T;LDR: A librarian from Hell, an interesting premise, and a mystery all rolled into one, The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith is an engaging and amusing read.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Claire is the librarian of a library full of unwritten stories… in Hell. When one of the unwritten characters escapes the library to find his author, she, along with her Muse assistant and a newly made demon go topside to hunt him down. What ensues is much bigger than a missing character, with the fate of the balance between Heaven and Hell – and everyone in between – at stake.
I liked this book quite a bit. The world building is unique, the stakes were relevant, the characters were interesting, and the fallibility of those who are supposed to be infallible created a fun adventure to follow. I wasn’t as connected to the main character, which is why I gave it 4 stars.
The Plot
Claire is the Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing. In Hell. Where characters leap off the shelves and go looking for their authors so that their story can be told. There are thousands of titles in the library and quite a few characters who never make it back on the page. Enter a missing Hero, which prompts Claire, along with her assistant, Brevity, a former muse and a newly fledged demon (Leto) to chase the Hero down in our world.
Everything mostly goes to plan, until a fallen angel, Ramiel, corners Claire and Leto and accuses them of harboring the Devil’s Bible. The Devil’s Bible is a powerful weapon and both sides – Heaven and Hell – want to wield it, with innocent Earth caught in the crossfire.
T;LDR: Can Claire find the book, protect the library and end a war between Heaven and Hell before its even started?
What I Liked & Liked Less
I liked this book. The premise alone is enough to cause me nightmares and also spur me on to continue writing all the stories in my head. An entire library with unwritten stories. Characters who can leap off the page – literally – and wreak havoc. The world building alone was enough to get me to read the book and the story paid off as well.
I liked the characters and that the author had POVs for all of them. I’m not a huge fan of multiple POVs, because I never feel like I get to know the characters as intimately as when there are only one or two. But, in this book, it worked really well. I got to know all of the main characters and how they’re feeling enough to root for them and care where their story went.
Except for Claire, the librarian. I never felt like the author let me in with Claire. While the character is reserved and is supposed to be that way, I never felt like I ever got inside Claire to see what made her tick. We were told some of her tragic backstory and saw her greatest mistake and yet… meh. The other characters were far more engaging and made up for what her chapters lacked, though, so it wasn’t a huge detriment to the book.
The plot is your standard mystery – find clues, hunt down clues, fail, figure it out and face down the Big Bad – but it is also interesting and has some twists I didn’t expect. I’m not the most quick to spot the red herrings or clues, so take that for what it’s worth.
I loved that Heaven wasn’t presented here as the good guy. There is greyness for the Heaven and Hell characters. The Big Bad is a Big Bad and wants to do bad things for the sake of power. But everyone else is just trying to figure themselves out and what they want to do next, including Claire.
To Sum Up (Too Late!)
Overall, this is a fun book in an interesting world where nightmares do exist (at least for authors and residents of Hell). I liked the premise, the mystery was good enough to keep me guessing, and the mix of characters were refreshing, which is why I give it 4 stars.
About the Author
A. J. Hackwith is (almost) certainly not an ink witch in a hoodie. She’s a queer writer of fantasy and science fiction living in Seattle, and writes sci-fi romance as Ada Harper. She is a graduate of the Viable Paradise writer’s workshop and her work appears in Uncanny Magazine and assorted anthologies. Summon A.J. at your own peril with an arcane circle of fountain pens and classic RPGs, or you can find her on Twitter and other dark corners of the Internet.
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This book fills one of my Fantasy Bingo squares – the one with Mystery Plot.
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