The Library of the Unwritten
Ratings76
Average rating3.5
Very interesting premise. Not a very interesting book. I wish more of the characters had time to shine and be a bit more fleshed out. Ironically everything felt very two dimensional.
Liked the premise and loved the prose, but did not love the characters as much I thought I would. Still, this was a fun adventure around heaven, hell, and the spaces in between.
I really loved this book, but if I'm being objective the writing isn't the best. Usually I'm fine with letting my emotions cloud my ratings but even I couldn't justify more stars on this one... I'd still recommend it to any other fervent “books about books” aficionados out there though!
I'll preface that my rating and my review stem primarily from the fact that I didn't feel like I really 'clicked' with this book until almost the end.
There isn't anything particularly wrong or glaring with the writing style, and concept is a delightful one. I do feel that there was a lot of characters. While they all had their role to play, the length of the story and the events transpiring didn't give enough room for all the characters to breathe and grow and become well known to me. I think that's one of the reasons I didn't precisely care about any of them until the book was almost over. However, the writer does keep the pacing at a decent clip and scatters just enough curiosity about events to have kept me hooked until the end.
The plot also didn't feel like it had a great deal of space to breathe. The most important beats are addressed, but there's aspects that felt like they could have been explored deeper--lore wise and emotionally.
It's not a bad book by any means or measure; it just could have been better. And being able to see that always leaves me a bit disappointed.
It took a bit to get into the story, but once the plot finally started rolling, it was exciting and intriguing and I just wanted to know what happened to all of the characters.
“A muse, an undead librarian, a demon, and a ghost walk into Valhalla....” —Author Kit Rocha
“The Good Place meets Law & Order: Bibliophile Crime Unit.” —Author Seanan McGuire
Claire is head librarian of the Unwritten Wing, a library in Hell where all stories unfinished by their authors are shelved. A character escapes from his book and travels in search of his author. Claire and her associates must travel together to return the character to his book. During the trip, Claire encounters angel Ramiel who has sought them, convinced the group possesses pieces of an important book in the struggles between Hell, Heaven, and Earth.
For anyone who loves books. Lots of humor and word play.
A very cute book. A bit different than the usual librarian trope. It didn't hook me as deeply as I would have liked, but it was still a fun read and I'll try the next one.
I. Loved. This. Book. Can I be Hell's next Librarian? I think that would be a fun job.
A book about books! Always a personal fave. In this one, unfinished books reside in the Library of the Unwritten, located in hell. Sometimes, those unfinished books come to life, and sometimes they escape the library. It's up to the librarian, Claire, to track them down—with the help of a band of misfits.
I loved the premise, characters, and relationships in this! The plot was a little all over the place, and I'm not entirely sure everything made sense, but I had so much fun reading it that I hardly cared!
This was really fun with a sweet heart at the center regarding stories and their importance to us.
As a librarian and a fan of The Invisible Library series, I thought this book would work out nicely for me. And honestly, I'm not disappointed. It is an interesting read and the world-building here with different Underworlds, the mythology involved, and magics– really everything about is so well done. This book was a delight to read.
I really liked some of the twists as well. Some I thought might happen (a win for me for figuring things out) and some I didn't see coming (another win for me because I was surprised!). The characters were also interesting, different, and very relatable.
I will say, this book is one I had to read in shorter bursts. I couldn't binge it, I'm not sure why it couldn't hold my attention for long stretches of time. But, I will be reading the sequel when it comes out.
I've been so excited to read this book since the day I first heard about it and I've been waiting for its release since then. Multiple rejections for the ARC didn't deter me and I think I'm glad to have read it on my own time without any deadlines looming. And it was such a fun adventurous read.
I have to say, I'm amazed at how ingenious this world is and how fascinating is the author's imagination. A Library located in Hell which contains unwritten books (which are incomplete) is wonderful in itself, but this world has so much more. I loved how it's inclusive of different religions' concept of Heaven and Hell, and the trip to Valhalla was a lot of fun. I was delighted to see a mention of Indralok and hope we get to explore all these other dimensions in the future books. We also encounter a lot of mythical creatures which is fun but the best part is that they don't conform to their typical roles we are aware of, and subversion of all the usual tropes is the most amazing part of this book.
This book was fast paced right from the get go, and I was delighted to be in on this roller coaster adventure. There is a lot of wit and sarcasm and banter in the dialogue, which made the story seem lighter despite the high stakes. There are also quests and puzzles and mazes and action sequences, making us all feel like a part of the adventure and I had such a gala time following along with the characters. And of course, I particularly loved the discussion about stories and characters, and how much authors are attached to their books. I think this book is a love letter to authors and stories and definitely why I was so attracted to it in the first place, and I am so happy that reading it made me feel all the more affection for books and book lovers.
After the wonderful world building, it's the characters who steal the show. Claire is the Hell's Librarian who is very prim and proper, a strict rule follower, who treats books and characters who escape from them like things without feelings. While this might make us feel a bit put off, getting to know her backstory and the way she develops through the story is awesome to read. Leto is a demon courier who seems more like a mortal teenager, a little scared soul who has his own tragic past but is very innocent and sweet and curious. The way these two come to care for each other is beautiful and there are some amazing heart wrenching scenes featuring them.
Brevity is a muse who is also Claire's assistant, a tiny little spitfire, always ready to help Claire in her tasks. She can have bouts of anxiety, but ultimately she draws inspiration from those around her and is brave and a true defender of the Library. She is also very compassionate, cares a lot for the books and characters and will do anything to keep them safe. Hero on the other hand is a character who escapes from his book and is snarky, vain and pretty selfish initially. He is also the one through whom we (and the other characters) learn about the unwritten books and their feelings and how the characters within them are just not abstract words. I absolutely loved how he is written in a way that subverts the standard “perfect hero” trope and every scene with him is a lot of fun. We also have Ramiel who is a fallen angel who is feeling lost and just wants to find a home to which he can finally belong, and his character development is probably the best in the book which I don't wanna spoil by giving away any other details.
To conclude, I have to mention that while my above review might seem like an incoherent mess, it's probably because I'm not feeling well and it's absolutely not the fault of the book. This was a delightful adventure novel which combines a lot of myths and legends, with some amazing characters whom we slowly come to love. If you love the “Books about books and book lovers” genre, or have previously enjoyed books like Sorcery of Thorns or The Invisible Library series, then this book is perfect for you and I promise you will have a lot of fun.
Hell has a library, and within it is the Unwritten Wing, where every story that was never written or has yet to be written is kept. Claire Hadley, the current librarian, is responsible for keeping the Unwritten Wing under control; not as easy as it sounds considering restless books sometimes wake up in the form of one of their characters. When one such character escapes to Earth it is up to Claire and her assistants to retrieve it. Meanwhile, a soul has arrived at the gates of Heaven carrying a scrap of paper with dangerous implications. An encounter in Seattle between Claire's group and the angel sent to investigate the paper touches off a series of events that threaten not only the library, but Heaven and Hell and all the other worlds in between.
The Library of the Unwritten is a creative book with great imagination. Experiencing the story from several points of view enhances the character development and keeps the action going. I enjoyed the mythological influences and the fun characters. A whimsical book that will especially appeal to librarians and writers!