The story was a bit odd at times but I still really enjoyed this and I'll be back for more. Just let me know when and where! Jul 15, Ric rated it liked it Shelves: reading-challenge. The first book in this series was fantastic, so I had very high hopes for the sequel.
Without spoiling too much, I thought that the plot was actually pretty intriguing. However, the characters went off and did their own things for this one as opposed to the teamwork used in the first one. Which made it so much worse, because part of the reason I enjoyed The Library of the U The first book in this series was fantastic, so I had very high hopes for the sequel.
Which made it so much worse, because part of the reason I enjoyed The Library of the Unwritten so much was because of the dynamics of their group. The villain reveal was also super obvious. Not my favorite book of the year at all. So far, has been a year of forgettable, underwhelming reads.
Worse than that, I started to slowly spiral down into a deep, hateful reading slump. And then, like the Sun after a thunderstorm, like an oasis in the middle of the desert, like the brightest star through a telescope, the sequel to one of my favorite books on Earth finally dropped into my lap and single-handedly saved me from utter despair.
Where should I even begin? Unlike other series, I wasn't really afraid of starting this secon So far, has been a year of forgettable, underwhelming reads. Unlike other series, I wasn't really afraid of starting this second book - I had just gone through too many mediocre reads to even be scared of disappointment. So I just jumped into this book with some expectations, but not too many. I had hopes it would be good: what I didn't expect was the utter rollercoaster of emotion that this book was, exactly like the first one.
The plot is absolutely thrilling and original: I have never seen an intrigue pick up so fast and so easily. In the matter of a few pages, the story takes flight and soars gracefully in a tempest of suspense and gripping anxiety.
What I particularly loved about this sequel was how it seemed to smoothly flow directly from the plot of the first book, with just as many quests and impossible after-worlds, but adding exciting new dynamics and themes that hadn't been explored before. I'm just utterly amazed at how well the author constructed her story - everything is surprising but it all makes sense in the end.
Little subplots slowly evolve until they come together in an impeccable way that will make you go, "OH. The fact so many mythologies merge together in such a smart, coherent away still blows my mind away. The writing style still completely blew me away. Hackwith just has a very particular way to use the English language, twisting it into something ethereal and infused with magic and longing. Every single sentence of this book is a dream burnt onto paper, and more importantly - it feels effortless.
It has nothing to do with the big "adult" books where you can clearly see the author wanted to show everyone how many words they knew, choosing incomprehensible metaphors and lengthy sentences over beauty and most of all, clarity. No, here, the story is incredibly easy to follow, in the sense that it is impeccably constructed through precise, gorgeous prose, perfect chapter length and excellent use of multiple points of views which are usually the bane of my existence -but not with this series, not ever.
Finally, it would be a shame if I didn't mention the characters. Just thinking about them both makes me want to wail and clutch my chest in warm tenderness. Characters are, to me, one of the most important parts of a story: they can transform it, make it better, turn it into an epic journey of emotion if it struggles to make sense on its own although it's not the case here. Unfortunately, it's extremely hard for me to find characters I truly like in books, and I rarely care for them.
But HERE! Each of them is so incredibly interesting, and the fact you get their FOUR points of view in a perfect narrative that flows smoothly together makes it even better.
This is a story of pain and regret, of longing for meaning and home, of connections between people so incredibly different yet so similar in their own ways - and the characters embody that perfectly. Each of their stories touched me in a particular manner: Claire's broke my heart because she's the complex, imperfect hero I always needed - and she feels so utterly human.
Brevity's arc was one of the most interesting between the two books, as she learns to stand for herself and acknowledge the wrong that's been done to her. Hero - oh my god, Hero - absolutely wrenched my soul away, and I could barely bear to see him jump right into the maws of danger to prove he was worth something.
His quest for identity and belonging is one of the most tragic I've ever seen, and his characters just contain multitudes of depth and complexity. And of course there's Ramiel. He's the cold-looking, actual sweetheart character I always fall for, but better. He's the reassuring, logical yet so profoundly human presence that anchors the characters - and the reader.
I LOVE him. In the same manner, the dynamics between all those characters made me wail in agony into my pillow. First of all, because I'm always a sucker for found-family tropes, but also because they feel so real. I think about this cast of misfits, these castways that are both catastrophes and fire-hearted legends, and I can just feel the web of love and devotion between them.
Each relationship just made me ache because they were so well-thought, and so well-developped. It was especially the case for the new duo made up by Hero and Ramiel, which I enjoyed tremendously that's the biggest understatement of the year.
This was the absolute best feeling in the world, to see this relationship slowly bloom into something more, something so raw yet tender, without enough yearning and desperate rescue missions to make me lose my mind in the middle of the night and keep me from sleeping. They genuinely saved my year, period. Let me be crystal clear: I'm not exaggerating, not one bit. This series is one of the most fascinating, magical and diverse stories I've ever come across, and I'm truly blessing whatever put it in my way.
It's just fantastic. Oct 19, Chrissie rated it really liked it Shelves: 4-stars. But the reason, the desperate need, is a splinter in the author alone.
A good story gets under your skin, because that's where all good stories start. And as far as sequels go, this one was simply wonderful to read. Never did it feel stretched too far or too thin in order to create a sequel t "The purpose for stories is what readers will make of them. Never did it feel stretched too far or too thin in order to create a sequel that just isn't there. While the story itself contained and created solely for this book was a little less solidified it felt so incredibly organic and essential because really the focus of this story is about found families and change - and boy, does that speak to me.
This book really begins what I hope will be a fascinating series that dives deeper and delves more into discovering the secrets of Hell's Library alongside Claire, former librarian of the Unwritten Wing, whose own apprenticeship was cut short, and current curator for the Arcane Wing — and her equally quest-worthy companions: Brevity, current librarian and former muse; Ramiel, fallen Watcher and currently choosing to act as Claire's assistant; and Hero, a book character from the Unwritten Wing and assistant librarian to Brevity.
What was so organically wonderful about this book was the continuation from the first book that seemed so obvious without being predictable at all.
Oh, there's a pool of ink leftover from the destroyed books Such a natural extension to the travesty that occurred within the Library's walls during the climax of the last book. And the understandable rift that would develop between Claire and Brevity — lack of communication of feelings being the number one reason such things happen — and obviously Claire would have feelings about the Library's rejection of her and displacement into the Arcane Wing.
Humans are complicated — a point Hackwith drives home again and again through different characters, namely the ones who are not human — but that's what makes creation stories and songs and art and life possible.
Hackwith has a truly brilliant handle on the world she has created — the lower level Library and all the abstract ways it is interconnected to other realms and other ideas — alongside the characters she has drawn up and called upon again.
Her books feel like an homage to the creation process and authors and their books in general, and obviously with the loveliest of words.
I absolutely loved A. Readers witness the aftermath of the loss of hundreds of stories that happened at the end of book one and the struggle of Claire and Brevity awkwardly adjusting to their new roles in the Library and Arcane Wing. The muse Probity arrives to advise Brevity while the angel Rami and the mischievous character Hero seek answers on behalf of Claire by traveling to other realms. I adore the log entries from former librarians throughout history; they are thoughtful and often humorous with insight into the past that readers are eager to learn more about.
Another good vs. The Archive of the Forgotten is scheduled for release on October 6, For more reviews, visit www. I loved the first book so much, but this one was a bit of a let down for me. The plot and characters didn't pull me in and it didn't make a lot of sense to me. I had to put in a lot of effort just to keep focussed and not wander off with my thoughts.
Feb 01, Seema Rao rated it liked it. Oh, sophomore syndrome. Oct 03, Lauren Stoolfire rated it it was amazing Shelves: urban-fantasy , fantasy , lgbtq. Hackwith is an outstanding follow up to The Library of the Unwritten. I adored the first book in the trilogy and I couldn't wait to give it a try. On the path, Coelho had a spiritual awakening, which he described autobiographically in The Pilgrimage.
My dream was, and still is, to be a writer. In Coelho published his first book, Hell Archives , which failed to make any kind of impact. The following year, Coelho wrote The Alchemist and published it through a small Brazilian publishing house who made an initial print run of copies and decided not to reprint.
He subsequently found a bigger publishing house, and with the publication of his next book Brida , The Alchemist became a Brazilian bestseller. The Alchemist has gone on to sell more than 30 million copies, becoming one of the best-selling books in history, and has been translated into more than 67 languages, winning the Guinness World Record for most translated book by a living author.
In total, Coelho has published 26 books. Two of them — The Pilgrimage and The Valkyries — are autobiographical, while the majority of the rest are fictional, although rooted in his life experiences.
Others, like Maktub and The Manual of the Warrior of Light , are collections of essays, newspaper columns, or selected teachings. In total, Coelho has sold more than million books in over countries worldwide, and his works have been translated into 67 languages. He is the all-time bestselling Portuguese language author. The instinct to preserve one's mundane papers involves a mixture of introversion and extroversion. It creates a public record of a private life, blurring the boundary between the two.
When Hell talks about his materials, it is as if they are his home, reflecting more of him than the oddly assorted furniture in his apartment. If you don't keep them, then you don't exist. You look at them to figure out who this person is and what there is to do now. It's like looking at a movie. I've often felt that way about my whole life, too. It's like I'm trying to make a movie that's happening in real life, and the thing that's interesting to do next would be the thing that would be interesting to see happen in this movie.
Hell is the first punk musician in the Fales archives, and his collection will not include things like guitars or the famous T-shirt that Hell designed for Richard Lloyd, a guitarist in Television, with "Please Kill Me" stenciled on it.
Instead, the focus is on the written word. Taylor, who watched the punk movement of the 's from Indiana University, where he studied classical music. At the time Hell started playing music, he was trying to start a publishing imprint called Dot books, using an offset press and a corner of his apartment.
He published one book of poems by Andrew Wiley, who has since become a major literary agent, and was preparing manuscripts by Patti Smith and Mr. Verlaine and his own novella, "The Voidoid," which was eventually published in Though he lost interest in Dot, the Verlaine manuscript, which was never published, remained in his apartment and will be available in the archives.
Like many collectors, he has regrets, not for the things he saved but for the rare times he violated the code. And for a long time I was saving those, because they just seemed to carry so much information about the moment.
The book was never reprinted since. Who knows why the revelations that have been brought to book, as well as fragments of Hell Archives and numerous short texts of Paulo Coelho that he never republished?
Grisham bought the remaindered copies, which he sold himself. It just happened that I opened it randomly in the centre to browse and get a sense of what I might be about to purchase.
This is something I do when I browse books rather than rely on a back blurb or first few pages. I happened upon the following paragraph.
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