The Library of Broken Worlds

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The Library of Broken Worlds
Publisher
Age Range
14+
Release Date
June 06, 2023
ISBN
978-1338290622
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A girl matches wits with a war god in this kaleidoscopic, thought-provoking tale of oppression and the cost of peace, where stories hide within other stories, and narrative has the power to heal -- or to burn everything in its path -- from World Fantasy Award–winning author Alaya Dawn Johnson.
A girl and a god, alone in communion ...
In the winding underground tunnels of the Library, the great peacekeeper of the three systems, a heinous secret lies buried -- and Freida is the only one who can uncover it. As the daughter of a Library god, Freida has spent her whole life exploring the Library's ever-changing tunnels and communing with the gods. Her unparalleled access makes her unique -- and dangerous.

When Freida meets Joshua, a Tierran boy desperate to save his people, and Nergüi, a disciple from a persecuted religious minority, Freida is compelled to help them. But in order to do so, she will have to venture deeper into the Library than she has ever known. There she will discover the atrocities of the past, the truth of her origins, and the impossibility of her future.

With the world at the brink of war, Freida embarks on a journey to fulfill her destiny, one that pits her against an ancient war god. Her mission is straightforward: Destroy the god before he can rain hellfire upon thousands of innocent lives -- if he doesn't destroy her first.

Editor review

1 review
At the end of it all, it's still you.
Overall rating
 
3.7
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
3.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
This is so complicated, in the best way possible. And I loved every second of it.

The Library of Broken Worlds by Alaya Dawn Johnson is YA fantasy/sci-fy novel that features a god wanting to kill a girl. Frieda is a daughter of the library, a legendary place that help facilitate peace between the three systems. But not everything is as it seems, as the library holds a great many secrets that only Frieda can harvest. Her world changes after she meets Joshua and Nergüi, two important key figures in her transformation. Though they only see their self-preservation above none other. And the only way to save themselves, is for Feida to journey into the depths of the library and make enemies with a war god.

This book had me at library. I am a sucker for just about any story that features a library. And I mostly blame that on account of my love for Victoria Schwab's The Archived and Geneveive Cogman's The Invisible Library. And the fact that Johnson rose the stakes with the added bonus of war god just made it all the better.

Though I will say, at times I found myself becoming quite disoriented with the setting changes and time skips. As we often hop from Freida's chats with the god, to then her time with Joshua and Nergüi. But I overall loved the flow of the plot, as it created a lulling narrative that came from Freida's own mouth.

At the end of it all, The Library of Broken Worlds is this: A love letter to what makes us human, in the harshest and (rightfully so) criticizing light. And I am all here for it.
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