Scan barcode
rachelleoliver's review against another edition
4.0
I got this as an ARC from Netgalley and loved it. I hadn't realized it was fantasy before I started but it was creative, interesting, and had great build up at the end. There were a few things about the magic world that were confusing, but not enough to abandon the story. Would definitely recommend giving this one a read if you enjoy clean fantasy reads.
jjv84's review against another edition
3.0
The magic throughout this book took me away to another place along with Sophie and Will. The emotions were so raw and I could feel that undying love that they had for each other. Yet there was always something go on in the background, but I couldn't put my finger on it. This story about a bookbinder's daughter lets you escape the real world and join in the fantasy land of Ayredale. The characters you meet along the way all play an important role throughout and lead you more into the library.
piperkitty's review against another edition
4.0
Sophie I like her character. At times the book feels rushed like your rushing through whata happening and then you come to a sudden halt. Besides this it is well written and the stroy flows even with it stops and starts. This is a very pleasant read. I liked the magical library it had so much for potential though to many secrets by too many people.
robinlovesreading's review against another edition
4.0
Sophie has much more to prove than she ever expected after accepting a job as a bookbinder, pleased to be following in her mother's footsteps. Working with rare books has always been one of her dreams, but there is much more than taking the job. Sophie hopes to find out once and for all what happened to her mother. One day her mother was there. The next day she wasn't, and Sophie wants answers.
When Sophie finds herself surrounded by shelf after shelf of rare and antique books, she feels a rather unusual sense of calm. She is not the only bookbinder there, and there is even a "Keeper of the Library". Perhaps one of them will enlighten Sophie about what happened to her mother?
Despite being dyslexic, Sophie finds a particular book, the oldest book on display actually, and it is full of spells - spells that apparently only she can read. How is it that she cannot read even the simplest of things without difficulty but she can read these spells in what is most certainly a forgotten language?
This unique ability of Sophie's opens a pandora's box and reading these spells is only the first of many strange things happening to her in rapid succession. In fact, Sophie begins to feel her mother's presence. What is more is that a maelstrom of events begin to occur, presenting danger to Sophie as well as to others. Will she be able to control what is happening or will she face her mother's same fate?
What a thrilling ride this book proved to be! I was captivated from the very first page and was completely drawn into the drama and magical mysteries that were happening.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
When Sophie finds herself surrounded by shelf after shelf of rare and antique books, she feels a rather unusual sense of calm. She is not the only bookbinder there, and there is even a "Keeper of the Library". Perhaps one of them will enlighten Sophie about what happened to her mother?
Despite being dyslexic, Sophie finds a particular book, the oldest book on display actually, and it is full of spells - spells that apparently only she can read. How is it that she cannot read even the simplest of things without difficulty but she can read these spells in what is most certainly a forgotten language?
This unique ability of Sophie's opens a pandora's box and reading these spells is only the first of many strange things happening to her in rapid succession. In fact, Sophie begins to feel her mother's presence. What is more is that a maelstrom of events begin to occur, presenting danger to Sophie as well as to others. Will she be able to control what is happening or will she face her mother's same fate?
What a thrilling ride this book proved to be! I was captivated from the very first page and was completely drawn into the drama and magical mysteries that were happening.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
katejeminhizer's review against another edition
3.0
A decent enough story. All of the plot points are solid: manipulative boyfriend, mysterious disappearance of mother, death of father, forgotten memories, strange occurrences at the library. There was just something about all of the main characters that seemed unfinished. The book may have read better had there been some background regarding past events prior to launching into the story.
I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.
I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.
srivalli's review against another edition
4.0
3.7 Stars
Sophie gets a job offer to work at the Ayredale Library as a bookbinder. Her uncle, Edward, holds a prominent position at the library. Her mother has last disappeared from the same place fifteen years ago. Her father, too, used to work there until the incident made him break his ties with the Library and everyone associated with it. Sophie has little memory of the past but wants to find the truth.
Getting away from a manipulative ex, Sophie finally begins to feel at home in the strange Library. With Will, her childhood friend and first love, being the guardian, Sophie starts to reestablish herself and dig through her memories to fill the gaps. The Library and the antique books have always called to her. In fact, they sing to her, luring her into a place of no return.
However, the ancient power demands sacrifice and control. As Sophie’s memory returns in bits and others fill in the blanks, can she give what it takes to be the Binder of the Library?
The premise and the cover were enticing, and I couldn’t resist requesting the book. The story starts with Sophie in London, living with her ex and working as a binder at another prestigious library, albeit a non-magical one.
After much hesitation and a reality check, Sophie accepts the offer to work at the Ayredale Library. She realizes that she can remember much more than she imagined, and Will occupies a good portion of them.
The writing is engaging. I wasn’t sure of the insta love between Sophie and Will, but it worked decently well in the overall plotline. Will’s character sure helped to see their love track in a positive light. The imagery is vivid and easy to imagine.
The pacing went a bit up and down; sometimes slow, sometimes too fast. A couple of other characters were interesting enough but could have had more depth. They don’t ‘come to life’ in the book. The same goes for Sophie, in a way. Somehow, it feels odd that she would choose to live with someone like her caricature-bad ex, even when none liked him. Only Will seemed to be ‘real’.
Of course, my favorite character is Tia. I could visualize her and Sophie’s mom, Elizabeth, with ease. Sophie paled in comparison, and even during the climax, her presence didn’t really elevate the scene. She just didn’t seem strong enough despite the scene being written for her to prove her worth. That diminished the impact a little, but Tia's presence made up for it.
To sum up, The Book Binder’s Daughter has a lovely premise and beautiful world-building. The premise demands nothing less than the best, and the story needed better execution. It’s good but doesn’t make me go wow.
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
#NetGalley #TheBookBindersDaughter
Sophie gets a job offer to work at the Ayredale Library as a bookbinder. Her uncle, Edward, holds a prominent position at the library. Her mother has last disappeared from the same place fifteen years ago. Her father, too, used to work there until the incident made him break his ties with the Library and everyone associated with it. Sophie has little memory of the past but wants to find the truth.
Getting away from a manipulative ex, Sophie finally begins to feel at home in the strange Library. With Will, her childhood friend and first love, being the guardian, Sophie starts to reestablish herself and dig through her memories to fill the gaps. The Library and the antique books have always called to her. In fact, they sing to her, luring her into a place of no return.
However, the ancient power demands sacrifice and control. As Sophie’s memory returns in bits and others fill in the blanks, can she give what it takes to be the Binder of the Library?
The premise and the cover were enticing, and I couldn’t resist requesting the book. The story starts with Sophie in London, living with her ex and working as a binder at another prestigious library, albeit a non-magical one.
After much hesitation and a reality check, Sophie accepts the offer to work at the Ayredale Library. She realizes that she can remember much more than she imagined, and Will occupies a good portion of them.
The writing is engaging. I wasn’t sure of the insta love between Sophie and Will, but it worked decently well in the overall plotline. Will’s character sure helped to see their love track in a positive light. The imagery is vivid and easy to imagine.
The pacing went a bit up and down; sometimes slow, sometimes too fast. A couple of other characters were interesting enough but could have had more depth. They don’t ‘come to life’ in the book. The same goes for Sophie, in a way. Somehow, it feels odd that she would choose to live with someone like her caricature-bad ex, even when none liked him. Only Will seemed to be ‘real’.
Of course, my favorite character is Tia. I could visualize her and Sophie’s mom, Elizabeth, with ease. Sophie paled in comparison, and even during the climax, her presence didn’t really elevate the scene. She just didn’t seem strong enough despite the scene being written for her to prove her worth. That diminished the impact a little, but Tia's presence made up for it.
To sum up, The Book Binder’s Daughter has a lovely premise and beautiful world-building. The premise demands nothing less than the best, and the story needed better execution. It’s good but doesn’t make me go wow.
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
#NetGalley #TheBookBindersDaughter
soletka's review
emotional
medium-paced
2.0
This is a full-blown fantasy with some spiritual/mythology elements in it. Unfortunately, I am completely missing any personal development of the character and the story lacks any kind of subtlety. I was not able to suspend my disbelief here to enjoy the novel more.
allyreids's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
purplelorikeet's review against another edition
3.0
Sophie is an accomplished bookbinder, taught by her father, also a bookbinder. It happens that her mother was also one too. Once upon a time, they lived at Ayredale and life was good. But then, some trauma occurred where Sophie's mother disappears and Sophie forgets most of the details of her life before the trauma. Since then, Sophie has never been back to Ayredale, mostly due to her father's wishes. But after her father dies, Sophie is contacted by her uncle Edward, brother to her mother, and offered a job at what is called the Special Collection.
There are a few aspects of this book that follow some common tropes. There's the memory loss after trauma. There's the special power. There's the dirty scoundrel of a boyfriend that is finally realised. The last is the one I found most interesting here because it's from this understanding that Sophie finally starts to live her life on her own terms. The other stuff may be what drives her to stick to her plan, but she has definitely tired of being manipulated by her long-term boyfriend.
Of course, there is magic involved in the story which I enjoyed for the most part. What didn't quite work for me was the Arthur/Victor arc that comes out towards the end. Those characters on their own were both some ugly pieces of work in their own ways and I could totally buy those stories. But the connection that comes out at the end, seems a bit far-reaching. I'm also a bit uncertain what I think of some of the secrets of Will Rhys. I just didn't feel some of the revelations seemed right in this universe.
Sophie's past trauma is an interesting part of the story along with the reawakening of her role in the library. She does prove to be a good heroine and is quite determined to follow the path that is right for her. The relationship with WIll is also quite nicely done and mixed with the roles they each play, I found they worked pretty well together. They definitely have a long-standing chemistry and it's obvious they are meant for each other.
The narration on the book was quite enjoyable. Charlie Norfolk does a lovely job of capturing the characters along the way and her voice was quite soothing.
Overall, this was an entertaining and pleasing read and I give this 3.5 stars.
There are a few aspects of this book that follow some common tropes. There's the memory loss after trauma. There's the special power. There's the dirty scoundrel of a boyfriend that is finally realised. The last is the one I found most interesting here because it's from this understanding that Sophie finally starts to live her life on her own terms. The other stuff may be what drives her to stick to her plan, but she has definitely tired of being manipulated by her long-term boyfriend.
Of course, there is magic involved in the story which I enjoyed for the most part. What didn't quite work for me was the Arthur/Victor arc that comes out towards the end. Those characters on their own were both some ugly pieces of work in their own ways and I could totally buy those stories. But the connection that comes out at the end, seems a bit far-reaching. I'm also a bit uncertain what I think of some of the secrets of Will Rhys. I just didn't feel some of the revelations seemed right in this universe.
Sophie's past trauma is an interesting part of the story along with the reawakening of her role in the library. She does prove to be a good heroine and is quite determined to follow the path that is right for her. The relationship with WIll is also quite nicely done and mixed with the roles they each play, I found they worked pretty well together. They definitely have a long-standing chemistry and it's obvious they are meant for each other.
The narration on the book was quite enjoyable. Charlie Norfolk does a lovely job of capturing the characters along the way and her voice was quite soothing.
Overall, this was an entertaining and pleasing read and I give this 3.5 stars.