The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith

Title: The Library of the Unwritten
Author: A.J. Hackwith
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Hell's Library #1
Trade Paperback, 375 pages
Publication: October 1, 2019 by Ace Books
Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.
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Many years ago, Claire was named Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing-- a neutral space in Hell where all the stories unfinished by their authors reside. Her job consists mainly of repairing and organizing books, but also of keeping an eye on restless stories that risk materializing as characters and escaping the library. When a Hero escapes from his book and goes in search of his author, Claire must track and capture him with the help of former muse and current assistant Brevity and nervous demon courier Leto.

But what should have been a simple retrieval goes horrifyingly wrong when the terrifyingly angelic Ramiel attacks them, convinced that they hold the Devil's Bible. The text of the Devil's Bible is a powerful weapon in the power struggle between Heaven and Hell, so it falls to the librarians to find a book with the power to reshape the boundaries between Heaven, Hell....and Earth.

Have you ever wondered where unfinished manuscripts and stories dwell? It’s not tucked away as a binary code in the pits of your computer nor stashed in a folder somewhere in your filing cabinet. Stories are shelved away in the Unwritten Wing in Hell, locked down and overseen by a librarian. Because occasionally, a story gets restless and comes alive in search of its creator hoping to have their stories finished and written.

This is where head librarian of hell, Claire, comes in. She’s been the library caretaker for awhile now and haven’t had any issues, she knows every book like the back of her hand. Until one day a book goes unaccounted for, finding its way to earth. With the help of her muse assistant and a young, newbie demon; Claire sets out to retrieve the rouge book. But the situation goes south when her mission entangles with two archangels hunting for the Devil’s Bible. With time of the essence, Claire and her crew of misfits’ races to find the Devil’s Bible before Heaven gets its hand on it. 

I love the idea of unfinished stories having lives of their own. Even more interesting that these stories were being housed in Hell, of all places. Library of the Unwritten was narrated by a handful of characters; the librarian, a young demon, the muse and an angel; alternating from chapter to chapter. While I enjoyed most of the characters, in general I’m not a fan of multiple POVs or the overlapping, duplicate scene from another character’s POV. It was repetitive. And some character’s POV were less interesting than others, which made the story drag in parts.

The world building and magic system were well thought out and developed. Hackwith did an excellent job in incorporating various religious history with her own unique take on life after death. I enjoyed seeing the characters travel through different realms and portals and their modes of transportation, whether it be through candlelight or a raven’s wing. And no surprise that a library’s weapon of choice is those of words or pen and paper. The battle scene in Valhalla was fun.

All in all, Library of the Unwritten was an enjoyable read. It is first in a brand-new series and I can’t wait to see where Hackwith takes these characters/stories.