I first saw this book when I visited the brand-spanking new Dymocks in the city. The cover art was striking and instantly caught my eyes. I took a picture of it and filed it in my “Interested” list.

The next time we visited the same Dymocks my eyes picked out this book again and that day it came home with me.

After I read the first page, I knew this book would be a good read.

After the first chapter, I knew this would be my new favourite book.

It was a yes on both counts.

I LOVED the concept of a library where all unwritten books lived and that it was situated in hell only made it all the more bad arse. I absolutely adored the characters and especially the contemporary themes- this was the first book I’ve read that has same-sex relationships and gender fluid characters! As I now know (because I’ve finally seen them) how much representation matters, this proofs to be another endearing factor and appeal of this book series.

As is the mark of all well written and well-loved books, there are many layers to the main story, depths to each character, and certain distinguishing features that set it apart. Each chapter of this Hell’s Library series begins with an entry by a librarian, and the most delightful thing is that even though I knew at the time these entries must be relevant and tried to glean insights from them, they stubbornly refused to offer more than just a hint that lingers in your subconscious until after the fact!

I had an absolute blast journeying through Hell, partying with warriors at Valhalla, getting stranded in a dead realm’s hell all while being pursued by a deadly fallen angel! The battle of the librarians was simply glorious and the banter between the characters were witty and hilarious!

This book is a wonderful page turner and I felt most fortunate (and relieved) that Book 2 of the series, The Archive Of The Forgotten, has already been released. I saw to it that it was summoned from my fav online bookstore, the Book Depository, immediately.

As usual, with adventures that I particularly enjoy, I like to pick out actresses and actors for the main characters along the way. This is my selection:

Claire: Thandie Newton
Hero: Vincent Cassel
Andras: Ian McShane
Rami: Jason Momoa
Uriel: Tilda Swinton
Brevity: My good friend, Celina Santos. Trust me, she is perfect for this!
Leto: Freddie Highmore

What do you think?

Grab your copy of The Library Of The Unwritten here*.