hello what is the great library series pls give me a run down
hi hello please have a seat while i scream about this series to you!!!
the great library series by rachel caine. where do i start. my very good friend @thornesrule recommended this series to me back in december and iām now the happiest person alive for i get to live in a year when the fifth and final book comes out. this is perfect. with that said, iāve only read two out of four books that are out right now, so i can only tell you the basics but thereās still a lot to love, i promise.
picture this: the great library of Alexandria is safe and sound. even better: it holds and hoards all knowledge, and very limited group of people has access to it. you can request certain titles directly from your local library, and they will be magically delivered to you, but the range is limited and controlled. you canāt check out the originals; in fact, you canāt own printed books at all.
the librarians & scholars store & protect & take care of the knowledge, smugglers seek out the originals to sell them on the black market, the burners are also after the books but they make political statements by burning the books (and themselves) in public. scholars are specifically trained and taught to be ready to die for books. and they really do. you see where iām going with this? people fight and die for books. if this is not the ultimate series every book hoarder needs to read, i donāt know what is.
now, the world might be cool, but itās the characters that make or break it. Jess Brightwell is an absolute mess of a human being resembling another equally absolute mess whom i also adopted as my child. (am i desperately projecting Neil Josten onto every single character ever since i read aftg? yes i am and what about it. i will elaborate and you Will Realise.) he is also the main character. he comes from the family of smugglers, but his biggest dream is to become a scholar. i wonāt spoil any more spoilers, but if you are a reasonable, sane human being, you should love the concept of a found family, so you understand why i desperately need you to read this series.
Jess is confused because, for the first time in his life, he finds people that genuinely like him. he, in turn, is literally willing to die for them since day one. nobody wants him to, but he is 100% sure he does not deserve to be their friend. heās a pathological liar, runs from his problems and feelings, is really fucking oblivious to everything except the things concerning illegal book trade (he is a pro at this).Ā
look me in the eye and tell me i am wrong when i say i have adopted Neil Jostenās twin brother (coincidentally, Jess actually does have a twin brother).
and also, in my personal opinion which is right andĀ that resulted in my original complaint, Jess Brightwell is not straight and he has no fucking clue. to quote the greatest minds of our generation, and they were roommatesā¦.oh my god the were roommates. thatās that on that.
last but not least, if you care about representation, you should get the first book (Ink and Bone) right now, this second. the main cast consists of a gorgeous Muslim girl who can murder you with her intelligence, a bratty and arrogant son of a Spanish diplomat (you will love him. you will), a Soft⢠German genius engineer boy who deserved 10 times better than this, a Welsh girl who is only here to get into the army and also cut you with a glance in your direction, the aforementioned book smuggler and dumbass extraordinaire, and this one girl who is kinda relevant to the plot and iāll be happy for you if you like her but in this house we do not understand her so itās fine.
thereās also very wholesome and angsty gay rep. i wonāt say who, but theyāre also main characters who save the day every day. thereās books, magic, family, adventure, drama, just, please, this series has everything and you Should Give It A Chance.
with all that said, i obviously see the flaws too. i gave both books 4 stars, but i swear itās all worth it. you just gotta make a place in your heart for this gang.