Author: Scott Hawkins
Genre: Fantasy, Horror
Publisher: Crown
Publication Date: 6/16/15
388 pages, hardcover
Check out the full synopsis on Goodreads.
NOTE: I was provided with an e-ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Crown for letting me read this!
I have no idea how to write this review. I have no idea what I read. I do know that I LOVED this book. I do know that I couldn’t put it down and I hated when I had to for work. I do know this book is completely nuts, insanely creative, seriously bizarre, and decidedly well-written. I know all of those things and yet I still have no idea what I read.
Do you ever request a book on Netgalley or buy one at the book store and think it sounds amazing but by the time you get to it, you’ve forgotten what it was about? That was me with The Library at Mount Char, so I went into it expecting nothing and I was completely blown away by it – not only because it’s super awesome but because it’s absolutely insane. Carolyn was a normal, American girl once, but when her parents (and the parents of the other children in her neighborhood) died, Father adopted them. They were each given a different catalog, a section of the Library (wait until you see the Library!!), to study – from languages (Carolyn’s catalog) to war to resurrection. They were not allowed to study outside of their own catalog. Now, Father is nowhere to be found. Will they be able to find him or will someone else gain control of the Library?
If that doesn’t sound absolutely fascinating to you, get out of my face. Haha. The world that Hawkins has created is intriguing, dark, horrible, and wonderful all at the same time. The Library at Mount Char is…disturbing yet full of humor, which is part of the reason I liked it. This is one of the weirdest books I’ve ever read. The “librarians” had it rough growing up with Father to put it mildly and there isn’t one of them that’s not a little off. They scared me and freaked me out and fascinated me. They murdered without reason, hurt others without emotion, destroyed without care. The last fourth of the novel was unputdownable for me. I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen.
The bottom line: The Library at Mount Char is dark, disturbing, strange, scary, and absolutely wonderful. It’s not for everyone. But it was definitely for me.
Rating: 9 – Practically perfect
Great review! This disturbing yet brilliant book is definitely on my list 2015 favorites list. I still can’t get the mental image of David in a tutu out of my head!
SAME! Hahaha.
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This book really does sound fascinating. (Although maybe a little too much for me–I am totally, totally squeamish and it’s even worse than usual lately.) Have you read Mister Monday by Garth Nix? The premise here sounds a lot like that one except that Nix’s series is middle grade and I think this one is adult, right?
Probably not a good book to read if you’re squeamish. At least prepare for it before you read. 🙂 It’s definitely a fascinating book.
I haven’t read that, but I just looked it up on Goodreads and it sounds really fun! Added it to “the list”. Haha.
That cover is awesome! I need to read this. It sounds too crazy for me to pass up. I’m so glad you liked it!
It’s absolutely crazy and absolutely amazing. I hope you get to read it soon!
You have no idea what you read but you loved it? Ha! I can go for a book that leaves me gobsmacked. I have actually found that my best reading experiences come when I go into a book without knowing a lot about it. I am glad that you had such a great time with it. Thank you for the review and introduction. I am adding it to my list and hoping that I forget this entire conversation before I start reading it. 🙂
Haha. YES. It was so unbelievably strange and bizarre that I’m still not even really sure what it’s about overall, but I absolutely loved it. I hope you forget this conversation as well. 🙂 Lol.
I love reading your reviews!
Aw! Thank you!! 🙂
I was so confused at the beginning of this book, but it is really good. I feel like it seriously needs a warning label that says “just get to chapter 4 and things will start to make some sense” 🙂
Hahaha. SO TRUE. The first few chapters were so strange, but I think that’s actually what pulled me in. 🙂
I’m so glad to see you rate this one so highly! I might have the chance to read the ARC and do a Q&A with the author, and I’m glad that people I trust are digging it. 🙂
Oooo. Fun! I hope you get to. It was awesome. I’m looking forward to the Q&A if you get to do it!
Going on my list!