The Forbidden Library

I read Wexler's previous book (The Thousand Names), and liked it well enough that I picked this up even though I saw that it was aimed at a younger audience. I didn't expect to like it *quite* as much, due to that fact.

I needn't have worried. I loved this book. It may seem like an exaggeration, but with 'The Forbidden Library' Wexler slips under Diana Wynne Jones' mantle - and is fully worthy of it. (Now, if only Miyazaki would option this story, as he did Wynne Jones' 'Howl's Moving Castle,' and animate the Swarm. The ultimate cuteness would be complete!)

Just on the face of it, I have to admit, it would be difficult to see how I could dislike this book. It's got all the good stuff - I could not conceivably say no to a secret library show more full of eerie dangers, books that are portals to other worlds, and magical cats (with attitude). Plus it's got an ingenious heroine, a roguishly handsome wizards' apprentice, nasty fairies, and a dragon. Not enough? There's more too...

And there is clearly going to be even more, because although there are plenty of adventures here, the main mystery remains unsolved, pending publication of a sequel... which I'll be reading.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book! show less

I know I said I wasn't going to write a full review until closer to the release date, but past experience has shown that I just cannot shut up when it comes to the books I love and I'm the worst when it comes to waiting. Anyway, I'll compromise by putting up an early version on my thoughts here for now, because there were just so many other things I'd wanted to say about this book.

Anyway, I loved Django Wexler's adult epic fantasy The Thousand Names that came out earlier this year, but I had no idea he could write such an excellent children's novel as well. I was so ecstatic when I received this ARC. The author really shows his talent and versatility with this book, creating imaginative worlds filled with all kinds of interesting show more creatures, bringing them to life with such rich and detailed descriptions. Speaking of which, I also can't wait to see the final book with all the illustrations. They just seem like they'll be wonderful given the creativity and imagination found in here.

The story itself is fantastic; as an avid bibliophile it's hard for me to resist anything to do with libraries or reading about books that take you away to wondrous places...and in this case, it's quite literal as Alice has a power that lets her enter into a book's world and the only way out again is if she defeats the creature imprisoned inside. People like Alice are called "Readers", and by defeating the creatures in these "prison books", they are able to bind them to their will and have access to their abilities. I thought this was such an amazing idea to explain how Readers derive their magical powers and spells, by actually calling upon the creatures they control to channel it for them.

The plot also has enough mystery to keep you constantly guessing, and you can never be sure what everybody's motives are. I couldn't help but feel for Alice and her predicament of being suddenly thrust into this strange new environment where she can't trust anyone. Not that Alice is helpless or needs my sympathy; she's courageous and headstrong, a take-charge girl who won't accept setbacks lying down. It's like I can see her growing up to be the kind of strong female protagonist I admire in the epic fantasy novels I read.

In some ways, The Forbidden Library is a lot more complex than I would have expected from a middle-grade book. At times it's cute (like Ashes the talking cat will be a joy to many, I think -- not just to cat-lovers!), at others it's quite dark. And sometimes it's both at the same time, as evidenced by the "swarmers", Alice's horde of bizarre bird-like creatures that have the physical appearance and consistency of a rubber ball on legs. I won't lie -- reading this made me want an army of swarmers of my own, them being a black mass of razor-sharp pecking beaks notwithstanding. I think this is one of those books that both kids and adults can enjoy; it certainly has that wide appeal.

Now if only my toddler was older so I could have read this aloud to her (well, I did anyway, because it was just too fun not to, what with doing all the voices of the book's many eccentric and memorable characters! But I can't wait until my daughter can actually understand the story). I've been trying to read a lot more children's books/middle-grade books lately, and taking note of my favorite titles, just waiting for the day. The Forbidden Library is most definitely one of them! show less

Its fair to say that I went into this book with higher than normal expectations. I really enjoyed Wexler's fantasy [b:The Thousand Names|15810910|The Thousand Names (The Shadow Campaigns, #1)|Django Wexler|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1355441268s/15810910.jpg|21536059] and when I heard about this--Readers are Magic!--how could I say no? This is everything I ever wanted as a child to happen to me (well except the deceased parents part). I've been saying for years that reading is magical and this book pretty much just validated every single one of those statements.

That its a middle grade didn't register with me. As I was reading I didn't think of this as a middle grade, I didn't think of Alice's age at all really unless show more someone made comment about it. Since this is set almost a century ago its very easy to overlook a lot of the liberties and restrictions Alice has as being part of that time.

Admittedly this was a bit more by the numbers then THE THOUSAND NAMES was. There isn't a whole lot of deeper motivation then what is shown. Alice is very upfront about her priorities, Geryon is likewise upfront about his main priorities (whether or not some of his other interests are as important are up for interpretation), Ashes doesn't really mince words (he's half-cat after all) and Issac is just kind of like 'gah! whatever!' as things get tossed at him. So you wind up with a book that follows faithfully from Point A to B to C, that as an adult I can see how one leads into the other. If I was reading at the intended age level? I believe it would be more mysterious to me and thus more engrossing.

As it stood what kept me reading was how Wexler uses the Reader magic. Lovers of [b:The Neverending Story|27712|The Neverending Story|Michael Ende|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327871159s/27712.jpg|1122661] or [b:Inkheart|28194|Inkheart (Inkworld, #1)|Cornelia Funke|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1370972877s/28194.jpg|2628323] will certainly feel this is familiar. As a "Reader" Alice (and Geryon and Issac) are able to make what they read reality. Sometimes this means entering a book. Sometimes this means trapping awful creepies in books. And sometimes it means speaking it into existence. To leave a book the "Reader" has to basically become the hero (or heroine) of the novel or if they're lucky another Reader can read them out. Guess which happens more often?

Since I read an uncorrected proof edition many of the illustrations that are in the final copy were missing from mine, but those that were in the book served to really help give imagination to the book. Such as the image of the fairy which begins Alice's journey into the magical. Wexler's description is rather creepy sounding...and the image is just downright cringe inducing. Definitely not what a fairy looks like from what I read as a child.

The good news is I think this will appeal to both girls and boys. There's something for both in here, as well as a whole lot of snarky good humor (I admit Ashes may have been my favorite character). Entertaining and magical, yep that pretty much sums this book up! show less

Despite the obvious parallels with a girl named Alice and a talking half-cat as her guide, The Forbidden Library has more in common with the characters and carefully plotted fantasy worlds of Inkheart or Artemis Fowl than it does with Alice in Wonderland.

Alice is a scholarly, rule-abiding girl, but of the sort that values gumption over sitting back and Being Educated. Her attempts to solve the mystery of her father's disappearance and tackle the labyrinthine library in her new backyard are both clever and creative.

The book stumbles by hitting the same note on several occasions when Alice and Isaac battle book-bound monsters with predictable degrees of confusion, planning, and subsequent results, but there is still much to recommend the show more title and the sequels that are surely in the works. show less

I did NOT like this book at first. The first 50 pages were dull, filled with too much imagery (which made the book drag), and had spelling and grammar errors. I'm glad I stuck through it though. The story really picks up when Alice follows Ashes into the forest to find the secret entrance to the library. From that point on, there's a much better balance of imagery to the events going on, which made pacing more fluid. The action sequences are really great, and make the book impossible to put down until it's resolved, and Wexler does a great job of capturing the reader's curiosity with the different mysterious characters; I frequently found myself trying to figure out who to trust and what everyone's motivations were. Also, major props show more for having a strong female lead!

The conclusion of the story left me with many questions: Is Alice's father truly dead? Are there consequences to having so many threads tied around her "soul?" What is so special about her that other Readers were trying to apprentice her? Will she get a kiss from Isaac that ISN'T part of a spell? Clearly, I have to read the other books in the series to find out. show less

This is a competent middle grade fantasy with some really interesting elements, and yet I can't point at anything that I want to rave about, nor do I have any desire to recommend it to people. I think the 'really interesting elements' is kind of the thing - there are lot of ideas, some great set pieces, and yet it didn't hold together properly as a story. And I can't articulate why, which is frustrating.

It isn't that it was somewhat rambling and the high stakes sections didn't seem any more tense than the low stakes sections of the story, because I kind of like kind of rambling and dislike a narrative form that ratchets up the stress levels. It wasn't that it had rather a lot of chosen one fantasy tropes (although that certainly didn't show more help), because I get that those are tropes for a reason, and it isn't actually a Chosen One fantasy, although it might develop in to it if there is more of a series ('potential to be the most powerful' is find for a kid; 'suddenly the most powerful' pisses me off).

Having said that, it was interesting enough that I'm planning to get hold of at least the next one in the series. show less

Although it took a while to get into this book, once I did I found"The Forbidden Library" to be a great action fantasy. I loved the concept of the Readers and their ability to enter the books they read. With magical creatures and an undertone of hostility and cruelty, I throughly enjoyed Wexler's world building, and thought, Ashes, Alice's talking companion, was a wonderful character. His attitude was captured perfectly. It was obvious that the author is the owner of at least one cat.

Although Alice was only a young protagonist, she was remarkably level-headed, resourceful and intelligent for such a tender age. I think tween girls will really like her and enjoy following her adventures as she tried to solve a range of mysteries that her show more uncle sets for her. I enjoyed this book enough to find the sequel, and I look forward to seeing what adventures Alice has to face next. show less