A review by an_erratic_reader
The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• 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? No

3.5

The second book of The Library Trilogy, while not at the same level of the first one, does a good job of moving the story forward. A new race is introduced, Livira's and Evar's relationship grows and new links are formed between main characters. We find out a lot more about the library, the Exchange and the mechanism and the third book seems to be going to be not so much about finding answers to pending questions, rather to what the protagonists are going to do next and to the general fate of the Library. What didn't work for me was first the confusion due to the non-linear narrative. There are many PoVs and they move through time over and over, to the point that I had trouble understanding WHEN we were and, mostly, whether the action was taking place before or after certain events. And then some chapters in the first half of the book, Livira's in particular, were a bit boring and repetitive, not adding much to what was going on.