The Book That Held Her Heart

The Library Trilogy, Book 3

By: Mark Lawrence

Narrated by: Jessica Whittaker

Two people once connected by a vast and mysterious library are now separated and must overcome time and distance to reunite and bring peace to their worlds, in the final book of the Library Trilogy.

The fate of an infinite library hangs on one book, a book that holds the power to break the unbreakable. In the face of such forces, fragile things like hearts, worlds, and even family seem certain to fail.

The people most vital to Livira are scattered across time and space—lost, divided into factions, in mortal peril. Somehow she must bring them together and resolve the unresolvable argument that fuels the library’s war.

The bond between Livira and Evar has stretched and stretched again. Can it hold at the end, when things fall apart? Can it unite them against impossible odds?

This is the last chapter, the final page. The end threatens and no one, not characters, audiences, or even the author, will emerge unscathed.

©2025 Mark Lawrence (P)2025 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Lawrence pulls out all of the stops for the thrilling last chapter of Livira and Evar’s story. Series fans will not want to miss this jaw dropping finale.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The alternating points of view build a vivid setting for this character-driven tale. As the stories bounce between past and present, Lawrence ties together all the threads into a whole tapestry of lives.”—Library Journal

Loved the first 2 books, but this doesn't stick the landing unfortunately

I absolutely loved the first 2 books and was excited for the 3rd and final one. Unfortunately this one does not stick the landing at all. After a great set up at the end of the 2nd book for the fate of the library, this book goes off the rails and then has a bit of a cop out ending. To not spoil too much, it adds "possibilities" to the exchange instead of just past and future, which even has our heroes encounter literal Nazis as one of these "possibilities"

On the plus side, the performance was great and up to the standards of the other two.

Strange and Imaginative Trip!

Mark Lawrence branches out into an inspired universe with a library connecting everything past, present, future, and beyond. Prepare for some emotional peaks and valleys and a satisfying close to this story.

A complicated and lovely story

It can be a bit confusing, but the author keep weaving in stories that brought me closer to the characters and I didn’t want to let go in the end

Fantastic Series

Everything about this series keeps me gripped, I love figuring out little pieces that make things fit together so perfectly. The message, how everyone views things based on their own experiences and how the truth is something in-between.

Book 1 was great, 3 was work

I've listened to most of what Mark Lawrence's books on audible. He's got some amazing series (Red Sister and Prince of Thorns), unfortunately this isn't one of them. Book 1 is a lot of fun. He created an interesting world, a fun twist and characters you care about. but book 3 is preachy and feels long and I barely finished it. The thing is I'm not entirely sure what message he's trying to push because he does a good job showing his character's inner conflicts and that most of what this book is. But the tone is preachy and it makes the book less interesting and less exciting than his other series.

The voice actor is fantastic and does a great job.

I'm looking forward to his next series!

Excellent end to an excellent series

This was a great ending to a story that really captures and explores the magic of stories. Highly recommended.

I hope mark Lawrence never stops

He is the best at what he does. So damn good. I get lost in the story.

Great story. Very imaginative.

Loved it. Really liked the story. It’s a story I could see becoming a movie at some point.

Didn't Want It To End

The Book That Held Her Heart is the end of The Library Trilogy, and what an end. Talk about going places never expected. Mark Lawrence has the gift of weaving more story in three less than 15 hour books than most authors can accomplish in multi book series. Wrapping up plots upon plots in a mind blowing story, I loved every minute of this book, and the entire series. There are no lulls, and you never get bored. Lawrence is a master.

The narration from Jessica Whittaker continues to bring life to the series. Excellent narration for an excellent book.

Overall, The Library Trilogy continues Lawrence's run at being among the very best of modern fantasy authors. I highly recommend this series, and can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

amazing

such a beautiful end to an amazing story. well done once again by an amazing master of his art