Review by Sophie. 

Trigger warnings: Suicide.

Oh My Lord! (Pardon the pun) But where do I even start with this book to tell you just how AMAZING it is!

This book is literally about a library from Hell where all unfinished books sleep, but every now and then a book wakes up and manifests into characters, escaping into the real world to seek out their authors.

The concept of this book is fantastic and really like nothing I’ve ever come across before. Hackwith has created a magical world, with good plot twists and a steady pace while giving the BEST personalities to all of the characters!
 
“No story, written or unwritten, is static. Left abandoned too long and given the right stimulation, a book goes wrong in the head. It is a story’s natural ambition to wake up and start telling itself to the world. This, of course, is a buggered pain in the arse.”
 
Claire Hadley is the librarian of the unwritten wing in Hell’s library. Her job is mainly to repair damaged books and to safeguard unfinished books as they sleep. Clare comes across as a very blunt and stern librarian who follows all the rules. It’s her way or no way. She’s extremely protective of the library and will do anything to protect it.
 
“Librarians serve as the readers the unwritten books never had. It anchors them, quiets them, and assists in keeping them asleep in their bindings. Walk careful in the long shadows of abandoned stacks, for you walk footpaths of restless dreams.”
 
Claire is accompanied by her assistant (former muse) Brevity, and I can’t tell you how much love I have for her, she's so funny. Her one liner’s, and her personality as a whole is really fantastic! Brevity made me laugh so much during this book.
 
Claire receives a visit from a very new demon called Leto, who’s very sweet and is afraid of pretty much everything.
 
“He said something about... ah, you know who," Leto said.
"Lucifer's our ruler, not a dark wizard, Leto. You can say his name," 
 
And you really find yourself just wanting to wrap him in bubble wrap throughout the whole thing.
 
The three of them head to earth to retrieve the missing book before it does too much damage to itself. Whilst there, they encounter a visit from Ramiel – a fallen angel who's desperately trying to redeem himself. Ramiel is searching for the Codex (The devils book/bible) which he believes Claire has. During a brawl, Leto snatches the pages to the codex from Ramiel and once back in the library Claire discovers what it actually is and sets out to find it herself in an attempt to stop a war between heaven and hell from breaking out.
 
The trio are also accompanied by Hero – the original character from the missing book, out of the unwritten wing, and Andras – Claire’s mentor and good friend.
 
This book really does have it all, it captured and drew me in right from the beginning and it played out perfectly and everything tied up nicely at the end. The plot twists and relationships are perfect, and I literally can’t stop thinking about this book. I love the representation of different sexualities and thought that it was perfectly demonstrated.
 
The writing is truly beautiful and every line needs to be appreciated. I’m not sure where how this will continue and think it might be better suited as a stand-alone, but only time will tell as its definitely now on my TBR.
 
So, if you’re into Libraries, Demons, sarcastically funny muses, Hell hounds, Hero’s, Damsels, angels, magic and realm exploring, this is definitely a book you should read.

Review by Kayleigh

Trigger warnings: Suicide.
I did not expect this book to be a 5-star read for me. It was, without doubt, a cover buy and I went into it on a whim, hoping it'd be okay and that I wouldn't completely hate it. 

I have no idea why I thought it'd flop for me, I just did.

And I am SO glad I was wrong. 

I fell headfirst into this book, caught up on the very first page at the image of a librarian chasing down a character that'd escaped from a book and then stabbing her so she'd return to the pages. 

As far as first chapters go, it was certainly eventful and straight away lets you know that Claire is a badass character who isn't to be trifled with....and I love that about her. 

She gave me badass Mary Poppins vibes! 

"Claire lived by the firm moral philosophy that one could never have too many pockets, too many books, or too much tea."

I also love that she's pansexual! This book is NOT a romance, it doesn't contain a romance plot, and I loved that a non-romance novel still brought Claire's sexuality into the light. 

As the book continues, we meet more characters, and we're treated to multiple narratives that actually work and don't detract from the overall plot! Instead of derailing the plot into separate storylines for each character, the multiple POV's simply provided additional insight into each character that made me really feel for them as they dealt with each new challenge. 

The characters themselves are brilliant, and none are quite what they seem. The longer I read, the more my perceptions of each character changed from sarcastic Hero to sweet Leto. I loved each and every one of them. 

"Oh, good. I would hate to cause him a laundry bill and when I inconsiderately die all over him."

The language is easy to read, and the pace is super-fast; I sped through this book and then tried to make the last 50 pages last longer because I just didn't want it to end. 

In fact, the ending is the only thing that has me concerned about the sequel. It finished in such a place that I'm honestly not sure how the author's going to continue it. 

Aside from the characters who drive the story brilliantly, I also loved the world-building in this book. The author delivers an enchanting library, a haunting arcane wing, a captivating Valhalla and a 'not all that it seems' Heaven, alongside many locations on Earth that really come to life. 

The writing style of the book reminded me a lot of Pratchett and his satirical take on religion. It felt very reminiscent of Good Omens in how the demons and angels are portrayed, but the concept was truly original. 

Brace yourself for laughter and adventure from the off, but you can also expect some harder to deal with topics (grief, loss, betrayal) and a bit of heartache further down the line from one or two characters in particular. 

"And for that...for that, Watcher, I will remember you. And one day I will bring all of Hell upon you."

I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves books, especially writers (although it might increase your anxiety to finish all those unwritten book ideas). I also think fans of Good Omens and Sorcery of Thorns will particularly enjoy The Library of the Unwritten. 

"It can take decades to learn to wield words properly. But you need only look at the hungry demons at our door to know the power of inspiration."