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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
This book was absolutely breathtaking for me. I loved every second of it. The world building and magic system is so clever and unique. I was a little off put by Sophie in the beginning but the character development with her was executed so beautifully that she’s easily one of my favorite MCs of 2021. I found the plot to be griping and found myself wanting every detail and every angle to view what was unfolding. Jessica Thorne wove a story so enticing that I really was upset when it was over. I cannot wait to read more of her writing, and am genuinely excited to see if she expands this world she created in the Book Binder’s Daughter.
Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read a copy in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read a copy in exchange for my honest opinion and review.
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
An electronic copy was supplied by NetGalley for review purposes.
Sophie’s mother, a talented book binder, went mysteriously missing while working at the Ayredale Library when Sophie was 15 years old. Her memories of the Library, the finest collection of rare books in the world, are missing and hard to grasp – a result of the trauma of her mother’s disappearance.
All grown up, a bookbinder herself, living in the shadow of her controlling boyfriend and mourning the death of her Father, Sophie is approached by her Uncle and offered a job at the library…a chance to discover exactly what happened to her Mother and escape what her life has become.
What I liked about it?
Who doesn’t love a magical and mysterious library? If a magical library is mentioned, I’m there! Deborah Harkness’ A Discovery of Witches, the library at Hogwarts, Rachel Caine’s The Great Library series, Garth Nix’s Lirael, Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next. Offer me a library with magic and I am there!
The Bookbinder’s Daughter introduces the Ayredale Library as a place of magic, mystery and tragedy for Sophie. At first, it makes you wonder if it is a magical place, or if the whispering, the dreams and the secret language are just Sophie’s history re-emerging as she returns to the Library. Then, Thorne takes you deep into the Library where an impossible tree feeds the magic of the world.
Sophie is a good narrator. A little nervous, overwhelmed by the changes in her life, but she blossoms under the shelter of the Library, under the teachings of the Keeper and in her relationships with Will and Tia. Her decision making is sometimes questionable – but that just made her character feel natural, a good person but flawed.
I often complain when reading fantasy books that the magic of the world feels disconnected. How does it work, where does it come from? In The Bookbinder’s Daughter, the magic – The Art – is not at the heart of the story, but it is used to influence events and is explained enough not to distract from the plot.
I loved that I didn’t predict the twist – I could see the intentions of certain characters but I couldn’t foresee their actions or guess at their motivations. It made the climax of the story more intense and enthralling.
What I didn’t like: I struggled with the Victor narrative. I didn’t see his purpose – I think his role could have been filled without the intimate connection with Sophie. It’s hard to tell if I didn’t like the use of the character, or if he was so real that he made my skin crawl and I just didn’t like him.
Cover thoughts: It caught my eye on NetGalley when combined with the title. It is beautiful but I would have been happier with a library scene.
Rating: 5 stars
Sophie’s mother, a talented book binder, went mysteriously missing while working at the Ayredale Library when Sophie was 15 years old. Her memories of the Library, the finest collection of rare books in the world, are missing and hard to grasp – a result of the trauma of her mother’s disappearance.
All grown up, a bookbinder herself, living in the shadow of her controlling boyfriend and mourning the death of her Father, Sophie is approached by her Uncle and offered a job at the library…a chance to discover exactly what happened to her Mother and escape what her life has become.
What I liked about it?
Who doesn’t love a magical and mysterious library? If a magical library is mentioned, I’m there! Deborah Harkness’ A Discovery of Witches, the library at Hogwarts, Rachel Caine’s The Great Library series, Garth Nix’s Lirael, Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next. Offer me a library with magic and I am there!
The Bookbinder’s Daughter introduces the Ayredale Library as a place of magic, mystery and tragedy for Sophie. At first, it makes you wonder if it is a magical place, or if the whispering, the dreams and the secret language are just Sophie’s history re-emerging as she returns to the Library. Then, Thorne takes you deep into the Library where an impossible tree feeds the magic of the world.
Sophie is a good narrator. A little nervous, overwhelmed by the changes in her life, but she blossoms under the shelter of the Library, under the teachings of the Keeper and in her relationships with Will and Tia. Her decision making is sometimes questionable – but that just made her character feel natural, a good person but flawed.
I often complain when reading fantasy books that the magic of the world feels disconnected. How does it work, where does it come from? In The Bookbinder’s Daughter, the magic – The Art – is not at the heart of the story, but it is used to influence events and is explained enough not to distract from the plot.
I loved that I didn’t predict the twist – I could see the intentions of certain characters but I couldn’t foresee their actions or guess at their motivations. It made the climax of the story more intense and enthralling.
What I didn’t like: I struggled with the Victor narrative. I didn’t see his purpose – I think his role could have been filled without the intimate connection with Sophie. It’s hard to tell if I didn’t like the use of the character, or if he was so real that he made my skin crawl and I just didn’t like him.
Cover thoughts: It caught my eye on NetGalley when combined with the title. It is beautiful but I would have been happier with a library scene.
Rating: 5 stars
After her father's death, Sophie is contacted by her Uncle Edward with an offer of a job-- bookbinder at the prestigious Ayredale Library. This is the position her mother held before she mysteriously disappeared when Sophie was still a teen, and her father dragged her away to London. When she returns to the library, memories from her forgotten past start to come back to her, including a dark haired boy, Will, that she'd fallen for all those years ago. But Sophie's ties to this library run deep and strange things start to happen, whispers of voices long forgotten and an unknown power buried deep under the library's surface.
The library itself seems to be a malevolent character in this book, a creeping presence in the background. The descriptions of the library, the tree, and the characters just painted a picture for me and I was lost in its magical world from beginning to end.
Big thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the advance reader copy of this wonderful book. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.
The library itself seems to be a malevolent character in this book, a creeping presence in the background. The descriptions of the library, the tree, and the characters just painted a picture for me and I was lost in its magical world from beginning to end.
Big thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the advance reader copy of this wonderful book. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
mysterious
slow-paced
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC copy!
Sophie is haunted by her mother's disappearance. When her uncle shows up and invites her to work at the famous Ayredale Library, she accepts and is brought to a place where everything is not what it seems. Will she discover her forgotten memories and will finally find out what happened to her mother? Or will her world burn down around her?
The premise and the cover of this book are what made me request it. Who doesn’t love the idea of magical libraries and an air of mystery? Unfortunately, I felt that the book did not deliver on its promise. I had to drag myself through reading it, hoping that it would get better, and finished reading it with a sense of disappointment.
There were several things about the book that I loved, that unfortunately got undercut by other elements. I thought the author did a good job creating striking and beautiful imagery. Also, I was intrigued by Sophie’s occupation as a bookbinder, since I’ve never read a book before where the MC has that job. And initially, I liked Sophie’s character too. My favorite character, hands-down, was Villus, because cats that live in magical libraries are the best kind.
However, there were many aspects of the book I just couldn’t get past. One of the things that made this difficult to finish was that there was so much repetition of both the imagery and plot-related details, which felt weird and completely unnecessary.
There was also the promise of a magical library and mystery, which were overshadowed by Sophie's relationship with Will. It seemed like what was meant to be a sub-plot kind of took over. And to be honest, I didn't feel any spark between them and Sophie was still recovering from a terrible relationship with lots of lies. So her choice to be with someone who she admits is hiding stuff from her multiple times was a bit annoying. I was hoping for more of a focus on magic, mystery, and her family and instead, I got mediocre romance. I would have loved to see Edward's character, and the other side characters, explored more.
As always, content warnings:
-some kissing and implied sexual content
-language
-death
-mentally/emotionally abusive relationship (is ended early on)
Sophie is haunted by her mother's disappearance. When her uncle shows up and invites her to work at the famous Ayredale Library, she accepts and is brought to a place where everything is not what it seems. Will she discover her forgotten memories and will finally find out what happened to her mother? Or will her world burn down around her?
The premise and the cover of this book are what made me request it. Who doesn’t love the idea of magical libraries and an air of mystery? Unfortunately, I felt that the book did not deliver on its promise. I had to drag myself through reading it, hoping that it would get better, and finished reading it with a sense of disappointment.
There were several things about the book that I loved, that unfortunately got undercut by other elements. I thought the author did a good job creating striking and beautiful imagery. Also, I was intrigued by Sophie’s occupation as a bookbinder, since I’ve never read a book before where the MC has that job. And initially, I liked Sophie’s character too. My favorite character, hands-down, was Villus, because cats that live in magical libraries are the best kind.
However, there were many aspects of the book I just couldn’t get past. One of the things that made this difficult to finish was that there was so much repetition of both the imagery and plot-related details, which felt weird and completely unnecessary.
There was also the promise of a magical library and mystery, which were overshadowed by Sophie's relationship with Will. It seemed like what was meant to be a sub-plot kind of took over. And to be honest, I didn't feel any spark between them and Sophie was still recovering from a terrible relationship with lots of lies. So her choice to be with someone who she admits is hiding stuff from her multiple times was a bit annoying. I was hoping for more of a focus on magic, mystery, and her family and instead, I got mediocre romance. I would have loved to see Edward's character, and the other side characters, explored more.
As always, content warnings:
-some kissing and implied sexual content
-language
-death
-mentally/emotionally abusive relationship (is ended early on)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Sexual content
dark
emotional
mysterious
I absolutely loved and enjoyed the audiobook for The Bookbinder’s Daughter by Jessica Thorne! Not only did the audiobook narration by Charlie Norfolk bring it to life, but the story itself was absolutely amazing! I genuinely think this book will be a lot of people’s favorite this year!
Personally, I would sell this book as a very mysterious, very magical, dark and fantastical fall read. The main character is a book binder, and the majority of the story takes place in a mysterious library, so thematically, there is a lot in the story on the physical artistry of books! As a bookworm, I absolutely, absolutely loved and enjoyed that aspect of the story!!!
I honestly only have good things to say about this book, and I cannot recommend it enough!! It was such a fun time, and the perfect fall fantasy read!!
Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me the arc in exchange for an honest review!!!
Personally, I would sell this book as a very mysterious, very magical, dark and fantastical fall read. The main character is a book binder, and the majority of the story takes place in a mysterious library, so thematically, there is a lot in the story on the physical artistry of books! As a bookworm, I absolutely, absolutely loved and enjoyed that aspect of the story!!!
I honestly only have good things to say about this book, and I cannot recommend it enough!! It was such a fun time, and the perfect fall fantasy read!!
Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me the arc in exchange for an honest review!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
I wanted to love this book because well, beautiful cover about a magical library…what could be better?! However…. Aside from the deconstruction of God and calling the Bible a myth (or even religion at all) at one point, and the anticlimactic, no chemistry romance, all that aside, the book was just BORING. Like I lost count how many times I fell asleep while reading or listening (I had the ebook and audio). Too many to count.
It just didn’t have a plot. And the on that it had didn’t seem to really arrive until halfway through the book. I didn’t get any magical feels until the halfway point, so it almost felt like two different books. Anyway, just wasn’t for me.
It just didn’t have a plot. And the on that it had didn’t seem to really arrive until halfway through the book. I didn’t get any magical feels until the halfway point, so it almost felt like two different books. Anyway, just wasn’t for me.
mysterious
medium-paced
mysterious
medium-paced
What reader wouldn’t enjoy a book about a mysterious, magical library? But is that enough to keep you hooked? Nope! And therein lies the reason this book faltered a little.
Story:
When Sophie Lawrence, a bookbinder, is offered a job at the Ayredale library by her estranged uncle, she grabs at the opportunity, not just because she sees it as an escape from her manipulative, cheating boyfriend but also because she wants to discover what happened to her mother at the same library fifteen years ago. Once she is there, she realises that things are not quite as they appear. No one wants to tell her the secrets of the past. The presence of her first crush Will Rhys only serves to add to the mystique. Will she find out the secrets that no one wants to reveal to her?
Where the book worked for me:
The library, obviously, ranks as the biggest pro point. I loved how its sentience was weaved into the story. I also enjoyed all the details of the book binding process as we saw it through Sophie’s eyes. Any bibliophile would enjoy those parts.
The story is lush with such vivid imagery that you can picture the entire world in which Sophie resides. The descriptive part of the writing is mesmerising and the world-building, fabulous.
The plot, regardless of its flaws, keeps you hooked from start to end, thereby resulting the book going by very quickly.
Where the book could have worked better for me:
I wish the characters were more multi-dimensional. Most of them are a clear black or white. I couldn’t connect with Sophie much; some of her decisions are so questionable that one can’t help want to smack her on the head. Tia, the archivist, was outstanding and easily the best character in the book, but some of her decisions didn’t make sense in the broader picture. Will was clearly written as having some deep, shameful secret but with many obvious clues scattered throughout, it took no genius to figure out what his secret was. Sophie’s uncle was a disappointing character; he had so much potential to be a memorable main character but succumbed to a clichéd turnaround whenever required by the plot. Sophie’s mum, Elizabeth, was intriguing but hardly had any role to play, quite ironically as she’s the bookbinder referred to in the title. The rest of the characters don’t even deserve a mention.
There is a lot of repetition in the dialogues, which worsens with the recurring flashbacks. The editing should have been a lot tighter.
The title fell flat for me. I can’t pinpoint why but it somehow sounds makes the book sound like a historical fiction. The cover too, with the girl facing away from the reader, doesn’t convey the right feelings. A fantasy reader who looks only at the cover and title will surely not pick this book up. Both of these needed to be more magical, more enigmatic.
The first 70% or so of the book kept me absolutely hooked, but the last section becomes too complicated, though it has its fair share of surprises. One theme running through the book is that of ‘contained chaos’, and towards the end, the writing itself was like ‘contained chaos’. It became a bit over-ambitious.
Most readers remember a book by how it made them feel at the end; this book will make you feel great at the start but the end doesn’t create any impact. Overall, it is a great plot but needs a bit of fine-tuning to go from ‘good’ to ‘memorable’. For me, the end would deserve just 3 stars but the rest of the book would get 4 stars. Hence, I’ll go with the average of the two ratings and allot 3.5 to this interesting novel.
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.