Fun read, grand story, entertaining characters, and pure joy. I loved it and will be gifting several copies this year.

2.5 I don't think this book knew what it wanted to be, but the main character was really well written. With a little polish I think the next one will be better. The title made me think the book was about something very different.

DNF at 20%
I love the cover, and the synopsis sounds interesting, but I just could not connect with the main character at all. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book. Some of the phrasing also bothered me.

Book Review for The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu
Full review for this title will be posted at: @fyebooks on Instagram!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an ARC of this book.

The Good:
-Ropa is a likable character with a funny and entertaining narrative voice.
-An interesting magic system that combines science and the supernatural.
-Tons of allusions that are both high and low brow.
-The setting: Post-Catastrophe Edinburgh is a mix of past, present, and future.
-Priya. That's it. Everything about her.

The Not-so-good:
-The world-building itself is very slow. It was probably 25% in that we get to the actual library and about 40% in when we kind-of learn what happened and why the world is messed up. Actually, I don't think I could really explain what happened. other than there was a catastrophe and a war...
-I found it hard to believe Ropa was only 14 and aged her up to 16 in my head. But that's just me comparing her to a 14-year-old in our world, not her reality.

I kept comparing this to Ninth House while I was reading it. Or maybe I was just thinking that I wish Ninth House had been more like this book. The MC can see ghosts, magic is a secret society, a mystery of magical relations is afoot. But following Ropa on her adventure was much more entertaining and action-packed. The world-building at the beginning was a little slow but after the half-way mark I couldn't put it down. I really hope this series is continued because I would love to visit Post-Catastrophe Edinburgh again.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC of The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu. I have to say the standout of this book are the characters. Ropa, Priya, Gran, and even the Milkman. All well developed and interesting characters. This book revealed to be a little of a mashup—definitely fantasy, steampunk, mystery. It even reminded me of Alice in Wonderland at one point (not storyline, just a vibe). Looking forward to reading book two!

This is one contemporary fantasy series I'll be keeping an eye on.

The story takes place in Edinburgh at a non-specified point in the future, when a political upheaval which is vaguely referred to as "the catastrophe" has left behind a harsh world with a post-apocalyptic feel. And ghosts and magic, of course.

Fifteen year old Ropa can see the ghosts, and through some mystical music making she can anchor them and speak with them, delivering messages to their loved ones - for a price. A girl's gotta make money after all, and Ropa is the sole source of income for her little family - just her Gran, her little sister Izwi, and herself.

Life is tough enough as it is without getting involved in other people's problems, but that is just what Ropa does when a desperate mother ghost begs for her help finding her missing son. From that point Ropa is off on a dangerous search, making friends and enemies along the way and doing her best to learn magic.

The world building here is awesome, both in the altered versions of real places and in the everyThere, where the dead dwell, and in the Library of the Dead itself. Ropa comes across as annoyingly irreverent and disrespectful in the beginning but by the end I absolutely loved her. Magic is presented as a form of science and the descriptions of how to perform certain feats involve physics and algebra among other things.

There are some seriously creepy and weird and sometimes frightening things happening as the story progresses and Ropa gets deeper into trouble. But among the enemies - The Midnight Milkman and The Tall Man, for starters, there are friends old and new, and Gran has some tricks still hiding up her sleeves, I think.

Really a great book and I look forward to the next.

With each passing year, the literary world is blessed with more diverse stories and voices, and we’re certainly basking in the talent and new worlds to discover.
T.L. Huchu’s “The Library of the Dead,” out in June 2021, is a wonderful addition to the small (and very white) genre of contemporary fantasy. Ropa Moyo’s seemingly normal life as a ghostalker in Edinburgh is upended when the dead start spinning terrifying tales of kidnapped and bewitched children.
Ropa’s action-packed quest to find the origins of the bewitchments leads her to a mysterious library, a run-in with a murderous milkman, a haunted house, and plenty of ghosts along the way.
Usually, I’m not one to gravitate toward first-person narration, but Ropa’s perspective is equal parts hilarious and relatable as she traverses Edinburgh’s paranormal underground. At times, there are long streams of Ropa’s consciousness that are seemingly unnecessary to the story, but nevertheless, Ropa’s witty inner dialogue delights readers as she narrates the crazier events in the novel.
What I wasn’t expecting was how action-packed “The Library of the Dead” was. Its deceiving title led me to believe Ropa would be playing detective and exploring the shelves of the library rather than exploring the streets of Edinburgh. From dealing with unruly ghosts to a kidnapping involving a haunted house, there’s no short of action in Huchu’s novel.
The magic Huchu weaves into the novel is unlike any I’ve read before and it takes a diverse and realistic approach in comparison to other contemporary fantasies. Ropa’s Zimbabwean magic is illustrated beautifully and connects her Scottish upbringing without all the frills of other magic systems. Her Zimbabwean magic is a delightful change in the contemporary fantasy genre, where every author is either trying to recreate the Harry Potter or Shades of Magic series. Nothing wrong with that, but hey, the literary world needs more diverse voices and I’m tired of reading about the same white kids learning magic!
Despite these upsides, I found “The Library of the Dead” started off slow, but after the first 150 pages, the story pace picked up exponentially. By the time the primary issue and climax were revealed, it felt very rushed and haphazardly thrown into the plot. The magical kidnappings didn’t hold the importance I felt the story needed or was trying to achieve, which led me to be disinterested by the last quarter of the novel.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed Huchu’s hilariously relatable voice and Ropa’s cynical musings throughout the novel. I have high hopes for the next installment of the series, but I sincerely hope I won’t feel as winded as this first novel left me.

Ok, I'll admit I was a sucker for this one, not only is it paranormal, it's features a library and set in Scotland. What more could I ask for?

This book had it all, action, magic, and a simply great story that held my attention and made me sad to turn the last page.

Ropa talks to ghosts...while that may seem creepy, it is comforting to the families who hire her, and she gets paid well for doing it.

The author does a splendid job of spinning a tale that was riveting and pulled at your heart strings at the same time.

Thanks Netgalley for providing me with an arc of this book.

This feels less like a ghost based urban fantasy story set in Edinburgh and more like a science fiction Neil Gaiman-esque dark adventure story.

This is overall a good read. The magic system is very interesting. I love the science based magic lore and the sciency aspects that the author incorporated into its magic. The main character's ghostalking business is also very intriguing, since it makes sense no normal person just take up a shit job that's just talking with ghosts for no reason. The mc and her struggle against poverty to keep her family provided for is very sweet, I really like that aspect of her.

The writing style is also very refreshing, it fits perfectly with the mc's personality and her being a 14-year-old girl who has way too much on her shoulders. It's definitely a lot more casual than most writing, but I think that's its specific charm.

However, the pacing of this story is way off. Only the last 150 pages did the plot really kick in, before that we're kind of meandering with the mc's daily life with her fulfilling wishes of ghosts that got a bit repetitive. But when the plot kicks in, it REALLY kicks in. I love the action scenes, but the payoff was too quick and unsatisfactory in my opinion. The villain is way too one-dimensional and it feels like I was watching a cartoon mustache twirling caricature.

Also we didn't really get to know any of the characters other than the mc. Both side characters - although one of them has disablity representation, which I appreciate - are quite bland and we don't really get to see them that much. They felt to be there just for the plot to advance. Also for a book that's titled the Library of the Dead, we really didn't see that much of the library - also the library only has stuff to do with magic and nothing about the dead.

I found this book a little tough to get into. It didn’t grab me like I so wanted it to.
I found there to be quite a few characters in this novel so it made it a bit hard to follow.
I did find this book to be quite original in the story line! I like the creativeness about it. The way of the world they live in, obviously a very futuristic setting.
A decent read but not a favourite of mine!

The freshest urban fantasy/fantasy adventure book I've read in a loooong time, I loved this book. Set in a future dystopian or alternate future Edinburgh, a ghost-talker carries messages for pay between the living and the dead. Ropa, her grandmother and sister live in a caravan on a farm outside the city centre, part of a large community of the homeless after a series of disastrous events overtook the UK, including something that made the spirit world part of the everyday. Ropa is a street smart 15 year old and uses a musical instrument mbira to communicate with the dead to pay the rent, but then she lets her a ghost talk her into working pro bono to look for a missing boy. The book is so well written - grittier and funnier than my description can convey. After setting everything up in the first half, the second half is a wild adventure. Highly recommend as a novel, ya fantasy and adult fantasy. Can't wait to read more :-)

Thank you to Netgalley for this arc ebook! It was a fun and diverse sci-fi filled with ghost. I think that it will be well received for people just dipping their toes into sci-fi!

This title was a little more fantasy than I usually read. Some of the story was good but I pegged the villain at the beginning of the book which took the suspense out.

Good book! Not exactly what I thought it would be, it surprises me in a good way! Solid story, likeable characters and just a cozy and bookish read that readers will love. I recommend it!

The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu, an interesting read. Not at all what I was expecting and it was fascinating, thank you for allowing me to read it early.

This was a really fun time!

The Library of the Dead follows a teenaged ghost talker named Ropa who is begrudgingly thrown into a mystery involving a dead mother's missing son. From there she runs into a whole cast of wacky characters and situations as she tries to uncover the truth behind the missing boy.

This is a very fast-paced story with plenty of fun and exciting elements. The dark and spooky atmosphere present in this book combined with the Scottish setting and Zimbabwean magic made for a wholly immersive reading experience. I also enjoyed the witty and humorous writing style that was super easy to get into despite my unfamiliarity with Scottish sayings. My only issue with this book was just that I kept wanting more. All the different elements Huchu included in this story were so fascinating and I just wished the book had been longer so we could've seen them get more page time. With the characters as well, while they were very easy to like and I thoroughly enjoyed what I got to see of them, they felt a bit underdeveloped and I kept finding myself wanting to see more from them.

Overall though, this was a really entertaining book and as this looks to be the beginning of a series, I'm excited to see what's next in store and I'm hopeful that my issues with this book will resolve themselves as we get to see more of this wonderful world Huchu has created.

While I enjoyed this book, it definitely wasn’t what I was expecting. The title is a bit misleading, as the story isn’t based around the library.
The plot was fairly interesting, although a bit predictable at times. The characters were fun to read about, but I didn’t find myself connected to them. The ending was nice but nothing spectacular. Since it didn’t end on a cliffhanger and I wasn’t left with any burning questions, I most likely wouldn’t read a sequel.
Don’t get me wrong, this was a good book, but it fell a bit flat in my opinion.

I loved this one. Talk about a rip-roaring fun romp into the ghost-filled streets of Edinburgh with one hell of a protagonist, Ropa Moyo. Ropa Moyo is a Ghoststalker. She is a conduit to the dead and basically does the job of calling 1-800-COLLECT. The dead contact her to send a message, and the living have to pay to receive the message. Her antics and dialogue were laugh-out loud funny at times:

“Since the bad days when folks were looting and raping, it’s been law here that a woman may carry a blade – no longer than six inches – on her person for self-defence. A man can swing his schlong, whatever the length. The king decreed it and so it remains up and down the land.”

Her character is one part Billie Eilish and two parts Billy Butcher from the T.V. show The Boys. She’s a colorful character, indeed. When her friend from school, Jomo, leads her to a hidden library that his father runs, it is there that Ropa discovers her magical potential. She is, however, threatened with a noose before her membership is granted:

“If the penalty for trespass is death, I wonder what it is for a late book – the breast ripper, Spanish boot, Scold’s Bridle? I’d rather not find out.”

Ropa is contacted by a spirit named Nicola, whose son has disappeared. Ropa starts to unearth the truth about the disappearances of children across the city. It reminds me of His Dark Materials. There is obviously something malevolent going on with the disappearances of these children. My bottom line: this was a great read, and I’m looking forward to the second book.

3 stars.

While this was definitely a unique story plot for me, i felt like it simply fell flat in the long run. I couldn't find myself connecting to any of the characters, nor did I really find myself wanting to. In fact, the only think I really enjoyed was the deep and lyrical life prose about the setting. I felt immersed in a land that I had never been to before, and I think that's a feat in itself which is why I will be giving this 3 stars.

Additionally, the pacing felt off to me, with the second half of the book feeling overtly rushed. I wish more time had been put into that. And while the book starts off on a sad tone, it veers sharply into dark and disturbing very fast, something I was unprepared for.