Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

A fabulous world of mystery, intrigue, and magic. Loved the setting of Edinburgh, it always lends itself really well to stories such as this. I hope to read a sequel to this soon! Thanks for the chance to read this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this mix of adventure and the magical set in the most beautiful city of Edinburgh. Any book with a secret library is going to reach my TBR, added to this we are in some sort of fantasy Edinburgh that’s either in the future or a parallel universal populated with magical people, trolls and previous petty thief Ropa, who is our heroine. Ropa lives on a caravan site with her Gran, and is rather precocious having decided to ditch school and instead spends her time trying to make the rent - although the skill of talking the dead is a bankable skill to have. Ropa is the absolute heart of this unusual novel. She narrates throughout and it’s an absolute pleasure to be in her company because she’s full of sass and lively intelligence. Her story, although in parts it’s one of hardship, is told without self-pity and with bags of humour. I loved her,

I’m a sucker for detail and this novel has it in spades, creating an irresistible world that I wanted to be experience. From the odd social conventions such as the greeting ‘God Save the King’ followed by ‘Long May he Reign’, to the extremes of poverty and squalor families like Ropa’s live in with a contrast in the extravagant areas where the rich live. I felt totally immersed in this world and accepted it’s peculiarities completely. I enjoyed learning more about Ropa’s family background and the Zimbabwean magic she uses in her readings. She’s very unsentimental about her skill to hear messages from the dead for their loved ones and doesn’t pass the message unless the recipient can pay for it. She’s not a charity. The plot centres on a message from a woman called Nicola who’s in the ‘everywhere’ and can’t fully pass into the afterlife because her child Oliver is missing in the present. Ropa knows there have been a few child abductions in the area, with tales of a creepy Milkman lurking around. This is one of those times when Ropa can’t ignore Nicola’s distress and she’s also intrigued by the mystery, not realising yet that she’s placing herself and her friends in danger if she chooses to investigate. This was a fantastic debut novel and I g hope to read the next in this promising series,

I think this is one of the books I've recommended the most since I've read it. I loved reading about this alternative Edinburgh and Ropa and her abilities! It's such a dark and whimsical read!

I think that the world set up here is really interesting and I have high hopes for the series going forward, but this book didn't quite work for me. I felt like too much was being explored, which left the narrative feeling disjointed at times and quite rushed. I enjoyed the characters and liked the family dynamics but once again, there wasn't enough time spent in development. The library itself is fascinating and I look forward to seeing where things go in the next book, now that there will be more time to focus on the plot without having to establish the world too. Overall, a bit messy but an enjoyable opener.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Mac for this ARC

This was a nice easy read nothing to taxing highlights her age but to be fair that just adds to the story. nice young YA book

I didn't like this book at all. I wasn't keen on the characters or the plot. After the first chunk it stopped interesting me. Ended up not finishing this book.

A spooky ghost story set in a post apocalyptic Edinburgh? Sign me up! This was excellent fun, super funny and with a badass main character. I can’t wait for the next one. I have already bought a copy for my school library here in Edinburgh!

I very much enjoyed the world which was created here. A total unique spin on a type of dystopian magic future. Wild! Plus the characters found within were incredibly engaging for me. While the hero is felt YA (I'm not totally sure if this is a YA or Adult novel but the story felt adult to me), I would say the book could be enjoyed across a wide range of ages. I found the writing excellent, crisp and clean, and the language and tone of the piece to be spot on. Highly recommended.
Full review to come on YouTube.

This hooked me from the start with its distinctive voice and breathless pace. I loved Ropa, who’s easily one of the most original heroes I’ve read in years. Her relationship with her family is full of feels, and Huchu paints a fascinating picture of a post-apocalyptic Scotland. Gripping, haunting stuff—and I'm so excited that there’s a second book in the series. Hooray!

Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghostalker. Now she 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 honor-bound to investigate. But what she learns will change her world.

This story was such a surprise for me. It is a perfect read for Halloween: ghosts, strange creatures, hunted (kind of) house, interesting world building surrounding the ghostalker, a secret library and Edinburgh!! Perfection! I enjoyed it so much, it is everything I wanted to read. My favourite by far is the world building. Living in Edinburgh added an extra WOW to the story for me. I loved recognizing neighborhoods and streets. I cannot wait for the next volume to find out more about how world will expand.

Also, Ropa and her friends were great characters. We get a lot of Ropa, her family (her Gran is my all time favourite book grandma at the moment) and her struggles. Because of this we spend little time with the other characters and I really want to find out more about them as well. Ropa is an interesting character, very strong (struggles with her feelings towards her mother a bit), curious, caring and so organized! I really appreciate her.

All in all, this is one of the biggest surprises of the year for me and I loved it!

Ok, I will say that for a lot of this book I had absolutely NO IDEA what was going on ... but i LOVED it. I loved our spunky main character and I loved the diverse cast of characters and all the sininister goings on. Cant wait to read book 2!!

“Science is the great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and superstition.”

T. L. Huchu invites the reader into this magical realm for risky adventure. Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghostalker – 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.

This novel is being described as a cross between Rivers of London and Stranger Things. It definitely carried similarities but this first novel in the Edinburgh Nights series delivers a story which will keep you hooked.

It was impossible to put down because of the very familiar setting to me and also the characters. The relationships between them and their strength to cope with everything they are dealt with by keeping in mind their traditions was fascinating to read.

A brilliant concept told in a way that will leave you wanting more.

"Don’t judge a book by its cover" they say... I’m sorry but 95% of the time I don’t pick up a book who’s cover I don’t like. Added to the fact that Goldsboro books produced some gorgeous spredges for this book… I had to have it.

Im so lucky I did! It’s such a fun read. Huchu’s writing comes across effortlessly. He portrays an atmospheric alternative Edinburgh, that drips with eeriness and post-apocalyptic desolation.

The main character Ropa is a brilliant character, and her humour and voice really adds to a fascinating read.

I feel that overall the story itself fell ever so slightly flat, but there was so much here to enjoy, I really cant wait to see what the future holds for this series.

I'm not much of an urban fantasy reader, but I totally fell in love with Huchu's vision of a ghostly Edinburgh. The book is so wonderfully atmospheric and evokes the spirit (no pun intended) of Edinburgh, but also the strangeness of Huchu's post-apocalyptic-ish, totally spooky version of the city.

Ropa is an amazing character with a unique voice, amazing attitude, and so many layers of complexity. I loved the way you could see her using humour as a way to cope with her difficult life and losses, making her feel all the more relatable and human. I believed in her every action and thought, even when she did things I wouldn't have considered.

This book is a wonderfully layered urban fantasy story perfect for readers of the Rivers of London series (although I think this is better!) and fans of paranormal fantasy stories.

What a brilliant way to start off a series!! I'm already itching to carry on the adventures with Ropa and the supernatural world she finds herself in! This is one of those books that quickly draws you in and doesn't let go of you easy!

Ropa sees dead people! She also speaks to them and uses this ability as a way of making some money to help support her family - she passes on messages from the dead to the living, helping to rid houses of ghosts and letting those ghosts find some peace.

But she's also struggling to make ends meet day to day, and when one of her jobs has the prospect of no money she isn't too keen to devote much time to it - but the other world has different ideas! Ropa is a gutsy character who doesn't like to let people down so when she hears of a ghost wanting help in finding her son who has gone missing, she starts the search. And what she finds is more chilling than she dare imagine.

Beware of the Midnight Milkman! He is a character destined to give you nightmares and tracking him down doesn't prove easy. I loved the thrill of the chase in this story - the research, the inventiveness of Ropa and her friend in using the resources of The Library of the Dead in helping them on their quest to save children from harm.

This was a really fun and atmospheric way to start off a series and I cannot wait to see what the author has in store for us in Book 2!

I really liked this and thought that the premise was interesting and done well. It had some excellent spooky moments in this and had points were it was a sheer ghost story. The mix of action and drama was done well and i can't wait for more in this series.

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! :D 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.

Immediately I loved the narrative style of Huchu's writing, it endeared me to Ropa right away. Ropa is hilarious, her belligerence offset by love for her family and an honourable heart. I found myself laughing out loud at some of her offhand remarks, 'Fanny flutter alert' being one of my favourites.

Huchu's Edinburgh is a bizarre mix of old world and new; mobile phones but unstable electricity, roads in ruin with police on horseback- but somehow it isn't jarring.

Ropa introduces us to the the rules and regulations of her occupation as a ghost messenger in a conversational tone that feels as if the reader has gone out to work with her for training.
I found the musical instruments used to tether ghosts to this realm very interesting and a fun change from the usual tropes.

When her kind hearted Gran convinces Ropa to help a penniless ghost in the search for her missing son, Ropa enlists her forever friend, new friend and fox companion as aid.
This is a real good vs evil story that has only just begun! I can't wait for the next installment.

Library Of The Dead features fantastic own voice, POC and disability rep in a unique fantasy horror set in a cruel Scottish dystopia.
A thrilling read that I highly recommend.

Loved this book. It was magical, interesting, with good writing. Loved the Scotland setting as well.
If you liked the blurb, you'll like the book.

Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.