The Book That Wouldn't Burn

That... was very different.
So basically we have a huge library. One so big it contains the cumulative knowledge of multiple millennia, different cultures. Different species. The whole thing runs on magic and a select group of librarians trying to discover the endless secrets of it.
And that's pretty much about as much as I can say without spoiling it. Why? Because this thing does incredible stuff with time travel, with how we think about knowledge and history.

The central characters are Livira and Evar, a girl and a boy who are destined to meet each other. They share the library and yet they have never talked to each other and they shouldn't, because something about them sets off events that are going to break time and space and essentially, everything.
And man, did the story go in ways I didn't see. It expertly plays with the idea that you can interpret certain things in contradicting ways and so the twists are some of the best I have ever seen. They are not just shocking; they completely change how you see previous events.
You know how clever authors are needed to write clever characters? Mark Lawrence does that perfectly; his concepts are stellar and unique and his prose is fantastic. No, it's not the flowery stuff that has no meat. He carefully picked his words to support the story perfectly. It's not bullshit (I'm looking at you, Rothfuss).

A warning; I am convinced this series will end in a tragic way. The story is just too big, the ideas are not for this to have a clear, happy ending. But so far this is 100% worth a read.

A book that is at its core YA even if it's not marketed as such (perhaps because of the swearing?). It certainly satisfied my library fetish, and its setting is its greatest pleasure. The author is skillful in his twists and turns and reveals, done in a satisfying way. I also liked the blurring and suggestive fantasy-that's-actually-sf setting, always clever. However, the tinge of ‘young people rise about their oppressive cultural system' is getting kind of old for me, although the book picks up a bit away from that, it did weaken it for me. That, and -warning- the book ends on, if not a cliffhanger, certainly a suspended note - reminding you that this is a 3-book series with more to come that you have to buy. Or not.

This book was great! Engaging, different and it boggled my tiny mind! But in a good way! Characters were incredible, a joy to read about and share their story! The setting was beautifully created and described! There were plenty of twists and turns I did not see coming!

Cannot wait to get the next instalments in the trilogy!

Yet again Mark Lawrence delivers for me! Loved every book I've read so far!

The book that wouldn't burn. One of my most anticipated releases of this year
I love Mark Lawrence books. But this one has to be his weakest.

This isn't a sweeping epic story, but something quieter, focused more on the two main characters. It was lyrical and sweet, and compelling.
The characters were strong and I really liked Livera. The concept of living out in the dust of Sabbers and of course, the library is really interesting.

I loved how he used timelines in this book. Livera and Evar would span many years, and it was nice to see their relationships unfold. But the story was a little long.
The ending really picked up. There were moments where I was surprised, and one plot twist I did not see coming. I need book two after that ending!

The character work in this was slow, but Livera held this together. Evar is a quieter character but still has some deep personalities. His relationship with the library, I loved.
The library itself was a character in and of its own and I found it so interesting! I didn't care too much about the side characters, if you asked me I couldn't name them, but watching Livera explore the library had me on the edge of my seat salivating for more.

This is a good entrance into a series. If it had been cut by 200 pages, I would have loved it more.
I do recommend it. It was a good story.

I never even read the synopsis of this. Book of the Ancestor is one of my favorite series of all time, so I will read anything by Mark Lawrence.
I'm glad I went into it blind. What a surprise and a treat!
All I will say is that it's set in a library, Livira is a fantastic character, and you should read this book!

I'm very intrigued to see what happens in the next one.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.

DNF @ 15%Look, I was really into this for the first couple of chapters, but then the POV shifted to the library-dwelling characters, and it was so confusing. The shift lost my interest completely due to a lack of explanation as to what the heck was going on. The library setting itself in interesting, but it's all too [b:Piranesi 50202953 Piranesi Susanna Clarke https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1609095173l/50202953.SY75.jpg 73586702]-esque for my taste.

For like 70% of this book, I didn't understand what people were seeing in it. It was good. The writing was excellent, there was a lot of intrigue, but it just wasn't clicking. I thought I was going to go the unpopular route and say this was my least favorite Lawrence book I had read.

But it's my favorite Mark Lawrence book.

The last 30% of this book really ties everything together and is just absolutely exceptional. I honestly already want to reread it.

The more I think about it after having finished this a couple of days ago, the more this is 2-stars instead of 3 for me.

Basic thoughts:

The final “act” (ie, last... I dont know... 15 chapters (?!?) I was completely checked-out... all the this chamber, that chamber, this other one, all random numbers, seemed completely arbitrary. What our objective was, who we were trying to save from what, etc, etc, just got completely incoherent for me. (sidebar: I devoured and loved all of the main Malazan novels, so I don't think my cognitive capacity was the problem here).

There is one huge plot twist. If you're looking for more than one, this isn't your book. There are a couple of other mild ones the author maybe intended to be surprising, but honestly they were visible from a long way away. Some might just call this “competent plotting”. Point is, this isn't a “twists and turns” fantasy novel.

A big turnoff for me was the new “rules” that were liberally dispensed in the last act. Nothing matters. This happens because X. This cannot happen because Y. There are far better ways to reveal the universe's rules than this, and for heaven's sake, don't do it in the last 20% of the book.

A certain class of characters in this book were very cool and had the potential to really make the story special, but alas, that didn't happen. Maybe there's some payoff for them in the sequels, but I won't be around to find out.

The basis for an intricate and interesting library fantasy world exists in this book, but as many have said, the repetitiveness and tedium of endless chamber traversing, flat characters, and a nonsensical romance at the centre (don't get me started) make it a miss for me.

Oh fuck.

Mark Lawrence does not coddle his readers. He lets you love his characters and share their dreams, and then he wrecks you.

And there's a plot twist I should've seen coming, but I didn't because I was so blissfully distracted by the infinite library and a fearless Livira who makes up her own damn rules.

Very easily one of my favourite 2024 reads.

Now the dilemma is: do I pick up the sequel immediately or wait for the final book to be released?

This was oddly more thought provoking than I anticipated. There were lots of relevant-to-life concepts about knowledge, acquiring it, and using it. The fiction got a little too philosophically real at times. 🤣

The first 50% felt terribly slow. The early setting was simple and easy to understand. Normally, yes, the early exposition in fantasy makes sense, but not so much here. There’s dust and books- not difficult to wrap your head around.

The POV changes right as things are getting interesting in one POV were also jarring. It felt like watching an episode with a cliffhanger at the end- “but wait, there’s more!” That formula works well for visual media but was annoying to read.

Ironically, but very relevant- having a lot of knowledge didn’t seem to do anyone much good. Also, I really want a Mechanism.

I dove head first into this book and was mesmerized by the story, the world, and the evocative descriptions. I love a slow burn, layered approach to building character relationships. And that's exactly what we get with Livira, Evar, and their respective friends and family. We follow them across time as they uncover the mysterious of the Library and what that knowledge yields. The themes of history repeats itself and how knowledge can be wielded as a tool really drive the plot. The world building was spectacular and magical, I felt like I was part of the world. 

There were a few nods to pop-culture or our history (“we're not in kansas anymore” or the Raven's name) that pulled me out of the book, but didn't impede my enjoyment. However, some parts did get repetitive and not in a meaningful way. I don't think it's a stylistic choice because it's mostly world building elements or past events that get rephrased every so often. 

I can't wait for the next book in April 2024!

There's a possibility I'm just going through a reading slump since this is the 3rd book in a row that I have 2 stars or less, and they were all very popular authors. I can see why people might like this since his writing style is pretty good but the story as a whole was unfortunately not working for me at this time.

I’ve yet to be disappointed by anything Mark Lawrence puts out and this is no exception. At times the pace was a little slow and it took a bit for everything to really get rolling, but when the action started, it really didn’t let up. Feels like a book that’ll really benefit from a re-read to pick up on any foreshadowing that was missed too. I am so intrigued by this world and this story and truly I have no concept of where it’s going to go from here, but I’m ready for the ride.

This was truly a brilliant read and I can't recommended enough!

I've wanted to read something from Mark Lawrence for awhile but I wasn't sure where was best to start. When I saw this book I was sure this would be a great choice! What could be better than a story about a library, knowledge and books?

I won't enter into too much details to not spoil the book. This is a heartwarming story encompassing several very serious topics such as racism, misinformation, cyclical history theory, among others.

The writing was beautiful, the world building was original and the characters are interesting. I was absolutely drawn to the story and I can't wait for the sequel.

I would like to thank HarpetCollins UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars

I was supposed to finish this much earlier but unfortunately my health said no. Had to read it slowly and come back because sometimes it took a while for me to be able to pick it up again.

The only reason I didn't give it full stars is because the beginning can seem repetitive until the true plot actually starts. I'll come back to it when I'm better and see if my opinion changes.

I think this is just a fantasy-with-cliff-hanger issue with me. This story had some important things to say about perception and prejudice, cycles of violence, the tragedy of knowledge wielded or hoarded/censored like a weapon for power. It had a lovely amount of highly imaginative elements, and truly endearing animal helpers. It's also STUFFED with world-building and leaning heavily on time worn tropes. Unlikely that I'll pick up the sequel.
⚠️Ableism, fatphobia; would like to hear from own voices' reviewers whether this book feels as palpable an othering of albinism to them as it did to me