Book Review: The Library of the Dead by T.L. Huchu

A cozy occult mystery set in Edinburgh. Ropa is a magician who sees the dead and can coax them back to their afterlife. She is fifteen years old and takes care of her grandma and kid sister. She is gotten used to taking care of herself and her family by any means necessary in a dystopian future where you can’t trust the coppers, and the city has gone to shitters. One day, she is coming home from a gig, and a ghost pleads for her to help her lost boy. She refuses at first, but her grandmother convinces her to help the poor woman; that’s why Ropa has her gift. It’s not to make money.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was easy, fun, and simple to read. The story only scratched the potential of what the strange city with gangs, dead, casters, and the Library of the Dead has to offer. This was an excellent start to a gothic horror mystery targeting young adult readers. I would have loved the book more in my teens. It would have hit every mark I was looking at then: ghost, darkness, inequality, quick-witted main character with a kind heart, and urban fantasy setting. I wouldn’t have minded then the little things like the title of the book not hitting the mark of the story, that there were unnecessary scenes for coolness effect, or that the characters were cliche. But I look past them now because sometimes you don’t need to take form so seriously. Nothing in the book annoyed me to stop reading. Actually, I wanted to see how the mystery would be solved. Okay, the ending has its issues, but endings are hard to write, especially in mysteries. And okay, I’m also partial to ghost stories. I love them. So, this was a perfect read in that regard.

Perfect light entertainment to read with the cats while my knee is busted.

Thank you for reading the review! I have a cozy, ghostly day ❤