How do you satisfyingly end a fantasy trilogy that marches and twists through time, place, history, race and universal war as this series does? The easy answer is like this!! I’m sure it was not easy though for Mark Lawrence. I commend the skill and breadth of his story telling. I can see why he says this is his favourite. Love lives on in the pages of a book. Thank you to Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

3.5 rounded up. I wanted to love this book, I adored the first two but I with this last one, so much so it took me over a month to finish! I missed the library, there were too many POVs and I just didn’t really care about what was happening… I thought the ending did a good job though, these books are good at bringing everything together. Overall though, my least favourite of the trilogy.

The Book That Held Her Heart is a thought provoking, heartfelt and satisfying conclusion to the Library Trilogy.

I always find it paradoxically a good sign when I’m nervous and put off picking up the next book in a series I enjoy. Between the books I know the characters are at least safe for the moment alive in some sort of limbo between read and unread.

This is also where we find Livira at the start of the book; a ghost stuck in the past separated from her love Evar unable to physically touch anything. The stakes couldn’t be higher as the book Liveria paradoxically created has started to destroy the library a nexus of time and space.
The series deals with and continues with the themes of otherness and expanses on this with how context and choice is important in deciding if we are a hero or villain.

The main idea and central conflict is should the library; which contains vast knowledge be destroyed or should it be saved. This knowledge is abused by those in power and are we doomed to continue repeating the cycle of violence; or is there another way.

We are introduced to a new character based on a real person from our own past. This can always be tricky but found it skilfully done and an exciting and engaging part of the story. This was an effective way to show the librarys expansive reach and made the reader part of the story pulling them into the conflict and helping them reflect on our own world.

The story has many twists and turns and can be very plot heavy but it manages to balance this with quieter moments between characters.
I found everyone had a moment to shine.

The conclusion of the series feels earned and satisfying. I was filled with emotion and thoughts and eager to start a reread of this great series.

Thank you to NetGallery and HarperCollins UK for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mark Lawrence, you brilliant man, you. What an ending to a beautiful series.

The Book That Held Her Heart is the imaginative and emotionally charged conclusion to The Library Trilogy, and it came for my jugular. Lawrence's writing absorbs me in ways I can't describe. I love his uncanny ability to perfectly balance reality, fantasy, and love, whilst also expertly navigating through hard-hitting, sensitive topics. The book was nothing short of an intimate and thought-provoking testament to the power of words and their ability to bind people together. If you love a deeply rewarding read, love a book that challenges perspectives, or have ever whispered "just one more chapter" at 3 am, this whole series was made for you. I'm so sad it's over, but truly... Bravo, Mark. Bravo.

To say that The Book that Held Her Heart was one of my most anticipated reads is a massive understatement not because I was curious what will happen next, but I got addicted to the distinctive vibe this world immersed me in.
Emotional, though provoking conclusion of a unique series that raised so many serious topics and taught you so many things—humanity, love, the power of books and storytelling, and so much more. Furthermore, we witness our main characters learning more about themselves while untangling the infinite secrets of the library.
Absolute balm for the soul the way all the threads and questions were wrapped up and a bit of a “I didn't see that coming” moment in the characters' arc department, and I loved every bit of the journey. For one thing, I am 10000% sure that after a while, I will do a reread because the whole trilogy is the kind of masterpiece that there's always some detail you've missed in this mind-bending reality.

*Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction | HarperVoyager for providing me this ebook in exchange for an honest review*.

WHAT. A. RIDE!

I was not expecting this...emotional roller-coaster of a book, yet I thoroughly enjoyed it. I could read anything Mark Lawrence wrote and this book was no exception. Despite the heavy themes that were present in "The Book That Held Her Heart" it succeeded to make not want to put it down. I even got a sick leave from work (sorry, boss!). That ending was BRILLIANT and I can't wait to re-read the WHOLE series again.

This was unfortunately not for me. While I loved book one, book two was missing that magical feeling I had with the first instalment and it pains me to say that I felt the same about this one, too. I almost dnfed it several times, but I pushed through to the ending to know how it all came to a conclusion and while I liked the resolution, I probably should have had left it before.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Did i have to hold and protect my heart during this read…. Yes absolutely… !

In book 2 i sometimes got lost with the time jumps and the changes of POVs at the same time.
The concept of the Library is just so huge, mindblowing and not for the light hearted.

But to see all the pieces fall in place and the story comes together again with book 3 it made it such beautiful and heartshattering read.

Its a serie what will need to be re-read to fully grasp the enormous extend of the story.

I will come back to this trilogy some time but now I’m not ready for a re-read just jet.

Thank you netgalley for this arc
And Mark for this incredible mind buckling journey.

4.75 star

The direction the first book had in this series felt lost in the sequel, and wasn’t quite regained in the final book. This book fulfilled its premise in being an ode to stories, and the importance of embracing diversity, but veering cheaply into the Holocaust wasn’t the way to emphasise that point, and it never delivered on the star-crossed lovers in Livira and Evar - their romance felt cheap despite attempting to power so much of their motives. Overall, enjoyable but unsatisfying

This series so far has been amazing and the finale is no exception. We stick with two of the main charcaters from the rest of the series, who are already well established, but we also open with a new perspective of a jewish girl living in Nazi Germany, who owned a bookshop until the bookburning of the time took over. To inlcude real world storylines based on time periods we have a great understanding of could be considered a risky move but Lawrence does it surprisingly well and it feels very natural ,

Lawrence, as ever, doesn’t shy away from dealing with heavy themes and weighty scenarios, and he manages to hit a variety of different poignant topics while still giving them all the respect and nuance they deserve. The constant war between knowledge and ignorance and how can we solve this and deal with it is beautifully written. Yet despite it’s heavy nature, Lawrence still manages to insert his usual wit and charm throughout leaving us with some upbeat sections in amidst the heavier stuff. The pacing also doesn’t suffer even when dealing with these themes which is very impressive, to still draw the reader along with the plot and keeping it moving is so important and not an easy skill to manage.

The ending to this was phenomonal, and while all three of the books have ending well, this was spectacular in it’s own right. I would reread the series just to hit that ending again.

‘The Book That Wouldn’t Burn’ was one of my top reads of 2023, impressing me with deep themes and fascinating setting, and this trilogy continued to be enjoyable with the second book, and now it’s conclusion ‘The Book That Held Her Heart’. Set primarily in expansive libraries, this series examines the power but also potential dangers of truth and knowledge and the consequences of suppressing them, the cyclical nature of history and the importance of perspective.
This conclusion to the trilogy is brave, and I suspect will divide many readers. While there are some creative decisions I felt didn’t work for me, the execution of these were fantastic, and I appreciate what they added to the story. This book isn’t without its flaws, many of the major characters spend time split up, feeling a bit directionless, and the short length of this novel with so many threads left little time for character development. The themes continue to be a highlight, and I can’t stress enough just how clever this series is, and I suspect this will make it eminently re-readable. Most importantly though, the ending of this book is truly fantastic, and brings together the trilogy fantastically, providing a cathartic ending for our characters and story.
With ‘The Library Trilogy’ Lawrence has created a superb and cleverly written series that I suspect will be one of those rare gems that I find myself contemplating often.

I have loved this trilogy and was really looking forward to the ending... but it was just not hitting the mark and the impact of the 1st and 2nd books.
The multiple POVs were confusing at times, and all over the place, I felt like I was jumping around everywhere with no real point of conclusion to what was happening with one character before being thrown to another.

I enjoyed it overall, but felt hollow after the other 2 books of the series

I’ve loved this trilogy and was very excited for it to conclude. I think this was probably my least favourite of the trilogy. I loved the multiple POVs you get it feels like you get a well rounded story given the complexity of the plot. I love the characters this book just didn’t have the same magic of the other 2 for me and I was a little disappointed by the ending

A fitting conclusion to a unique trilogy. Mark Lawrence is inventive and this was a thrilling read. Lawrence continues to excel in everything that he touches.

This book is hard to rate. It had too many confusing parts to be able to really enjoy it. I didn't like some of the more violent parts. They were hard to read. I kept waiting for a big plot twist that would explain everything, but it never really came. The first book of the series was the best, and the rest just couldn't live up to that one. Which is a shame, because I really like the characters. The ending was a bit of a disappointment for me. Overall I'd rate this book 2,5 stars.

New faces, new challenges, new endings. It's time for Livria the world-hopping librarian to close her story.

Something about the second and this instalment lost some of that charm I saw in the first book. I think it's that trade-off of depth and witty, occasionally heavy-handed philosophical musing for plot-forward, dizzying action from many more characters than before. Perhaps it's this expansion of POVs and plot scope that weathered the emotional intimacy and space to really steep in the pondering established in the first book. However, heart-clinching moments do pepper the narrative from all POVs, especially between Evar and Liviria, allowing the ending to land with decent weight instead of being hollow on arrival.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK (HarperFiction, HarperVoyager) for providing me with an e-ARC/DRC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars rounded down.

The Book That Held Her Heart is much like the previous books, so if you liked those you will enjoy this. It's nice and fast paced throughout, but it did feel like much of the story was just characters getting to where they needed to be for the ending. Some of the messaging was also a bit heavy handed, especially in the second last scene. I hope the final version fixes all the missing/extra commas, because there was a lot.

The first two books were both five stars for me but due to these few flaws the third book didn't quite make it. Overall though this was a great end to an amazing trilogy. I'm still processing some of the things that happened, but I know I'm going to miss these characters. At some point I'd also like to reread all three books back to back because there were some details from the first two I'd forgotten. Thank you Mark Lawrence.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

This is an interesting feedback review, because I really love Mark Lawrence's worlds.
I absolutely devoured the Red Sister series, and have always been the first to grab a new book by him.
And this (mostly) is more of what I love:
A female protagonist, a gorgeous and well realised world with intriguing magic systems and a library!
I found the first book absolutely incredible. The second was pretty darn good.
This final book in the trilogy has not quite hit the mark for me.
I feel like there has been a loss of that instant and deep connection you get when you first start reading about Livira. Your place within the world is through Livira and reading about her, growing with her.
However in the third, there seems to be just too many characters, and time places, and settings, and with any story that jumps throughout time and space, being absolutely clear cut is so important.
I sadly have to say I did not finish at about 70%.
I think this is more my opinions on books rather than a complete negative view of this book itself, as it has all the classic Mark Lawrence that many people will love.
If you enjoyed the first one, or two, then absolutely pick this up.
If you found your interest waning after book two, maybe just go read book one again and enjoy Livira's trials becoming a librarian!

I had a good time reading the final book in this trilogy, but the second book is definitely my favorite. This third book is following the events of the second book and in its structure is quite similar to the second book as well. There are multiple points of view and I did appreciate that; and some new points of view were introduced. I also liked the writing and the atmosphere. I just did not connect with the characters very much.

Thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for a honest review.

The book had my jaw dropping on more than one occasion, perfect end to the whole series! I loved it so much I finished it in just 2 days.