Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith

8 reviews

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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Violence, and Death

Moderate: Religious bigotry and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders

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

alisonvh's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny 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? Yes

5.0

This book is so much fun! It made me want to write every story that’s currently living in my head (and, apparently, the Library of the Unwritten).

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Violence, and Religious bigotry

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

librarymouse's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny 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? It's complicated

5.0

I really loved this book. Parts are viscerally heart breaking, others peaceful, and others still are wonderfully human. This book has so many wonderfully integrated references to folklore, library history, and theatre. 

God being a woman and making the arch angel who are working in her stead the antagonist of the novel is narratively, incredibly interesting, bringing into questions of biblical good versus moral good, and it acts as a reminder that being a hero does not necessarily imply goodness just as being a villain doesn't necessarily imply evil.
The novel's twists are artful. I had not expected Leto's suicidal ideation to have been pushed to it's breaking point by Andras, as had I not expected Claire to be a murderer, nor Leto to be Claire's grandson. Andrea's calculated betrayal was well crafted and the library's stand against him was glorious. Claire's willingness to unwrite the souls of those who are a threat to those she loves is a gorgeous character flaw. I'm glad she wasn't guilted out of it. I look forward to seeing more of Romiel in hell.

It feels like I've met a collection of pleasant new friends and I look forward to knowing them more as the series progresses.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Child death, Religious bigotry, and Mental illness

Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Blood

lanid's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Violence, Death, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Suicide, and Panic attacks/disorders

angelbabe_cj's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicide and Death

Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Religious bigotry, and Toxic friendship

thereadinghammock's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• 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

3.75

Another book club pick. The story was engaging, the characters were multi-dimensional and diverse, the world building was fantastic, but I kept finding myself distracted when I went to pick up the book. Maybe it's because I have been reading shorter books lately, or because I've been in a romance novel reading hole, but I didn't find myself wanting to carve out time to read this book at every opportunity. It was good, I'm glad to have read it, but I don't think I'll actively pursue the subsequent sequels, if I'm being completely honest.

I loved the characters--Claire, Brevity, Leto, even salty Hero and shady AF Andras. They were all written so well and I loved the interactions and banter among them all throughout the story.

---

Content Warnings

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

Minor: Drug use, Toxic friendship, Religious bigotry, Panic attacks/disorders, and Fire/Fire injury