Guys, I am a sucker for books about books, or books about libraries, books about librarians. Really any book about other bookish things. I feel like a lot of us are drawn to books about our favorite things, and my favorite thing does also happen to be books.
Unfortunately I am not done saying book in this review. I’m not that sorry about it.
The Library of the Unwritten is a story of the Librarian of Hell’s Unwritten stories wing. Claire manages the books that never came to be, by authors both living and dead. Sometimes books come to life and wreak havoc on Claire’s day. It’s great. Except that a part of The Devil’s codex is on the loose in the mortal realm, and now Claire, a human disguised as a demon, her mentor, and a disgraced muse must return it before an all out war between heaven and hell breaks out.
At its premise Hackwith’s new novel hits all the right buttons. The actual hellish atmosphere is perfect for a spooky October evening. The universe and all of its trappings and tricks create a full and complex world to lose yourself in. There are books absolutely everywhere.
The only place I feel fell flat is with the characters. For a story so focused on mission and teamwork I didn’t find myself caring a bit about Claire and her crew. Sure, some of them were interesting. They were souls and demons and a manifestation of a fictional work. That is super cool. Their personalities just felt more like characters, and by the end I was dreading that this book, toted as book one in the Hell’s Library series, may end in a cliffhanger, as I had no desire to spend another book with any of them.
For all you plot driven readers, this is the October book for you. Demons and creatures abound. Mysteries are at every corner. I was frantically turning pages into the night because I needed to know what would happen to the library and it’s bookish inhabitants, and I wasn’t disappointed there.
The Library at Woodring Estate 
I am a sucker for books about books too, slightly disappointed to hear that this was somewhat weak when it came to the characters but I still intend to read it. Great review :)))
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It was still worth reading. I liked the characters in The Invisible Library more, but the setting in Unwritten was much more evocative. It didn’t help that I have a friend reading The Library at Mount Char right now reminding me how perfect books can be.
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oooh! Sounds like such an interesting concept. So sad it fell flat … I think I’ll still give it a shot, though!
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