Con The Book That Held Her Heart Mark Lawrence da por terminada la trilogía The Library, que tras el fulgurante comienzo que fue The Book That Wouldn’t Burn ha ido perdiendo fuerza con cada entrega. No es que los libros siguientes sean malos, el problema quizá son las expectativas que despertó en mí como lectora la primera entrega, que no se han culminado en las siguientes.


En el desarrollo de The Book That Held Her Heart los personajes están separados en el espacio y el tiempo, lo cual impide que ahondemos en sus relaciones interpersonales. Si bien el autor abraza totalmente la continuidad de la historia con nuestro propio mundo, estas revelaciones se diluyen un poco en el maremágnum de relatos desde cada punto de vista que nos ofrece, que se antoja excesivo. Es un libro corto para todo lo que Mark Lawrence quería contar y largo para la falta de ritmo que contagia muchos de sus capítulos.

La complejidad de la historia aumenta cuando ya no es solo posible viajar en el espacio y en el tiempo, si no también visitar posibles mundos, what ifs que el autor fuerza un poco indicando que la Biblioteca te lleva a donde necesita llevarte. Es un recurso un tanto forzado y tramposo, que hace que las fronteras entre la fantasía y la realidad se diluyan, sobre todo con la inclusión del personaje Anne Hoffman, una judía en la Alemania donde los nazis van tomando preponderancia, una ambientación muy adecuada para el racismo, tema subyacente en todas las obras de la saga. También está presente la búsqueda de la Otredad del enemigo para deshumanizarlo y justificar cualquier barbaridad.

La Biblioteca es el campo de batalla entre el conocimiento y el olvido y hay que reconocer que eso sí está muy bien representado en las casi 400 páginas del libro, con las distintas facciones empeñadas en llegar al mismo centro. Como final de una trilogía tan ambiciosa como la que nos planteaba el autor, The Book That Held Her Heart quizá se haya quedado un poco corto.

4.5*
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Book That Held Her Heart is the finale of the Library trilogy, picking up right where we left off in the previous book and taking us on a wild ride through time and space with both the fate of our cast of characters and the fate of the whole Library on the line.

I have slightly mixed feelings about this book for one reason only: the first book was so magical and so whimsical that the other two haven’t lived up to my expectation, not because they’re worse, by any means, but simply because they are different. We’ve also gone from two very immersive POVs to a whole slew of more shallow characters, which obviously has both pros and cons. It’s like I’ve been given two very good storytelling styles and I just happen to prefer one of them. That being said, I still absolutely think everyone should read this series, just maybe beware that each book sort of has a different focus.

Something that has grown stronger and stronger with each book as the whimsy has waned slightly is the core theme of how information and propaganda are intertwined with the politics of society, and in this instalment, this is applied directly on real life political history. It’s a great move from the author, an incredibly strong allegory, and it’s impossible not to stop and think about the current political situation in the western world.

The plot is amazingly abstract and weird, which I really enjoyed. The characters constantly weaving in and out of time, becoming separated and meeting again is such a cool storytelling device, and it’s slightly expanded on in this instalment as we enter alternate timelines while the whole world is falling apart at the seams. Lawrence manages to make it reasonably logical and understandable, while keeping it very dreamlike and unreal, like what’s happening is not actually happening. It really reminded me of The Neverending Story or The Starless Sea.

The ending fits the series perfectly, it’s bittersweet, unexpected but also entirely what needed to happen. The Book That Held Her Heart is a great finale to an even greater series, it’s near and dear to my heart, and I’ve had a wonderful time in the library.

When The Book That Wouldn’t Burn came out, I finished it in three days and quickly became a favourite, recommending it to many. It was my go-to recommendation. However, this book took me forty days or so to finish, putting me into a terrible reading slump. The only positive thing about finishing it is that I’m finally free of it.

There was so much happening in this book that it didn’t give me time to connect with the characters like I had previously in the other books. The pacing of it dragged for me, and the plot wasn’t as gripping either and it felt pretty flat to me. Livira is the one who sunk her claws into me while I read the first book; however, it seems she’s missing those claws in this book. As much as I enjoy her in the previous books, I didn’t really care for her or any of the characters. I’m quite forgetful, so the fast-paced action and lack of character development made it difficult for me to remember any details.

The Book That Wouldn’t Burn made me curious for more, and The Book That Held Her Heart made me bored. I do think this story could have been two books rather than three.

Fans of the author may enjoy it, but I found it lacking.

The final book in the trilogy which I somehow missed the second book in the series. So I must say that I need to find that so I can go back and read this one. Making it hard to review this book as I would have hoped to. I did find the first book long and didn't really enjoy it and this one was much that same.

Sorry I could not review this one better but maybe I will have to go back and start again to enjoy the whole trilogy as a single yet long read.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

And the trilogy is complete! WOW! I'm certain I must have said this in my review of Book 2 last summer but I desperately require a complex time-travelling universe-bending diagram of this plot to refer back to when I inevitably return to reread.
The way Lawrence opened this book was just so smart. After two mammoth books of timeline hopping and infinite reality theories, I felt like this book finally put everything we'd learnt into practise. As soon as I started the first chapter and realised we were on Earth - OUR Earth! - I knew we were going to be pushing the boundaries of what you can do with a plot and where you can send your characters. It's so refreshing to be reminded that when you write a book you can quite literally do whatever you want.
Last year, I spent a lot of time talking about books about books. Book 2 of this trilogy played a big part in that: an infinite library that is constantly being destroyed and rebuilt depending on where you are in history. I found the ethical debate on the sharing of knowledge fascinating and I honestly couldn't decide what side to root for after backing Livira for so long.
A fantastic piece of work of huge proportions, I'm quite sure I will need physical copies of all three books to really appreciate the full scale of it!

The good thing about The Book That Held Her Heart is that it sticks the landing, it successfully closes the trilogy in a satisfying was with regards to the characters, even if it leaves its central philosophical issue still up to the reader. We ended The Book That Changed The World with our reunited lovers and their friends and family being scattered via the Library mechanism after being attacked by the King (who was a pretty minor baddie in book 1). Again in classic trilogy fashion we open with another new set of eyes, a new character who comes across some of those time and space-displaced characters. Unusually though for this fantasy trilogy, where these characters end up is on Earth, in pre- World War Two Nazi Germany. This is a big leap for Lawrence, he had previously suggested that the Library contained all the books in all of the worlds, but there was no suggestion or portal fiction initially. And the insertion into a Jewish-run bookshop both dulls the fantastic, and lightly cheapens the point that had already been made about book-burning societies. Again Lawrence has to do some convenient worldbuilding on the sly, these parties being made of three races, only one of which are human, the magic of the library lingers briefly over anyone using it to travel to make them seem like locals.

But what of Evar and Livira. They ping pong about a bit, becoming various forms of ghosts in the past, yet again witnessing more developments in tyranny and warfare based on books takend from the Library. Livira is still a joy to read as a character, even if she now is a little too knowledgeable, and it is clear that her book (written way back in The Book That Wouldn't Burn) is the big magical MacGuffin. The rules of the universe are so slack though that I am sure a few a broken here to bring us to our eventual conclusion, where our three parties all converge on the bad guy, and then we get the literary equivalent of the whirling lights in the sky of an MCU film.

I'm a little flippant about this series as I do think its large cast and excessive lore do weigh down what is quite a lovely romance at the heart of it. And by virtue of being such a big story with such a deep philosophical underpinning (is knowledge good or bad), that it was never going to wrap itself up neatly, and its ending is a little bittersweet to me. I am also not sure about it dipping its toe in a Nazi Germany, it certainly makes its point of destruction of knowledge and book burning, but I am not sure it is a point that needed to be made that way. Nevertheless, it is a very enjoyable trilogy which, if read together (as I did books 2 and 3) is quite addicting and readable for all of its flaws, and with a very enjoyable character at its heart. They were books that I enjoyed.

Thank you to Mark Lawrence, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | HarperVoyager, and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this! Such a great ending to the trilogy. Full review to come ✨

A great finish to the best triology! The writing is so addictive but also so thought provoking. Fantasy just got a whole lot better and I’m so greatful I got a copy of this! Thank you for completing the triology

WOW...

I thoroughly enjoyed this emotional roller-coaster of a book. This is my first Mark Lawrence series and i am now off to read his other series too. Despite the heavy themes that were present in this book i enjoyed every page of it. This is the perfect conclusion to the story. I am truly amazed by Mark Lawrence's world building; it is complex and well written.

This may be my favourite book of the library trilogy.
I love the way the characters have developed and the world building is immense. It's definitely not a light read but it is a damn good one.

The Book that Held her Heart is the third and final book in Mark Lawrence’s The Library Trilogy. If you don’t know anything about this series all you need to know is that it’s the perfect blend of sci-fi and fantasy. There is a magical library that seems to have endless rooms and resources. There are mystical connections between characters, elements of time travel, ghostly plaines and much, much more.

I was so excited and so sad to reach the end of this series. When I first read The Book that Wouldn’t Burn, it had a profound impact on me. The plot twist at the end of the book (if you know, you know) almost broke me and I had to run to get the second book. Similarly, I was completely absorbed by The Book that Broke the World and the epic adventures that it took our characters on. I didn’t want to say goodbye to Livira and Evar, but at the same time I had to see what happened to them and the near infinite library they loved.

Whilst reading this book I laughed, cried, smiled and more. Because I grew to care about the characters and the world so much it made me quite emotional! If you enjoyed the previous two books, you will love the finale.

If you haven’t picked up this series yet I would just say that it is quite intricately planned with a lot of world building. You may be confused at times but you will never want to stop learning about the secrets of the library. I highly recommend picking up these books!

This brilliant follow up once again shows why Mark Lawrence's popularity continues to grow and grow with my students. A fantastic read.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC! I’m quite late to review this but that’s because I don’t think this trilogy was for me, despite how beautifully written it was. I liked the first book and was intrigued by the second no matter how confusing I found it at times but this went to a whole other dimension - literally.
Bringing in the real world and more specifically events during World War Two such as Kristallnacht was and afterwards with elderly Anne talking about her experience in a concentration camp was, interesting, to say the least. I can understand why it was done with the library being attacked on all fronts and the irony of how similar it was to our own real world and our history being essentially spelled out chapter by chapter but it somehow didn’t entirely feel like it fit. Next I actually quite liked how there were essentially three different timelines with the characters missing each other by a hair’s breadth - it was infuriating but in a good way! However, the last 30% of the book confused me. Okay so Liviras book opens cracks when manhandled, and realities overlap splinter and so many universes are simply “what ifs” so when the characters land there it’s always with a purpose and the purpose is generally to find Liviras book and either Livira or Evar ??? but then Arpix getting hanged and parts of the pub scene made my brain short circuit a bit.
I wished there was more of Celcha in this book as her lowkey villain origin story was really interesting but she appears only towards the end as some sort of Jesus incarnate suddenly all about peace and no vengeance for what happened to her brother. This book and the trilogy in general reminded quite a bit of Babel by R.F Kuang but by god did this feel more philosophical and complicated. I think the last 10% of the book confused me a lot despite the fact that I did understand the book was finally coming back together into one and all the parallel timelines were being consolidated but it also made little sense??? Cause how do we know which one is the true one??? There wasn’t really an explanation just ✨Liviras vibes✨. Also at the end she kinda still has her book and like gets to experience a happy story with Evar??? But I’m still terribly upset that Livira and Evar didn’t actually get a happy ending and Mayland survived. fuck that guy.

Firstly I would like to thank Mark Lawrence for sending me an early copy of The Book That Wouldn't Burn a few years ago, Livira and The Library have lived in my head rent free ever since. Secondly I would like to have some strong words with Mark Lawrence about the emotional trauma he has put me through after now completing the series.

That being said I cannot think of a better way for this trilogy to have ended (except from "and they all lived happily ever after"). This series made me laugh and ugly cry and will be one that sticks with me. One thing Mark never fails to nail down is the friendships and relationships between his characters. This series is no different. I would read many books following Livira and Carlotte especially, magical library or not. I do hope this book isn't the last we see of the library lot I feel like there are many wheres and whens still to explore. Although, I am not sure I would like a short story from any Skeer POV.

The real world stories and comparisons made within The Book That Held Her Heart were some of the hardest hitting scenes I have read in a very long time. The fact this book was written several years ago and it still scarily aligns with current day events and politics was particluarly interesting... While a lot of the themes and stories were very heavy it still didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story and made the story so much more.

This series was the first main series to step away from the 'Taprootiverse', a world I have come to know and love over many years. I was at first a little worried about leaving Dr Taproot behind but new worlds deserve their stories to be told. This series is 100% a favourite of mine and I know I will be able to re-read it and find something new in it each time.

I think this is the most confusing yet compelling story I have ever read. There are so many characters and so much happening, sometimes you have to take a break and assimilate what you have read, then dive back in. The conclusion was almost a beginning. Mind blowing but a great read.

The book starts with the infinite Library (Athenaeum) under threat from Jaspeth, the great-grandson of Adam and Eve. Irad, his brother, who built the Library continues to try and protect it.

Livira and Evar continue to be the lead protagonists, in a story that now incorporates real work storylines.

I hate spoilers so I won't elaborate more. However, I can say this is a satisfying conclusion to an epic fantasy series. If you loved the earlier books, you will love this one. Recommended.

Another absolute mind-melting, brain breaking book completes this trilogy. At times I am not entirely sure what was going on but dear lord was I invested in the story even if some of the details eluded me (my brain being the issue not the writing).

This book had some of the most beautiful prose as well as sometimes hilarious epigraphs. It tackled so many issues so well and in such depth and posed so many questions on humanity, moral dilemmas and the consequences of choices we make, especially those made in fear or anger.


The ending nearly had be in tears- the emotional gut punch was just too much! Even so, an excellent finale that had me gripped all the way through

Final books in series you have loved are stuck in a delicate balancing act, sometimes precariously so, is it going to do the characters justice in a way you feel satisfied enough to say this is their ending and it was a far and just one? Or will it leave you demanding retribution because this couldn’t be it, couldn’t and should not be the ending of such a story.

The Book That Held Her Heart doesn’t really fall into either of the aforementioned outcomes. And here’s why.

I couldn’t stop reading this book, couldn’t stop thinking about it, and how all the threads were going to end up coming together, surely not everyone is going to get their happy ending in the age old conflict of good versus evil?

This book will hurt your heart, have you gasping for relief and then hurt you all over again.

This series will be one I recommend for years to come.

The conclusion to Lawrence's latest trilogy, introduces familiar and new characters. If you know Lawrence then you know that this third part is likely to shred your heart and leave it on the book with 'hers'!

It picks up where book two ended but with a handy reminder at the front and introducing a new character. Without too many spoilers, the situation escalates to the point where you wonder if we can ever achieve any kind of happy ending!

We visit different timelines, including pre war Nazi Germany, seeing the different times that Crath City occupies. One has to wonder if an Ancrath lived there ...

Whilst this is a book about a book in a library, it is also so much more. Looking at relationships, motives and how we interact with others. We delve into the personalities of our main characters but also those they interact with. You have to wonder what motivates so much hate in a person, especially given the time we're currently living through. It also features a a very large cat!

The final book in the trilogy about the infinite library. This was a rollercoaster ride and I loved the story and Livira, Evar, and all the cast. It has me gripped and reading way into the night, but it was worth it. The ending was great and I know it will stay with me for quite some time. I loved all three of these books and will be buying the paperbacks so I can have them in my home library. I love Mark's writing and style and how he engages the reading in such captivating stories.

The pacing in this final book is excellent and I can't wait to see what Mark brings next.

This trilogy as a whole is phenomenal and I can't wait to re-read it.