In the second installment of this richly imagined fantasy adventure series, a new threat from within the Library could destroy those who depend upon it the most. The Library of the Unwritten in Hell was saved from total devastation, but hundreds of potential books were destroyed. Former librarian Claire and Brevity the muse feel the loss of those stories, and are trying to adjust to their new … adjust to their new roles within the Arcane Wing and Library, respectively. But when the remains of those books begin to leak a strange ink, Claire realizes that the Library has kept secrets from Hell–and from its own librarians.
Claire and Brevity are immediately at odds in their approach to the ink, and the potential power that it represents has not gone unnoticed. When a representative from the Muses Corps arrives at the Library to advise Brevity, the angel Rami and the erstwhile Hero hunt for answers in other realms. The true nature of the ink could fundamentally alter the afterlife for good or ill, but it entirely depends on who is left to hold the pen.
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An excellent sequel, The Archive of the Forgotten delves deeper into the mysteries of Hells Library.
A Good Story Fueled by Excellent Characters
The Archive of the Forgotten takes place shortly after The Library of the Unwritten and the demon Andras’ failed coup. Still reeling from the events and consequences of their adventures in the previous novel, the character dynamics have changed. Brevity, the muse who stole inspiration and Claire’s former apprentice, is now the Head Librarian while Claire has been removed and made the Arcanist.
Hackwith jumps right into her storytelling as she picks up the pieces of the previous novel and explores the tension between them. Hero, formerly of a book, is now Brevity’s assistant, and the fallen angel Ramiel who had been working to earn his place in Heaven, is now Claire’s assistant in Hell. This shows the reader just how much the previous novel changed them and how they continue to grow in this novel.
The tension between the characters leaks off the pages and into the reader, much like the novel’s ink. It pulls the reader in, allowing the reader to connect to the characters. There are times when the characters, notably Brevity and Claire, are unlikeable, but the reader understands them. There is a struggle between the characters and pain between them as they try to understand this new balance between them and their new situation.
Hackwith does an excellent job of bringing these characters to life because the reader feels their pain, guilt, rage, sorrow, and compassion. The emotions flow from the story and into the reader beautifully.
Excellent Expansion
Much like its predecessor, The Archive of the Forgotten continues to take readers on a magical journey. In the first novel, these characters go to Earth and Valhalla. Now they are on their way to Elysium, another expansion of the library.
It is incredible how Hackwith has expanded the scope of the library in Hell. There is the Dust Wing, and the Unsaid Wing heralded by Echo. Following these characters as they embark on a journey to discover the secrets of unwritten books and ink gives the story more range and more magic. Bringing in characters from Greek Mythology gives the story even more dimension as it builds up this library in Hell and its purpose there.
Final Thoughts
Indeed a brilliant sequel, The Archive of the Forgotten, is a captivating novel. It explores the characters’ depth and emotional range, evolving them as their journey continues and gives the reader a story to match its ending. It is both magical and emotional and will make the reader hunger for another.
I am really enjoying this series. The interaction between characters is wonderful. They are flawed but engaging. I love the support they give each other. From the end of the first book many books were lost in the fire so the books voted for a new librarian. Brevity,muse, is now Librarian and Claire, human, is now in charge of the Arcane section. This does cause some strain in their relationship. Hero, book character, is now Brevity’s assistant. And Rami, disgraced Watcher Angel, is the assistant to Claire. A new muse shows up too. She is a friend of Brevity. Her name is Probity. When a well of ink appears in the Arcane section and Claire accidentally touches it and starts traveling up her arm. Probity is able to stop the traveling. I won’t say more. No spoilers. I can’t wait to read book 3.
Stories can change you.
Great stories do.
What A. J. Hackwith’s The Archive of the Forgotten did to me is another story. Her writing is on a whole new level. It’s like she KNOWS what stories are made of. How stories should be written. The world-building? Enthralling, so absolutely terrifically amazing that I can’t find the right words to describe it.
Claire, Brevity, Rami and Hero are my heros.
Introverted, determined, seemingly selfish Claire is a miracle and I can’t stop loving her. Until she does or says something haughty and insulting so I hate her only to realize that she feels so deeply and she cares for the people she loves and that she can feel remorse and guilt.
Arrogant, pesky, sarcastic Hero who would sacrifice himself to save those he loves. I adore the Hell out of him.
Brevity…sweet, lovely Brevity who loves stories but is afraid of her new responsibilities. Lovely, selfless Brevity who is capable of forgiveness and loves hard.
And Ramiel…Rami. Quiet, brooding Rami who’s gone a long way to become what he is now. He has such a big heart. He is so understanding, a good listener, he won’t judge you if you tell him your greatest fears, your biggest secrets. Everyone should have a Ramiel of their own.
I don’t want to describe what happens in the book because I’m not I could stop. All I can say is that the story grips you and won’t let go, not even when it ends.
The Archive of the Forgotten is for everyone who wants to read a tale. A tale of love, of forgiveness, of books.
Loved this book! If you enjoyed Jasper Fforde’s “Thursday Next” series, you will love this series!
Oh. My. GOODNESS!!!!!
I don’t normally gush, but you’re going to see more adjectives here – and superlative ones, at that – than normal. The book deserves them all, plain and simple.
I couldn’t imagine how the incredible world-building and characterizations of The Library of the Unwritten could be improved upon, but somehow A.J. Hackwith managed… This second-in-series is brilliant – every bit as original, dramatic, thought-provoking, entertaining, and engaging as the first, but with a marvelous series of additions that spun things in whirlwind directions that made everything just that little bit larger than life.
At the advice of another reviewer, I reread TLotU immediately before beginning this one – that wasn’t exactly a hardship, even if it did delay my digging into this one, because I LOVED the first book. I’m very glad that I did because there was so much that happened in the original story and I’m glad I had all that nuance between characters, motivations, and the unfolding stories of the logbook when I read this one. There is an ingenious unfolding happening here – layer by delicate layer, Hackwith is revealing deceptions (intentional and not), revelations (ditto) and a larger purpose that are phenomenal in their depth and breadth. All the seemingly random, seemingly throwaway bits are building into something majestic and it’s incredible to watch this origami unfold itself.
The characters are gorgeously presented, full of foibles and quirks and human frailties (even when they’re not entirely – or even a little bit – human). The worlds are lushly described, full of the type of minute details that make them jump off the page and inhabit your brain long after you’ve closed the book (or file, as I read it on Kindle).
I love books about books and authors and the process of creating stories. This is one of the best examples of that I’ve seen – with a solid dose of philosophical consideration about the nature of the universe thrown in for good measure. If you’re not familiar with this series, you should be… It is, in a word, superlative. Just like my adjectives…
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
*And just a final word on that cover – HOW FREAKING AMAZING IS THAT?!
When a puddle of ink mysteriously appears in the Arcane Wing, Arcanist Claire, Librarian Brevity, book character Hero, and fallen angel Ramiel attempt to solve the puzzle separately only to discover they might actually need each other.
I loved the first book, The Library of the Unwritten, so much and really couldn’t wait to dive into the next book. I was approved for this months ago, but had so many other books to read it was almost like sitting on pins and needles every time I saw it on my Kindle. All the little quibbles I had with the first book, with how it started off kind of slow and the characters felt a little too living, were gone. The Archive of the Forgotten kind of just dumps you into the story and, since most of it takes place in Hell, it’s easier to remember the human Claire is, in fact, dead. Overall, a worthy follow up to the first book, and I now can’t wait for the third book.
The Plot: The Puzzling Ink
Since the events of The Library of the Unwritten, Claire has been installed as the new curator of the Arcane Wing and Brevity has become the librarian in the Unwritten Wing. But their relationship has been tenuous at best, with both women avoiding the other. The same doesn’t hold true for their assistants Rami and Hero, respectively. Nor for one damsel from the Unwritten Wing.
When Claire discovers damsel Rosia, yet again, in the Arcane Wing, it brings Claire and Brevity back together, but on shaky ground that doesn’t improve when Rosia vanishes and a well of ink forms in the Arcane Wing. The Arcanist believes it’s her problem to solve since it’s in her Wing, but the Librarian argues it’s the blood of the books that were burned during Andras’s coup attempt. As they stubbornly diverge to do their own testing, it’s up to Ramiel and Hero to leave Hell and ask questions. Only for things to get a lot worse and potentially leave the Library in terrible danger.
Where The Library of the Unwritten felt massive and far flung as the characters tumbled from one death realm to another, The Archive of the Forgotten shrinks the world down almost to a dot. After a crazy journey in the first book, the second book feels almost grounded and focused, allowing the characters to breathe, grow, and find their footing with each other now that their roles have shifted. As much as I loved exploring all the death realms in the first book, it also made me want to just sit still and enjoy a quieter story. The Archive of the Forgotten absolutely delivered on that front, though there was a point where I felt like it would be more of the same.
The Archive of the Forgotten is a beautiful follow-up to the first book. The problem starts very early on and the story goes on to brilliantly explore the natures of Claire and Brevity as they work independently. It’s not really plot heavy, but the problem is absolutely a wonderful device to help the characters along their paths. The story is simple, but the characters are not, and that’s where all the fun is.
The Characters: An Unlikely Family
The Archive of the Forgotten focuses on the characters instead of the story and world building. After a crazy journey in the first book that beautifully set up the world, I like that the second book focused on the characters and more fully explored them as individuals and as a strange and unlikely family.
Claire, Brevity, Hero, and Rami were all wonderful in the first book and somehow became even better in the second book. Claire is still unbending and unyielding. Brevity is still a little too bright and hopeful, and maybe even a little too nice, for Hell. Hero is still smug and annoying as a hero-villain. Rami is still the lost angel who sticks to right and wrong. But, as the story progressed, they lost a little bit of their outer coatings. They started to grow in different ways, but somehow also closer together. It hurt a little to see them crack, but it made them stronger together. They became something of a family as they tried to solve their problem in their own ways and avoid each other. They became softly blurred from the rigidity they bore in the first book and their relationships changed and were further defined while also leaving room for more growth and closer bonds. It was beautiful watching them snip at each other while also genuinely caring about each other.
The Archive of the Forgotten also introduces one major new character. Probity is one of Brevity’s sister muses, someone who grew up alongside Brevity and who has her own ideas of what the muses can and should be capable of doing. Her ideas aren’t too different from Brevity’s, but it’s her manner and the way she so steadfastly believes she’s right that sets her off. I liked and hated her in turns, but she pushed Brevity to really come into her own, so it’s also hard to not like her just for that.
The Setting: It’s Hell
Unlike the first book, The Archive of the Forgotten is set mostly in Hell. After exploring so many different death realms, I wasn’t sure what to expect in this book: more death realms or something more settled. I was pleased that it presented a delightful blend of both. There’s some death realm exploring, which was fun and very different while also exploring other mythologies a bit, but most of the story is grounded in Hell.
It was lovely to return to the Unwritten Wing and have the opportunity to explore the Arcane Wing, which, frankly, scares me a bit. We also get to explore a new part of the Library, which was mostly unsettling, but leaves me curious to know more about it. As well as what else the Library has been hiding. I loved that this book hinted at further questions about what the Library is, so I’m hoping there’s even more world building as the series progresses. I love how Hackwith balanced the development of the story, world, and characters so it’s never too much and only helps drive the story forward.
Overall: A Worthy Sequel, Albeit a Bit Different
The Archive of the Forgotten is a lovely follow up to the first book. I loved how different it was in that the characters weren’t tumbling around between Earth and the death realms, but were able to catch their breath, so to speak, and learn more about each other and themselves. It felt like a nice respite both for them and the reader, one where the focus can shift a little and add an anchor to the overall story. A wonderful contrast. I do wonder if the next book will be just as breathlessly active as the first or if it’ll strike a nice balance, but I really loved how grounded this novel felt. The characters were just as wonderful, and then became even better. I loved watching them pull and push at each other and can’t wait to see them again.
Thank you to Netgalley and Ace-Berkley Publishing Group for a free e-copy. All opinions expressed are my own.