Title: The Library of the Dead (Edinburgh Nights #1)
Author: T. L. Huchu
Publisher: Tor, London
Publication date: 2021
Genre: Urban Fantasy (Adult Fiction)
Platform/format: Bolinda BorrowBox (eBook)
Reviewer: Peta Browne
In HMS (His Majesty’s Slum) Hermiston, a dystopian future Edinburgh caravan suburb, a teenager supports her sister and grandmother by talking to the dead.
Ropafadzu (Ropa for short) sets up shop around Edinburgh in the dark of night and waits for ghosts in need of her services.
Before they fully pass to the afterlife they need to tell something to someone still living.
So they come to Ropa who, for a fee, passes the message along.
All normal, until one of the ghosts wants Ropa to find her missing son, and it leads to a dangerous investigation involving other missing children.
Luckily for Ropa her old school friend Jomo works in a library.
It’s an exclusive, private underground magical library, but Ropa finagles her way in.
Here she finds access to texts on magic, and mentors of sorts, including new friend Priya, all of which are crucial in her quest for answers and justice.
Ropa is a sponge for knowledge, but also a bit of an amusing smart aleck.
She has had to live by her wits and think quick. I found her quite delightful, and the idea of a magic underground library completely awesome.
The mystery was engaging and the themes resonated.
This series is one for fans of Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series, and even for older fans of Harry Potter.
Also available in hardcopy in the library.
Other stories: Easter Holiday fun throughout the region
not listed in bolinda at Brisbane City Library