud funny at times. It blends heavy and light and explores big themes. I loved every second of this ride. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Death, and Suicide attempt

just_jess02's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

What a charming, whimsical, cozy read. It held just enough adventure and magic to hold my attention, great characters, and good world building. The historical context and lore was surface level but it really didn’t need to go any deeper to tell this story well. 

I really enjoyed the balance of “bookish” ideas to the characters and plot. The themes and tropes are very obvious… but it’s not so in-your-face and cheesy to take away from the story. I found the transparent nature of the themes to push the story along smoothly and easily. 

I’m excited to read the rest of the series. This book felt like a rich foundation that hopefully will open up into more complex, deep plot/relationships. 

While I loved this story, it wasn’t one that really meant anything to me. It was like a sweet bedtime story almost. I like a book to follow me around once I finish it. I want to reflect, to slowly untangle my mind from the stories’ grasp. This is the only reason I am not giving it five stars. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Violence, Murder, and Death

Minor: Abandonment, Child death, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts

iris_lrf's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective medium-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 is probably at least the fifth time I've read this book, and every time has been a delight from start to finish. Hackwith's beautiful style and well-rounded characters create an emotional roller coaster of love, heartbreak, redemption and family. Even with only two actual humans, all of the protagonists feel uniquely human in their own distinct ways, and it's impossible not to fall in love with the cranky old librarian or her anxious upstart assistants. 

Like any good story about stories, The Library of the Unwritten plays with the concept of the roles we play, both by choice and by force, and what happens when those roles no longer suit us. Villains become heroes, sidekicks become leaders, guardians become caretakers. The stories we tell change, and those we lock away are brought back into the light. 

It's not without its flaws, but what book isn't? Sure, there's some plot armour moments, but surely they're counteracted by

Leto literally being unmade or Hero getting frequently beaten within an inch of his life

. Sure, the ending is a little lacking, but with two more books to go, it isn't really the ending, is it?

I recently got the rest of the trilogy and I'm excited to see where the story goes from here. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Suicide attempt, Child death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Gun violence, Blood, Confinement, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Grief, Torture, and Toxic friendship

Minor: War, Self harm, and Kidnapping

margaret_k30's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious medium-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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Death

Moderate: Violence, Suicide, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Abandonment, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, and Bullying

secondhandbookshelves's review

adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I absolutely adored this book. 
Every single character is fantastic and varied and wonderful. 
I loved that there were little tidbits from past Librarians scattered throughout the book.
This story has a hold on my heart and I have already ordered a physical copy (I listened to the audiobook) and the next book in the series. 
There were magnificent twists, a handful a surprises, and I will be in denial that it is over for quite some time. 
"You save yourself. You write your own story here." 
A heartbreaking, beautiful, wonderful book that I will reread many times.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

Minor: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, War, and Violence