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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
tense
"In a place called 'Lost', strange things are found"
Urrghhh throw certain men away! Just chuck them in the bin, I am so fed up!
Anyway...a story about reclaiming women's voices and a reminder of who has controlled the narrative? Senile old women who offer unwanted but necessary advice and young women fighting back? YES PLEASE!
There was a lot of back and forth (which is to be expected with dual timeline) and I know some people don't enjoy short, to-the-point chapters, but I adore them because they allow the story to deliver itself in whatever pace you are willing to read it in.
There is a slight suggestion of the supernatural but I think the story does really well without it, and I love the sense of a treasure hunt that goes beyond the monetary; everyone in this story is searching.
It is both wonderfully mysterious and respectfully direct. No matter the POV I was reading from, it was undeniably enjoyable - even the parts that made me want to dive in and fist fight.
Urrghhh throw certain men away! Just chuck them in the bin, I am so fed up!
Anyway...a story about reclaiming women's voices and a reminder of who has controlled the narrative? Senile old women who offer unwanted but necessary advice and young women fighting back? YES PLEASE!
There was a lot of back and forth (which is to be expected with dual timeline) and I know some people don't enjoy short, to-the-point chapters, but I adore them because they allow the story to deliver itself in whatever pace you are willing to read it in.
There is a slight suggestion of the supernatural but I think the story does really well without it, and I love the sense of a treasure hunt that goes beyond the monetary; everyone in this story is searching.
It is both wonderfully mysterious and respectfully direct. No matter the POV I was reading from, it was undeniably enjoyable - even the parts that made me want to dive in and fist fight.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
The premise had me hooked right away hidden manuscripts, an elusive bookstore and the idea of reclaiming women’s voices erased by history? That’s an instant yes from me. However, the book spends so much time drifting between characters, timelines, and moody internal reflections that the actual heart of the story feels like it gets lost somewhere along the way.
It’s one of those reads that leans more on atmosphere than momentum. At times, it felt like I was waiting (and waiting) for something to happen. There’s a lot of potential for mystery and wonder, but instead of digging into that, the story often just circles around itself with slow reveals and poetic musings that don’t always land.
Opaline was hands down the emotional core for me. Her story was rich and grounded in a way the others just weren’t. Every moment with her felt like it mattered. If the whole book had followed her arc, I think it would’ve hit much harder. She brought the weight, the fire, the “why” behind the book’s biggest themes.
Martha and Henry, on the other hand, kind of faded into the background for me. I really wanted Martha’s healing to be more about her, to feel earned and internal, not something gently nudged along by a soft-spoken guy with a good heart. Henry… he was fine but in a story that’s trying to carry centuries of silence and pain, “fine” doesn’t leave a lasting impression.
What threw me off most was the bookshop itself. It’s pitched as this magical, hidden place full of power and mystery but it ends up feeling more like an abstract idea than a real setting. The lack of grounding made it feel less magical and more like a vague plot device.
While the themes of women’s erasure, institutional harm and generational trauma are clearly important to the book, they’re handled more like narrative fuel than fully explored truths. So much suffering happens on the page but the space for healing, justice or resolution feels small in comparison. It’s like the story keeps layering pain on top of pain without letting any of it breathe or resolve. By the end, I felt more emotionally worn out than inspired.
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Gaslighting
Moderate: Physical abuse, Pregnancy
Minor: Abandonment
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes