Libriomancer | Jim C. Hines

Summary:

Isaac used to be a field agent for the Libriomancers, magicians who can access magic to pull items (or creatures) out of books and make them real. After a mission gone very, very wrong, he's been relegated to a cataloger, a Libriomancer not allowed to use magic and is charged with identifying books with potentially catastrophic items to be added to the "locked up" list. Then he gets attacked by three vampires claiming the Libriomancers have started a war with their kind. He only survives with the helpful, if unexpected, arrival of Lena, a dryad who was created when someone accidentally pulled a magic acorn out of a book. Together they begin the search for the cause of all of this while trying to stay alive against monsters, known and unknown. 

Review:

This book really helped me snap out of a long-running reading slump. It had a wonderful blend of humor, action and magic. Isaac talking about how he discovered Libriomancy because of the magic he felt when he read books really helped to remind me of why I love reading. This book really captures the joy one gets when they're caught up in a book and it really helped me to get caught up in it. The fact that so much of it takes place in Michigan and I'm a native Michigander didn't hurt, either. Nor the fact that Isaac is a huge Sci-Fi/Fantasy geek. 

I've always loved books where the main character is a librarian and Libriomancer is no exception. When he put his librarian skills to use to find a name no one else could, I was cheering. 

I couldn't count the number of times I had helped patrons track down ancestors on genealogy sites or locate long-lost classmates, and I had found books with far less information than a character's name. I was a pretty good libriomancer, but I was a damn good librarian.

Hines does a wonderful job of making even the most fantastical characters feel real. Smudge, Isaac's fire-spider companion, was full of life and his own forms of fun. He couldn't talk, but he could clearly let you know when he was not happy. I'm not sure how many soot stains Isaac has on his clothes, but I'm guessing he has a lot of extras. And, I'm not gonna lie, I've never been comfortable with the combination of spiders and fire since the movie Arachnophobia, but Smudge was one of my favorite characters in this. Though I'll never know why he enjoys watching SpongeBob so much.

Add this to the fact that Hines balances the action, drama and scary parts with a strong, yet not overwhelming sense of humor, and you've got a winner. I'll never forget laughing out loud at a very dramatic moment when Isaac gets hurt and he thinks:

There was less pain than I would've expected but —
Oh, wait, there was the pain.

This book was quite the treasure and I do plan on reading the rest of the series. I had a fun adventure full of thrills, twists, and scares but also laughs, adorableness and rampant geekery. This book helped me remember the magic of reading and I am so grateful. I happily give 4.5 hoots and encourage you to pick up a copy!

Hoot!Hoot!

Hoot!Hoot!

Hoo