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A review by whatyoutolkienabout
The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu
4.0
I wanted to read this book when I first heard about it but was a little slow at getting around it. Fate would have it that I found a copy second hand, when browsing a local charity shop and I am so glad I did. Although, I am not so sure why someone would donate it.
The Library of the Dead is a contemporary fantasy following a sassy and smart teen as she explores the shadowy magical underside of modern Edinburgh. We follow Ropa, a teen who dropped out of school to become a fulltime ghost-talker. Now instead of sitting in a classroom she speaks to the dead and delivers messages to the living. It’s harmless enough and the money is good, so it seems like a win win. Then it all goes a bit wrong. The dead begin to whisper of someone bewitching children – leaving nothing but an empty shell of their former selves. Feeling honour bound to investigate – it’s on her patch afterall. Ropa ends up finding herself falling deeper into the shadowy and magical underworld of Edinburgh. Finding friends and enemies along the way, Ropa needs to call on her Zimbabwean magic as well as her Scottish pragmatism to sort this mess out once and for all.
I will start by saying at first I wasn’t sure if I would like this but honestly within a few pages I was hooked. The characters are all interesting and well thought out, I know a few people have mentioned the ‘accent’ coming through as a negative but I found it not too overdone and rather nice to see bits and pieces of dialect you’d expect from someone born and raised in Scotland.
The plot was well thought out and paced, not giving too much away or keeping too much hidden so we lose interest. I honestly cannot wait for book two and beyond with this series. Bonus points for including a fox and someone who shares my name – although thankfully we do not share the same ideals!
If you love modern fantasy YA you will definitely love this one. I know I did.
The Library of the Dead is a contemporary fantasy following a sassy and smart teen as she explores the shadowy magical underside of modern Edinburgh. We follow Ropa, a teen who dropped out of school to become a fulltime ghost-talker. Now instead of sitting in a classroom she speaks to the dead and delivers messages to the living. It’s harmless enough and the money is good, so it seems like a win win. Then it all goes a bit wrong. The dead begin to whisper of someone bewitching children – leaving nothing but an empty shell of their former selves. Feeling honour bound to investigate – it’s on her patch afterall. Ropa ends up finding herself falling deeper into the shadowy and magical underworld of Edinburgh. Finding friends and enemies along the way, Ropa needs to call on her Zimbabwean magic as well as her Scottish pragmatism to sort this mess out once and for all.
I will start by saying at first I wasn’t sure if I would like this but honestly within a few pages I was hooked. The characters are all interesting and well thought out, I know a few people have mentioned the ‘accent’ coming through as a negative but I found it not too overdone and rather nice to see bits and pieces of dialect you’d expect from someone born and raised in Scotland.
The plot was well thought out and paced, not giving too much away or keeping too much hidden so we lose interest. I honestly cannot wait for book two and beyond with this series. Bonus points for including a fox and someone who shares my name – although thankfully we do not share the same ideals!
If you love modern fantasy YA you will definitely love this one. I know I did.