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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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Death
Moderate: Suicide, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Suicide attempt
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
Minor: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, War, and Violence
greatexpectations77's review
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The plot of this book is really interesting, and I'm really not sure why I didn't find it engaging. I hope lots of other people like this because I think it's well done! I maybe just couldn't get into the world-building?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Murder, Abandonment, Classism, Confinement, Death, and War
Minor: Religious bigotry
hanz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
booksthatburn's review
adventurous
reflective
sad
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
3.0
I find myself feeling neutral about this book, and I'm not precisely sure why. The worldbuilding was interesting, the characters worked well, and I liked where it ended up. The audiobook narrator is excellent, they're definitely why I kept reading even though I was feeling meh about the book itself. My hesitance may be because the entire plot relies on a miscommunication early on in a way that made the rest of the story, while frequently engaging, feel a bit pointless. The conversation was artfully arranged to allow for the precise misunderstanding necessary to kick off everything else, and then the characters' stubbornness fuels the rest of the story. It's a well-constructed instance of a trope I dislike, and as much as I can tell it's done well, I still didn't like it. Since this trope is unlikely to fuel the plot twice in the series, I'll probably check out the sequel. I love Leto's story, he's definitely my favorite character, if I read more it'll be to find out what happens with him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide
Minor: Ableism and Self harm
vaniavela's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Grief
epellicci's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The Library of the Unwritten was slow to start, however once you get past the initial world-building it bursts to life. Combining debate on belonging, the found family trope, and an ambitious amount of religious lore, I was gripped. This book is tense and lively, and in the end, surprisingly moving. I found myself less invested in the stakes of the plot than I expected to be, however the relationships between the characters made up for this. Packed with twists and turns and delightfully dry humour, this book is a delightful adventure
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Grief, and Violence