Characters – 6/10
My first thought when reading this book was “why is Ropa 14?”. As far as I could tell, this book is not intended to be YA, so the age of the protagonist really bugged me. It might just be personal preference, but I think Ropa could have been 18 and the plot wouldn’t have changed. She’s clearly super smart, she likes science podcasts and she’s a quick learner. However, it takes her forever to figure the plot out? She didn’t actively think about what was happening enough, which makes her seem a little oblivious to what’s happening around her.

The Library of the Dead has many amazing side characters and I’m hoping we get to see more of them in future instalments.

Atmosphere – 5/10
We spend a lot of time in Ropa’s head. I’ve never been to Scotland (sadly) so I could have used some more descriptions of the city. The Library of the Dead takes place in a dystopian world, and I would have loved some more description of what happened to the world.

We also spend shockingly little time in the Library. The title had me believe the Library would play a bigger role. I’m hoping for more in the future.

Writing – 8/10
The writing and the slang took some getting used to, but once I was in it I really enjoyed it. The writing style is different, but fun to read. Huchu also has a way of explaining difficult concepts really well. That was something I really enjoyed, and I learned a lot from this book.

(Seriously, I studied thermodynamics because the book had me hooked on the science).

Plot – 5/10
After finishing The Library of the Dead I had to collect my thoughts, especially on the plot. It did not feel like a plot was happening, but it was? This book obviously does a lot of setup for the future books (I think four more are planned). I hope it pays off.

Intrigue – 7/10
I really enjoyed reading this story, despite some of the gripes I had. I enjoyed piecing the story together and I love a good paranormal story. Hopefully, we’ll dive deeper into the lore and the conflict in the next book.

Logic – 7/10
The science in this book was so much fun. One of the best thing about The Library of the Dead was the science-based magic system. I had so much fun watching videos and learning more about the science mentioned in the book. I love a book that makes me think and learn.

Enjoyment – 7/10
This book was a wild ride. I can’t tell yet if it was a good setup for the series, but I’m eager to find out.

CAWPILE = 6.4/10

I have heard so much about this book, I was nervous that it was all hype and it wouldn’t be as good as expected. I wasn’t disappointed. Set in Edinburgh in the future (bot really sure when in the future) the story follow Ropa, a teenager who has dropped out of school to make money to help her family. Her job... communication with the dead, delivering messages from them to the living. I enjoyed the characters. Ropa’s relationship with her gran and sister is string and takes up the majority if the story, there’s bot really many other characters I could comment on. I would recommend this book to any dystopian fantasy fans. Well written, very imaginative and and enjoy Easy read. I will definitely be looking out for the next in the series

Tendai Huchu's third full length novel and (I believe) the first published under his Cthulu-anagram penname (I mean, if you could, you would, right?), The Library of the Dead is an urban fantasy in a vaguely post-apocalyptic Edinburgh told through the voice of Ropa, a Scottish-Zimbabwean teenager and speaker to ghosts who ends up embroiled in a mystery involving missing children in her part of the city. As Ropa tries to unravel the case, it draws her into the orbit of the titular Library, whose stuffy regulations and elitism around types of magic and the kind of people who can practice it (i.e. people who can afford hefty membership fees) immediately cast Ropa as an outsider.

The Library of the Dead is another book that excels when it comes to both its place and its characters. Its version of Edinburgh is one where society seems to have basically collapsed for unclear reasons, with grim caravan park slums on the edge of the city, an unrecognisable currency, teenagers who are empowered to drop out of school to join the gig economy as soon as they hit secondary school, a new monarchy and various other indicators that this is not the Edinburgh of our own world - as if the acceptance of ghosts and other supernatural forces weren't enough on that front. (Don't worry, though, podcasts are still a thing). On the character front, Ropa is certainly the main attraction in all her super-smart, code switching, irreverent glory, but there's also plenty of other great supporting cast members, especially Priya, another girl from the library who immediately starts a friendship with Ropa when she finds her way into the institution. What also makes The Library of the Dead strong are the polyphonic voices of its different magic systems, and the way it ties in with Ropa's marginalised identity. In another book, the magic of the Library itself could be the main event, a well-defined anglo-centric "magic system" with alternate magical traditions perhaps getting a sentence or two of flavour to make it seem like part of a wider magical world. Ropa's entry to it, both as a ghosttalker whose profession is not considered to be a "respectable" form of magic and as someone whose family heritage involves magic that isn't part of the Library's interests at all, means the limitations of that tradition within this world are immediately laid bare to us, and it definitely sets up some intriguing material for future books.

The level of set-up vs pay-off is really my only critique here: The Library of the Dead is the start of a series, and as such it spends a lot of time establishing the various forces and elements in Ropa's world, presumably all the better to develop conflicts and unravel deeper mysteries further down the line. Still, if this series gets the time and development it needs, it's set itself up for great things.

The Characters:
This book follows Ropa, who is a ghost talker carrying messages from the dead to the living, earning her living from this. She lives in a caravan with her Gran, who is very sweet, and her little sister Izwi, who is very smart and who loves to play games on Ropa's phone. Ropa was an amazing character to follow: she was strong, brave, and funny, and I loved her story. I loved seeing her relationship with her family, and how much she cared for them and did everything for them. I also loved her relationships with her friends, both old and new. Ropa and Jomo's friendship was great - they were old friends from when Ropa was in school, and their rekindled friendship was lovely to read about. Priya, one of Ropa's new friends, was great to read about as well. I loved reading about her and Ropa's friendship and seeing how they formed such a quick friendship. Another relationship I loved was Ropa's and her 'pet' fox River, who lives under the family's caravan and who accompanies Ropa on so many trips across Edinburgh.

The Story:
This book was excellent! I loved all of the different events that took place in this book. The pacing was incredible: I loved that it started a little slower (but not massively slow as lots happened at the start), and picked up the pace more in the middle-end of the book. I loved the library itself, and I'm so excited that this book is the start of a series as hopefully we'll get to see more of it in future books. There were so many things that took me by surprise in this book and I loved that.

I really enjoyed Edinburgh as a setting for this book. The way the setting and the descriptions of the city were written made it feel like I was travelling alongside Ropa. I loved the magical elements of this book as well and how the characters needed to know how the magic worked in order to perform it. I thought this was really well done and really enjoyed reading about it. I'm looking forward to seeing more magic in future books, and seeing how it can progress.

Final Thoughts:
Overall I gave this book a 4 star rating and absolutely loved it. I flew through the last half of the book and was really excited to read more. I'm going to be ordering myself a finished copy of this book, as I can definitely see me picking this book up again in the future and rereading it. I would highly recommend this book, and hope you love it as much as I did.

Ropa left school to look after her family, helping to raise money to keep the ‘wolf’ from the door, but her occupation is no ordinary one….. she is a Ghost Stalker. In a post-catastrophe world she spends her evening’s delivering messages to the families of the dead in return for payment, but one evening she meets a newly deceased spirit who turns her ‘comfortable’ routine upside down.

Nicola can’t move on until she finds her missing son and implores Ropa to help even though she is unable to compensate her. Initially dismissive Ropa soon leans that Nicola’s son isn’t the only child to disappear from the streets of Edinburgh and that those who are lucky enough to be found are mysteriously devoid of life and with encouragement from her Gran takes on the case to discover the truth. But will her digging uncover more than Ropa can handle?

I absolutely adored The Library of the Dead and it’s definitely an early contender for my book of the year for 2021! T.L. Huchu’s world building is fantastically detailed which captured my imagination immediately pulling me into what turned out to be a fast-paced and gripping story. Set in a dystopian Edinburgh with regular refences to a King throughout it’s not completely clear if this is a futuristic version of the world we know and love, however I personally felt some of this fictional world could easily become our reality without having to stretch your imagination too much.

I love our protagonist Ropa, an unconventional heroine who leaps headlong into danger with bravery and resilience in bucket loads to help her in any sticky situations she may encounter. Despite only being in her teens Ropa has had to adapt to the world in which she has been brought up in, living day to day and doing anything she can to keep her family safe and well provided for. It’s wonderful to see the relationships she has with her Gran and younger sister and the family bonds that have survived despite the mysterious catastrophe.

There is a real diversity of characters in this book which is always a joy to read and for me The Library of the Dead offers something completely different to any other book I’ve read. It has a complex plot which discusses what happens to your spirit after death that Huchu has written in such a creatively unique way. This book has so much going on with a mixture of action, magic, mystery and family with a handful of witty humour thrown in for good measure; there really is something for everyone! I could talk at length about this story, however I don’t want to give any spoilers so my advice to you is grab a copy for yourself!

The Library of the Dead is the first book in a new series called Edinburgh Nights and it’s burst onto the scene with a gigantic bang and I for one cannot wait to find out what’s next for Ropa when the next book is released. The only problem I have now though is how I’m going to manage to be patient until the next book drops?

I thought this was one of the best books I’ve read this year (yes I know it’s early but I know it’s still going to be up there at the end of the year) Set in an alternate Edinburgh with magic, this book was unlike anything I’ve read before. I absolutely loved it. Yeah first part of the story was a touch slow. But there’s a lot set-up and world building to be done, so I’m happy to give for that, because once it got going I could not put it down. The writing is so inviting and engaging. The story is told from a very casual style. I found that this narrative style so interesting, I think it would have been such a different read if told in a more traditional style. The characters are so well constructed, Ropa is a fabulous character , I loved her immediately, the supporting characters are just as well written and enjoyable to read. I love Edinburgh, but this isn’t quite the Edinburgh we know and love, but that makes it even better to see the world Ropa introduces us to. The main criticism is I need to know how Edinburgh got the way it is, we are t told, but given I want more I am really hoping for future books and the chance to find out if I’m lucky. Overall, a really interesting and entertaining read, fun but with darker moments, a fantastic debut. You definitely need to read this.

In a magical, alternative contemporary Edinburgh, Ropa has the gift of being able to communicate with the dead. Turning her skill into a business, she carries messages from the dead to the living, for a price. But when a child goes missing on her patch, Ropa feels honour-bound to investigate, discovering a much darker side to the city’s underworld.

Ropa is an excellent protagonist. She has so much charisma and wit that it’s impossible not to like her, while her friends Jomo and Priya provide good support as minor characters. The story is told from Ropa’s point of view, in a very casual conversational style. I found that this narrative style made the book more unique and memorable, but did grate on me from time to time – I think the story would probably have been just as good in a more traditional style.

The setting is very interesting, because it’s both alien and recognisable at the same time. It actually took me a few chapters to even realise that events were taking place in an alternative Edinburgh rather than the real one because, apart from the magical aspects, the world-building was very subtle and complex. Very well done.

The Library of the Dead is an action-packed, well crafted fantasy novel with a predictable outcome but an entertaining and fast-paced journey to get there.

Set in a futuristic Scotland where communicating with ghosts is just another job, The Library of the Dead takes you on a whirlwind of missing children, magical houses, the dead, the living and everything in between.

This is one of the most unique books I’ve read for a while. Our main character, Ropa, delivers messages from the dead to the living for a fee in order to support her gran and little sister. Ropa is a down-to-earth practical sort of girl, knowing her future lies outside of the education system, and doing whatever it takes to ensure her sister has a normal life.

She is a great protagonist. I loved Ropa’s pragmatism: if you can’t pay, she can’t help, regardless of how heart-felt your story is. But when a mystery gets under her skin, she can’t let it go: she needs to help in whatever way she can, despite the danger closing in. From seeking answers about a missing child to discovering an underground (literally) library full of texts on magic, Ropa takes it all in her stride.

Ropa’s stubborn and independent, but she’s also realistic. While her language can be matter-of-fact and blunt, her emotions are portrayed as anything but. The only issue I had was remembering she was only fourteen – her language, her attitude and the way she’s presented could have easily made her sixteen or older.

The pacing of the first half of the book felt slow. There was quite a lot of set-up and multiple strands of the plot, including the discovery of the magical texts in a hidden library, her job talking to ghosts and the introduction of the missing children. It is written in an engaging way, but didn’t feel there was a real forward drive. Just lots of elements slowly being threaded together.

From around halfway, however, the speed really picks up. A chase through the streets between a milk-float and a wheelchair was both tense and gripping at the same time. Darker themes are introduced in the second half, and although it pushed us further into the supernatural world, I could not put it down.

I can’t pretend that I understood all the different aspects of the magic or even the world-building. It’s not set in today’s time (a standard greeting mentions a king while there is reference to past tragedies) but is very much today’s world. But – in a way – it didn’t matter that not everything was clear. While some of the rules were a little murky, Ropa carries it with such determination that you’re swept up in her discoveries. You’re not left confused at any point.

This is a fun book. The premise is unique and the characters engaging. I read it quite quickly, partly because it’s quite an easy one to get through, but also because I didn’t want to put it down.

If you’re looking for something to grip you with a healthy dose of supernatural thrown in, I definitely recommend The Library of the Dead.

My thanks to Pan Macmillan/Pan for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Library of the Dead’ by T. L. Huchu (Tendai Huchu) in exchange for an honest review. He has previously won awards for his short fiction, including a Nommo Award for African SF/F.

This is the first in his Edinburgh Nights series set in a post-apocalyptic Edinburgh. Its narrator is fourteen-year-old Ropafadzo (Ropa) Moyo, who has dropped out of school to become a ghostalker. She now speaks to Edinburgh’s dead, carrying messages to the living.

Ropa lives with her younger sister, Izwi, and her blind grandmother, Melsie Mhondoro, herself well known as a ghostalker. Now that her grandmother is housebound, Ropa feels responsible for supporting their family in a society in which there is no longer social services or the NHS!

Nicola Stuart, a new ghost, implores Ropa to find her son, Ollie, who went missing before she died. Ropa isn’t keen, especially as Nicola won’t be able to pay. Yet when Ropa learns that other children have mysteriously vanished she agrees to search for not only Ollie but to discover their fates.

In the process Ropa is introduced by her former schoolmate, Jomo, to a secret occult library and there makes new allies that clearly will feature in future books in the series.

This was great fun and Ropa a delight. Huchu has introduced a cast of interesting supporting characters including the Fagin-like Rooster (Red) Rob, Priyanka (Priya) Kapoor, a healer and herbologist, who due to a spinal injury is in a wheelchair, and Sir Callander, a senior member of the Library of the Dead with a wide knowledge of magic. As Ropa observes he had “somehow been expecting me”.

I enjoyed this very much and it’s a very promising start to this series that peppers its urban fantasy-horror with wry humour. It was also interesting to have Zimbabwean magical traditions presented alongside Western occultism in a dystopian Scottish setting. I can hardly wait to read the next in this series.

What I Liked

I really enjoyed the paranormal aspect in this story – the hows and whys seem really worked out, and there’s some fun angles like the government handing out licenses to be a ghost talker, disclaimers, rules on payment, and so forth. The explanation and exposition seemed natural and casual, gradually as it came up in the course of the story. I especially liked the method Ropa uses to speak to ghosts, with music and finding the right rhythm and tone for each ghost. I enjoyed Ropa for the most part, occasionally getting a little bit tired when she gets too over the top in her sarcastic, devil-may-care internal narrative. It’s strange to think of her as only 14/15 years old, as she reads older, likely due to the harsh environment she lives in. Her grandma seems intriguing, and I liked her friendship with Jomo and Priya. Edinburgh is, as ever, flawless and now I want to go to Scotland. The mystery was dark and gruesome, and despite the ghosts earlier in the story the development of the mystery is where it really takes a sinister turn. It had a quick pace, and – barring a few exceptions – I was keen to come back to the story again and again.

What Could Have Been Better

Like I think many others going into this book, I did not expect this to be a dystopian, post-apocalyptic Edinburgh. That in itself isn’t a bad thing, but there just too little information. Some vague Catastrophe is hinted at, but never elaborated on, there’s a King that gets an almost dictator-like sentiment of allegiance any time you greet someone, there’s slums and gangs and – while we have fancy mobiles and internet still, nobody seems be driving cars. But no explanation in detail. Now, you can say it’s because Ropa wouldn’t need to do this, as it wouldn’t be natural, yet she explains her ghost-talking in lovely detail. Also, you could take away all the dystopian elements, and you would have the same story – which means it’s not present enough to be necessary. There’s also a bit of misleading going on with the title – as yes, there is a Library, though it doesn’t play a huge part in this first book, but it’s not exactly ‘of the Dead’. Finally, there’s the magic. Now, I enjoy a magic system that is intricate and rule heavy, but the way to really turn me off it is with five whole pages of paragraphs going over scholarly formulas and theories in fine detail – I skim-read that, it was too vague and complicated, and felt way too in-depth for the amount of background knowledge you need to be able to follow its use in the story. And why info-dump it like that, when in the end, it’s debatable how relevant it was for this first story?

Final Musings

In the end it boils down to some really lovely ideas and original aspects, but unfortunately too much detail spent on some things – like the magic – yet keeping us in the dark about some of the other things – such as the world we live in. Now, the story does hint at things to come, and this is very much the first in a series, so maybe these elements will improve going forwards. I don’t mind details being revealed to me over time, but I still would have liked to have more of a grasp of the world and the setting by the end of the first book, to get me all set to get hyped for the next one!

Ropa is a ghostalker who specialises in receiving messages from the dead and then passes them to their living family members. All is well until a recently deceased young mother approaches Ropa to ask for help in finding her missing son.

It is important to note the setting of this story, this is not set in modern day Edinburgh, infact something terrible has happened and Scotland seems to have picked the wrong side (shocker haha). The annoying thing is, we never find out whats happened, where did it all go wrong and why is there a King of Scotland?

This book is very character driven, the plot is a bit on the hazy side for me but I still really enjoyed it. Ropa is strong willed and despite being a 14yr old girl, shes out earning a living to look after her little sister and gran. She is incredibly likeable and she is quite funny at times.

All in all, I did enjoy the book and I would definitely read the next in the series! I need to know what happened to my beloved Scotland!!

I was taken by surprise by this book in several ways. First up based on blurb I thought this was based in modern Edinburgh, but I was surprised to learn that it’s actually set in a version of Edinburgh where there has been some kind of big world event that has changed everything, but in this book we don’t find out what that was. Secondly, our main character is only 13 years old, which works amazingly but I definitely kept forgetting her age because there’s quite a few moments where she uses sexual language (usually as insults). It took a little bit of getting used too, but once you are you see how it is just a part of her personality.

I loved Ropa as our heroine. She’s fearless, independent and will kick ass when needed. She’s witty and unique, and uses a lot of Scottish slang. The writing style takes a little while to get used to – but once you do you’re off on an adventure with Ropa.

Edinburgh is one of my favourite cities so being able to explore it with Ropa was a joy. I’ve spent some time there and I know the main places in the city, so being able to picture exactly where Ropa was was a joy for me. She crisscrosses the city and the library happens to be near one of my favourite spots in the whole of Edinburgh.

The story is fast-paced and action packed. I had zero idea where it was going but it’s creepy and paranormal and I just want the next in the series so I can find out more.

DNF at 10%

Unfortunately I think this was a case of wrong book, wrong time for me. I've started it several times and just can't seem to focus on it properly. I might try the audiobook at some point as the writing was fantastic and the main character is voicey and excellent but for some reason this just isn't really working for me.

An unexpected pleasure.

This book reeled me in with it's description of books and Edinburgh featuring highly in its blurb. I'm not sure I was quite expecting what the story delivered though. I usually avoid anything "fantasy", and there was far more of this in the plot than I was expecting... however, I was drawn in by the characters and the hints of a very different reality to that which we inhabit, and if anything was left wanting to understand more of it.

The adventure was fully rounded, with an entirely satisfactory ending delivered as the culmination of enough twists and turns to keep me reading. My only complaint was that I wanted to be given more information about how and why Edinburgh was the way it was - what had happened to society to create this reality. Hopefully this might be explored in any subsequent books the author might set in this world.

First of all, the cover on this book is absolutely stunning!

Unfortunately, the writing style didn't work for me and I really struggled to connect to both the characters and thus future version of Edinburgh

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Ropa is an engaging protagonist and given the awful circumstances she finds herself battling with, the fact that she is only fourteen worked for me, although I am aware some reviewers had a bit of a problem with her youth. But children in difficult times grow up fast and she still demonstrated that odd mix of maturity and flashes of someone much younger that makes up a teen personality. I thought the characterisation of the protagonist was the main strength of the book, though I also liked the depiction of a civilisation steadily falling apart. It didn’t bother me that I wasn’t aware of exactly why everything was quite so dire – given we are in Ropa’s viewpoint, pages of explanation about the political situation would have been out of character.

I also liked the members of Ropa’s family – her relationship with her younger sister could have so easily become a bit treacly, and I was pleased that it didn’t. The constant friction between the girls over the use of her phone was nicely realistic, having had to step into the middle of similar fights between my grandchildren. Her granny is also an intriguing personality, who taught Ropa the magic she uses, drawing on her Zimbabwean culture to be able to speak to the departed and help them. All this worked really well for me.

However, I wasn’t quite so impressed with the plotting. The story was completely predictable and I guessed (successfully) what was going to happen from about halfway through the book. As you can see from the score, that wasn’t a huge dealbreaker for me as Ropa’s personality made this an entertaining read anyway. I’m not wholly convinced about the library angle of the story, either. To be honest, it felt a tad tacked on, and wasn’t in the same league as Ropa’s characterisation, and the interesting world she is forced to operate in. There are some fabulous magical libraries out there already – ranging from the hilariously dangerous version at the Unseen University in Pratchett’s Discworld with an orangutang for a librarian, through to Genevieve Cogman’s highly successful Invisible Library series. Huchu is going to have to work at making this version really stand out.

That said, I would happily read the second book in this series just to spend a bit more time with Ropa. Recommended for fans who particularly enjoy strong young protagonists operating in difficult circumstances. While I obtained an arc of The Library of the Dead from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10

Ok fine. So I might be biased with this one because it’s set in Edinburgh but hear me out! The Library of the Dead could be the start of a new, wonderful series. Here’s why:

✨ My city but make it post-apocalyptic/some sort of chaos that’s caused absolute mayhem and we have a king (long may he reign) now?!
✨ A magical cult. I mean it’s not called out as being a cult but it’s definitely a goddamn cult
✨ Ghosts. A colossal fuck-tonne of them

Ok, I’m sure you’re all like ‘hell yeah Jen this sounds excellent tell me more‘ so it’s only right that I introduce you to the main lady before I get into the story vibes.

Met Ropa. A 14-year-old deado talker with green dreadlocks and black lipstick who’s hellbent on making sure her family keeps a roof over their heads. Her line of work is simple – she’s a messenger. For the dead. Passing on notes to their living relatives. All through the power of a Mbira (of which I’ve now been getting IG ads for 👀) that helps tune the ghost-waves. No idea if that’s what they’re called but I’m rolling with it.

SooooOoOooooOOOo. When Ropa is hounded by the ghost of a missing child’s mother at her usual place of business, it’s definitely unusual for her to take on jobs where payment ain’t guaranteed.

And this is where our story takes off. We see Edinburgh through Ropa’s eyes, cutting through the streets of a very different city trying to find clues about this missing kid and ultimately ending up in the not-a-cult cult Library of the Dead. A place where the elites hang out and quite clearly create yet untold shenanigans.

My ONLY issue with it was the plot – felt like a bastarding rollercoaster sometimes which left my brain feeling a little stretched Armstrong in every direction. It’s a set-up book (the library actually plays a teenie tiny part) and that’s absolutely ok – I just wish some parts had a little more focus. Other than that, I’m genuinely sad it’s over.

Honestly, this book is a delight, but it’s also a bit grim in places. The world-building kept me sucked in (totally helps I live here and, for once, I get the local references) and I’m 100% on board, buckled in etc. etc. with whatever direction this goes in. Oh, and I absolutely need to know how Edinburgh got into that state. GIVE ME MORE!

P.s. I will never look at milk the same way again.

If you’re into dark dystopian fantasies with a smattering of magical abilities, then The Library of the Dead should probably be on your TBR.

Ok so I really enjoyed this. I absolutely love Edinburgh after visiting there a few years ago. It’s one of the most gothic and historically interesting cities I’ve been to. So when I saw that this book is set in an apocalyptic Edinburgh with a paranormal premise...I was beyond excited to read it.
I loved the MC Ropa she was just so cool! She’s the perfect blend of sarcastic and blunt but also having a fiercely loyal heart! Especially when it came to her family. Their interactions were some of my favourite parts of the book. Her growth was just great to see as she starts off as being very set on only helping people who could pay for it and you definitely see her become a lot softer by the end.

I will say there isn’t a massive amount of world building or back story to the setting of this book. There are familiar places we come across that are factual about Edinburgh and then it felt like it’s mostly left to our imagination of how it has become a bit of a wasteland to live in. I guess I would like a little more explanation about why the world is the way it is.

Also I would love for this to have been a bit longer so we could have gotten more time with some of the side characters and their backgrounds! I really enjoyed them but didn’t feel like we got to explore their character depth very much. This book is very short and I guess I’m just greedy and want more. But there is also going to be more books in the series so perhaps we’ll see them more in the next instalments.

This book is very atmospheric and creepy. Took me a couple of times to remind myself it was not YA because the MC is a teen so when some really horrible things happened it definitely took me by surprise.

All in all a very solid start to what I think it’s going to be a very popular paranormal series and I can’t wait for book two!

The Library of the Dead is a truly unique idea, and works really well alongside the way it is told. The narration takes a little while to adapt to, as if feels like it's been told at a really rapid pace, no matter how slowly you are actually reading it, but once you get used to it, the setting, story, and telling of it all compliment each other well.

TL Huchu writes a scintillating beginning to the Edinburgh Nights series, set in a post-catastrophe city which upended peoples lives, with the wealthy going up the East coast after the chaos and anarchy that materialised. It is ruled over by a King, with people greeting each other with the spiel of 'God save the king' and 'Long may he reign', the world building is terrific, the rich descriptions giving us a picture of the desperate poverty, a diverse set of colourful and vibrant characters, probing Edinburgh's criminal and magical underbelly. The storyline is dark with its echoes of the Grimm fairytales, alleviated with comic touches of humour, with a brash, bright, cynical, in your face, 14 year old Ropa Moya, our protagonist of Zimbabwean descent, who just oozes charisma, living in a caravan in the Hermiston slums area. She makes a living operating as a ghost stalker, a go between between the dead and the living, utilising her mbira, an ancient African musical instrument, having left school early to provide for and look after her wise and warm Gran, and her younger sister, Izwi.

Ropa sports green dreadlocks and black lipstick, often accompanied by her cool vulpine companion, focusing on making money to pay the rent which is in arrears, so when the recently dead mother, Nicola, desperately worried about her missing son, Ollie, asks her to find him, she initially refuses. However, she doesn't hold out for long, resulting in her entering macabre, dangerous and life threatening territory. Her friend, Jomo, helps her access the secret Library of the Dead, a repository for magical texts, becoming a member with an ear for a library card, given a scarf by the Secretary, Sir Callandar. It is here she meets her soon to be bestie, the wheelchair bound, adrenaline junkie and healer, Priya Kapoor, the two working together to find Ollie. When she visits the hotbed of criminality that is tent city, ironically named Camelot, where she once lived, she learns that other children have gone missing too.

In a narrative in which Ropa intends to save the taken children, she finds herself in a evil and cursed house, astrally visiting the terrors of the dead zone that is everyThere, with its Voykers, the demon guardians, encounters the midnight milkman, struggling to successfully practice the magical creation of fire before having to engage in the fight of her life in the thrilling finale. This was a joy to read, I loved the mix of Zimbabwean and Scottish magic and culture, the alternative Edinburgh is both recognisable and alien in equal measure and the offbeat characters are a delight, none more so than the unforgettable, brave and fearless Ropa, old before her years with all the burdens she carries. A hugely entertaining and engaging read that I recommend highly. I look forward with great anticipation to the next in the series. Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for an ARC.