3.5 Stars.

Here are a few things you can expect from :

An main character with a HUGE personality and a wee bit of a potty mouth;
A fun adventure read;
A truly fascinating world; and
On to the full review…

The Library of the Dead was such a fun and wild ride, Ropa is the bread and butter of this story. She such an interested kid with so much charisma and personality you cant help but love her spunk! I can’t lie, I do like the whole reluctant hero from time to time, and Ropa was such a fresh take on it. It was the same old trope but because Ropa is such a character and the people that surround her are just as great it didn’t feel repetitive.

I love that Ropa was this quirky and clever girl, her situation is not to great and she makes do with what she can in a world which doesn’t give you anything, so seeing that despite her struggles she still had a heart of gold was endearing to say the least.

The Library of the Dead also has some quite dark moments, despite its almost joyous feel the world is dark, bad things happen and it does not shy from bloody violence when the story requires it.

I think the decrepit world that Huchu has created is great, it was fun imagining this world and all the ghosts that fill it. It has dystopia feels and you can tell that the Scotland of this story is not in a good place, it has unjust and scummy police, gangs and clans and so much more. It is a truly fascinating world Huchu has created. Then infuse that with magic and the paranormal it becomes quite a unique setting. It was fun to see the way the Scottish people live and work in this world, and how the dead still have their roles to play, although some encounters really didn’t feel necessary for the story they were a good tell of what the world was like and how it operated.

Which leads me to what I think is the main weakness of this book. Its plot. It is quite uneven at times, and as I said has full sections of unnecessary encounters, while they are still fun to read because Ropa is amazing they just weren’t necessary.

Though this book is definitely a character driven book it isn’t my typical character driven book, you can feel the youth of Ropa and her cynicism is fun too but it isn’t a deep and complex character story. However, she is a young 14 year old lass and her character and its development was amazing and appropriate to that.

I quite liked the magic within this story too, I didn’t really expect it to be so scientific or structured, when dealing with the ghosts and ghouls is felt quite soft and easy, a little whimsical but this is not the case as we find out when Ropa begins learning it in more depth.

Overall, this was such a fun read set in a unique world, it is a clear page turner and will have you laughing, cursing and even feeling all warm and fuzzy! Ropa is a distinctive and utterly brilliant main character, she was a joy to read as she is just the right amount of bad mouthed, kookiness you will no doubt love.

THE RANKS:

BUY THE HARDBACK | BUY THE PAPERBACK | BUY THE EBOOK | LIBRARY RENTAL OR SALE PURCHASE

I would pick this up in either audiobook from eBook, it is a great debut and worth a read, especially in the spooky season.

Sadly this was absolutely not my book which is a shame because on paper this is 100% my cup of tea: urban fantasy, books, girl main character... But for me it fell short of my expectation and my personal taste. Not a bad book, just not my thing.

T L Huchu is originally from Zimbabwe and is now a long-term resident of Edinburgh, both facets of which are used well in this entertaining urban fantasy, one which could be read and appreciated by either YA or adult readers. This is (as far as I am aware) his first SFF novel, although he has previously published well-regarded mainstream novels. However, he is not a total newcomer to SFF, having had short fiction published in magazines such as Interzone and Lightspeed, been shortlisted for the Grand Prix L’Imaginaire and a winner of a Nommo Award for African SFF.
Set in an alternative near-future Edinburgh, this is a city in a full-blown economic collapse. There appears to be little social “safety net” and petty crime, vandalism and homelessness are common. What exactly has happened is not clear although there are references to some sort of conflict with England. Ropa, her younger sister, Izwi, and her grandmother live in a caravan with Ropa as the only breadwinner. Luckily Ropa has a talent, she can communicate with ghosts and she passes messages on to their living relatives for a fee of course (much like a reversed charges phone call where the recipient pays).
When a desperate ghost contacts her about a missing child, she reluctantly accepts even though there is no prospect of payment. However, that single task reveals a number of abducted children, some of who have been returned magically damaged. Attempting to discover more information, she sneaks into the Library of the Dead, the school for registered (and for the most part, wealthy) magicians and apprentices. Once caught, she is reprieved and enrolled thanks to the interjection of an enigmatic senior magician. With the aid of her two friends, apprentice magician, Priya and old school-friend and junior staff member, Jomo they continue looking for the ghost’s missing child. In the process they uncover a child-abduction racket run by magical creatures and magicians and Ropa must fight for her life and those of the children.
I thoroughly enjoyed this urban fantasy. The world-building is superb, including life among the destitute, with its harsh but necessary networks of favours, barter and gang loyalties etc. It is also refreshing to see a different UK backdrop than London. The relationship between Ropa, her gran and sister is well done and is the anchor and foundation of Ropa’s remaining a caring and decent person despite an outer shell of hardness. The set-up and details of the abduction ring are suitably creepy and menacing, and there are also some entertaining and funny chase scenes.
Ropa is believable as someone who is clever but not omniscient. She is intelligent (and knows it) but lacks knowledge and sometimes makes mistakes or judgement errors that land her in trouble. The story is told from Ropa’s point of view and there is some delightful Scottish vocabulary scattered through her speech. Having said that, this is very clearly the first novel in a series. Having introduced the concept of the Library, it actually plays very little part in this story, although there is clearly a lot of potential for the future. I also guessed the identity of the main villain quite early but nevertheless enjoyed the journey to the final confrontation. The reader also is left wanting more information on the back history of both Ropa and what happened to Edinburgh society. Finally, although the story comes to a conclusion, there is clearly still more to be uncovered regarding the reasons and players behind the abduction ring. While not perfect, this is an energetic and original addition to the urban fantasy genre and I certainly look forward to reading the sequel.

First of all, thank you to Tor UK and Stephen and Jamie-Lee at Black Crow for this wonderful review copy.

The Library of the Dead is a debut full of character, full of quirky voice and full of ghosts. Ropa’s POV is enthralling, funny and her spin on the paranormal, where mediums are licensed and taking messages from ghosts is run of the mill, is utterly human and downright charming. It’s a book that’ll talk your ear off in Ropa’s smart quips and keep you entertained with enough ghosts to last a lifetime.

The plot sees Ropa searching for a missing child – the ghost of his mother won’t leave her alone and can’t pay for her services, so she’s going to have to dig deep in her charitable pocket and set this one up for free. Only, it isn’t just one child, there’s a spate of missing children. The ones that have been found so far are … changed. Meanwhile, her friend Jomo’s working at a mysterious library that’s got a hidden, magical secret and she’s just about keeping her head above water with the rent owed to her landlord. Though, there’s plenty of ghosts that need a message delivered, and plenty of family members that are ready to pay for those messages – Ropa’s a ghostalker and specialises in messages from the dead.

At first, I thought this book was set in present day, or near that, Scotland. But with all the hints in the book, it’s set in a world where a war or a great calamity happened that Scotland was on the wrong side of and they’re still left reeling from it. There’s a King and we’re in what seems to be a post-apocalyptic future where there’s slums and poverty galore in Scotland – well, not quite post-apocalyptic, but you get the feeling that they’ve messed up and aren’t getting any help any time soon. The mobile phones recharge themselves by movement, fossil fuels are shot and electric and coal are all the rage; only Ropa’s grandma can remember a time they didn’t use coal. So it’s an interesting setting. What you also have to pair this with is the fact that everyone’s accepting of ghosts, magic, mediums, magicians – this is one thing that took me by surprise. It wasn’t until a little way into the book that I realised it was run of the mill, so that was quite clever. There’s a lot to keep the reader intrigued. That, and Ropa is hilarious.

With regards to the plot and Ropa being such a character, I feel like it takes a little bit of a backseat here in favour of Ropa, her antics, her worldview and just general Ropaness … which isn’t a bad thing. I can appreciate a character-driven story, but they’re not my usual type of book. There was a point where I’d kind of forgotten about the main plot, because we were busy delivering messages from the dead with Ropa and hearing about her rich family history and culture, stories of a time when her gran was the one dealing with the dead – which, if it was delivered in any other voice, might get boring, but it’s Ropa’s so you just kind of go with it. She’s such a strong, likeable character. An active character full of gusto, daring and wit, who has ownership on her life. This isn’t a character that’ll sit by and watch things happen, she’s the one who will sort it out and I loved that about her. However, the main storyline is so full of intrigue that I wish it came to the forefront a little more. It is the main plot thread, after all, so we do get there, but it takes until the last third of the book to really focus on moving it forward.

The history and practice of magic is something of particular note here, Huchu goes to great lengths to flesh out the theory and what practitioners of the past have written about it; Ropa’s studying of magic, working it out and eventually using it is wondrous. It took me by surprise to find such a hard magic system in this book about halfway through but I loved it and was here for it. It’s set out in solid, scientific terms and is treated as such. She studies the books, learns the theory and puts it into practice. I do love a good magic system so this was fantastic.

Overall, if you love all things paranormal, a punchy, page-turning voice and lots of magic, this is certainly a book I’d recommend picking up. However, you have to be aware that this is focused heavily around the character and might be not sit well with people who love a book that goes beat-by-beat with the plot.

A massive thank you to Netgalley and Tor Books for this review copy!

Firstly, I loved how dark this story was! It is full of action, magic, the paranormal and the unknown (I loved that at points you had no idea where this story was going).

The writing style was different, but when I got used to it, I loved it! This author does such a great job of describing the strange happenings within the book.

I loved the MC, Ropa. She is so quirky and outgoing. I loved how she used Scottish slang. She was relatable to both young adults and adults.

I will certainly be checking out the sequel when it’s published.

3.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2021/02/08/the-library-of-the-dead-edinburgh-nights-1-by-tl-huchu/
he Library of the Dead – I want to hug you and slap you. In some respects I think this is just great, in other respects, I have questions and issues. Let’s look at the plot first.

So, this feels like a near future urban fantasy. There has been an event known as the ‘Catastrophe’ but I can’t really speak with confidence about what this really involved. Based in Edinburgh we follow a character called Ropa. A young woman who, well, ‘sees dead people’. She also talks to them and relays messages to their living relatives or loved ones, providing her fee is met. Ropa is stalked by ‘others’. They’re all on her case to pass on messages, the dead are just as bad as the living sometimes in that they’re trying to pull a fast one so Ropa has learned to harden her shell a little. However, when she is repeatedly approached by a spirit worried about her son’s disappearance, payment or not, she is eventually cajoled into delving deeper, at which point it appears that more children are disappearing mysteriously, sometimes returning, but never without terrible outcomes.

Okay, firstly the good. The writing is excellent. It took me a little time to get into the dialect but I loved it regardless. I loved being in the City of Edinburgh. I confess this is a city that I would love to visit and so spending time here through the pages of a book is most welcome. I liked Ropa. This is a character that I can definitely develop an attachment to, she is basically responsible, unselfish and tough. She’s not some sort of badass character but she has learnt her lessons on the streets from an early age and she is tough enough.

The likable. I liked the magic. The supporting cast of characters. I loved Ropa’s background and her grandmom’s magical teachings. I really enjoyed that she speaks to spirits by using a musical instrument. I liked the juxtaposition of two different magic strategies. An almost earth style magic practiced by Ropa which feels very natural and elemental compared to a very book learned magic taught at the library that does feel a little more rigid – although both work. I liked the supporting cast of characters. Priya and Jomo are definitely characters that I can see myself liking. I also love the way this story is just so easily inclusive, this is definitely the sort of writing and plotting that I can get behind because it’s effortless and natural – or at least that’s the way it appeared to me.

The perplexing. Not sure what the ‘catastrophe’ is. This book is earning the monica of ‘dystopian’ but it doesn’t feel like that to me to be honest. Yes, this is a city of extremes. Some people living in abject poverty, gang crime being prevalent. Perhaps the event mentioned is what led to the magic and spirits, not to mention different ‘planes’ being released upon the population. Also, this has a YA theme to it in some respects. Ropa is a young teenager with a lot of responsibility on her shoulders. Look, some people have a tough call in life so I can get on board with Ropa being only 14 or so, but at the same time it does take a little getting used to – well in that in my head I was reading her as a slightly older character.

The grim. The theme here is a bit grim without doubt. In fact I can’t deny that I found it shocking in parts. This is centred around young children being stolen away for quite horrible purposes. It is shocking without doubt. In the same respect – the ‘Milkman’ – I think this author may have come up with a truly hideous antagonist to give most a run for their money and it makes me want to read more to see what happens next.

The criticisms. Well, firstly, I just have to mention the use of Library of the Dead for the title. I can’t deny that this gave me a completely different expectation than was actually the reality. Okay, I’m going to address the elephant in the room. There seems to be a trend of chucking the word ‘library’ into a title because it will appeal to bibliophiles, and it does. It really does. Put ‘library’ into the title and you pretty much have my attention. At the same time though – I want that library to deliver on the promise The library here, as interesting as it is – is not where the dead are rushing around and in fact this is much more a city wide investigation. This is a library of magic and the occult, and there are things to be learnt here (duh, library) but it’s not where the majority of the story takes place and it is definitely not where the dead make their appearances (although this does have a ‘safe place’ type of feel which I do appreciate and understand). Secondly, I think that some of the themes here are quite adult, and yet at the same time this has a YA feel. Personally speaking, I don’t think this is YA – at the same time it gives me pause for thought about why have a 14 year old pov character. I can only deduce that we’re going to grow into this story and character as the series progresses.

On the whole. I think this had a slightly slow start, but was interesting and snappy enough in other ways to keep my attention. Plus, I always give new series a little leeway as they have to deliver a certain amount of information whilst remaining entertaining.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

I would rate this 7 out of 10 or 3.5 of 5 and this would be on the higher side so in terms of Goodreads this would work out at 4 of 5.

We tend to these days have a simple expectation of most contemporary fantasy it often just be a major city usually New York or London mixed with a detective of some form solving a mystery. Sometimes things get weirder with tales like Neverwhere, The City We Became or Claire North’s various novels that are weaving magic and our world in unexpected ways. For something that treads between the two and gave me an excellent refreshing read I can now strongly recommend to you The Library of the Dead by T L Huchu that takes the detective format, adds magic and then throws in a near future dystopian Edinburgh for us to explore on top. A hugely promising start to the new Edinburgh Nights series that I think has the potential to become something truly special.

In a not-too-distant future Edinburgh is very very different to how it is now. The Scottish Parliament is in ruins, some areas are flooded, power is erratic and there are many slums, cut-throats and long-term camps surrounding the city as people just try to survive. One of these is Ropa who has now left school and using her family’s magical talent of being able to speak to the dead to help pass on messages for a price. This keeps a caravan roof over her family’s head even though she gets bored dealing with petty domestic disputes that death has not ended. However, one ghost has an interest in their young son who has gone missing in the living world and reluctantly Ropa agrees to investigate. This brings her to the attention of a secret magical society that own The Library of the Dead a repository of magical knowledge and places her in a huge level of danger as she then discovers more children are going missing and returning in a terribly changed way – robbed of their youth.

There is some much to enjoy in this debut that bristles with confidence and ambition. One thing it is not is Young Adult despite Ropa being described as 14 going on 15. Ropa is one of the most interesting lead characters I’ve met she is an unusual mix of a young woman learning how her world works, eldest child going on family breadwinner and a person who revels in learning be it via podcasts, books or old movies and TV that survived the apocalypse. She is our narrator and I’m really impressed how Huchu shows us all these sides to her personality – outwardly sarcastic, occasionally foul mouthed and armed with purple hair, steel toed boots and a catapult you could dismiss her as just another arrogant teen, but I really liked that her internal narration shows so much complexity as she finds herself drawn unwillingly into a mystery to solve and also discovers that her magical abilities could be developed a lot further than she ever knew. Someone who applies Sun Tzu, scientific principles, and history to her world to make sense of it – geeks will love that deep down she is clearly one of us. It is also worth noting that Ropa is of Zimbabwean descent and it is always refreshing to be reminded that in 21st century British doesn’t mean yet another white male lead.

Huchu’s creativity is further demonstrated in the world Ropa lives in and it’s intriguing and disconcerting. With mention of phones and podcasts we can feel a connection to our world, but it is clear something terrible has happened that has taken Edinburgh backwards. Food is scarce, the national health service has gone, and schools are paid for by families. Part of the book’s mystery is piecing together what may have happened and there is a lot left to explore in the future. Added to that confidently Huchu adds magic. This starts by showing us Ropa’s existing power to talk to the dead but then we also explore her other ability to travel to the dimension the dead waiting to move on are stuck in – haunting, weird, and also guarded by mysterious skull faced guardian who will devour any intruders. Half familiar I liked how Huchu added their own take on this idea and it felt refreshing and again full of more to explore. Then just when you think that would be enough Huchu throws in a secret society of magicians who study the ancient yet evolving art of magic. Most book lovers will love the idea od a magical library and this adds a new political dimension to explore as well as helping Ropa learn more about magical abilities as we see tensions between factions and also the English are clearly underway. Fans of the Rivers of London series will enjoy this element as Ropa explore various magical theories and starts to add her own touch leading to some incendiary scenes as the adventure builds up. The whole feeling is a of complex giant world that Ropa’s initial mystery just scratches the surface of and I very much was left wanting to explore all the facets of this society from the gangs who Ropa has an uneasy relationship with to her new magical sponsors.

But a story is equally important, and the initial mystery adds shade to what could just be a fun adventure. The abduction and magical torture of children is where the story moves firmly into adult territory and Huchu can write horror as well as action that really pull you into this tale. There are some disconcerting scenes as Ropa finds herself facing the people behind these crimes and it’s an intriguing mystery although one niggle is the final reveals do feel like they could have been strengthened rather than simply laying a path for the next book. Two characters I really loved were Ropa’s Gran a charming guardian for Ropa now very frail yet often able to add some moral guidance Ropa needs to hear (their relationship is incredibly touching) and the very cool magician Priya a character who uses a wheelchair to move around but whose mind is key to unlocking some key magical mysteries for Ropa as she gets used to her new world – plus leading to a fantastic car versus wheelchair chase down the streets of Edinburgh which is a standout highlight of the book.

This series was inventive, fun, thoughtful and most of all left me wanting more. It feels like Huchu has created a world and set of characters that there is a lot of road left to explore in. It is refreshingly modern in approach and yet offered a few unexpected surprises. Something fantasy fans should get hold of now and prepare for a very entertaining ride!

It’s the first in the Edinburgh Night Series which I would describe as a dark, urban fantasy tale.

It features a hell of a lot of ghosts, an occult library and is set in a kind of post apocalyptic or possibly a post war Edinburgh. The circumstances is never explained so I hope it is more in the next book.

There are many creepy type supernatural incidents that occur and evil villains involved but it is also really funny which is not what I expected! There were some scenes I was actually giggling to myself. So there is a good mix of humour and darkness in the pages.

Ropa the main protagonist I took to straight away. She is witty, badass and talks in a Scottish slang/dialect. She came across very real and likeable and is probably one of my favourite characters I have read about in ages.

The author writes about science and magic in a really intriguing way that is not heavy and is enough for you to understand the ins and outs to gets to grips with the story and the world building. It is quite a quirky, unusual read but it all comes together to be a fantastic atmospheric read full of magic and adventure.

I honestly cannot wait for the next book in the series!

For starters, look at that cover! I think we can all agree it’s stunning! I love the map details and the colour - the naked hardback itself is a lovely green colour. Described as Stranger Things meets Rivers of London I read those words and knew I wanted to read this book!

The Library of the Dead comes from a fresh voice in fantasy. I really enjoyed the setting - Edinburgh! And the concept - Ghost talking! … Plus - a mysterious library!

Ropa is our narrator and she is pretty young, which definitely shows and did throw me off occasionally because of the situations she found herself in and how she handled them. She has sassy street smarts which come across in the slang language she uses throughout - again, this could be an issue for some people - luckily I am familiar with a lot of the terms that were used due to my personal friendships. My favourite term that Huchu snuck in is ‘fanny-flutter’ which I found hilarious!

In terms of plot, The Library of the Dead covers a lot of ground. The first third of the book is spent setting up the characters and the location ready for Ropa’s main adventure, this build up is quite long with the middle third giving the set up for the big bad and the final third giving Ropa a mini adventure and the final clash. If this had been set up as a stand alone novel this structure would have been frustrating but I think it’s a good recipe for a first novel in a series. I’m hoping for a more meaty storyline in the coming books now that the stage is set and a bigger enemy appears to have been introduced by the final pages. A few things that weren’t really expanded upon will hopefully be explored more in the coming novels including the nature of the circumstances Edinburgh finds itself in and the reasons the characters refer to a King throughout - I’d really like some context for it!

This is a book for those of you who want the creepy vibes but in a non-scary story!

Ropa is a Ghosttalker and lives in a caravan with her Gran and sister on the outskirts of a post apocalyptic Edinburgh. When a new ghost asks Ropa to find her missing son, she embarks on an investigation which leads her to The Library of the Dead and into some serious dark magic.
Ropa was a likeable, irreverent character, with green hair, a pet fox and substantial catapult skills she was a cross between Katniss Everdeen and Tank Girl. The Edinburgh setting was well described and the post apocalyptic world was convincing. I felt like the plot was slightly unevenly placed - the story was a little slow to start but then barrelled to a too rapid conclusion. It definitely felt like a set up for a series. The charterers are likeable, the Library is intriguing and I'd happily read the next installment

4.5 STARS

The Library of the Dead by T. L. Huchu is the first book in the Edinburgh Nights series, which is urban fantasy mixed with dystopia, and lots of elements of very cool magic and Zimbabwean heritage.

One of the things I liked the most about this book was the setting. It was absolutely incredible and I loved walking around all parts of Edinburgh with the characters. I’ve not had the chance to visit Edinburgh yet, so this was my first little visit to the city, and I loved it.

The characters were just *chef’s kiss*. My favourite was Ropa, our main character, who is sassy, determined, she is only trying to protect and help her Gran and her little sister Izwi, she works long hours and gets into quite a few scrapes, but she has such a big heart. This is something that you wouldn’t expect from this setting and time period (you get the idea that it is a futuristic dystopian version of Edinburgh) because of how harsh the world seems, but Ropa never loses empathy, compassion and caring for people. This is what I loved about her, she is human, she has her faults, but she never stops caring.

I also really liked the ghosttalking that Ropa does thanks to her mbira. This is an instrument used by the Shona people of Zimbabwe and I loved how the author weaved in little bits of this culture into the book, it made it so much more multi-faceted and interesting. I have read books with ghosts before, but this was such a unique take on it and I loved it from the minute I started this book. Ropa also learns a different type of magic during her experiences and this is liked to the “Library of the Dead” which was such a cool place, I could literally spend all day there.

The writing style and pacing were also really good. I think the author has done a great job of inserting themselves and their personality in the book. You can definitely feel them behind the words and this is something that I love feeling when I read. This book, the writing style, the wit, the prose, the characters, the plot and the setting are all larger than life and I think that T. L. Huchu did a fantastic job of bringing them all to life. I loved the writing style as it was just so fresh and fun!

I felt immersed and I think that is down to just how great, engaging, fun and quick the writing style is. You feel Ropa as such a palpable, believable and great character, I loved reading about her, her personality jumps off of the page and I just couldn’t turn the pages fast enough, especially when such wild things happen to her.

I gave this book 4.5 stars. I would recommend this book to fans of urban fantasy, darker fantasy, bigger than life characters, a complex and unique plot, an intricate and interesting magic system, the mix of cultures, and a dystopian world. I will definitely be continuing this series.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was initially really intrigued to read this book, libraries and the dead - I thought, great here we go, however, this book flopped for me. The first 13% was really confusing, and I did not understand, then it picked up a bit and we had a mystery, and then we were introduced to The Library of the Dead, but it was at this point that this book felt like re-hashed ideas from other books about libraries, think The Dark Vault and The Library of the Unwritten. Sadly, I think too many people are now trying to do library related books, and this just didn't work.

The characters, were boring, and the main character, was rude and also very crude too. It all of a sudden became very New Adult out of nowhere. The ending was really confusing, made no sense, and I was super bored.

Unfortunately, I think this book had real potential, but was let down by trying to be too many things. I won't be picking up anymore books by this author

The Library of the Dead is a vivid, wild ride through the ghost-filled streets of Edinburgh. It weaves together contemporary technology, a semi-dystopian setting, and fantasy elements in a masterful way. This book didn't take me where I thought it was going to go, but it was a journey I thoroughly enjoyed.

I've always been a huge fan of urban fantasy. There's just something that hits different about having fantasy elements within a city setting. The Library of the Dead makes wonderful use of this to create a setting that truly feels alive. As the main character, Ropa, travels through the various areas of the city you get a feel for how different communities are linked to geographical area. It's a small thing, but it massively increased my enjoyment of the book. You can tell when an author knows their setting well, and that's true here.

Building on that, all of the characters were wonderfully unique and vibrant. They had a larger-than-life feel to them that I really enjoyed. Ropa, her friends, and her family were my big love in this book. They were a lot of fun to be around, even considering the dark events happening around them. The representation was also excellent. Ropa is a Scottish-Zimbabwean punk with bright green hair, and I love her a lot. Another of my favourites was Priya, who's Indian and disabled; I don't think I've seen many wheelchair users in fantasy, so her character was a brilliant inclusion.

This book also has an incredibly strong character voice. Ropa's dialect is mixed into the narration, and it helps build upon her characterisation and the overall feel of the book. It took me a little while to get used to, but I ended up loving it.

The one thing that let me down a little with The Library of the Dead was the pacing. The beginning is slow, and large plot events don't start taking off until around the halfway mark. I like slow books, so this wasn't something that bothered me. It was the abrupt change in the second half that threw me off a little bit. Twist after twist happens which took me to a completely different place than my expected destination. I did end up liking where the plot went, but the villain reveals sometimes felt a little bit hectic. Perhaps this was impacted by my expectation that the library would be a larger part of the story. I try not to go into books with expectations about what to expect, but sometimes it's difficult not to. Regardless, I think other people will enjoy the twists and turns more than I did.

Although Ropa is a teenage main character, this book is an adult read. There is a lot of darkness, suffering, and adult themes. Ropa's life isn't easy, and I sometimes wished that someone could just come along and sort it all out for her so she wouldn't have to struggle. What I loved was how The Library of the Dead balances this darkness with humour. It's not one of those books that's constantly bleak, gritty, and horrible; Huchu knows exactly the right moments to let a little bit of light in.

The Library of the dead is an incredibly interesting book with a lot of elements I loved. I'd definitely recommend you give it a go if it sounds like something you'd enjoy.

I had predicted this was going to be a 5 star read for me back when it was first announced. I knew I had to get my hands on an ARC as I just had to have this book in my world sooner rather than later and I was not mistaken. I am even tempted to put down my TBR and re-read it right not (I might pick up the audio - no joke). I loved it, here is why....

Firstly, I love the setting. I will preface that while I grew up in Glasgow, Edinburgh is my home. I spent a lot of my teenage years hanging out with various groups of friends from varying economically diverse areas of the city so to launch into a book where the teenage protagonist is prowling the same streets as I did at her age was both nostalgic and fun to read. It isn't a book set in the Edinburgh that most know. We are not down in the Grass market or up on the Castle esplanade, we are in the Western suburbs, the areas where locals out number tourists and it's nice that those areas get recognition.

I love how Huchu reveals that this is a dystopian version of Edinburgh. Through subtle use of language we learn that a cataclysm happened, when we do enter the city centre we learn it isn't as it looks currently, it isn't the tourist hub any more, I love these little subtle changes and introduction to this world. The mystery plot takes us through all different areas of Edinburgh, where we learn a little more each time. I can't wait to find out more about what happened and some more of the events that led to Ropa's Edinburgh.

Speaking of Ropa, she is such a kick ass main character, smart and witty but also willing to admit fault as well as being loving and generous. She was just a delight to read about. Her ability to Ghost talk is really interesting, the musical elements and use of mbira gave such strong imagery. Then as she starts to learn other forms of Magic, which are Science based !!!! - we know I love a good Newton's laws based magic system.. While, we don't dive straight into the training montages in this one it left an exciting open door for all kinds of magical elements. We only just got a glimpse of the Library but it had sooo much going on from it's interesting construction, entrances and choice of membership 'cards' to all the potential it holds for future adventures. I want to go back and visit (I can also see its location from my house which doesn't help as I really want to explore more).

All the characters have depth to them, even those on the spectral plane. I loved Riba's family, especially her little sister, she had such a sass to her that only small kids can. Her Gran was also fantastic, with that weight of wisdom only a women of her age can have. I loved Riba's friends too, especially Priya a wheelchair using magical healer that Riba met in the library. Priya was such a Boss, a wicked sense of humour and a real spark of joy. I want more adventures with Priya.

The plot itself was fun and fast paced with some dark and gruesome elements. It does read a little more YA as Ropa is 14 but I can see the series getting darker as we grow and learn more about Ropa's world. I really just need book two now.

The Library of the Dead is the start of a fascinating new fantasy series set in a dystopian Edinburgh (my home city, kind of…) and inspired by Zimbabwean magic. It has a really interesting world, but there just wasn’t enough time spent with the most interesting parts for me to love this one.

The Library of the Dead follows Ropa, a teen living in a caravan village with her grandmother and sister. Ropa earns money for rent by ghosttalking: she delivers messages from ghosts to living people. But when one ghost asks her to find her missing son, Ropa is drawn into a huge conspiracy that is kidnapping children and milking them for youth.

The book is definitely on the stranger side. It’s written in a very young (young as in teen/hip/cool) style, and is absolutely full of Scottish slang, Scottish idioms, Scottish ways of saying things. It is set in Edinburgh which is the closest city to where I grew up (I lived in the middle of nowhere) so I loved getting to see all this Scottish history, speech and places. Huchu has done an absolutely brilliant job of writing from the POV of a young Scottish teen: it was hugely reminiscent of my childhood, and of pretty much every single conversation I have with everyone back home whenever I talk to them. Unfortunately, I have come to the realisation that the way we Scottish people talk is INFURIATING. How do people put up with us using the word like every two sentences?! Look, Huchu did such a great job getting it sound so realistic, but I just didn’t really get on board with it because it kept annoying me. I think a lot of the annoyance possibly came from the stream of consciousness style first person POV. This is obviously just not a style I jig with, it felt like so much unecessary and random commentary on events. But whether it was the Scottish style of talk or the stream of consciousness that annoyed me most, I now plan to change literally everything about the way I talk because I don’t know how people put up with me if this is what I talk like (and it definitely is, I recognised so many things I say!!)

In saying this, I think this POV/style really helps you discover more about Ropa, who is one of the best things about this book. She is such a brilliant person: so full of spunk and quirkiness and fierceness and anger at the injustice in the world. She’s so full of energy that she really burns off the page and eclipses what’s actually happening. You kind of just want to keep reading just to know what ridiculous thing she’s going to think next – I was snorting with laughter the whole way through. But this did also have the downside of really taking you out of what should be a horrific, gruesome, dark world. Nothing ever felt really serious because of how Ropa reacted to situations. I do also think Priya was written very well (and I love seeing a disabled character in a wheelchair in such an action packed fantasy!!) She was so much fun (hello green hair?! She is definitely my people) and I loved her energy for life and danger.

What I also loved was this world. There are so many fantastic elements. For starters, the magic! Ropa’s ghosttalking uses a mbira (a Zimbabwean musical instrument used for communing with the dead) to help tether ghosts to the human world where she can talk with them. Some of the passages describing the music/mbira as Ropa used it were absolutely beautiful and were some of my favourite passages in the book. I also really liked the magic that requires training aspect: it’s involved lots of science and philosophy as Ropa tried to learn magic, that put a different spin on magic than a lot of other fantasy novels do. But there just wasn’t enough of this! The mbira disappears after the first 20% of the book and I just longed for it to return because that magic was so cool. Some of my favourite scenes are Ropa’s ghosttalking deliveries (particularly the gay baking scene!!) But they also just disappesred fairly early because of the main quest of finding the missing children.

I also loved the very interesting The Library of the Dead, the book’s namesake, a library for Scottish magic built in a tomb! The worlds of the ghosts, such as the EveryThere, were also really fascinating, with the terrifying creatures stalking anyone alive who reaches the place. But as with above, these excellent worldbuilding details barely featured. I would have thought The Library of the Dead especially would have had a more important role in the story, given it’s what the book is named after.

The later half of the book kind of goes back and forth between some really interesting, almost-creepy moments that are weird and darker and you don’t really know what the fuck is going on which is great (like the house with the Brounie!) Or they go slightly too far and verge more into this-doesn’t-make-huge-amounts-of-sense and has come out of nowhere (e.g. Who the actual villain is. A person named only once is the villain? What?!)

So all in all this book was a very conflicting read for me! There are things I absolutely loved and things I really didn’t. But I definitely encourage you to read this one, particularly if you enjoy the stream of consciousness style of writing/first person POV, as I think that was the main thing I struggled with. The world is fascinating and Ropa is such a fierce and gutsy character, so full of life she leaps of the pages.

Library of the Dead follows Ropa, a 14 year old with an ability to see and converse with spirits. I loved Ropa’s voice from the outset, and found her a delight to follow. She is punkish, quirky and fun, which was refreshing to read. Some of her inner monologues made me laugh a lot too. I also loved the slightly dystopian world that is created, and how the author describes it. The library scenes are spectacular. Without giving too much away, I loved the idea of a ‘living’ house. I haven’t come across this before, and it is such a unique and compelling part of this book.

This book is written in a mix of past and present tense, and you will either love or hate the coloquialisms. I loved them, and found the tone totally appropriate. I also loved the mix of classic Victorian and Zimbabwean ghost hunting methods. The mbira was perfect. I’ve never seen it used before, and would actually have liked to see more of it.

There are some beautifully diverse voices in this story too, which I felt deserved comment. Priya is wonderful.

Oh my! That was an interesting book! Unfortunately for me, this is the first book of a series so I have to wait for the next book. But I need answers! And I need them now! Please.

A girl who talks with ghost, what can’t you love? I’m a fan of ghosts stories, so this book was on my wishlist since I heard about it. And I’m so happy I had the opportunity to read it. It started a bit slowly, but after a few chapters I was really hooked up. I loved the idea of this library where the science is mix up with magic. It makes magic to feel so real, like you can control fire if you study it.

I loved the author’s writing style and how creative he is. The main character, Ropa, is very interesting. She is so smart and brave, she stopped going to school, but she never stopped herself from learning and she would do anything for her family.

All in all, The Library of the Dead is an captivating book and I can’t wait to read more books by T.L. Huchu. Thank you so much Tor Books and the author for my book in exchange for an honest review.

I can’t work out if this book is based in Scotland or the USA because the dialect switched between the two and makes it really hard to understand what’s going on.

I couldn’t get past the first few chapters of this book although the premise seemed interesting.

First off, it did take me a few chapters to realize this was a dystopia setting, but once realizing that I was pretty happy about that lol. The protagonist has a wonderfully distinctive voice, you will not ever not know when she is speaking or who she is in the book.

Edinburgh is very different in this dystopia future and as a one-time resident of there and of Scotland for a while, it was still fun to see what things Huchu kept and what they changed.

While there was this great vibrancy to our MC, Ropa, and a super creative dystopia look at Edinburgh, I did find myself easily distracted by trying to figure out how things worked out in this dystopia. Because it took me so long to figure it out (which is probably a me problem and not the Author's problem lol) I was a bit confused and while that confusion lessened, I was still left with feeling that this was not ready yet to be a developed world. The magic was the most developed and best part of it in my opinion and I loved Ropa's family and her personality so much.

The plot was intriguing but took a really long time to get some steam to it but I was still interested. I wanted answers, just like Ropa!

I think this shows a lot of promise and could be a pretty good series/trilogy/duology whatever it is Huchu intends it to be.

3.5/5 cups of coffee from me. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Fourteen year old Ropa lives with her Gran and younger sister, Izwi. She’s got green dreadlocks, black lipstick and a sizeable chip on her shoulder. She’s also a ghostalker.

“Me personally, I find the whole haunting business a bit pathetic.”

But a girl‘s got to pay the bills, so Ropa delivers messages from ghosts to their loved ones. Things have gotten a bit complicated recently because a particular ghost refuses to play by the terms and conditions. Their son is missing and they can’t move on until they know he’s okay. The problem is, this ghost doesn’t have any money and Ropa isn’t in the business of handing out charity.

I had trouble connecting with Ropa when I first met her. She is both book and street smart, but her book smarts can appear at odds with the slang and crass language she uses at times. Life hasn’t been easy for Ropa and as a result she’s built a fairly impenetrable wall around her. She softens when she’s around her family and you get to see another side of her when she’s with her friends but in the beginning she came across as someone I didn’t think I’d be able to get to know.

‘Meh. Tough world, get with the program.’

This book has ghosts, magic and a mysterious library, which is a pretty happy trifecta in my eyes. I met plenty of ghosts and got a taste of the magic that exists in Ropa’s Edinburgh but the reality of this book diverged from my expectations at times.

I had hoped to spend a great deal more time in the library. Hopefully it will be given more page time as the series progresses. The mystery was more prominent than I’d expected but I got sucked into it quite quickly. Although my expectations didn’t entirely line up with reality, I ended up really enjoying this read (once I got used to Ropa’s abrasiveness).

There are some characters I took to immediately and others that I don’t feel I know well enough to be able to form a strong opinion about yet. I loved Gran and look forward to getting to know her more as the series progresses. She’s someone who brings warmth and wisdom.

‘It’s in the most trying times, when we ourselves have nothing, that we mustn’t forget there are higher virtues like compassion, kindness and solidarity. Doing something when it is hard, because it is the right thing to do, matters more than doing it when it’s easy.’

However, I didn’t get much of a sense of Izwi’s personality. I’m fairly certain Jomo will begin to feel like more than a means to an end in future books but so far he hasn’t made a huge impression on me. Making up for him was Priya, who’s fearless and fantastic. I can’t wait to hang out with her again.

Ropa’s world is quite dark and there’s hints about the “catastrophe” that shook things up, but I anticipate there is a lot more information to come. I wondered if pop culture no longer exists here as many of the references aren’t current, even now.

The mystery of this book is solved but there’s a lot more this world has to offer. I’m hoping future books will allow me to spend more time in the library, teach me more of its magic, introduce me to many more ghosts and give me a lot more Gran and Priya time.

Quote of the book: ‘I’m just getting to like you; don’t die stupidly on me now.’

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Tor, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, for the opportunity to read this book.