The Book That Won't Burn

This made me laugh 'Well.. Acmar can fart a tune'.
We start off within the Dust and slowly go to the library. This does include actions that may make some upset. Through this book we get to know Liviria and Evar and we follow through thier Povs. Liviria is now in the city and has started working at the library which is where this book mostly takes place. Whereas Evar lives in the library which is not your typical library it's full of dangerous things. The writing has a way of getting under your skin; the characters are always in the back of your mind, like ash or dust in your hands.

4.5 stars

Very good! An intriguing, twisty plot, enjoyable characters, and a fascinating setting with lots of secrets to explore. My only issue is that sometimes the pace was a bit slow, especially in the first half of the book, and there was some unnecessary repetition, but I still really enjoyed it. I would die for Livira.

Please note that I received an ARC from HarperFiction and NetGalley.

First, a note to the publisher: ARC in .pdf format is a form of pure evil. Why are you doing this to people? It's wrong.

The book: longer review will come in May and I'll add links.

Things I liked:
- great, well-rounded characters
- an intriguing world with weird ecology and a fantastic setting
- final reveals were great

Things that didn't fully work out for me:
- erratic pacing
- lots of exposition
- the book could be trimmer and shorter

Final thoughts: I'll definitely read the sequel anyway.

Living in a barely thriving village in the middle of nowhere, Livira craves change. Somehow it almost feels like her fault when that change comes in the form of murderous Sabbers. After a series of events that will be scarred into her memory forever, Livira finally finds her refuge in the Library and that’s where the really crazy stuff starts.

Evar has lived his whole life in the Library with his siblings. Except for the decades he spent trapped, ageless, inside the mechanism. But he doesn’t remember those. Each of his siblings came out of the mechanism with new skills and new knowledge: psychology, history, war. Evar came out with only the fuzzy memory of a woman and an unsettling urge to rescue her from some unknown evil. If only someone would rescue him from the Library first…

Usually I have a favourite character when reading dual narratives, but this time it is impossible to choose. Livira and Evar lead such unique lives, each with their own convoluted mysteries to unravel, that I was equally as eager for both of their stories to unfold. Of course the thing I was most eager for were the parts where their stories met, and these did not disappoint. Their interactions, though mostly small, were immensely powerful. Part of this, of course, can be attributed to the unique setting that they meet within.

Mark Lawrence has taken something as commonplace as a library and turned it into a truly unique setting of supernatural proportions. Similarly he has taken the concept of humans and monsters and twisted it about until it is no longer recognisable. In fact, the laws of physics simply do not exist in his world. They have been entirely replaced by mystery and misdirection. Nothing is quite as it seems and nothing seems to stay the same for very long, even your own opinions.

The most impressive thing about this book is the deluge of hints and foreshadowing scattered throughout; hints that I could plainly see, but could not decipher their meaning. Only mere pages from the end did all of the hints come crashing together into their earth-shattering conclusion. The ending was definitely a shock, but it also made so much sense. The entire book had been steadily working towards this one discovery to such an extent that, when it finally came, nothing felt more natural.

Thank you so much to publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

The synopsis had me intrigued, the writing had me pulled in. I loved this story. The writing was beautifully descriptive and it pulled you in from the start. The world was memorizing and I loved how I got lost in the story.
The characters were created well and carried this unique story.
I really enjoyed this story, I loved how as soon as you opened the novel the adventure started, The emotional rollercoaster is hard one to get off, even after the story has finished.

I have this book on my wishlist and come release day I will be purchasing a copy. I really recommend The Book That Wouldn't Burn

This book took a long while to get into, i almost DNF'd it waiting for the plot to start. But I'm glad I didn't. It is a bit disjointed to begin with, and not a lot happens it all just fells like 'vibe-building, however once the library and it's book get a chance to truly shiine, they really do. . This book has witty moments, but it's also tense and emotional at times and the wee chapter epigrams are amazing and really add little ' easter eggs' throughout.
It worth pushing throuhg the beginning, and end is twists and action packed and will leav you wanting even more

The book may not be able to burn, but I can promise you that I felt like a pile of ash by the time I was done, and I mean in a good, rotten, broken emotional way.

do you ever find a book that you pick up and it strikes a chord with you? Not just "I like that character" or "They did what I would have done in that situation" but an actual chord that stays with you all day when you do not have the book in your hands, your mind wanting to know what happens next, how it will affect you as a reader, and more importantly, how will it affect the believed characters? Well, this is that sort of book.

The book revolves around Livira, a poor orphan from the Dust (a wasteland where they strike to earn a living growing beans) and Evar (a young man who has grown up in a contained environment of a Library) with his four siblings. It follows them as they learn new and important things, each scared and trained to fight the Scabbers in their own ways. The Scabbers are the enemy of their people. One is prepared to fight, one is learning how to beat them with their learning in the Library. And when they meet, worlds are rocked to their foundations.

I have a deep respect and love for Mark Lawrence's writing, and when I was given a chance to read this book, I jumped at the chance to do so. This book has jumped to the top of the list of his works that I love, and quite frankly left me a bit of an emotional wreck. The writing has a way of getting under your skin, the characters are always there at the corner of your eye, with the feeling of ash or dust in your hands. If I have not made it clear by now that this book needs to be read, then please take the following statement for clarification: read this damned book.

4.75/5 stars! What is it with stunning book covers stealing my soul lately? This cover was gorgeous. I want to live in the library pictured. And somehow, the story lived up to every single one of my expectations. This was my first book by Mark Lawrence but I will be refreshing every single day until book 2 in this trilogy is available. The science fiction elements of this story were epic and the dystopian world we are introduced to left me reeling. I feel like a lot of the writing choices were extremely intentional, and for me, they paid off. Can't wait to see what's next.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

A book about libraries and secrets ! What’s not to like!! I find Mr Lawrence an acquired taste, I have dived head first into some of his books and not wanted to surface and other books have left me floundering, this book (for me) was somewhere on the middle, I enjoyed it but was not enthused by it

Everything about this is special.
The characters, the incredible settings, the nods to history and other cultures, the amazing library, the journey of these characters....I don't want to say too much and spoil it for anyone else.
Don't judge a book by it's cover? Well definitely judge this book by it's cover-an absolute treat!

Did you ever dream to live in an (almost) infinite library, to have access to all the books ever written? Or to be able to actually live a particular story? Well... be careful what you wish for...

Despite the long exposition, I think this may be the best story Mark Lawrence has written so far. Up until around 40% I wasn't sure I would like it much; there is no apparent plot, there are repetitive scenes, and characters are stagnant. But after that, oh my! I couldn't put it down. So don't let the long, and apparently disjointed, start deter you; it will reward you like no other - I was left breathless by the end. There are so many twists and wonders which I didn't see coming that I was constantly gaping.

Beside the marvels of the library, its books, caretakers and mysteries, I was utterly entranced by the love story. Mind you, it's not your usual romance, of course, and that's exactly why it touched me deeply.

Oh, and those epigraphs! You'll be rewarded with words of wisdom and various quotes from the most unexpected "personalities". The names made me shriek with delight and amusement.

The book is not even published yet and I already crave for the second and third volumes! It does have a (sort of) closure of its own, doesn't end in a cliffhanger (thank Lawrence for small mercies!) but I'm dying to know what happens next!

One of the best stories I have ever read; I'm still bewitched by it. It will be a long time before it will leave my thoughts. ❤️

3.5 rounded to 4.

Thankyou to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

While the dystopian, post-apocalyptic setting of the book was really interesting to me and I found the main characters compelling, something was missing for me in the execution.

What I liked:

- The setting and worldbuilding was well thought out and interesting, at once alien and familiar.
- The whole library set up and the Mechanism was fascinating
- Livira in particular was an interesting voice and I found myself enjoying her chapters immensely

What didn't quite do it for me:
- I felt like the book could have been half the length it was and still could have told the story perfectly well
- There were points in the prose where the same thing was described or explained multiple times within the same chapter, using the same phrasing, which really bothered me. This was very apparent in Evar's first chapter and it seemed like a strange editing decision to keep that in.
- I was at times a little hazy on the plot and where it was going - which is obviously not always a bad thing, as you don't want to predict everything you read, but in this case it felt meandering at times and confusing. This could be more of a me problem though.

I think some books are for you and some aren't, and I think maybe this one wasn't it for me.

The Book That Wouldn’t Burn is a book about books. Set in enormous, ever shifting library that holds all knowledge, we meet Livira, a girl from a village destroyed by war, and Evar, a boy trapped in one of the libraries many chambers. From there it gets weird, but in the best way possible.

The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, is a challenging fantasy novel that explores themes such as knowledge, classism, power, responsibility, love, and war. It’s also an exciting and intriguing story with many unexpected twists and turns, that will keep you turning the pages. The story is one that keeps you thinking long after you’ve finished reading.

Posted on Goodreads on 04.02.2023