Fantasy

The Library of the Dead

The Library of the Dead

  • Downloads：5629
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-10-16 07:51:14
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：T.L. Huchu
  • ISBN：1529039479
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Sixth Sense meets Stranger Things in T。 L。 Huchu's The Library of the Dead， a sharp contemporary fantasy following a precocious and cynical teen as she explores the shadowy magical underside of modern Edinburgh。

When a child goes missing in Edinburgh's darkest streets， young Ropa investigates。 She'll need to call on Zimbabwean magic as well as her Scottish pragmatism to hunt down clues。 But as shadows lengthen， will the hunter become the hunted？

When ghosts talk， she will listen。。。

Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghostalker。 Now she speaks to Edinburgh's dead， carrying messages to the living。 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 life。 It's on Ropa's patch， so she feels honor-bound to investigate。 But what she learns will change her world。

She'll dice with death （not part of her life plan。。。）， discovering an occult library and a taste for hidden magic。 She'll also experience dark times。 For Edinburgh hides a wealth of secrets， and Ropa's gonna hunt them all down。

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Reviews

Megan ，

No。

Lisa Davidson ，

Is there a fan club for this book？ Can I start one？ I loved everything about this book， especially Ropa and her cynical， practical outlook。 T。L。 Huchu， you nailed the voice in this book， and I loved visiting Edinburgh again through your apocalyptic lens。 I cant wait for the sequel！

Madeleine ，

DNF 30%

Boneist ，

I really enjoyed this。 What a shame the next book isn’t out yet！

Michelle ，

Interesting but boring read。 Still dont quite know why its called The Library of the Dead since it wasn't in the book much and although there were some ghosts in the library they were not part of the story。 Interesting but boring read。 Still dont quite know why its called The Library of the Dead since it wasn't in the book much and although there were some ghosts in the library they were not part of the story。 。。。more

Alisa Wilhelm ，

I liked Ropa a ton， her quips reminded me of Peter Parker。 The setting （dystopian future Edinburgh） and magic system （science-based） were inventive—I don't think I've read a book that combines ghosts + dystopian future。The audio was fun for the accent， but sometimes the narrator sounded very much like she was reading the lines。 I'm curious to read what happens next！ I liked Ropa a ton， her quips reminded me of Peter Parker。 The setting （dystopian future Edinburgh） and magic system （science-based） were inventive—I don't think I've read a book that combines ghosts + dystopian future。The audio was fun for the accent， but sometimes the narrator sounded very much like she was reading the lines。 I'm curious to read what happens next！ 。。。more

Kate Page ，

I didn’t get on with this， although there were enough things I liked in it to make me think I was always about to get drawn in。 In the end， though， I gave up about half-way through， as I found myself skipping long descriptive passages and getting more and more disengaged。The main problem for me was the central character， Ropa， whose voice somehow never came through convincingly or distinctively。 There was too much explaining - often quite repetitively - of what she was thinking and why she was t I didn’t get on with this， although there were enough things I liked in it to make me think I was always about to get drawn in。 In the end， though， I gave up about half-way through， as I found myself skipping long descriptive passages and getting more and more disengaged。The main problem for me was the central character， Ropa， whose voice somehow never came through convincingly or distinctively。 There was too much explaining - often quite repetitively - of what she was thinking and why she was the person she was， rather than this emerging intrinsically。 Similarly the plot was slow and over reliant on explanations。I did like the overall idea and sense of place， and occasional flashes of both character and plot。 But I got defeated about half-way though at another long discription/explanatory section。 。。。more

Laurian ，

Wow。 This book was a treat。 It has everything that I love: strong narration， unique characters， brilliant world building， and strong representation。 It was lovely， well paced， and fun。 I can't wait for the second in the series。 Wow。 This book was a treat。 It has everything that I love: strong narration， unique characters， brilliant world building， and strong representation。 It was lovely， well paced， and fun。 I can't wait for the second in the series。 。。。more

babylouche ，

I really liked this。 Ropa was charmingly ruthless， which I'm always a fan of for women/girls， and I loved her voice。 I listened to the audiobook， which I think made a huge difference。 I really liked this。 Ropa was charmingly ruthless， which I'm always a fan of for women/girls， and I loved her voice。 I listened to the audiobook， which I think made a huge difference。 。。。more

Portia ，

Read the first and second chapters， did not keep my attention。 Main character was annoying for a 15 year old。

Laurel ，

Where to start… begins with a missing boy and then goes off the rails with a possessed dark faerie house and it’s creepy inhabitants to a secret library under a cemetery to a youth elixir sucking crone who liked to do horrible things to children for money — all set in a darkly dystopian setting of Edinburgh， Scotland - where ghosts and mathematical magic are both very real things…The last few chapters were “unputtable-downable” and I zoomed through holding my breath hoping the other shoe wouldn’ Where to start… begins with a missing boy and then goes off the rails with a possessed dark faerie house and it’s creepy inhabitants to a secret library under a cemetery to a youth elixir sucking crone who liked to do horrible things to children for money — all set in a darkly dystopian setting of Edinburgh， Scotland - where ghosts and mathematical magic are both very real things…The last few chapters were “unputtable-downable” and I zoomed through holding my breath hoping the other shoe wouldn’t drop for Ropa and her new allies… 。。。more

Miss Syreena ，

Really wanted to like this but it didn’t work for- the concept is interesting and the main character’s voice and point of view was interesting， but not enough to support the story。 By the halfway mark， I still didn’t know what the book was about， no other characters were developed， and the pace was too slow for such a short book。

Sarah ，

Great storyline。 Great characters。 Compelling twists and turns。。。。really the only drawback was the setting。 It was supposed to be dystopian （I think）Edinburgh。 The issue was that unless you were super familiar with the landmarks of Edinburgh， there wasn't much else to keep you grounded in a "this is a messed up version of our world"。 The slang and character names were fairly odd。 It was just hard to hang on to the world Huchu otherwise masterfully created。I still liked it enough to give book #2 Great storyline。 Great characters。 Compelling twists and turns。。。。really the only drawback was the setting。 It was supposed to be dystopian （I think）Edinburgh。 The issue was that unless you were super familiar with the landmarks of Edinburgh， there wasn't much else to keep you grounded in a "this is a messed up version of our world"。 The slang and character names were fairly odd。 It was just hard to hang on to the world Huchu otherwise masterfully created。I still liked it enough to give book #2 a chance。 。。。more

Shaw ，

Spunky main character， no romance， interesting plot。 Not worth re-reading， but not bad

Trina Lynne' ，

Well， it was ok！ I'm have to give this a 3。5 because it does have a lot of dry spots for me and its seems like the action was towards the end。 Plus it took forever to get the plot。 Well， it was ok！ I'm have to give this a 3。5 because it does have a lot of dry spots for me and its seems like the action was towards the end。 Plus it took forever to get the plot。 。。。more

Mary ，

I’m glad to see that this is the start of a series。 Well set in a dystopian Scotland sometime after the turn of the 21st century where magic exists， featuring teenage Ropa who makes a small living by carrying messages from ghosts to their loved ones。 Detailed world building including tantalizing clues to the cataclysmic events that created Ropa’s Edinburgh。 It will be interesting to see where Ropa’s Zimbabwean magic from her grandmother and the more formal “classical” magic she begins to learn a I’m glad to see that this is the start of a series。 Well set in a dystopian Scotland sometime after the turn of the 21st century where magic exists， featuring teenage Ropa who makes a small living by carrying messages from ghosts to their loved ones。 Detailed world building including tantalizing clues to the cataclysmic events that created Ropa’s Edinburgh。 It will be interesting to see where Ropa’s Zimbabwean magic from her grandmother and the more formal “classical” magic she begins to learn at the Library of the Dead will take her。 。。。more

Kate ，

3。75/5'The Library of the Dead' by T。L。 Huchu is the start of a spooky YA series about a girl who can see the dead and help put them to rest。 Ropa lives in Edinburgh with her grandmother and her little sister。 To make a living she talks to ghosts so she can help set them to rest。 Her clients have mostly been ghosts from around town but then she is approached by a mother whose child has gone missing。 While investigating this case， Ropa is brought into an underground society called The Library of 3。75/5'The Library of the Dead' by T。L。 Huchu is the start of a spooky YA series about a girl who can see the dead and help put them to rest。 Ropa lives in Edinburgh with her grandmother and her little sister。 To make a living she talks to ghosts so she can help set them to rest。 Her clients have mostly been ghosts from around town but then she is approached by a mother whose child has gone missing。 While investigating this case， Ropa is brought into an underground society called The Library of the Undead and things take a turn for the worse as she gets closer to solving what is happening to children in Edinburgh。 T。L。 Huchu does a great job of creating a plucky young heroine that you can't help but root for and then setting her down in truly terrifying situations。 My favorite aspects of this story were the way that he weaves Ropa's Scottish and Zimbabwean heritage into the story as well as the terrifying horrors that populate the world that Ropa inhabits。 There is a house in this story that is truly terrifying and that I will be thinking about for some time。 I do wish that the story was a bit longer as there is a lot that happens and the resolution is relatively swift。 Before the story swung super dark， it did feel like younger YA tipping into potentially middle grade， which made that transition feel a little bit abrupt。 I am excited that this is a series as I can tell there is more for Ropa to uncover and Huchu is clearly setting up for an overarching plot line。 I'm interested in the next book and where Huchu takes Ropa next。 。。。more

Heather ，

So I really wanted to like this book but I found that it was trying to do too much and giving me too much information that didn't deal with the main plot。 For that， I didn't enjoy this book as much as I wanted to。 I found it a little boring sometimes and didn't care about what was going on。 That being said， I do believe this is the author's first time writing fiction so that means the author will improve as the series continue。 I just don't care enough to continue reading the series。So， my issue So I really wanted to like this book but I found that it was trying to do too much and giving me too much information that didn't deal with the main plot。 For that， I didn't enjoy this book as much as I wanted to。 I found it a little boring sometimes and didn't care about what was going on。 That being said， I do believe this is the author's first time writing fiction so that means the author will improve as the series continue。 I just don't care enough to continue reading the series。So， my issues and their might be some spoilers in here so don't continue if you don't want to know:1。 The narrator recounts memories about a person in her family that has nothing to do with the plot。 Honestly it only explains why the family is in the situation that we find them in the beginning of the story。 Why do I have an issue with this？ Because it is in the second act of the story， not in the beginning where it would have made sense。2。 The main plot doesn't really start to take place until around the pg。 150 mark。 And it wasn't a lot of the dead that told the narrator that something was happening to the kids in town。 It was one ghost who the narrator wouldn't help until her grandmother convinced her to do it。 The synopsis makes the narrator seem like she cares a lot about what goes on around town but really she is mostly motivated by money because she has a little sister and her grandmother she must take care of3。 The Library this book is titled after doesn't really play a role in the story。 We are introduced to it and characters connected to it but it isn't the center of the story like the title would like you to think。 Granted this is the beginning of a series so the reader should see more of the library in later books。4。 I will admit this is super personal as an issue and has nothing against the author and story but the slang was hard for me to understand。 The author is from Edinburgh and the story is set there so of course the slang and lingo would come through。 That isn't so much a mark against the book but more my own issue。5。 I was so confused about the setting of this book for the first quarter of this book。 It is based in an alternative world or in a dystopian Scotland。 Characters keep saying something about a king and there is a war/battle that is refernece but we are never really given an explanation on what happened。 Characters have smart phones so it can't be the past。 So， yeah。6。 There were more scenes about the narrator's everyday life than needed。 She goes through several jobs and her taking care of her sister and grandmother before the main plot ever starts。 Then， after the plot starts， more scenes were thrown in the middle。7。 The side characters get little to no development。。。。8。 Lastly， I really don't like it when authors get too specific about the magic system， especially when they make it scientific。 I'm not the best with science so it makes my eyes glaze over and I lose interest。So， yeah。 There were redeeming qualities of the book。 The main plot was interesting when it was the focus of the story， I feel like it was bogged down with all this other stuff。 。。。more

Nancy ，

This isn’t what I expected。 I still enjoyed it & recommend it as maybe a family read。 The 3 stars is for me but a younger or family audience will probably rate this higher。 Ropa is a 14 yo drop out who sees & talks to dead people。 She’s sassy & outspoken as a Ghostalker that helps the dead finish their business & is paid handsomely for it。 She & her BFF fall into trouble & Zimbabwean magic at the Edinburgh library of the dead。 There’s a mystery involving some children that Ropa plans to solve …。 This isn’t what I expected。 I still enjoyed it & recommend it as maybe a family read。 The 3 stars is for me but a younger or family audience will probably rate this higher。 Ropa is a 14 yo drop out who sees & talks to dead people。 She’s sassy & outspoken as a Ghostalker that helps the dead finish their business & is paid handsomely for it。 She & her BFF fall into trouble & Zimbabwean magic at the Edinburgh library of the dead。 There’s a mystery involving some children that Ropa plans to solve …。 She’s gonna get herself into some trouble！ 。。。more

Tinker ，

Helmet-lukuhaaste 202122。 Kirjassa ajetaan polkupyörälläAmazing！ I’m having a little fangirling moment here。 I absolutely loved The Library of dead。 I loved the setting in post catastrophe Edinburgh where new and old mixed into a fascinating and terrifying near future。 Worldbuilding was terrific， the magic system intriguing and the main character Ropa was brilliant！ Ropa is a 14-year-old Scottish Zimbabwean girl who lives with her blind grandmother and her younger sister in a trailer slum in Edi Helmet-lukuhaaste 202122。 Kirjassa ajetaan polkupyörälläAmazing！ I’m having a little fangirling moment here。 I absolutely loved The Library of dead。 I loved the setting in post catastrophe Edinburgh where new and old mixed into a fascinating and terrifying near future。 Worldbuilding was terrific， the magic system intriguing and the main character Ropa was brilliant！ Ropa is a 14-year-old Scottish Zimbabwean girl who lives with her blind grandmother and her younger sister in a trailer slum in Edinburgh。 She has dropped out of school to take care of her family。 Ropa has a good hustle as a ghost-talker。 She delivers messages between the dead and living。 When a ghost asks Ropa to find her missing son， Ropa gets entangled in a mystery of missing children。 This is a dark and creative urban fantasy。 It is an adult book but I do think it is suitable for ya-readers too。 I liked the language used here。 It was edgy and vibrant and more than wee bit Scottish。 I hoped that we would have learned more about the Library of the Dead。 It was very interesting but the library had a surprisingly small part in the book named after it。 I hope we learn more in the sequels。 I can’t wait。 I highly recommend The Library of Dead。 。。。more

Robyn ，

3。5 stars。 This book was very unique！ The voice of the narrator is different than anything I've read before and I liked the setting of futuristic Edinburgh。 I would have liked a bit more of the library， as I found that aspect interesting。 I didn't like that at various times Ropa's thoughts meandered off on various tangents as I felt kind of knocked out of the story。 On the whole this book was quite different and I enjoyed it！ 3。5 stars。 This book was very unique！ The voice of the narrator is different than anything I've read before and I liked the setting of futuristic Edinburgh。 I would have liked a bit more of the library， as I found that aspect interesting。 I didn't like that at various times Ropa's thoughts meandered off on various tangents as I felt kind of knocked out of the story。 On the whole this book was quite different and I enjoyed it！ 。。。more

Tracy Fry ，

I enjoyed parts of the book while other parts felt explanation heavy or like the story was going in too many directions

Renee ，

I expected this to be really good from the blurb and seeing it featured at bookstores， but I was disappointed。 It reads more like a YA novel （which is fine， just unexpected）， but like it took a bunch of pieces from okay YA novels I've read before and put them together without developing anything to great depth。 Most of the plot points come about by accident instead of any real push by the narrator， which was frustrating and made any revelations less exciting because there was no build-up to them I expected this to be really good from the blurb and seeing it featured at bookstores， but I was disappointed。 It reads more like a YA novel （which is fine， just unexpected）， but like it took a bunch of pieces from okay YA novels I've read before and put them together without developing anything to great depth。 Most of the plot points come about by accident instead of any real push by the narrator， which was frustrating and made any revelations less exciting because there was no build-up to them。 Some good ideas， but needed a lot more development。 。。。more

Piscesbambina ，

Stolen children， a ravaged Edinburgh， a secret library， this story is creepy as hell and totally badass！！ The perfect read to start off spooky season。 I can't wait for the sequel ❤️ Stolen children， a ravaged Edinburgh， a secret library， this story is creepy as hell and totally badass！！ The perfect read to start off spooky season。 I can't wait for the sequel ❤️ 。。。more

Tuna Diaz ，

A bit clunky with the pop culture references; the library of the dead wasn't really the focus。 A bit clunky with the pop culture references; the library of the dead wasn't really the focus。 。。。more

Kinley ，

Great worldbuilding and an interesting protagonist could not save this from an incoherent plot and lackluster characters。 There's potential in Huchu's writing， but this book falls flat。 Great worldbuilding and an interesting protagonist could not save this from an incoherent plot and lackluster characters。 There's potential in Huchu's writing， but this book falls flat。 。。。more

Kathryn ，

Loved it

Erin ，

Audiobook

Kim ，

3。5/5 This started so slow and I didn’t think I was liking it too much at first。 About 50% into it there was a wtf is going on moment where I was pretty much sucked in and then promptly finished the book in one more sitting。Our main character is a fourteen year old dropout with quite a mouth who talks to ghosts and this book is written so perfectly from her point of view。 It really is very well done。Aside from the crawl of a beginning the author does a decent job of painting the world as this fu 3。5/5 This started so slow and I didn’t think I was liking it too much at first。 About 50% into it there was a wtf is going on moment where I was pretty much sucked in and then promptly finished the book in one more sitting。Our main character is a fourteen year old dropout with quite a mouth who talks to ghosts and this book is written so perfectly from her point of view。 It really is very well done。Aside from the crawl of a beginning the author does a decent job of painting the world as this futuristic Edinburgh after something big has happened to the world。 However much of the colloquial jargon was lost on me but not enough that I couldn’t glean what was meant overall。This does read as a decent standalone but does also set up for a larger mystery going on。 I look forward to the sequel with Ropa learning more magic。 。。。more

Andree ，

I struggled with this a bit。 There's a lot of interesting elements， but I'm not sure it quite comes together into a cohesive whole。 That said， the elements themselves are all interesting enough that I bumped up to three stars。 I just wish the overall pacing and character/plot development were a little better。The good:- The writing itself is great at an individul sentence level， very atmospheric and really quite creepy。- The alternate Edinburgh is interesting， and this is an alternate Edinburgh。 I struggled with this a bit。 There's a lot of interesting elements， but I'm not sure it quite comes together into a cohesive whole。 That said， the elements themselves are all interesting enough that I bumped up to three stars。 I just wish the overall pacing and character/plot development were a little better。The good:- The writing itself is great at an individul sentence level， very atmospheric and really quite creepy。- The alternate Edinburgh is interesting， and this is an alternate Edinburgh。 While it's technically modern， it's also not quite familiar。- Ropa the main character has an interesting voice， and her relationship wtih her grandmother is interesting- I'm somewhat intrested in the magical system and the Library itselfWhat didn't work but may have been specific to me:- So I've been to Edinburgh and I picked this book up in part because it was set in a place where I've been， where I haven't actully read a lot of books set。 The thing is， this is an Edinburgh after an unspecified disaster。 ANd for the first half Ropa deliberately doesn't go to the centre of the city。 So for the first half this really didn't feel like Edinburgh at all。 Everything was unfamiliar， and I'm not sure the development of the setting and plot compensated for that sufficiently。What I thought needed improvement:-Related to the above， for the first chunk I genuinely wasn't sure if there was some sort of general calamatyb creating the alternate-ish Edinburgh， or if the narrative was just focused on a poorer area that's sprung up outside of the city。 You get hints that something has happened based on people's general speech， but quite frankly given that a lot of the main characters are urban teenagers， I wasn't sure it wasn't just slang。 Basically， I think this would have been better served if the author had provided more context in the setting。-The pacing is also not great。 You get a good sense of Ropa， the protagonist's life， but not the broader world she inhabits for quite some time （which didn't quite work for me given the importance of outside context to the setting）。-You barely spend any time at the library itself-A lot of things seem to happen， particularly in the start of this， that don't seem particularly linked to the voerall narrative。 I found this slow to get going， and it wasn't something that I wanted to stay lost in。 I read this in a series of small chunks （rare for me）， because it was a bit of a struggle to read more than that at any one time。 I wasn't invested。- The character/relationship development （apart from Ropa and her Grandmother） isn't great。 I would have loved more development around the relationship between Ropa and her new friend Pirya， or Ropa and her， well， sort of sponsor at the Library。 That might have been more narratively interesting than showing quite so much of Ropa doing her work as a ghost-talker。I dunno， this feels really like a set-up book that needed tightening up。 There's certainly potential。 I'm still debating if I want to read the sequel。 I may have been interested enough in elements to give it a go， but we'll see。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Library of the Dead

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Library of the Dead&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Library of the Dead&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0