A review by curiosityp
The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence

adventurous emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

Having dipped into being a fantasy and science fiction reader over the decades, this book is so original that I find it's like nothing I've ever read before.  The action and world-building are unique for me but the complex epic saga of book-related character development and journey does remind me of "The Starless Sea" by Erin Morgenstern.  I don't often read books that are 500+ pages but this novel was so fascinating, absorbing, and at the end, suspenseful action.  This book is emotional and reflective involving the themes of knowledge, power, race, and class divisions.  The "to be continued" ending means I will be reading the next book in this series because I love the characters and want to see what happens next.

I am grateful to NetGalley for access to the ARC.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Violence

Moderate: War, Grief, Classism, and Racism

Being the first book in the series, the world-building involves descriptions of racism, classism, violence and war. The ending is hopeful toward the rest of the series being about those themes changing.