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The Library of the Unwritten

(Hell's Library #1)

A.J. Hackwith (Goodreads Author)

3.85 · Rating details · 9,167 ratings · 1,903 reviews

In the first book in a brilliant new fantasy series, books that aren't finished by their authors reside in the Library of the Unwritten in Hell, and it is up to the Librarian to track down any restless characters who emerge from those unfinished stories.

Many years ago, Claire was named Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing—a neutral space in Hell where all the stories unfin ...more

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ebook, 384 pages

Published October 1st 2019 by Ace Books

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· 9,167 ratings · 1,903 reviews

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Oct 05, 2019 chai ♡ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-releases, lgbtq-ff, fiction, lgbtq-rep, read-in-2019, lgbtq-pan, adult-sff, adult

[SCREAMS THROUGH AN OVERSIZED MEGAPHONE] ‘tis a good day to bring everyone’s attention to this book about unfinished books that get sent to a library in Hell, and the librarians tasked with tracking them down when they manifest into restless characters who flee in search of their authors!

☆ ko-fi ★ blog ☆ twitter ★ tumblr ☆

...more

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Sep 23, 2019 Nilufer Ozmekik rated it really liked it

THIS BOOK IS SMOKING HOT BECAUSE IT’S ABOUT LIBRARY FROM HELL! So giving my four hellish, hot-tish, racks of book-ish and damsel in distress-ish stars coming up with a cup of white tea (more sugar, more milk please)

Well, I thanked my lucky stars and I was about to write a long thank you letter to NetGalley to not reject me this time and send this book ( I possibly thought to barter my jean collection to have this book or sale my soul but thankfully I didn’t need to do that! Who buys 57 jeans a y ...more

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Jun 15, 2020 Cindy rated it liked it

The concept is super creative and I love the way Hackwith fully embraces getting meta and playful with storytelling and tropes. She’s crafted a magical and expansive and given personality to all of the characters. While I appreciate the creativity a lot, I couldn’t find myself attached to any of the characters or the stakes, and often found that the pacing dragged throughout an already dense story. This was a miss for me, but perhaps readers who are really into the idea of “magical libraries” mi ...more

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Oct 28, 2019 Melanie rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Melanie by: chai ♡

Shelves: audible, f-f, demons, fantasy, pan, quarantine-reads, favorites, read-in-2020, buddy-reads, maëlys

truly some of the best writing i've ever read in my life. the found family? the unconditional love and the journey of feeling that for others but also yourself? the story, the messages, the way they were perfectly woven together? a masterpiece. and love me some on page pan rep. rtc! <3

Blog | Instagram | Youtube | Ko-fi | Spotify | Twitch

Buddy read with Maëlys! ❤ ...more

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Feb 01, 2020 Riley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lgbtq-fantasy, favorites

"talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, shit on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it."
—Lady Gaga probably after reading this book

...more

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Aug 13, 2019 Chelsea Humphrey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Chelsea by: Berkley Publishing Group

Shelves: from-publisher

This was such a unique spin on the old "librarians/libraries inside of books" trope, and I found myself quite taken with the characters. I do think this works well as a standalone novel, and it feels a stretch to push this into a series, but I'm open to seeing where this goes! Full review to come.

*******************

"In the first book in a brilliant new fantasy series, books that aren't finished by their authors reside in the Library of the Unwritten in Hell, and it is up to the Librarian to trac ...more

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Jul 12, 2020 Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Chelsea by: ˗ˏˋ aphrodite ˊˎ˗

Bingeing this was the most fun I've had while reading in AGES. I'm not much of a fantasy reader but this sucked me in from page one and had me hooked from start to finish. I cannot wait for book two!! ...more

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Sep 27, 2019 Tucker (TuckerTheReader) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Tucker by: Berkley Publishing Group

Shelves: finished-copies-physical, 3-stars, adult, horror, fantasy

Many thanks to Ace Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

Book: *is about vengeful characters who escape from unfinished books*
Me: *stares uneasily at my Google drive filled to the brim with unfinished novels*

| Goodreads | Blog | Pinterest | LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram ...more

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Sep 21, 2019 Holly rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019

I was very excited by the concept of the Library of the Unwritten and was eager to read it. We learn that in this library, an unwritten book can wake up, manifest as one of its character and escape from the book. It was the Librarian’s responsibility to track down the escapee and return him or her to its pages. The worst thing that can happen is for the character to make contact with the author and influence them and their writing, thereby potentially changing the book and it’s direction, which ...more

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Sep 24, 2019 Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ ilikebooksbest.com ❤️ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: edelweiss-arc, fantasy, favorites, paranormal

Great supernatural adventure & terrific cast of characters.

This book is very well written, and has everything I am coming to love in the fantasy genre. It has a wonderful adventure with twists and turns and unpredictable events. It has spectacular characters that are fully developed and none of them turn out to be what they first appear to be. It has an awesomely refreshing and original storyline with plenty of humor, suspense, mystery and stumbling blocks put in the way. There all sorts of supe ...more

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Sep 20, 2019 Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader rated it really liked it

An original book about books! The Library of the Unwritten is the first in a new fantasy series. The premise? Books that are not finished by authors reside in the Library of the Unwritten in Hell. The job of the Librarian? Tracking down any of the characters who may emerge from the stories.

Claire has been the Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing for many years. It’s her job to do the mundane mostly; repairing books and organizing them, but every once in a while, a character gets loose, and she h ...more

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Mar 21, 2020 Nataliya rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020-reads

“No story, written or unwritten, is static. Left abandoned too long and given the right stimulation, a book goes wrong in the head. It is a story’s natural ambition to wake up and start telling itself to the world.
This, of course, is a buggered pain in the arse.”

Claire Hadley is a librarian in the Unwritten Wing of Hell’s Library, where books that have never been written find their resting place. Claire and her assistant, an ex-muse Brevity, do their best to keep everything in order, but som ...more

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Sep 21, 2020 Althea | themoonwholistens ☾ rated it really liked it

Shelves: genre-urban-fantasy, made-me-cry-and-my-heart-ache, sub-genre-magical-realism, read-audiobook, highly-recommended, with-squad-goals, rep-lgbtq, author-lgbtqia, age-adult

found family in hell.
FOUND FAMILY in hell.
found family IN HELL.
FOUND FAMILY IN HELL.

description

“The library exists in hell, it doesn’t serve it.”

— overall thoughts: 3.75 —

goodness the platonic relationships make me so soft. If I get to go on this kind of adventure in hell, I will gladly dig myself a grave. this felt like aj hackwith took me on a good ol’ fun adventure around the depths of hell and even though that might sound ~dark~ it really wasn’t. There was more humor than I thought there would be b ...more

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Jan 14, 2020 ˗ˏˋ aphrodite ˊˎ˗ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

REREAD 7/20/2020: this remains one of the most unique books i've ever read

“whenever she read a book in a binge, cover to cover in a day with little break, she always found it stuck in her brain like a haze. the narrative voice struck with her, and for a bit after, it was always like a walking dream, living someone else’s thoughts.”

who knew this book was going to describe exactly how i was going to feel after finishing it.

where do I even begin with this review?

I truly did not expect for this t ...more

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Aug 07, 2019 Elle (ellexamines) marked it as tbz · review of another edition

A library filled with books whose authors have not finished writing them is… one of the most creative premises I’ve ever seen. So here for this.

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Nov 07, 2019 Celeste rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, books-about-books

I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher (Ace) for providing me with a complementary copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

“No story is insignificant.”

Books are one of the most magical of mankind’s creations. Our ability to tell ourselves stories, to reshape reality and craft worlds of our own using nothing more than ink and page and the random scribblings we’ve agreed on as an alphabet, is in my opinion one of our most human capacities. Every life is a story, and those who write have been gifted with the rare talent for immortalizing the tales that live inside their minds. But what about the rest of us? What about those of us whose minds are filled with stories that we never find time to jot down, or authors who pass away with a multitude of tales still living inside them that never made their way onto shelves next to their kin? Where do those stories go? Do they die along with us, or does the world find a way to keep them? According to Hackwith, it’s the latter.

“Stories are, at the most basic level, how we make sense of the world.”

Imagine if you will a library of sheer potential. Unwritten tales from the inception of human language all the way through the nebulous future, tales whose authors died centuries ago and have yet to be born. Stories that will be written and those that have lost their chance forever. All of that potential under one roof would assuredly need a guardian. That’s where Claire comes in.

“We think stories are contained things, but they’re not. Ask the muses. Humans, stories, tragedies, and wishes—everything leaves ripples in the world. Nothing we do is not felt; that’s a comfort. Nothing we do is not felt; that’s a curse.”

Claire is the current Librarian in charge of the Library of the Unwritten, located in Hell but not technically part of Hell. She is an unauthor, one who had countless stories to tell yet never penned a single one. She died with regrets, and will be in charge of the Library until she can make peace with herself. Her assistant, Brevity, is a former muse, cast out for keeping her inspiration to herself instead of doling it out to mankind. Rounding out the cast of perspective characters is Leto, a fledgling demon who isn’t who he thinks he is, and Ramiel, a fallen angel trying to find his way back into heaven.

“Stories can die. Of course they can. Ask any author who’s had an idea wither in their head, fail to thrive and bear fruit. Or a book that spoke to you as a child but upon revisiting it was silent and empty. Stories can die from neglect, from abuse, from rot… Honor the stories that speak to you, that give you something you need to keep going. Cherish stories while they are here. There’s a reason the unwritten live on something as fragile as paper.”

We also meet other angels and demons, along with gatekeepers and residents of Valhalla, psychopomps of dead realms and unwritten books made flesh. The compendium of characters is almost as varied as the Library that Claire has sworn to protect. But a quest to locate and protect scattered pages of an insanely powerful text might find the realms, including the Library, falling down around them. If they don’t sabotage themselves first.

“Mark my words, souls are made of tougher stuff. You can wear one down, tear one apart, unspool all the thread, shave a piece off even, but destroy one? I imagine there’s an end, somewhere… But even an end is just where you run out of book. Stories change, and stories go on. Maybe souls do too.”

There was more action in the story than I expected. Not only was there a constant sense of frantically striving to stay a step ahead of pursuers, there were also duels and rituals that could end in death and a pretty epic battle scene towards the end. My favorite of these elements was a duel between librarians, where words were wielded as actual weapons. Tossing appropriate quotations at your opponent’s head like missiles is one of the best visuals I’ve come across.

“Books are knowledge weaponized.”

I love the concept of this book. A library of stories that never found their way into books, of that have yet to be written? That sounds like paradise to me. Which is why the thought of said Library existing inside Hell threw me off a bit. But once I got past that, I found Claire and her biblio-charges and comrades in arms very intriguing. Hackwith wrote a plethora of snappy, memorable lines about books and stories and authors that I believe will really stick with me. I highlighted and annotated like a madwoman.

“Books have songs, songs have stories, and then there’re humans at the heart of the jumbled mess… you just can’t subtract a human from the story, no matter how hard you try. Even death doesn’t do that.”

There were times when I felt that the author was almost trying too hard to be both utterly original and completely inclusive, and that the two elements were fighting for dominance. This made for some muddy passages that were more difficult to get through than they should have been. However, this could also be due to the fact that I had a lot going on in my life and was unable to find the time to read this more quickly. Overall, Hackwith created something special and new in the form of The Library of the Unwritten, and I’ll be very interested to see where the story goes from here. It’s a series that I will most certainly continue.

“Go. Be good. No—be better than good: be happy.”

You can find this review and more at Novel Notions. ...more

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Nov 11, 2019 Jessi ♥️ H. Vojsk rated it really liked it

We are the dreams that did not die with the dreamer.

Story 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Stories want to change, and it is a librarians job to preserve them, that’s the natural order of things.

In hell there’s a special place for anyone and anything. Even unwritten books.
And when there’s a library, a librarian isn’t far.
Claire is the librarian since... a long, long time. Her work is nearly always the same.
Find escaped characters, bring them back into the book. Care for books, repair books etc etc etc.
But one day someth ...more

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Oct 29, 2019 Jaimie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I’m sad sad sad.

This book has a bad ass librarian. A library of all of history’s unwritten books. A library in hell! There’s a character incarnate developing a personality independent of his story. An ex-muse turned assistant librarian. A fallen angel with divided loyalties. A missing demonic bible. A trip through several realms including Valhalla!

There’s absolutely no reason this shouldn’t be one of my favorite books of 2019.

But it’s sure not.

The story is dull. The pacing is slooooowww. I alwa ...more

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Sep 12, 2020 Mir rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, books

Library of never-written books, guarded by a dead author, in Hell? Sure, you can always sell book-lovers on stories with magical books or libraries, can't you? And this was a fun enough story, with plenty of action and lots of references to literature and mythology.

This was a low 4 stars for me, more like 3.5 rounded up. I was never quite convinced by the world-building, or the stakes of the plot. And while I didn't dislike the characters I wasn't passionate about them, either. When main charact ...more

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Aug 30, 2020 monica kim rated it liked it

this is a very solid 3.5 for me! and honestly, if i read it again, it might be more like a 4. i just struggled a little to follow the audiobook in the middle.

read this if you liked good omens, starless sea, and sorcery of thorns (or even if you didn’t like them but liked the idea of them bc yall know i really didn’t like sorcery ahah)

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Jul 30, 2020 rachel ☾ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: rep-dis-nd-ci-mi, rep-queer, pieces-of-me, adult-lit, favourites-2020, rep-bipoc, fantasy, own, 5-star, rep-queer-author

i think about this book once a day

➸ Trigger warnings for (view spoiler).

▷ Representation: ...more

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Feb 22, 2020 Clem (the villain's quest) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lgbtqia, 2020-lgbt, 2019-releases, 5-stars, 2020-favorites, dark-academia, adult-fiction

5/5 stunned stars.

Instagram | review on youtube

Came for hell's library, stayed for the pansexual rep.

RTC. ...more

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Sep 27, 2019 Toni rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2019, fantasy, books-about-books

When I read the blurb, I knew straightaway I needed to read the book. One of my favourite books ever -Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov- has a famous line: Manuscripts don't burn. The premise of this first book in a new fantasy series echoed Bulgakov's words- somewhere, in a place not governed by earthly laws of logic or order, there exists a library of stories that might or might not find their way into existence..
Claire Hadley is Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing (there is also anoth When I read the blurb, I knew straightaway I needed to read the book. One of my favourite books ever -Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov- has a famous line: Manuscripts don't burn. The premise of this first book in a new fantasy series echoed Bulgakov's words- somewhere, in a place not governed by earthly laws of logic or order, there exists a library of stories that might or might not find their way into existence..
Claire Hadley is Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing (there is also another wing called Arcane with its own head supervisor, but more about it later). She has been doing her job for three decades ever since her predecessor disappeared into nowhere. On surface, Claire appears to be quite stern, even ruthless. In order to make a restless book character return to its unwritten story, she sometimes has to damage it with surgical precision and zero hesitation. When a nervous teenage demon Leto appears in the library with an order to track an escaped hero who has already made his way to the Earth, Claire knows she has no time to waste. Leto and Claire are given day passes, while Brevity (isn't it a fantastic name for a story like this?), Claire's assistant, can leave and come back to the Library in a much more flexible manner. They succeed in tracking the fugitive, who they decide to call simply Hero, but on their way back things get complicated. A fallen angel Ramiel, who has been granted a possibility to enter the Heaven Gates again if he tracks a dark and dangerous artefact, confronts and accuses them of being in the posessession of the object he is searching for. Although Claire and Leto escape, on their return to the Library Claire launches her own investigation and realises she must retrieve the book, otherwise the world of Mortals might be destroyed in the war between Heaven and Hell. To do that she must enlist the help of the Head of the Arcane Wing, her former mentor.
Apart from a very original premise and gripping plot, the book has a great character cast. Claire Hadley, the Librarian, is very humane and willing (and able) to see the best in everybody she meets. In this world, souls judge themselves, so you will wonder why she ended up punishing herself by deciding she needed to pay for her sins by becoming a librarian in Hell ( tenant, not servant- the Library is located in Hell, but is not a part of it). You've got to admire the wit of the author who gave her apprentice such a wonderful name - Brevity. Brevity is a former muse and is charming beyond description. There's a lot more to Hero than just a pretty face and bravado. Leto...you have to earn his trust- will Claire succeed in proving herself to this half-demon/lhalf-sulky teenager?
There are twists and turns, traps and betrayals to watch out for. I loved the characters' brief soujourn in Valhalla and Claire's brilliant duel with the local bard, but there are other realms that get explored in this imaginative book. This is an adventure story and a quest, so it will be appreciated by fans of fantasy and paranormal fiction. The twist at the end promises an interesting sequel, where I hope we'll find out more secrets from Claire's past as well as more about the Library itself.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Ace (Penguin Publishing Group) for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion. ...more

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Jul 13, 2020 Romie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites-2020, poc, queer-books, 2019-releases, owned-books, adult, buddy-read, fantasy, sapphic, dark-academia

I feel like I've just had my heart torn apart, and yet I'm saying thank you, give me more of that. ...more

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Sep 04, 2019 Kyra Leseberg (Roots & Reads) rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc

"Only books died in Hell. Everyone else had to live with their choices." *

There is a library in Hell full of unfinished/unwritten stories. Claire, a no-no-nonsense mortal, has been Head Librarian for a few decades now. She repairs the books as needed and keeps an eye on the ones that grow restless.

"There were two parts to any unwritten book. Its words---the twisting, changing text on the page---and its story. Most of the time, the two parts were united in the books filling the Unwritten Wing's "Only books died in Hell. Everyone else had to live with their choices." *

There is a library in Hell full of unfinished/unwritten stories. Claire, a no-no-nonsense mortal, has been Head Librarian for a few decades now. She repairs the books as needed and keeps an eye on the ones that grow restless.

"There were two parts to any unwritten book. Its words---the twisting, changing text on the page---and its story. Most of the time, the two parts were united in the books filling the Unwritten Wing's stacks, but now and then a book woke up. Felt it had a purpose beyond words on a page. Then the story made itself into one of its characters and went walking." *

Leto, a demon courier, passes on a message to Claire that an unwritten book has gone missing and is a suspected runaway. Claire brings Leto and her assistant Brevity to Earth to track down the character that has escaped. While it should be a routine retrieval, Claire is shocked when the fallen angel Ramiel shows up convinced that they have the Devil's Bible in their possession.

Claire, Leto, and Brevity, and the character they captured journey across the realms attempting to track down the Devil's Bible before another war between Heaven and Hell breaks out and the library can be destroyed.

I loved this book! The premise is so original and the characters were entertaining with their dry humor (which I always enjoy) and the brief back stories that explain how they ended up in Hell. I also loved a surprising connection between two characters that isn't revealed until the last portion of the book.
While the middle hit a lull, it picked back up with a strong ending and I can't wait to see what happens in their next adventure! That's right, this was only book one in the series A Novel from Hell's Library. I'm looking forward to finding out more about Claire's past, the politics of Hell which are briefly discussed in this book, and Heaven's involvement.

Huge thanks to Ace Books and Edelweiss for providing me with a DRC in exchange for my honest review. The Library of the Unwritten is scheduled for release on October 1, 2019.

*Quotes included are from a digital advanced reader's copy and are subject to change upon final publication.

For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com ...more

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Apr 13, 2020 Carole (Carole's Random Life in Books) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: net-galley, series, reviewed, 2020, 2020-netgalley-challenge, fantasy, own-physical-copy

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

This was a great novel! I tend to enjoy books about books and libraries so when I saw this book, I knew that I had to read it. I have read a lot of books that involve libraries but never a library located in Hell. Once I started reading, I was hooked. This was a rather exciting story filled with fantastic characters and I had a fabulous time reading it.

Claire is the Head Librarian in the Unwritten Wing in Hell's Library. Her job is t This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

This was a great novel! I tend to enjoy books about books and libraries so when I saw this book, I knew that I had to read it. I have read a lot of books that involve libraries but never a library located in Hell. Once I started reading, I was hooked. This was a rather exciting story filled with fantastic characters and I had a fabulous time reading it.

Claire is the Head Librarian in the Unwritten Wing in Hell's Library. Her job is to take care of all of the unwritten works that have yet to be completed. She not only must repair books but sometimes has to track down any characters who may have escaped their stories. Claire, along with her assistant, Brevity, and demon courier, Leto, must retrieve one such character who has not only escaped but has gone off to meet their author. They are able to catch up with the character, Hero, but things quickly get more complicated when they encounter the angel, Ramiel, who believes that they have the Devil's Bible.

This was a book that I liked more and more as I read. The characters are interesting from the beginning but as I really got to know them over the course of the story, I grew to care about them. I think that all of the key characters in this book showed a lot of growth. The story itself was really exciting. There was no limit as to what could happen and I found the entire premise to be incredibly imaginative. The story had a lot of layers and I loved how a character's backstory or a small piece of information could suddenly change everything.

I would recommend this story to others. I thought that this was a very well done and unique fantasy. I fell in love with this group of characters and found the book to be very exciting. I thought it told a very complete story and I was quite satisfied by how everything worked out. This is the first book in the Hell's Library series and I look forward to reading more of the adventures of this group of characters as they protect the books in Hell's Library.

I received a review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group - Ace.

Initial Thoughts
I really enjoyed this book. I thought that the concept was very imaginative and I ended up really liking all of the characters. The story was able to keep me guessing and there were plenty of twists to keep things interesting. I found this to be a very well done story. ...more

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Feb 06, 2020 Lea | That_Bookdragon rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned

3/5 ⭐️

"A lie. A dream. Good stories are both."

This book follows Claire, a regular woman in charge of a library. Except Claire is not so regular and neither is her library. In fact, she's the keeper of the Library of the Unwritten, the library located in Hell. If that does not draw you in, I don't know what will. However, one day, Claire has to go back to Earth to retrieve this book character who escaped from his story to meet his author who never got to actually finish his story and ...more

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May 31, 2019 TL rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: goodreads-giveaways

I received this via Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review. All my opinions are my own.
----

This is one where I'm not sure how this is gonna be a series. I mean, I can see a few threads but on a whole it escapes me.. *shrugs*

The whole set-up is creative... I loved the idea of the library and would have loved to see it in person.
Claire's names she had for Lucifer were amusing :). Andras was an interesting character. Ramiel was annoying at first but he grew on me. Uriel I wanted to dr ...more

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Oct 12, 2019 🍓 rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

the power that has, the intelligence that has, the clearance that has, the access that has, the influence that has, the international implications that has

okay so here’s my real review: this might be one of my favourite books ive read all year. the premise - books that weren’t finished are stored in a library in hell, and the characters in them are alive and possess the ability to escape into the real world - already sounded great, but it was the characters and overall message (not to mention th ...more

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Oct 11, 2019 Athena (OneReadingNurse) rated it liked it

First off, a huge thank you to Berkley Publishing Group - Ace - for the electonic ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own!

Claire the undead librarian has a muse assistant, a demon, and a book's Hero that end up on an adventure together to retrieve this lost manuscript that is apparently the devil's bible. It's a great idea, although the book felt wordy and long in places which might have to do with the fact that per the author's note, this originally started out as a short First off, a huge thank you to Berkley Publishing Group - Ace - for the electonic ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own!

Claire the undead librarian has a muse assistant, a demon, and a book's Hero that end up on an adventure together to retrieve this lost manuscript that is apparently the devil's bible. It's a great idea, although the book felt wordy and long in places which might have to do with the fact that per the author's note, this originally started out as a short story. Streamlined, this would have made an amazing novella or shorter book. 384 pages to cover two days is a lot of space to fill!

Other than a few swears and some fighting, this book could be appropriate for any age group. I think it is meant to be an adult fantasy but the language used and casual banter makes it seem like a younger audience was intended. Some of my favorite elements were fighting with words, exploring the other realms, and the pet gargoyle.

I like motley groups, and my favorite character ended up being Brevity, the muse. She had a lot of potential that wasn't tapped in this book, she was hardly featured, but it looks like she might have more time in book two. She is funny and quick thinking and quite a character. Other than her and Claire, I didn't care reading from Leto and Rami's view points.

I also had a lot of questions such as - why are unwritten/unfinished books and other pieces of art in Hell? It seems like a punishment to put them there even if it's neutral territory! Also what kind of weapon is the bible they were chasing, how is it powerful, and how do the different sides plan to use it? Some of my questions were answered right at the end, but not those ones! This book wrapped up fairly thoroughly but it looks like there is going to be a series.

All in all, if you like reading about books and libraries and stories, there are a lot of really interesting concepts here. The book dragged for me but I mostly enjoyed it, and others might love how philosophical it is about stories. I would rate it 3 stars and still recommend to fans of angels and demons and stories. It published on October first so go grab a copy if it sounds up your alley!! ...more

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#ReadTogether Boo...: * WEEKLY READING SCHEDULE	1	3	Jul 01, 2020 05:42PM
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About A.J. Hackwith

A.J. Hackwith

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A. J. Hackwith is (almost) certainly not an ink witch in a hoodie. She's a queer writer of fantasy and science fiction living in Seattle, and writes sci-fi romance as Ada Harper. She is a graduate of the Viable Paradise writer's workshop and her work appears in Uncanny Magazine and assorted anthologies. Summon A.J. at your own peril with an arcane circle of fountain pens and classic RPGs, or you c ...more