The Library of Ever
The Library of Ever series, Book 1
Zeno Alexander
Imprint
Fiction, MG Fantasy
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION: When Lenora's parents went on an extended vacation, any thoughts of having a fun time on her own are quickly dashed when she's saddled with the world's worst babysitter; the young woman drags the girl all over the city, buying herself dresses and planning parties to impress her friends, and only seems to care about Lenora insomuch as she's determined to keep the girl from doing anything fun. While visiting the library, Lenora determines to slip away, even just for a little while... only to find herself facing a strange stone archway, beyond which lies an impossibly vast world of shelves and books and other wonders. A giant of a woman whose badge identifies her as an Answerer takes Lenora on as an assistant in the great Library of Ever, where all manner of people (human and otherwise) seek all manner of knowledge. As a Fourth Assistant Apprentice Librarian, the girl finds herself plunged into all manner of challenges, seeking answers for patrons... and facing an insidious enemy that wants to stamp out knowledge.
REVIEW: Another audiobook chosen primarily to pass the time at work, The Library of Ever promises an adventurous romp in an imaginary library that spans time and space and reality itself, with a side order of fighting the embodied forces of ignorance and misinformation - an enemy still all too alive and well in the real world, as recent spikes in book banning sadly indicate. This is what it delivers. It skirts a line that many similar titles toy with: turning reading and books into a bold, in-your-face Grand Adventure, presumably to convince readers (who likely already know, as they're reading the book in the first place) how enjoyable and necessary books and the information they contain are. Fortunately, it doesn't browbeat too much on this. (Few things kill the fun of a story like an overly-blatant Theme or Lesson bludgeoning the reader; whisper it, speak it, but don't shout and pummel with it...) Lenora's a decently plucky heroine who gets in over her head more than once, but manages to find her way through tricky problems and learn something along the way - especially the idea that factoids "everyone knows" aren't always true, so every assumption deserves scrutiny. The Library of Ever itself is a vast, surreal world for her to explore. Along the way, the Forces of Darkness scheme and skulk through the shelves, taking a personal interest in the up-and-coming young librarian. The ending has a decently perilous climax with a hook for the second book in the series... which I downloaded after finishing this one.
You Might Also Enjoy:
Inkheart (Cornelia Funke) - My Review
Behind the Canvas (Alexander Vance) - My Review
The Forbidden Library (Django Wexler) - My Review
No comments:
Post a Comment