The Library of the Dead by T L Huchu

The Library of the Dead (Edinburgh Nights, #1)

by T. L. Huchu

When ghosts talk, she will listen . . .

Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghostalker - and she now speaks to Edinburgh's dead, carrying messages to the living. A girl's gotta earn a living, and it seems harmless enough. Until, that is, the dead whisper that someone's bewitching children - leaving them husks, empty of joy and life. It's on Ropa's patch, so she feels honour bound to investigate. But what she learns will change her world.

She'll dice with death (not part of her life plan . . .) as she calls on Zimbabwean magic and Scottish pragmatism to hunt down clues. For Edinburgh hides a wealth of secrets. And in the process, she discovers an occult library and some unexpected allies. Yet as shadows lengthen, will the hunter become the hunted?

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4 of 5 stars

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T.L. Huchu's latest novel, The Library of the Dead, is marketed as a combination of Stranger Things and the Sixth Sense. Combine that with the name (I'm pretty sure I will read any fantasy novel that hints at libraries or books), the cover, and the color choices I've seen so far, and I never had any doubt about this book.

Ropa is a ghostalker, capable of speaking to the dead of Edinburgh and sharing their words with the living they left behind. She chose this life with open eyes, leaving school to do what felt right at the time.

Now, Ropa is going to have to investigate a missing child, using all of the talents her parents gave her in order to stand any chance of saving the day. Still, she can't turn away. Not when the ghosts have warned her that someone – or something – is bewitching local children.

"Curiosity's killed cats, but they never mentioned kids."

The Library of the Dead is a fun and fast read. This is the first novel in the Edinburgh Nights series, and I already can't wait to see where it goes next. Okay, I'll admit that Ropa's unique personality has helped to sell me on the matter. That and the whole ghostalker concept.

Speaking of, I kind of adore that name. Ghostalker. I know it is pronounced "ghost-talker," but my brain so desperately wants it to be "ghost-stalker." I don't know why, but it defiantly upped my enjoyment of the title, so I'm not going to complain.

Ropa is quick-witted, sassy, a badass heroine in the making, as well as being pretty darn stubborn. Then again, I guess if you quit school in order to talk to ghosts, you'd have to be pretty stubborn.

The world-building is so expansive that it's easy to picture this alternate version of Edinburgh – with ghosts, monsters, and the child-bespeller that I refuse to spoil. It made for a rich backdrop for Ropa's story, and I can't wait to read more.

Thanks to Tor and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 31 May, 2021: Finished reading
  • 31 May, 2021: Reviewed