The Library of Mount Char is unlike anything I’ve ever read. If I had to draw a comp title, if you liked Middlegame, then pick this up. There’s a balance between adult fantasy – violence and trauma – mixed with almost a childlike perspective – due to flashbacks and trauma.
Summary
Carolyn’s not so different from the other human beings around her. She’s sure of it. She likes guacamole and cigarettes and steak. She knows how to use a phone. She even remembers what clothes are for.
After all, she was a normal American herself, once.
That was a long time ago, of course—before the time she calls “adoption day,” when she and a dozen other children found themselves being raised by a man they learned to call Father.
Father could do strange things. He could call light from darkness. Sometimes he raised the dead. And when he was disobeyed, the consequences were terrible.
In the years since Father took her in, Carolyn hasn’t gotten out much. Instead, she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father’s ancient Pelapi customs. They’ve studied the books in his library and learned some of the secrets behind his equally ancient power.
Sometimes, they’ve wondered if their cruel tutor might secretly be God.
Now, Father is missing. And if God truly is dead, the only thing that matters is who will inherit his library—and with it, power over all of creation.
As Carolyn gathers the tools she needs for the battle to come, fierce competitors for this prize align against her.
But Carolyn can win. She’s sure of it. What she doesn’t realize is that her victory may come at an unacceptable price—because in becoming a God, she’s forgotten a great deal about being human.
Review
For me, the main character of Carolyn was what won me over in The Library at Mount Char. It is easy to get caught up with the sheer mastery of story and writing. You will only gain a deeper appreciation the more you read as you see the pieces coming together – and until the end, you’ll still be shocked. But for me, Carolyn was such a refreshing character.
Carolyn is unapologetic and brilliant. Sure part of this charm is that she isn’t fully versed with the amount of subtlety and that fake feeling to certain social interactions, but it is also because of this that Carolyn feels genuine. She doesn’t understand the rules and whims of social interaction that are clear to us, but that we can’t explain.
(There were also fabulous side characters in this story like Steve and Irwin. But Hawkins truly weaves us into one of those lethal flowers that slowly pulls you in, making you feel comfy – if also slightly uncomfortable – and then doesn’t need to snap, you just realize that your fate is sealed).
The Library at Mount Char is revenge done right, on a cosmic level. If you were intrigued by the idea of ” The Umbrella Academy”, then this should be on your TBR. I listened to The Library at Mount Char on audiobook and I just became engrossed. It’s a book that made me forget to take notes, that I couldn’t get out of my head.
Find The Library at Mount Char on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound & The Book Depository.