One downside of having multiple TBR lists in multiple places (so far it’s a Libby wishlist, a google keep note, something resembling a list on Goodreads, and there’s probably a physical list somewhere around the house) is that books tend to languish on the list. I’ve been really focused on reading ebooks since I moved to France, and that means that the only TBR list I check is my Libby one. But, I looked at the google keep list recently and was reminded that I wanted to read The Library of the Dead after reading Sam @ The Book in Hand’s review. And since it’s Wyrd & Wonder month, what better book to read than a fantasy book?

The Library of the Dead is a fantasy-mystery set in an Edinburgh where magic and ghosts exist. 14-year-old Ropa supports her grandmother and sister by carrying messages from the dead to the living and vice versa. As you can imagine, having to support your family when you’re still a young teenager means that you quickly become hardened to the world and Ropa only takes messages when money is involved. However, when a ghost called Nicola asks for her help in finding her lost son, Ropa ends up taking the case and is pulled into a secret society that she didn’t even know existed.

This book reminds me a lot of Skulduggery Pleasant, minus the humour. While there isn’t a wise-cracking skeleton in The Library of the Dead, there is a sassy protagonist with a lot of personality and quite a bit of violence and dark themes in the book, which made me think of the SP series.

Speaking of the protagonist, Ropa was such a great character! I love her love for her family (you may need to read this a few times) and her determination to provide for them. The book is told through her POV and her narrative style is likeable sass without being annoying. Plus, her love for learning about magic is so contagious that I enjoyed the sections explaining how magic worked even though I didn’t quite get it.

I also really liked the worldbuilding here. Huchu hints at some event that has turned Edinburgh into what it is today, with mentions of a civil war, a present-day king, and a past with central heating. It feels like something happened that destroyed a good bit of modernity, for example, there’s electricity and handphones, but Ropa buys coal because it’s cheaper. The worldbuilding is definitely one of the reasons why I would continue reading the series – I want to find out what happened to make Edinburgh like this.

As for the plot, I thought it was pretty good! I can see how there’s going to be an overarching mystery, but the request that sets Ropa on her investigations is resolved in the end, which made the book pretty satisfying. I was initially planning to pace this book over two days but I ended up finishing it in one!

Overall, I really enjoyed The Library of the Dead. It’s got great worldbuilding, an endearing protagonist, and the mystery was intriguing as well. I’ll definitely be reading book two in the series!