have no words for this book.

I want to rate it 5 stars SO HARD....but there's a little tick that I can't remove. I won't feel good rating this 5 stars if I feel like it didn't deserve it. It didn't.

This is simultaenously close to being one of the most emotional books while also giving a big L to women but somehow, giving non-binary a rep.

Lemme explain:

The CTA of this book is the MC, Yarnspinner, inheriting a manuscript that was so profound that it was easily the best thing he read. He wants to go to Bookholm, where everything book related exists.
However, Yarnspinner is determined that the author of his manuscript was a guy, not a female.

There are no humans in this book. Everyone is anthropomorphic animal or alien-like creature.
That's fine, but not a single IMPACTFUL character was female. At most, they were non-binary and were Hermaphrodites.

It's hard....it's so progressive and a REALLY great book but at the same time...not really.

If you push that away, this is still a fucking fantastic book that it was almost nominated Book of the Year.
I want to give the benefit of the doubt that Moers doesn't write like this anymore and includes females more but only time will tell. I'll still get Castle of Dreaming Books whenever that comes out.

Prose: It's in 1st POV but don't let that sway you away. This is easily the best case study of first person. Yarnspinner writes like a Victorian Englishman but not a pretentious one like in "Letters from the Deep". It's digestable, albeit long, but approachable. It's complicated, I need to study more how Moers does his prose, it's absolutely genius. .5+

Pace: Slow and then during a point, it REALLY starts going

Plot: Simple, Yarnspinner wants to find the author of a manuscript he inherited from his godfather.

Characters: The characters...are not that deep. Yarnspinner himself is naive and sort of a sponge to self-insert yourself into. As I said above, the -.5 is from the lack of female rep. If you're wondering why I'm not talking about ethnicities well...everyone we meet is literally a different species that there is no ethnicity problem.

Vibe: Books

Worldbuilding: Here, is why the book has 4.5 stars and not a flat 3.
Yarnspinner writes this book hundreds of years in the future, so the worldbuilding we get will literally be explained in exposition. He writes like you the reader are walking in the past with him and we learn everything at the same time as young Yarnspinner did, but he adds OLD Yarnspinner lore alongside this so we don't leave wondering. You would think this is yikes but it works so, so, SO well.
It's like you're reading about, not just Bookholm, but about the world, how it works, authors around us that you feel like you're in there with Yarnspinner as he walks in this uncanny city. He explains it like we're also discovering things along with young 70 year old Yarnspinner.

Not everyone will like this worldbuilding and I was about to DNF this 10 pages in but trust me....give it at least 30% before deciding if this isn't for you.

Don't let my gripes sway you, this is still probably one of the best books I've read even if this is 4.5.

Also let me leave you with this warning if you're still unsure:

THIS IS NOT A YA BOOK. DO NOT LET KIDS UNDER 16 READ THIS. I REPEAT.
DO NOT LET GR TAGS SWAY YOU, IT IS NOT YA, NOT BY A LONG SHOT.

4.5/5