#library of the unwritten

[flavia8]

8 Books in 8 Seconds (but not in video form) lol

The 8 Highest Rated things I read in 2023

Jigokuraku (The only thing I rated 5*s all year lmao)

5 Survive (4.5/5)

Coraline (4.5/5)

Vicious (4/5 one of the only books of Schwab's I truly enjoy. And would read again. I've read 7. Thoroughly Enjoyed Vicious, Enjoyed A Darker Shade of Magic, The Near Witch, Meh on A Gathering of Shadows, Letdown/kinda dislike but enjoy aspects of by Addie LaRue and Vengeful, Actively dislike Gallant)

Monstrous Regiment (4/5 HELL YEAH)

Strange Practice (4/5 Title was not a lie!)

Spinning Silver (If I had a nickel for every Rumpelstiltskin retelling I've read, I'd have 2 nickels. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice. XD this one is the far superior one.)

Library of the Unwritten (4/5 Creative and fun! A thoroughly enjoyable read for me)

[bi4bihankking]

Giovanni's Room Summary:

David, a young American in 1950s Paris, is waiting for his fiancée to return from vacation in Spain. But when he meets Giovanni, a handsome Italian barman, the two men are drawn into an intense affair. After three months David's fiancée returns and, denying his true nature, he rejects Giovanni for a 'safe' future as a married man. His decision eventually brings tragedy.

Hell's Library Trilogy Summary:

After someone dies their soul sorts themselves into the afterlife they think they deserve, and each afterlife has a library that needs looking after. That includes Hell, where the books that never got finished are forced to reside. And sometimes the characters in those books don’t like to stay there. After all who wants to die before they’ve had the chance to live?

[not-joan-of-arc]

The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith (Hell's Library #1)

(finished reading February 5 2022)

link to review (no spoilers)

my annotations (spoilers ahead):

(cw for death, suicide references)

this book has a very cool concept

Chapter 9 - LETO

we love anxious human-demon Leto!!

Chapter 10 - CLAIRE

Hero is a bisexual mess, pass it on

Chapter 12 - CLAIRE

Hero is a villain, isn’t he?

Chappen 15 - RAMIEL

Andras is extremely sus

Chapter 23 - CLAIRE

Okay so Claire’s tragic backstory is not what I was expecting - did suspect it though when she was talking about Gregor previously

Chapter 25 - LETO

Claire, a badass queer icon!!

do I like Hero or find him annoying? I can’t decide

Chapter 26 - CLAIRE

called it! Hero is so obviously not a hero

Chapter 27 - CLAIRE

called this betrayal too haha

Claire is just losing friends as fast as she makes them

going off his eagerness to walk into deadly situations and his very low opinion of himself, I suspect that Leto was a teenager who committed suicide

and most likely because he treated the guy who was his friend/brother in the flashbacks badly (perhaps enough for them to kill themselves or end up in a tragic accident) and that guilt has been weighing him down since, so much so that he sent himself to Hell

Chapter 31 - RAMIEL

and now the depths of Claire’s heart is finally revealed

Chapter 34 - CLAIRE

I (platonically) ship one bisexual sarcastic book villain and one pansexual undead librarian

Chapter 36 - RAMIEL

once again, I was completely right about Leto

doesn’t mean I’m happy about it though :(

also does this mean Andras was involved in Leto’s death? was he the one who made Leto act like that to his friend or even the one who made his friend kill himself?

Chapter 37 - CLAIRE

so Walter’s death with a capital D? nice

this whole exchange is kind of hilarious despite the circumstances

Chapter 38 - RAMIEL

Leto is Claire’s grandson?? did not see that coming ngl

Chapter 41 - RAMIEL

I hope this isn’t the last we see of Leto, he’s my fave

Chapter 42 - CLAIRE

“Claire didn’t see books; she saw graves.

She saw a thousand lives on each cindered page. Here, a band of adventurers, suffocating in a forest. There, a pair of lovers, entombed in the moment before a kiss. There, torn beneath the edge of a fallen chair, the teenage outcast that never learns they are something more.”

-

after finishing:

okay I’m fairly happy with the ending and honestly, I know it’s the first book in a trilogy, but it could honestly be a stand-alone? like there’s obviously things to delve further into but there’s no big cliffhanger and nothing’s really been left unresolved

that being said, I’m going to start the next book pretty soon, if not right away

I’m surprisingly invested in these characters and this world

-

my annotation system

[npdclaraoswald]

Noticed some similarities in books I like

And before you tell me gomens is also canonically queer, I'm talking about the book, not the show

[onmyliteraturebullshitagain]

Midyear queer book rec 2023: even more gay, even more slaps!

Another wide selection of achillian, sapphic, and bisexual (is there a term for that?) relationships, basically all adult fiction and lots of romance, historical, and fantasy with happy endings because of who I am as a person. But these are all books I gave at least 3/5 stars that offer a fun range of relationships and writing styles!

If you want even more queer book recs, check out my many previous posts! Now go enjoy some queer reading and support authors writing queer fiction!

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

JOMP BPC - September 17th - Can't Wait to Start

I can't wait to start the Hell's Library trilogy by AJ Hackwith. isn't it always the way with series that you can borrow books 1 and 3 but book 2's gonna be on hold for a while 😅

[violet-prism-creatively]

I finally read the 3rd book in the Hell's Library series by AJ Hackwith and immediately went to scroll through the tumblr tag. It's tragic that this trilogy's fandom is like 3 people because it should be so popular! Heaven and Hell and other afterlife realms! Almost all the main characters are queer POC! Is it found family or a polycule? There's angst! humor! softness! trauma! It's literally about the importance of stories!!

Anyway go read The Library of the Unwritten (1st book) and scream with me.

[goblinchivalry]

with The Lines Between in the newest episode of Neverafter it reminded me of a favourite book series of mine!

If you are craving more stories about the power of storytelling, perhaps even one set in an extraplanar library, or a setting where characters in stories live and can even escape their pages... then you should absolutely read THE LIBRARY OF THE UNWRITTEN by A. J. Hackwith (and the rest of the Hell's Library series!)

I can't speak its praises enough! Look at a review, read the blurb, find a copy!

In short: the worldbuilding is incredible; the writing is glorious, heartwrenching and funny; the characters are sensationally nuanced: the vibes are imacculate! The main lead is a badass WOC librarian!

If you're loving Neverafter (or other d20 seasons) you'll love it. It's a trilogy, so start with Library of the Unwritten!

[penna-nomen]

Character A: I am chaos Character B: I am order. I will reform you A: A little order would be nice, if it makes you happy B: (smug) Totally winning you over to order A: Nope, gotta stay chaotic B: Help! I'm in a situation I can't solve with order A: ** solves things with chaos ** A: ** shares backstory highlighting the unfairness of the systems that enforce order ** B: Oh. I see. Agents of chaos provide balance A: So I don't need to change to keep your approval/love/friendship? B: Don't change. You're perfect. me: ** melts **

[somestorythoughts]

"War has always followed libraries, my apprentice. History has made no effort to hide that truth from us. Look at Rome; look at the Crusades. Vanquishing an enemy and taking his books was just as strategic as taking his canons.. Books are knowledge weaponized. and what weapons you cannot steal, you must burn."

[the--starless--sea]

There were two parts to any unwritten book. Its words- the twisting, changing text on the page- and its story. Most of the time, the two parts were united in the books filling the Unwritten Wing's stacks, but now and then a book woke up. Felt it had a purpose beyond words on a page. Then the story made itself into one of its characters and went walking.

A. J. Hackwith || The Library of the Unwritten

[locallostsoul]

Books i read in Oktober '23! 👻

Books I liked the most:

My best friends Exorcism | ☆☆☆☆☆

The Spirit bares it's Teeth | ☆☆☆☆☆

Books I liked the least:

The Library of the Unwritten | ☆☆☆

If anyone wants me to elaborate on my ratings, let me know :)

[oblivionsdream]

I'm cackling. 😂

[everlovingdeer]

A lie. A dream. Good stories are both.

The Library of the Unwritten, A. J. Hackwith

[annafromuni]

A Comfy Demonic Autumn Read

I went into Library of the Unwritten purely guided by the premise of a library within Hell for books left undeveloped and a librarian tasked with keeping them together. I stayed because A.J. Hackwith is an incredible author with an uncanny ability to create something so cosy and sweet based in the depths of Hell. Those who are fans of the found-family trope will love this one. Similarly, if…

[quotes-from-the-bookery]

Only books died in Hell. Everyone else had to live with their choices.