Thank you Netgalley for an arc of this book.
2.5 stars.

I am so disappointed! I absolutely loved The Library of the Unwritten; it was one of my favourite books of 2020. Unfortunately The Archive of the Forgotten did not live up to my expectations and I was really close to DNFing at the 40% mark.

I found the first half of this book quite clunky and slow paced. The plot lines all felt disjointed with a tenuous central thread bringing them together.
The second half of the book is much better paced and the action really ramped up but it could not make up for the first half.

Additionally there was a line in the book which brought me out of the story where the character's skin has been stained by ink.
"She hoped she still had fingerprints; it was rather hard to tell under all the black"
It does not matter what colour your skin is, you still have fingerprints.

Unfortunately I feel as though The Library of the Unwritten should have been a standalone and this continuation of the plot was somewhat unnecessary and lacking the magic from book 1. So I don't think I will continue with the series.

My thanks to Titan Books for a digital review copy via NetGalley of ‘The Archive of the Forgotten’ by A.J. Hackwith in exchange for an honest review.

This is a direct sequel to ‘The Library of the Unwritten’ and Book 2 in the Hell’s Library trilogy. It isn’t a stand-alone as characters and events directly carry over from ‘Library’. So, I won’t give any plot details to avoid spoilers for those still to read the first book.

I am a fan of library-based novels. As with the first in the trilogy this proved an engaging supernatural fantasy with the unusual premise of having its library based in Hell. There was plenty of dark humour and engaging banter between its characters, who continue to develop in an organic way. I find the quotes at the start of each chapter from former librarians a special treat.

I enjoyed both novels and look forward to the conclusion. The final book in the trilogy has a USA publication date of November, and I would expect that Titan Books will follow with its U.K. edition soon after.

Every book is a secret that only readers know'

In this sequel to The Library of the Unwritten, all is not well in Hell's Library (maybe it's a tautology to say that, this is Hell, after all!)

At the end of the previous book (spoilers) Claire, the Librarian of the Unwritten Wing, which stores all unwritten books, was ejected from her post and instead took over in the Arcane Wing (cursed artifacts). There was bad feeling against Claire because of her past behaviour and in particular, the strictness with which she'd treated escaped characters.

That backstory was possibly more significant and important than I'd realised - perhaps overshadowed in The Library of the Unwritten which was after all largely focussed on the attempted seizure of the Unwritten Wing by an ambitious demon - with the result that, at the start of the current book, things seemed to me to be unexpectedly fraught. Claire hasn't spoken for months to Brevity, muse and her former apprentice, who is now Librarian. Fallen angel Rami and escaped character Hero - whose hate-hate relationship is one of the delights of this story - maintain a sort of détente but this story is freighted with things not said, painful silences and - not misunderstandings, so much as deliberate attempts not to have to understand ('Claire was very skilled at finding the most efficient ways to hurt herself'). It's not helped by the arrival of muse Probity, Brev's oldest friend, who loathes Claire with a passion. (The depth of this is something that I never completely understood in the book, even granted Claire's previous behaviour).

It's a much more character-driven, intimate piece than the previous book. That basically featured a war (with mass casualties) and ranged widely, Claire & Co visiting Earth and having protracted adventures here. In contrast, the action in The Archive of the Forgotten most takes place in there two Wings of the Library (Rami and Hero do make an excursion to the previously unknown Archive of the Unsaid, which exists in an Ancient Greece sort of plane. It's an enjoyable episode and gives us more information about how the different planes or "Realms" fit together, deriving, as they do, form quite different cosmologies, but very much an out-and-back trip and isolated from the main action). Development of the plot rests on (mainly) Claire and Brevity gradually evolving and exploring their differences and their understanding of this world's metaphysics. This process is driven by the arrival of a mysterious pool of ink, deriving in some way from the fire that destroyed so many books in The Archive of the Forgotten.

The ink is both a threat and, for some, an opportunity. It is vitally important to understand it. That sends Rami and Hero off on their quest. It also leads Claire to brood over the cryptic log entries left by previous Librarians, and to some frankly hair-raising experiments (nobody here has much enthusiasm for risk assessment). And eventually, it raises existential questions about the Library and its Wings, the nature of the books, and the place of Claire and the others in everything.

I enjoyed this book, but it's one sequel where you do need to have read the previous book first, not only for the establishing information (as I've said, that is perhaps farther backgrounded) but to appreciate the characters, and especially Rami and Hero who have already experienced a lot of growth and change and will see a lot more in this book. In fact I think their parts of the story - both their rather quixotic expedition and events afterwards - were my favourites, leading to something I'd not expected at all. I think that relationship may see further change in future books and perhaps be at the heart of unravelling the continuing central mystery here.

So, great fun, with all the pithy observations ('Not even death stops the world from expecting a woman to take care of things') and humour of the Library, as well as some very sharp writing ('Claire was not-crying, not-panicking, not-self-loathing', 'The world became oblivion and black teeth'). I am already impatient for the next volume!

Thank you to Titan Books, NetGalley and AJ Hackwith for my arc of The Archive of the Forgotten in exchange for an honest review.

Published: 9th February 2021

This book is the sequel to The Library of the Unwritten. Therefore it may contain some spoilers for the first book.

Welcome back to another adventure in Hell's Library. I really enjoyed the first book The Library of the Unwritten when I read it last year so I was super excited to get my hands on book two. And it did not disappoint!
Book two brings back the loveable characters Claire, the human librarian now archivist, Brevity the muse who was an assistant librarian and is now the librarian, hero who escaped from his story and is now assistant librarian and Ramiel the fallen Watcher who now assists Claire in the Archive. I really enjoyed going on another adventure with this awesome team.

The story sees a new threat on the library in the form of a mysterious pool of ink. But instead of working together in a trusty team Claire and Brevity are at odds on what they think they should do about the ink. What results is a division of teams which could threaten the library even more.

I really love AJ Hackwith's writing I think she writes beautifully and I copy down so many quotes for my quote book. I especially love the way she puts a quote from a previous librarian to give you clues at the beginning of each chapter. I love all of the characters and that's why the only thing I really disliked about this sequel was the way they became so divided and I think this left some things unresolved. Yes I'm looking at you Probity. Other than that this was another fantastic and thoroughly enjoyable read in this wonderful duology.

This is one of the more difficult reviews I have written in a while. Not so much because I'm lost at how to describe it, but because the first book in this series was one of my favourite fantasy books of 2020, and this never even felt like it threatened to get close to the enjoyment levels of the first book.

I say this is difficult because it wasn't enjoyable enough to score too well and I also didn't find it unenjoyable enough to score too poorly. That's why I have settled on a three, however I'd lean more towards the lower end of the three star mark than the higher.

One of my main concerns about this was the pacing. For the first 25-30% very little happens other than the discovery of the ink mentioned in the blurb. When events lead to an 'well, stuff just happened, so things are about to rocket off like they did in the first book' kind of feeling, we are greeted by ... not a great deal. I'd describe the bulk of the first portion of the book as Brevity stood around either thinking about her feelings or talking about her feelings. She then tags out for Claire to do pretty much the same. Hero, never to be outdone spends numerous portions of numerous chapters just thinking about his feelings and continually saying how he's a villain ... when the extent of his villainy is a bit of corny banter here and there.

We also have the most shoe-horned love sub-plot between two characters that, on one page have nothing but ill-feelings for each other and, a chapter or so later without any build whatsoever, are suddenly pretty much in love with each other. Even one of the characters says something like 'be gentle, we can all see how you feel for so and so and how they feel about you.' No. We can't. They literally were thinking nothing kind towards each other before some randy school yard fascination took over. It felt like I was being forced to accept that two characters, who had no reason to like one another, suddenly had a deep yearning for each other. I'd almost be able to accept that if it was left to fester in the background, but it soon took centre stage and felt like it was getting more stage time than the negative aspects of the novel that were occurring.

I enjoyed the different realm aspects of the first book and was glad that said feature was involved in this one. I do feel more could have been done to highlight these parts, as they felt a little quick or solely absorbed on one aspect. A bit of exploration would have been cool, but there are loads of different realms to get to and I imagine such places will become more fleshed out in future books.

As the book drew near the end I also felt myself groan a little. It picked up and got pretty dark and interesting after a certain part happened but it never felt like it was capable of maintaining that. It tried, but little inconsistencies kept tripping it up and taking me away from where I wanted to be as far as immersion went. One aspect of this was how nobody knew anything (absolutely anything) about what was going on, but when they got near the end they had a little chat, where they each said a paragraph or two, explaining what was going on ... I mean, for a group of clueless people to suddenly flip a few pages and be experts on the subject felt a bit half-hearted. There was also the whole 'Where's so and so, they should totally pay after what they did' which leads essentially to 'oh, they left'. The whole thing felt quite anti-climactic and, in places quite corny.

I've read many books by authors and thought 'well, they've set the bar pretty high, I hope they don't trip up on the sequel'. Sadly, I feel this was one of those. Book one was so good and this just fell short of the mark by some way as far as my opinion goes. It had everything from forced love plots to characters trying to sacrifice themselves in situations where, had they waited a minute longer or just ... you know ... did stuff as a duo rather than throwing themselves needlessly at something, everything would have went swimmingly. The last part I mentioned felt kind of noble the first time, but I couldn't help but role my eyes after the third or fourth time.

Still, my gripes aside, I don't feel in was an entirely unenjoyable book and I will be carrying on with the series as and when it's published as I feel this was more of a blip than par for the course.

Since book one things aren't going well in the Library of the Unwritten, relationships have become frayed, sides have been taken, and grudges are being nursed. When a large pool of unexplained ink appears in the Arcane wing the cracks start to widen further, but it will take a combined effort from everyone to solve this mystery. I really enjoyed the first in this series but the second book beautifully builds on the characters and their relationships. The story was great, the mystery intriguing, and I'm loving all the glimpses into different (and unusual) afterlives but it is the people that will have me returning for more. The multiple points of view are really well done and allow the reader to feel closer to all the characters, a fact that makes you love them more. This is definitely a series I would recommend and am looking forward to book three.

The Archive of the Forgotten returns readers to 'Hell's Library', a series that began with last years release of Library of the Unwritten. Following the events of the last book Claire, the former librarian of the Unwritten Wing of the Library, a place where all the unwritten, unfinished books that never were sit on shelves for all eternity, has now been placed in charge of the Arcane Wing, a place filled with dangerous magical artefacts. 


Luckily for Claire, she's not alone, as Ramiel, the angel who was something of a thorn in her side in the first book, has moved into the wing with her, acting as her assistant, whilst her former assistant, the muse Brevity, has taken over for Claire in the Unwritten Wing. Hero, the escaped literary character, has also stuck around, and is working as Brevity's assistant. Whilst this should mean that the group of unlikely friends and allies who came together to save Hell in the last book are still together there's been some division amongst them since the events of the first book, with the new dynamic between Claire and Brevity leading to a crack in their relationship.

Unfortunately, these relationships get put under further strain when Probity, another muse and old friend of Brevity's, turns up on the scene. Not only does she seem to want to drive a wedge between Claire and Brevity, but she has her eyes set on getting hold of the pool of mysterious ink that has appeared in the Arcane Wing, ink from destroyed unwritten books that not only puts everyone's lives at risk, but hints at ancient secrets that could change Hell's Library forever.

One of the things that I loved about the first book in this series was that it felt grand. It reminded me of stories like Good Omens, where a small band of heroes are forced into an adventure that they don't really want as they try to prevent apocalyptic forces falling into the wrong hands. We got to see the machinations of Heaven and Hell, saw Angels and Demons pulling strings to try and gain power, and there were high stakes throughout. This book, however, takes on a much smaller scale story, and puts our four leads into the limelight.

Where the first book was about the fate of the universe and trying to contain a powerful artefact this story is more about the people who populate Hell's Library, and their relationships with each other. Yes, there is the mystery of this strange pool of ink that has appeared, seemingly as a result of the events of the first book, but that's just something that drives the action forward, a mystery that needs to be solved. The heart of the book is the people involved. Over the course of the book we see how the previous events have changed the dynamic within the group, how the decades long friendship between Claire and Brevity has been pushed to a breaking point. Not only that, but now that Ramiel is joined them proper, and is working alongside them in the library that raises questions about how the dynamic between the four leads has changed.

There is so much that happens during the book where you just think if they'd have talked to each other better things wouldn't have been so bad, that the events that spiral out of control are because of the mistrust and misunderstandings that form in this group. Whilst I just wanted to bang the character's heads together and get them to just talk to each other their stubbornness meant that more often than not things only got worse, and it isn't until people's lives are at risk that they're able to get past their petty squabbles and realise that their love for each other is what matters the most to them.

I loved the journey that I went on with these characters in the first book, but this story just felt so much more satisfying because it put the focus on them. It made their struggles the central part of the book, and it meant that I came to understand all of them so much better by the time it was done. The characters no longer felt like simple characters, but deeply flawed people, even those of them who are ancient beings from religious myth. It made them feel all the more human, and all the more relatable because of it, and because of that, I can't help but love this book more than the first.

I don't know if there's more to come with these characters, if this is the last book in this series or not. If not, this is the perfect place for things to carry on from, as these characters have finally had to address their issues and formed a closer, and stronger, unit because of that. If not, if this is the last time we get to see them, it at least means that we know they're going to be okay, that they all have each other and that their love will get them through whatever else they have to face.

I jumped at the chance to read this sequel as I had thoroughly enjoyed The Library of the Unwritten. Please note possible spoilers for the previous book.
Librarians and libraries crop up a lot in fantasy of late (not that I mind as I am a librarian ;) ) but this was unique and very different take on library fantasy.
The premise is that Hell has libraries which include one for Unwritten books, those books that only lived in their authors heart/mind and were never finished. Closely linked to this is the Arcane Wing where imbued items are housed with the librarian and archivist working together if required.
We take up in the aftermath of the failed rebellion by the previous archivist and it was great to be reunited with Claire, Brevity, Hero and Rami. The story switches POV between these characters, normally I find this difficult, however I was equally invested in each of these characters and their POV complemented each other perfectly.
Claire and Brevity are struggling with their relationship as they both adjust to their new roles, and when a mysterious pool of ink appears in the Arcane Wing investigation lead them down a dangerous path. With different views on how to investigate the properties of the ink, and the influence of Probity (from the Muse corp) on Brevity, things rapidly become toxic.
Hero and Rami set off to seek answers in other areas of Hell, with the stakes being higher than they could imagine when the true nature of the ink is discovered.
A worthy sequel and would recommend.

In all honesty, I mostly read the sequel to The Library of the Unwritten for Rami and Hero, and the likelihood is that I’ll mostly read the third book for them too. So, really, this was a book of two halves: Rami and Hero’s chapters, and Claire and Brevity’s.

The book opens about a month or so after the end of the first. Claire has been reassigned to Arcanist and Brevity has taken over as Librarian. Rami is Claire’s assistant and Hero is Brevity’s. There’s also the introduction of Probity, Brevity’s muse sister, and some mysterious ink. For most of the book, Claire and Brevity are busy arguing over what to do with the ink (and, of course, covering up various hurts and miscommunications since everything’s been changed). In an effort to help, Rami and Hero go off in search of information themselves.

This is primarily why I say it was a book of two halves. I really enjoyed reading Rami and Hero’s chapters — I will even admit to skimming Claire and Brevity’s to some extent, just to get back to them. In contrast, Claire and Brevity’s really didn’t catch my attention as much. I just wasn’t at all interested in the angst generated by Claire’s removal to Arcanist — and I could easily have predicted this given the parts I found most compelling in the first book — and, as such, they dragged and a lot of their supposed emotion was lost on me.

But I think this may be indicative of a more general problem with this series, which is that I just don’t feel any of the emotions it wants me to. And that’s also the case with Rami and Hero — as much as I liked them, they lacked something for me. In part, there wasn’t a whole lot of development on the page (which is fair enough — with four POVs to juggle, some things get sidelined else the book would be way too long), but I think it comes to this lack of emotions. Or, its inability to get me to feel those emotions (I know I may be in a minority here).

Despite that, this was a quick and pretty enjoyable read — I gave it 3 stars after all. It was full of action and the plot was fast-paced. I think I would have read the whole thing through in a single sitting if it hadn’t been quite so late at night (unputdownable, but not quite so unputdownable that I would give up some sleep). If you enjoyed the first book, you will definitely enjoy this one.

Overall, though, I think that, while this was a good book, it was definitely not a great one for me. And if I do choose to read the third book, it will basically only be for two of the characters.

I was excited to read this as I adored the world in the first book. Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would. I really enjoy the idea of a library in hell and I did like it in this. I enjoy the worldbuilding and wish I’d loved the plot more. It took me awhile to get into this book, I just wasn’t intrigued enough by it. The mysterious ink and the secrets of the library was a good premise but I found it hard to care and a little flimsy. The different povs feel disconnected and it was hard for me to engage fully with the stories.
I also didn’t connect to the characters. Hero was my favourite out of the characters in this book. I really liked his POV and his story in the book. Claire I couldn’t care about and I didn’t really enjoy her POV. Brevity the muse was okay but I didn’t really understand the conflict her and Claire had. I really don’t like it when things could be easier if the characters talked to each other.
I again really enjoyed the little sections we get at the start of each chapter from previous librarians.
Overall I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would and I was a little disappointed by it.