Recipe & Review: The God of Lost Words, A.J. Hackwith

Book Review: The God of Lost Words, Hell’s Library Book 3, A.J. Hackwith

Fantasy: The God of Lost Words, Hell’s Library Book 3, A.J. Hackwith

Hell’s Library has always had a fraught relationship with its host domain. In the previous novel of the series, The Archive of the Forgotten, former librarian Claire, current librarian Brevity, and their friends/assistants the angel Rami and the living story character Hero discover that the stories in the library are not only words. They are souls, given life by their authors. That is a major problem for a library located in hell. There is little that a demon wants more than to consume a soul. Now there is a seemingly infinite supply of souls living right in their midst. The demons, led by their general Malphus, want to seize that supply for themselves. The library may not be part of Hell, but it is located there, and suddenly its future is more precarious than ever.

The God of Lost Words follows Claire (formerly a human), Brevity (formerly a muse), Rami and Hero as they try to gather allies from other libraries and find a new home for the Unwritten Library. Their efforts face challenges from both the demons and from the other librarians, a group not known for playing nicely together. Perhaps their greatest challenge is finding a new home. The libraries are all located in the afterlife: Hell, Heaven, Valhalla, Elysium, and others. In an age when gods are losing their importance, where might one find a new afterlife?

A.J. Hackwith’s trilogy is a love song to books, stories, libraries, and the people who make them real. Every page celebrates the power of stories and storytellers. One particular section seems to sum up the entire series:

Because here’s a secret only fractured souls know: we decide our stories. What happens to you is not the story. The plot is not the story, the conflict is not the story, the world is not the story.

The story is you. You, the character; you, the reader; and the liminal watercolor of magic that happens between those two.

Fundamentally, this book, this trilogy, tells a story about stories. Stories from the imagination, the souls, of authors. Stories from the perspective of the readers. Stories never heard, stories never finished, stories forgotten. All of them shape our world and have a place in our history and our future. Claire, Brevity, Rami, and Hero may be the main characters on the page. Ultimately, though, the story is what happens in our hearts and our minds as readers, writers, lovers of the word.

The God of Lost Words may end this trilogy, but the story will continue in the hearts and lives of everyone who reads it. It is a reminder that the unseen character shaping every story is you.

Lemon Cookie Cups

This cookie is a simple variation on lemon bars that makes a nice presentation for tea when served with a side or topping of fresh berries. It also pairs nicely with both Claire’s favorite tea Earl Grey and Brevity’s favorite tea a strawberry herbal blend. You can easily substitute your preferred sugar or shortbread recipe for the base.

Lemon Cookie Cups Recipe

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup or 1 stick softened butter

3/4 cups sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

24 ounces (2 medium sized jars) of lemon curd

Optional toppings: fresh berries or a generous dusting of powdered sugar

Mix together butter and sugar, when light and fluffy mix in the egg and vanilla extract. Combine the dry ingredients together; then slowly incorporate with the creamed butter and sugar mixture till the dough is smooth. Chill in refrigerator for approximately 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit and prep a cup cake pan with decorative paper liners (will make 2 dozen cookies). Using a small cookie scoop (approximately 1 TBS) evenly divide the dough into the 24 cup  cake liners. Bake for about 10 minutes till the rim starts to lightly brown. While still warm add one small cookie scoop of lemon curd in the center of each cookie. The warm cookie will deflate slightly forming a bowl that will fill with the lemon curd; there should be an even ratio between cookie and lemon curd. If sharing with the Damsels from the Damsels in Distress Suite in the Unwritten Library be sure to garnish with an option topping for presentation with tea.

Also see:

Recipe & Review: The Library of the Unwritten, A. J. Hackwith

Recipe & Review: The Archive of the Forgotten, A. J. Hackwith

Book Review: The God of Lost Words, Hell’s Library Book 3, A.J. Hackwith