Library Lost

The Great Library #2

by Laurie Graves

Library Lost is the sequel to Maya and the Book of Everything and is the second book in the Great Library Series, where two forces, Time and Chaos, battle each other for control of the Great Library, that mysterious place at the center of the universe where all information flows. In the middle of this battle between Time and Chaos is one kid from Earth—Maya Hammond. In Library Lost, Maya is once again on the move, this time with an Apprentice Book named Ariel. Andy, Maya’s traveling companion from the 1970s, is now a grown man with a daughter named Viola. He is also in grave danger. Humphrey, a murderous duke from the planet Ilyria, has come to Earth and is after Andy. Maya warns Andy and befriends Viola. When Maya and Viola are threatened by Humphrey, Ariel takes the two girls to Ilyria, where Maya is reunited with Sir John, Simon, Evangeline, and Duke Owen. From there, the action spirals into chaos and destruction. However, Sydda, the Great Library’s director, has come up with a daring but dangerous plan—Maya must confront Cinnial, who is allied with Chaos and is the leader of a group of adversarial librarians who want to take over the Great Library. But Maya has grave doubts. How can she ever prevail against someone so powerful? How, indeed?

Genres: Fantasy

325 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 12, 2018

Reviews

[D. Peach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Two in The Great Library series picks up where Book One concluded. The Great Library is in danger, and the villains’ plot to gain control of the Books of Everything and control the vastness of knowledge puts more than one planet at risk. Teenage Maya and her young friend Viola use the magical books to travel through time and space, not only to thwart the villains, but to rescue those in jeopardy.

The settings are immersive, and each planet they visit is unique, from the medieval, magical forest of Ilyria to Cinnial’s oppressive, technological world. The pace moves along well, and in this complex plot, there are a lot of threads happening simultaneously. Multiple worlds and storylines generated a large number of secondary and ancillary characters, which required some focus to keep straight.

The main protagonists are distinct and fully developed, while the villains are thoroughly ruthless with few redeemable qualities. Maya is a formidable heroine, but what I enjoyed most were the magical books, which possessed an ability to talk. The books have varied personalities from devious to crabby to kind and full of wisdom.

The omniscient POV provides some distance for the reader, which softens some of the violence. That and the age of the protagonists makes the story appropriate for precocious middle-grade readers and up. The books don’t stand alone, and this one ends without much resolution as the story continues, so be prepared to read onward. Recommended for young fantasy readers who love an epic magical tale.