Pearl North is the pseudonym of another author, but this is apparently her first young adult novel. Thought I'd make that distinction since on Amazon it claims its from a debut author, technically true, but not really.

For a book nut like myself Libyrinth was a really fun read--the book has dozens of quotes from all sorts of famous literary works (The Diary of Anne Frank, Tale of Two Cities, Life of Pi) and technical manuals (Glenn's Complete Bicycle Manual). For the most part the quotes correspond almost perfectly with the current situation in fact, making me look at the quotes I could recognize easily with a different perspective. More than that though, North gives each book a distinct personality. Theselaides for instance is a bully and Anne Frank has a softer, gentler voice. Some are loud, some are high pitched, and some have a dark feeling to them.

I suppose its every book-lover's dream to live in a cavernous dwelling with so many books and shelves that one could literally become lost forever. The Libyrinth as a place sounded so perfectly suited to me that like Haly I found myself utterly hating the Eradicants (Singers) on principle alone. I can't begin to fathom a mentality that believes to liberate a book you have to burn it, but on the other hand I can't believe that as a people they wouldn't want to share their knowledge.

Haly was undoubtably my favorite character, but I grew to find Nod a really funny character. A revealation closer to the end made me want to go 'ew ew ew', but it made sense within the characterization of Nod and his attitude. I found myself tense and irritated by her friend Clauda, who seemed to be more interested in bungling around then forming a plan for much of the book. Impulsive is probably how best to describe Clauda until a major setback forces her to think long and hard. Selene by comparison ran hot and cold with me, depending on how she was acting in a situation. She was kind of contradictory--on the one hand not wishing to be Queen and on the other disliking her mother for not spending more time with her and extreme in her judgements.

The book begins with Haly, Clauda and Selene together before they venture out and then branches off to follow either Haly's adventures with the Eridicants or a combination of Selene and Clauda's adventures in Selene's homeland. The stories then separate farther as Clauda and Selene separate, but finally converge at the climax. The big Redemption the Eradicants believe in.

Its hard to put down, I won't lie. I read it during my Otakon trip and repeatedly found myself wanting to carry it with me even though it wasn't feasible with my plans. I wanted to snatch moments whenever I could to find out what mysteries Clauda uncovers or debates of religion Haly engages in. The end is satisfying and appropriate--in the beginning I wouldn't have thought it possible, but after everything Haly learns and experiences (as well as everyone else) I felt it was the only viable option left to save their civilization. ( )

I absolutely adore this cover. SO MUCH. ( )

Pearl North's identity was a little mysterious, so after some digging, I found that she is also Anne Harris. I'd liked two out of three of her books that I'd read - only remembering that they were kind of awesomely weird. So is this one. On a far away planet in the far future, there is an enormous library crippled by failing high tech and threatened by book burners. Its books speak inside the head of one girl clerk. Somehow most of the books featured seem to be from the author's personal library (there is a bibliography). The familiarity of the books jars with the far flung story - which is awesomely weird. It's a hero's journey (two heroines) with monsters, queens, priests and singers. I'll be sure to check out the sequel. ( )

Please see my review at: http://www.myshelf.com/teen/fiction/09/libyrinth.htm ( )

In a dystopian world that still has remnants of our world (namely, books) there is a major caste divide: those who read and those who don’t. Those who don’t are Singers. They believe that the written word is a murdered word and the only way to set it free is to burn it. For this reason, they are also known as Eradicants. Haly Is among those who can read and lives in the Libyrinth and can hear the books speaking in her head. She’s learned to keep this gift under wraps, since it freaks some people out, but when the Singers find out, they take it to mean she is their Redeemer. Haly’s friend Clauda uses her gift for learning gossip to learn a few things about the city of Ilyses, and how some of their ancient technology may just help them win the war against the Eradicants.

I really enjoyed this. It captures what is important about the written as well as spoken word. The characters are women the reader can really sympathize with and cheer on. It’s the first book in a trilogy, and I’ll be looking into the next books soon, for sure. ( )