Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins

A missing God.
A library with the secrets to the universe.
A woman too busy to notice her heart slipping away.

Carolyn's not so different from the other people around her. She likes guacamole and cigarettes and steak. She knows how to use a phone. Clothes are a bit tricky, but everyone says nice things about her outfit with the Christmas sweater over the gold bicycle shorts.
After all, she was a normal American herself once.

That was a long time ago, of course. Before her parents died. Before she and the others were taken in by the man they called Father.

In the years since then, Carolyn hasn't had a chance to get out that much. Instead, she and her adopted siblings have been raised according to Father's ancient customs. They've studied the books in his Library and learned some of the secrets of his power. And sometimes, they've wondered if their cruel tutor might secretly be God.

Now, Father is missing--perhaps even dead--and the Library that holds his secrets stands unguarded. And with it, control over all of creation.

As Carolyn gathers the tools she needs for the battle to come, fierce competitors for this prize align against her, all of them with powers that far exceed her own.

But Carolyn has accounted for this.

And Carolyn has a plan.

The only trouble is that in the war to make a new God, she's forgotten to protect the things that make her human.

Populated by an unforgettable cast of characters and propelled by a plot that will shock you again and again, The Library at Mount Char is at once horrifying and hilarious, mind-blowingly alien and heartbreakingly human, sweepingly visionary and nail-bitingly thrilling--and signals the arrival of a major new voice in fantasy.

THIS IS ONE OF MY NEW FAVORITE BOOKS!

Imagine if Chuck Palahnuik started writing YA Fantasy....

Yeah, I know! How AMAZING would that be?!?!?!

This book has a little bit of everything... It's funny, it's got bits of fantasy, a little sci-fi, some historical fiction, a YA feel...

"That's the risk on working to be a dangerous person," she said. There's always the chance you'll run into someone who's better at it than you."

"Steve didn't like the stairs, It bothered him that they hung in midair, unsupported. Steve said this 'weirded him out.'

This wasn't surprising. The list of things that Steve found objectionable was long and growing. It included the Library itself ('How can the furniture hang on the ceiling like that? It's creepy.'); the jade floor ('Jade isn't supposed to glow.'); the apothecary ('What the hell is this thins? I' m out of here.'); the armory (David's trophies made him throw up); the Pelapi language (It sounds like cats fighting); her robes ('Did you borrow those from Death?' She hadn't.); and, of course, Carolyn herself."

Yes, it can get a bit graphic in places, and if you have a weak stomach, you might want to skip a few bits here and there (and everywhere).

I had never heard of Scott Hawkins before, but I am super happy that I came across this gem on Blogging for Books! I will certainly be on the lookout for future work from Scott Hawkins, and I can only pray that he will write a sequel.

DISCLAIMER: If you do not like weird, you will not like this. This book has some serious weirdness, and I loved it!

I received this book from the publishers via Blogging for Books, in exchange for an honest review.