A review by shakita45
The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

dark funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I really don't know what to make of this book.  It was sold to me as a tale of a reclusive god and his twelve children who all study extensively an aspect of humanity and the world.  What I got instead was....kind of a weird mess?  Carolyn wasn't a particularly compelling heroine, and while the world was interesting, it felt really disjointed, like the stakes weren't really clear.  We're told about how important all this is, but I felt really disconnected from like, what would actually happen if Carolyn failed and one of her other siblings took over the library.

I think I wanted this to be more.....I don't want to say dark academia, but I was expecting this to be a tale of deception that takes place in the library among these twelve siblings, their rivalries and relationships, their time with their father god, and the ultimate conclusion of all of that, perhaps some great plot to free themselves or something.

Like, I finished the book?  But I can't say I enjoyed it.