Reviewed by inlibrisveritas on
I really enjoyed Wesley and I thought he was incredible relate-able and I really rooted for him. I loved his gradual growth over the course of the book, and I’m super happy that he gained some much needed confidence in himself. Taylor, his best friend, is also wonderful. She sticks by Wesley and isn’t afraid to defend him when she needs to. Then of course there is Randy, who I kind of despised. He is a bully and a brat, and while I still didn’t like him in the end I did appreciate the fact that Hobbs gives us some moments to see how his life is without the presence of other people his age. He became a somewhat sympathetic character by the end. Locke is probably my favorite character though, he’s wild, free spirited, and for one so young he is pretty wise.
The best part of this book is the main focus, the library. Holy wow, it sounds gorgeous and old world beautiful (well as old world as you can get in the ‘new world’). If I could my local libraries to build cool dioramas and exhibits for books I’d be in there constantly! I love the attention to detail and the interesting premise behind the library, the ancient librarian, and his prized book. Unfortunately the library is in danger of being torn down and there is a lot more too it than simple cutthroat business tactics. Of course I also love the glimpses of a few familiar story lands as well as the potential locked in them. We get to see a good bit of the library in this one and I can’t wait to check out the second to see what is going to happen in a certain story world (“Oh what a world! What a world!”).
Overall I thought that this was a incredibly fun and quick read that I think would be wonderful for younger readers and adults alike. I definitely plan to pick up book two at some point.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 18 March, 2013: Finished reading
- 18 March, 2013: Reviewed