It is set after an event known as the catastrophe and although it is hinted at that this could be slightly in the future, the whole atmosphere has an almost 80’s vibe to it, but with mobile phones. The action takes place in an alternate Edinburgh that features slums, violence, poverty, and magic. The Library of the Dead features dark themes, gruesome happenings, otherworldly monsters, and supernatural horrors yet, because of Ropa I believe that it could be enjoyed by both adult and YA readers alike. Ropa being young, energetic and using some youth-speak makes her an endearing lead to follow. Ropa’s a witty and likeable protagonist who often uses Scottish dialect and slang in a similar way to the style that charmed me as a youth when I would read Oor Wullie comics.

Her thoughts and feelings are expressed in the first person present tense and, although it took me a little while to get used to this style, I found it kooky and a joy to read. I was particularly impressed with Ropa’s voice as the MC.

She has to get paid for such duties after all as her caravan’s rent, where she lives with her gran, sister and her pet fox, doesn’t come cheap. Passing messages from the dead to the living and banishing unruly spectres are just a few of the tasks that would appear on a professional ghostalker’s CV. Ropa works as a ghostalker, using her unique skills and her mbira (an African musical instrument) to converse with the many deceased of this alternative Edinburgh. Throughout the book, we follow a 14-year-old dreadlocked punkish youth called Ropa. The Library of the Dead is the first entry in the Edinburgh Nights series. And in the process, she discovers an occult library and some unexpected allies.I received an uncorrected proof copy of The Library of the Dead in exchange for an honest review. ) as she calls on Zimbabwean magic and Scottish pragmatism to hunt down clues. She’ll dice with death (not part of her life plan. But what she learns will change her world. It’s on Ropa’s patch, so she feels honour bound to investigate. Until, that is, the dead whisper that someone’s bewitching children – leaving them husks, empty of joy and life. A girl’s gotta earn a living, and it seems harmless enough. Ropa dropped out of school to become a ghostalker – and she now speaks to Edinburgh’s dead, carrying messages to the living. ‘I highly recommend The Library of the Dead ’ – Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse series ‘A fast-moving and entertaining tale, beautifully written’ – Ben Aaronovitch, bestselling author of Rivers of London Huchu is the first book in the Edinburgh Nights series.

Opening up a world of magic and adventure, The Library of the Dead by T.

The library of the dead huchu