Honestly, I don't know if I find the style of this book positively refreshing or perhaps just a bit unfocused. I like how it reads like a stream of consciousness type diary straight from Ropa's brain, though the Scottish slang may be a bit overbearing at times, but that's coming from an American who's not exactly used to it. As a result of this kind of POV, we're not given more information about this world. There's a post apocalyptic thing going on, but we're only given a few tidbits here and there as to what life is like and a few vague mentions about what caused it. It made the book a little bit difficult to imagine at times, trying to figure out how visions of current Scotland would compare to this one. I hope this gets fleshed out in later installments, since as of right now it seems almost unnecessary, but who knows.

I really enjoyed Ropa's character, a sarcastic, determined teenager that tries her best for her family in her own way. She's caring in the moments that count and  it was cool how she was determined to continue her education through audiobooks and podcasts. She's just the right kind of rough around the edges that doesn't make her too grating or unlikable.
B

Before the plot starts to take hold, it feels like the story is a little bit all over the place. We follow Ropa doing some odd jobs in between moments meant to kickstart the central action, which makes it seem like there's a loss of steam at some points. The "library of the dead" itself plays a very small role in the book, which is a little disappointing since it seemed like such an interesting setting, and other plot points just come and go so quickly that they seem to have little little bearing on the story. They may  give a little added weight to Ropa's situation and fuel her motivation, but they more often drag a scene down rather than fill it with more urgency.

Still, the book was engaging and I'm definitely going to give the sequel a read to see what's next for Ropa and what fresh horrors still await her.