The Archive of the Forgotten by A.J. Hackwith

Available October 6, 2020

Claire, Hero and Brevity are back with another mystery set in the Library of the Unwritten in Hell. After a mysterious flood of ink threatens the Arcane Wing, Former Librarian Claire must discover it's source and it's possible implications for the rest of the Library. With Brevity as the new Librarian, Claire is struggling to balance their friendship with their new job titles and responsibilities. Probity, another Muse, joins the Library to assist Brevity in the investigation but her appearance sets everyone on edge. Meanwhile, Hero is on his own mission to discover the secrets of the ink and the truth about the characters by traveling to other realms with the help of Rami.

The deeper the unconventional Library staff digs to find the truth behind the ink, the more secrets they discover within the depths of the Library.

I absolutely love this series from A.J. Hackwith and I truly hope there will be more adventures set in the Library of the Unwritten. The world of the Library of the Unwritten is so interesting and unique in the way that it handles it's place in the world. While all the characters seem like genuinely nice people who are loyal to their friends-as loyal as they can be-the small off-hand remarks about it being in Hell makes it that much more enjoyable. It seems to operate exactly like a large Library just with a slightly different collection-if you can call books with characters that wander around and an Interworld Loan program slightly different. The curios are filled with arcane treasures such as finger bones, ruby seeds and magical rings. A little different then the pottery collection at my Library. I just love when an author can casually mention a crown that was part of a deal with a demon.

Claire's interaction with the ink places her life in danger and the race to save her keeps the story moving rather quickly. Hero is on a quest to discover the ink’s ties to characters and their books and with the help of Rami, travels through the realms seeking answers. A new muse has entered the story and is causing strife between Brevity and Claire. Adding to that tension, Claire is no longer Brevity's boss, but instead her colleague and the two struggle to find their place within their new working relationship. Neither Claire nor Brevity were given the amount of training necessary for their positions and the journal entries from former Librarians at the beginning of each chapter really highlight the amount of time each Librarian spent in that role. The relationships between all of the characters are explored far more in depth in this book and the sequel feels more focused on characters than plot. Like in the first novel, I thoroughly enjoyed how we get to see new parts of the Library and how those areas interact with each other.  The Library is full of secrets that I'm hoping will be explored in further novels.

If you like high stakes adventures, found family, magic, and a little dark humor, this is the perfect book for you. I would highly recommend you read book one before jumping into this. While it’s great on it’s own, the first book really explains the relationships between all the characters.

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Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases.