This was...not something I enjoyed.

Not only do I think the title is misleading (very minimal library or library-adjacent content), but I think the writing is clunky and awkward, and the story overall is not cohesive or developed properly. It didn't feel like it was structured in a way that made narrative sense -- it haphazardly meanders and there are too many elements of the plot that are underdeveloped -- perhaps the author was trying to do TOO much. Considering this is now a trilogy, perhaps the scattered plot threads are developed more in subsequent books, but as a whole, I don't this was a well-written or organized book, and there were too many odd narrative choices for me to enjoy this.

The narration, however, was done well, and I think Tinashe Warikandwa handled the material deftly (however poor I believe it to be). I was speeding up the narration halfway though purely because I wasn't enjoying the material and wanted to finish, but I give at least a two-star rating because I think Tinashe is talented and did the work expertly.

A contemporary fantasy involving Zimbabwean magic, an occult library, and the shadowy underside of Edinburgh's streets? I'm in. While the world of The Library of the Dead has a lot going for it, ultimately the story never really fully pulled me in. The narrator's performance for the main character was great, really giving Ropa a distinct voice, although this did not apply to distinguishing between the voices of other characters. It's not a huge problem, but it did cause me to sometimes break the flow of the story to double-check who was talking.

Ultimately, I would still say this is a fun audiobook that was perhaps not quite for me.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book is something else. It is not an easy read or listen to, because just like life, multiple things are happening all at once. Ropa is just 14. She lives in the poorest part of Edinburgh, in a caravan with her sister and her grandmother. Time is a bit hard to tell. It fells almost like an alternative universe, but Scotland is different from the one we know exists.

First off, ghosts are real, and they can ask for help, and there must be people there to offer it. Ropa end up on a journey to find not only a few missing children, but what the heck happened to the children that disappeared then returned looking old. But there are other stories taking place at the same time. Stories like the library and how Ropa makes friends and realizes she has some magic. It’s just kitchen magic, not anything she could ever go to school for (not that she could pay for that anyway).

To be honest, I don’t quiet get the title as very little take place in or around the library and it’s just a plot device. However, I did enjoy this book once I got into it. It was nothing like I thought it would be based on title and over, but once I was into the story I was hooked. And you HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION. The slightest thing may mean something and if you miss it you are lost. I listened to this on audiobook and had to keep rewinding. It took me like 16 hours to listen to a 12 hour audiobook. (I don’t know the actual times). But here’s the thing. I wanted to. That is right, I wanted to go back and get every relevant story point I missed.

Is this the best story I have ever read, no. In fact, I don’t even rate it high. I finished this a few weeks ago, and the story has just stuck like molasses. It is still here and with me. I started book two right away after my pallet cleanser. I am now addicted to this world and fell sorrow I must wait for book 3.

While I don’t love this book, I find it comforting in that it feels very life like. Ropa has a life just like all of us. You finally think you get ahead and something else comes up. You must cover more than just one story in life. There are tangents and there are curves that happen while the rest of life if still going on, and I think this author does a better job showing that then any other book I have ever read.

So, once again, I liked this book, I didn’t love it. But I live in this story. This story stays on my mind. And I want the next adventure. I want to see this alternative Scotland and know more about it. So while it may not “score” well in ratings, it is entirely worth the read. Be sure to have the next one ready.

I was provided an audiobook copy of T.L. Huchu's book The Library of the Dead. This is the first book in the Edinburgh Nights series. It was read by Tinashe Warikandwa. It was a great book and I purchased a copy though Audible for myself after being provided a copy through NetGalley for an honest review. I wanted to have my very own copy for all time.

The story opens with a child going missing in the dark streets of Edinburgh. Ropa, the main character, begins to investigate the disappearance. Ropa is a school drop out who became a ghostalker. She uses the money she makes doing this to care for her family. She fills her days talking to Edinburgh's dead and carrying their messages to the living. When she delivers a message the person who receives it pays for the message.

Then the messages from the dead take a dark turn. The dead start to tell of children being bewitched and becoming a shadow of their former selves. Since it is happening in Ropa's neighborhood, she feels she must help. What she discovers changes her world. From an occult library to discovering hidden magic, the story takes you on an exciting adventure.

I personally loved this take on one of my favorite cities. As someone who has visited many of the graveyards in Edinburgh...this book was awesome!

I was provided an ARC through NetGalley.

I have tried numerous times to get in to this audio book and unfortunately it's been a bust every time. I may try to see if my library has a hard copy so that I am better able to follow along. I do not think that it has anything to do with the story or writing at this point.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion.
I wasn't able to download and listen to The Library of the Dead before the title was archived.

I usually have a hard time following fiction audiobooks (and tend to opt for more nonfiction) but this was compelling and the world-building was really great!

I have to admit I was confused for a good portion of this audiobook. I think it had a lot to do with the Narrators accent. Which is a good thing because she is supposed to be Scottish but I think she is also Zimbabwean. I very much liked Ropa, the main character, however, I think she needed to be a little more trusting and ask for help. maybe like that she wouldn't have gotten into all her shenanigans. When she decides to take on a job that might be a little out of her league she gets tangled in a web of magic she has trouble getting out of. And when kids start going missing, she decides it's up to her to figure out why.
This story is set in a weird, creepy future where universal healthcare doesn't exist anymore and magic is real.
The narrator brought Ropa to life, but I had trouble distinguishing between her and the other characters. The pace was great, even at 2x speed there were no muddled words, and provided great comprehension. The flow of the audiobook was very well done.

I received this audiobook via the publisher in exchange for an honest review in like 2021. Glad I finally got to it.

#YoungAdult #HighschoolDropOut #Magic #SpeakingToTheDead #Ghosts #Horror #Paranormal #UrbanFantasy #Adult #Murder #Kidnapping #Fiction #TheLibraryOfTheDead

Excellent book, the narrator was a delightful reader who brought a great performance to the book. Loved the story, the atmosphere, and the magic system.

This book is so much more than I expected!

Ropa is a school drop out with an interesting career. As a ghostalker, she carries messages from the dead to the living for a fee so they can fully pass on. One of the ghosts that approaches Ropa is desperate for Ropa to find her missing son, but cannot pay. Ropa's Gran asks her to take on the job.

But this job turns into more than what Ropa expected. Children all over the city have been disappearing and turning up aged well beyond their years. A hidden library allows Ropa to discover magic within herself to help her find the missing children and avoiding her own demise.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story. I do wish that there would have been more scenes about the library (since that's in the title and it's so interesting), but it all fits well. I did see the 'whodunit' at 48% through the book, but I still enjoyed it all the same.

I definitely look forward to the next in the series.

The Library of the Dead really surprised me because it is Extremely my type of stuff! There’s a playfulness to this story…it’s campy & funny, but also very, very dark. It’s a great balance that Huchu strikes, while also delivering some impactful commentary on racism & classism. A story that exists right on the line between urban fantasy and horror. Again, while this book is published by Tor, and subsequently marketed as adult, I really can’t think of any reason why this wouldn’t appeal to younger readers looking for something dark & fantastical.
Full review to come on YouTube.

Ropa is a Ghost talker delivering messages from the departed to their families. When a ghost comes to her wanting to find out how her child is Ropa gets pulled into a challenging mystery. Children are being pulled away from their families and left as empty husks. A friend sneaks her into a special library "The Library of the Dead" and she gets introduced to more magic than she knew existed.

I listened to the audiobook and the heavy Scottish brogue was initially hard to understand but eventually, I got used to it and it did really set the atmosphere of the book. I am looking forward to more of the series. I would have liked to hear more about the Library as it was not really taking place in the library as I thought it would from the title. It should have been titled "Ghost talker:. I still enjoyed it very much. It moved at a really good pace.

I made it about 80% through before DNFing. I think my main issue with this story is how nonlinear it felt. The plot and pacing felt difficult to understand. The author had the opportunity to set up an interesting world with a BA character, but I think they missed the mark.

However, I understand this is for a younger audience. For that reason, I want to rate it higher than I usually would as an adult. It did have a dark, whimsical element, I just wish it was developed more.

I loved the setting and spirit of this book, just not so much the pacing. I feel like there was so much time world building and setting up separate pieces that it took me a minute to figure out what the story was and get invested in it. I liked it while I was reading it but when I put it down wasn't inspired to start back up quickly for the first half of the book. The last half of the book picked up quickly and kept my interest, but it tool awhile to get there. I will definitely read more books in this series when they come out, but this was a slow start.
The narrator was great, she had a great accent that put you in the setting of Scotland but you could still understand her.. She did a great job of distinguishing characters and her pace was good.

I haven't read much urban fantasy, but I enjoyed it! The intermingling of science and magic was cleverly done and the characters intriguing and well developed. I'd read more by this author in the future!

Ropa has the ability to see the dead and is called a ghosttalker. She quit school to work as a ghosttalker because she needed the money since it’s just her, her sister and grandmother. When a ghost sees Ropa and wants to deliver a message to a loved one, mostly their unfinished business, the loved one of the ghost must accept the charges or Ropa won’t deliver the message. She doesn’t work for free, but when one ghost tells her about missing children and how she needs her to find her brother, she isn’t interested at first.

Ropa has a friend who works at a secret library and he sneaks her into it and they are caught and she ends up in a lot of trouble and then finds out more about her having a bit of magic and about this strange library and the things that go on here. Meanwhile she also hears more whispering about about missing children and decides she must investigate what is going on. When she finds out about the state that some kids are in that had contact with something strange and how they look so old, she know something sinister is going on.

I thought this was okay, but the beginning of it was just totally boring for me. I know it has a lot of world building and getting us use to the world that Ropa lives in but it was just boring. Once it started to pick up when she gets involved in the library and hunting for the person or thing kidnapping children, dabbling in the magics and things like that it started to get better for me.

I liked Ropa, she was very daring and spunky and not afraid to investigate what was going on and could get herself out of some bad situations.

I think this book would appeal to some people more than me but I still enjoyed it and would recommend it if you think it sounds good.

I received this audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not my favorite. I ended up liking it more by the end when some of our strings came together. However, the plot was so meandering! You don’t know if this book will focus on the mystery of a missing child, our main character learning more types of magic at a sort of school, the investigation of a new drug on the streets, or our character delivering messages for the dead. Needless to say there was a lot going on, for it to feel like nothing happened until the very end.

Also, it really through me off that our character is 14. I know it makes sense for the story, but the way she was acting did not match up for me. She was raised on the streets, has the mouth of a sailor, and and stopped her education very young. However, her vocabulary (other than her remarkably clever curse words) sounds extremely educated. And her problem solving skills include a base of knowledge that she wouldn’t have if she dropped out of school young.

I know it sounds like I hated this book. I didn’t hate it. I just didn’t particularly enjoy my time reading it until the end when things came together. I’m unsure if I will continue on with the series.

If you had the ability to speak to the dead, would you do it?
.
Thank you so much to @torbooks @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for the gifted ALC of The Library of The Dead (Edinburgh Nights # 1) by T.L. Huchu! This audiobook was absolutely fantastic. I loved this dark and twisted story that takes you deeper and deeper into the ghostly underworld of Scotland.
.
Synopsis from the publisher: Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghostalker – and they sure do love to talk. Now she speaks to Edinburgh’s dead, carrying messages to those they left behind. A girl’s gotta earn a living, and it seems harmless enough. Until, that is, the dead whisper that someone’s bewitching children – leaving them husks, empty of joy and strength. It’s on Ropa’s patch, so she feels honor-bound to investigate. But what she learns will rock her world.
Ropa will dice with death as she calls on Zimbabwean magic and Scottish pragmatism to hunt down clues. And although underground Edinburgh hides a wealth of dark secrets, she also discovers an occult library, a magical mentor and some unexpected allies.Yet as shadows lengthen, will the hunter become the hunted?
.
Highly recommend this one for anyone who loves an atmospheric ghost story, doesn’t mind the fact that the main characters swear enough to make a sailor blush, and are ready to be invested in a new series because I can not wait to know what happens next in this twisted tale! This book is out now, with book two slated for Spring of 2022.

I frickin' loved this book, and I want the next one now.
It took me a couple of tries to get into it the story – mostly because I kept starting the audiobook as I was going to bed and didn't make it very far. (I'm very familiar with the first chapter now).
Ropa is a wonderful, badass, caring main character, and I want 20 more books about her.
The magic, ghosts, and other realms were fascinating, but they weren't the book's main focus. I'm looking forward to more of the worldbuilding in the next book! It may be the librarian in me, but I was slightly disappointed that they didn't spend more time in the library...

Audiobook Review: I think listening to the audiobook made the experience of the book ten times better. Tinashe Warikandwa is absolutely perfect as Ropa. I will only listen to the audio version and its sequels; I loved it so much.

The audiobook of The Library of the Dead was a delightful listening experience. Sassy protagonist Ropa is brought to life by the talented Tinashe Warikandwa, bringing her genuine Scottish brogue and youthful energy to the role. Author T.L. Huchu's creation of a post-event world that has lost some of the modern conveniences we take for granted, but is one in which magic and spirits co-exist with science, is intriguing. An enjoyable start to the Edinburgh Nights series.