I don't like fantasy books. There, I said it. And yet, explain to me why and how I managed to read one and absolutely love it.
The Library of the Unwritten was a great discovery, a highlight of lockdown if you will, and I'm really glad I finally picked it up from my tbr shelf where it was collecting dust and throwing side glances my way.
The premise is so simple and yet so new it blew me away completely: there's a library in Hell where all unfinished books are stored away, protected for authors to come back and complete them. It's a safe place where Claire - the Librarian - makes sure everything runs smoothly and nothing bad happens to the books and their authors. With the help of her friend and muse Brevity and the courier demon Leto, she embarks on a lifelong mission of solitude, protecting the unwritten books from whatever it might happen - even from themselves.
Claire lived by the firm moral philosophy that one could never have too many pockets, too many books, or too much tea.
Then one day a Hero - which is basically a character or the book itself that takes a human form - escapes to visit its author and convince her to write the book, to give it a purpose, an ending. Claire's job is to go to Earth, retrieve the book, make sure the author is safe and go back to Hell but what starts as a quick touch and run sort of situation, ends up being a long adventure through the different realms of Hell with a glorious cast of characters and a good shed of tears.
Even though it sounds fun and adventurous, this book goes deeper than that; it makes you question your beliefs, if good and evil are two separate things, if one could become the other and if we're easily corrupted by power. It makes you question your relationships, yourself and helps you come out stronger, with more knowledge and a question or two.
It is a story's natural ambition to wake up and start telling itself to the world. This, of course, is a buggered pain in the arse.
The eternal war between good and evil, Heaven and Hell, Demons and Gods is very present and persistent throughout the whole book but with a spin: you somehow root for what is considered "evil" and corrupted, you will find Hell and all its realms quite pleasing and fun especially in contrast with the other side, the "good" side made of angels thirsty of power and victory.
It's a good starting point if you're looking to expand your horizons and read something that challenges you and your believes, that makes you think about what you think you know and turns it upside down but without boring you to death or make it any less adventurous.
The characters are so funny! Especially Claire, she has a witty mouth that spits sarcasm in every scene but she's a fighter, so strong and vulnerable.
The Library of the Unwritten is a fun adventure into the eternal battle between good and evil, the depth of the human heart, the corruption we so easily fall into for power. It will give you new perspectives and a new set of characters to love and cherish - and a good laugh, as well as some pretty powerful emotional moments, sprinkled on this multi-layered cake.
If anything, it will definitely give you that push you need to go finish your damn novel because yes, it's not always fun and games and writer's block is a bitch and blank pages are your worst enemy but don't ever forget:
The best stories are bled.