I received this ebook from NetGalley and Crown Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis ~ Carolyn’s not so different from the other people around her. She likes guacamole and cigarettes and steak. She knows how to use a phone. Clothes are a bit tricky, but everyone says nice things about her outfit with the Christmas sweater over the gold spandex bicycle shorts. After all, she was once an American herself. Of course, that was a long time ago, and since then Carolyn hasn’t had a chance to get out much. Instead, she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father’s ancient customs. They’ve studied the books in his Library and learned some of the secrets of his power. The experience has left them at times wondering if their cruel leader might actually be God.
Now Father is missing–perhaps even dead–and the Library that holds his secrets stands unguarded for the first time. Whoever gains control over it will also have control over all of creation.
Carolyn will need every tool at her disposal for the coming battle, as fierce competitors for this prize align against her, all of them with powers that far exceed her own.
Reading The Library at Mount Char is an experience quite unlike any other. If you had Neil Gaiman and Stephen King, got them drunk/high and then asked them to write a story together, they might come up with something like this.
I just finished this book and it’s still going to be difficult to pull together a coherent review, but here it goes.
When I first saw this offered on NetGalley I thought it looked like just my cup of tea. A mystical Library with twelve mysterious librarians? I think I was picturing some of my favorite heroes like:
or
or
and of course
But no. Carolyn and her siblings aren’t the type of librarians you ever want to meet unless you have a hankering for a horrifying painful and gruesome death. Each of them start out as perfectly ordinary children who live in the same development, but when a mysterious cataclysmic event kills all of their parents, they’re “adopted” by Adam Black, aka Father, who brings to mind some of the worst cult leaders in history. Actually, he could give them lessons in perversion and cruelty. Over the next several years, each child is assigned a catalog to learn. David’s is the catalog of murder techniques, Jennifer’s healing and medicine, Michael’s the language of animals, and so on. Carolyn’s is languages, and she becomes proficient in not just all the known languages of the world, but also those of animals, nature, and myth and legend. Out of all the many rules they are taught the biggest one is that they are not to learn any catalog but their own for that would give them too much power. When Father goes missing, the”children”, who are now adults, are forced out of the Library and decide to go find him. The problem is many of them have their own hidden agendas, including Carolyn, and they don’t exactly play well with each other. With the prize being control over the Library and all of creation itself, it’s hard to guess who will come out the winner.
Carolyn, as the protagonist, isn’t the most likeable character. Despite her obvious emotional scarring at the hands of Father, her callousness and indifference toward those around her make it difficult to feel any real sympathy for her. This is a woman for who the term”collateral damage” is a personal mantra. Even at the end of the book when it’s divulged exactly what happened that fateful day when she and the others lost their parents, I still didn’t care for her. That said, she’s incredibly complex and the way she’s written is unforgettable. She’s the type of character who stays stuck in your head long after you’ve finished the story. I think the only characters I liked unequivocally were Michael, who reminded me of Brendan Frasier’s Tarzan and was sweet in a disturbing sort of way, and Steve, a reformed burgler who finds his life upended after meeting Carolyn. There’s also Erwin, a war hero, now government agent who has a truly unique perspective on life and people.
The book contains many horrifying scenes including some involving animals which made it difficult to read at times. They’re not thrown in gratuitously though and they’re integral to the plot. Thankfully, these are tempered by humorous moments which had me laughing out loud.The first 50 or so pages begin slowly, but after that the pacing continuously picked up and I had a difficult time putting this down. The main reason why I’m only giving this 4 stars is because Scott Hawkins literally throws just about everything but the kitchen sink into his concoction, and because of this, I found myself having to go back and re-read previous passages, and even at the end I was still left feeling confused about a few things. This is such a unique and imaginative novel though, I know at some point I’ll read it again. If you’re a fan of Stephen King, Joe Hill, Neil Gaiman, or Clive Barker, I highly recommend this. It’s not something you’ll soon forget!
Cool post love the gifs.
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Thanks Vinnie! I especially love Evie! She all”I am librarian! Here me roar!”
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She is a great character and so beautiful too.
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😊😊😊
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I’m not one for gruesomeness but this is the second time I’ve seen this book and I must say, it does look interesting.
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Hi Daniel! Thanks for commenting. Let me know if you read other? BTW, your book is on my TBR list.😊
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Oh my gosh that’s so exciting!!! I wanted to ask you if you would be willing to read it!! 😀 And yeah I’ll definitely let you know if I read The Library at Mount Char! (My current reading list is pretty big haha.)
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I know what you mean! My reading list is out of control! I wish I hadn’t missed your free giveaway. I’ll pick it up though.
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I wish you wouldn’t have missed it either! Nevertheless, I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it! 😀
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I do love Evie. And, you had me at a drunk/high King or Gaiman.
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Wouldn’t you just love to sit in on that meeting of the minds?!
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Yes!
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My dearest Kim! I’m in!! great post and I’ve already ordered it!! It’ll take me a bit to get through it, but this sounds really good!
As a reciprocation, I don’t think you should rush out and get it but I’m very fond of a book called “The End of Vandalism” by Tom Drury – it’s not quite as “Mailman” as me but it’s the type of humor I like.
I also really love “The People of Paper” by Salvador Plasencia – that last name may not be spelled correctly.
#lovekim !!!!
#exclamationpoints
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Thanks Eric! More gleeful dancing ensues. I can’t wait to hear what you think! I can’t believe I haven’t heard of your two recommendations. Although now that I think of it, Tom Drury does sound familiar. I’m going to go check them out!
#loveeric
#iamalibrarian
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Wow this sounds like a great read! I giggled at the name Adam Black, I know the name from another series so that intrigues me to see if I can spot similarities.
I need to find out how you read so many books to fast and review. I can read 4 books at a time but not when I’m in the mind to review one. Teach me oh wise one lol
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Thanks LizaJane! I thought of you when I read this. What series has Adam Black in it?
As far as my reading goes, alas, I have no deep hidden secret. I’m disabled, so I have a lot of time on my hands. I’m impressed you can read 4 books at a time! The most I can juggle is 3! I’m bowing down to you right now! 🙂
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Karen Marie Moning has a character name Adam Black in her Highlander series, he’s a naughty fae with a mean streak.
Thats too nice you thought of me! I’ll add this to my goodreads so I remember to read it!
Don’t bow down lol I just have a busy brain hahaha
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I think I read the first book in that series but then I got sidetracked.
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It happens, I prefer her Fever Series more 🙂
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Sounds like an interesting book. And I love the gifs, too. Always loved Evie and Giles 🙂
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Thanks Jeanne! I finished it several hours ago and I STILL can’t get it out of my head! Which is good, but now I’m trying to start another book and it’s making it a bit difficult. Hmm, maybe I’ll take a reading break and re-watch The Mummy or a couple of Buffy episodes.😏
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Heh. I know what you mean. I have a sudden urge to watch The Mummy again, myself.
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I can’t watch Evie play dominoes with those bookcases enough!
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LOL! I know. It makes me cringe.
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It made my misadventure with four book carts when I was still working look like a cakewalk.😊
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I’ve not had the pleasure of an experience like that, but I can imagine.
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Not exactly one of my finer moments!
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It wouldn’t be mine, either. Probably rank up there with the time I sat on a piece of birthday cake.
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Oh!😱 that must be quite a story!
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Heh. Yeah. Not my best moment.
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I’m reading this right now and your Gaiman/King combo is spot-on. So far, I’m not quite enjoying it as much as you seemed to, but hopefully that will improve soon enough. I do find the mythology overall very interesting.
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I can’t wait to see what you think Blaise!
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Interesting! I hadn’t heard of it before, but the Gaiman/King comparison is certainly intriguing!
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I don’t think it’s for everyone, but if you like to take the occasional walk on the dark side it’s great!
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I love the mention of Neil Gaiman and Steven King. I laughed way too hard!
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And yet again, you’ve made my day Jonathan! You and Aaron do that a lot! 🙂
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: ) YAY!
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🙂 🙂 🙂
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Sounds interesting, though it does seem that there is a lot of things to remember. Everything but the kitchen sink? Love it!
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It’s definitely one of those books that you can’t skim, but it’s worth it!
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I usually prefer a read that has something to sink my teeth into.
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Those are the best kind! 😊
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