Book Review – The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu
The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu (Edinburgh Nights #1)
Fantasy | Adult | 336 pages
Published on 4th February 2021 by Tor Books
Synopsis
When ghosts talk, she will listen…
Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghost talker – and she now speaks to Edinburgh’s dead, carrying messages to the living. A girl’s gotta earn a living, and it seems harmless enough. Until, that is, the dead whisper that someone’s bewitching children – leaving them husks, empty of joy and life. It’s on Ropa’s patch, so she feels honour bound to investigate. But what she learns will change her world.
She’ll dice with death (not part of her life plan…) as she calls on Zimbabwean magic and Scottish pragmatism to hunt down clues. For Edinburgh hides a wealth of secrets. And in the process, she discovers an occult library and some unexpected allies. Yet as shadows lengthen, will the hunter become the hunted?
Opening up a world of magic and adventure, The Library of the Dead by T. L. Huchu is the first book in the Edinburgh Nights series.
My rating:
Review
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I was pretty excited about The Library of the Dead – it fits right into one of my favourite genres – an alternate magical society with a mystery element. Yes, that’s specific, and yes, I found enough books in that to justify the opinion! 😀 Set in an alternate Edinburgh, The Library of the Dead features a girl who can talk to the dead.
Despite this being an adult book, the main character is 14. Ropa more than steps into the big shoes of the main character though – she’s full of personality. I love that she doesn’t actually want to help at first because there’s no benefit to her or her family, and that she’s so protective over her family.
Because we’re in Ropa’s head, the storytelling can be quite informal, but it works well. You really understand that Ropa is young but it doesn’t detract from the story or our enjoyment.
I did have one issue though – there are almost no descriptions in the book, and sometimes that left me a little at sea. As much as I don’t visualise when I read I still like to know what things look like for some reason, and I didn’t here. There’s also a lot of backstory missing about what happened to cause the world to be how it is. That part is obviously being worked up to, so I’m hoping for more in the next book.
The friendships in the book are lovely too, even when Ropa is pushing them as far as they’ll go. And I especially like her newfound friendship with Priya.
The mystery was a tiny bit predictable in places but very enjoyable and well written. And honestly, it definitely has thriller elements to it, there are some incredibly tense moments. Ropa is a pretty good detective, but also driven by her emotions in places – this definitely again highlights her age but adds to the story.
Overall I found this very enjoyable. I’ve given it 3.5 stars but mostly because I found the lack of description hard to work with. I will definitely be picking up the second book.
Buy The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu from Waterstones.
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One Comment
Ellie
Shame this didn’t blow you away, but I’m glad that you still enjoyed!