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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So when I found this on net galley it sounded super interesting.
Alas it was boring, I don’t know it just never pulled me in.
I even double checked, to make sure this wasn’t like the third book in a series or something because it felt like I stumbled in the middle of a series. I didn’t.
For me it just felt very lackluster and slow.
This would actually be a great adult novel for somebody in middle school or high school to read.
It’s not middle grade not that there’s anything wrong with middle grade books
It’s just very accessible adult fiction and that’s fantastic.
It just felt generic fantasy magical library.
Didn’t pull me in I didn’t feel compelled by the story in depth.
There’s nothing wrong with it and the audiobook is very good.
It’s just not for me.
If you’re looking for light urban fantasy this is great.
4 stars solidly
The writing is good the pacing is good. It just isn’t from me you know like there’s nothing wrong with it just not my personal taste.
Like my 15-year-old cousin I would give us spoke to you in a heartbeat I think she would love it.
But for me a little bit more action in my fantasy just not my cup of tea.
The world building is interesting, it’s a slightly different take on urban fantasy that I was in for.
But still being very familiar in formulaic well done.
Thank you as always to net galley for sending me or a copy
🥰
Alas it was boring, I don’t know it just never pulled me in.
I even double checked, to make sure this wasn’t like the third book in a series or something because it felt like I stumbled in the middle of a series. I didn’t.
For me it just felt very lackluster and slow.
This would actually be a great adult novel for somebody in middle school or high school to read.
It’s not middle grade not that there’s anything wrong with middle grade books
It’s just very accessible adult fiction and that’s fantastic.
It just felt generic fantasy magical library.
Didn’t pull me in I didn’t feel compelled by the story in depth.
There’s nothing wrong with it and the audiobook is very good.
It’s just not for me.
If you’re looking for light urban fantasy this is great.
4 stars solidly
The writing is good the pacing is good. It just isn’t from me you know like there’s nothing wrong with it just not my personal taste.
Like my 15-year-old cousin I would give us spoke to you in a heartbeat I think she would love it.
But for me a little bit more action in my fantasy just not my cup of tea.
The world building is interesting, it’s a slightly different take on urban fantasy that I was in for.
But still being very familiar in formulaic well done.
Thank you as always to net galley for sending me or a copy
🥰
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
mysterious
fast-paced
Hands down, the best thing about this book was the setting and the atmosphere: the mysterious, lightly magical vibe was so beautifully created, and the library felt like a real place that I could totally imagine myself in! I've also always been fascinated by the practice of bookbinding/restoration, so I found those details a lot of fun!
I'm always here for childhood friends to lovers too, so I loved Sophie and Will's relationship! I'm glad we got Will's POV too, which I hadn't been expecting: I connected emotionally with him in a way I didn't quite with Sophie, and I thought it was also an effective way to convey a bit more information about the library, compared with Sophie's absolute cluelessness.
Unfortunately, this book plays into one of my least favourite plot tropes: the 'this entire conflict could have been avoided if a piece of essential information had just been communicated to the main character!!' The reason for the secrets of the library being kept from Sophie were never explained in a way that felt satisfactory to me, which just made the entire plot a frustration, particularly as Sophie then kept blaming herself for everything that had gone wrong in the past twenty years, none of which was remotely her fault! Similarly, I think some of the reveals came a little too late, so that quite a lot of the worldbuilding and relationship moments ended up a little rushed as they had to be crammed into the end.
But even though it wasn't craft-wise the best-constructed book I've ever read, I did really enjoy it, and I am keen to read more of Jessica Thorne's writing now!
I'm always here for childhood friends to lovers too, so I loved Sophie and Will's relationship! I'm glad we got Will's POV too, which I hadn't been expecting: I connected emotionally with him in a way I didn't quite with Sophie, and I thought it was also an effective way to convey a bit more information about the library, compared with Sophie's absolute cluelessness.
Unfortunately, this book plays into one of my least favourite plot tropes: the 'this entire conflict could have been avoided if a piece of essential information had just been communicated to the main character!!' The reason for the secrets of the library being kept from Sophie were never explained in a way that felt satisfactory to me, which just made the entire plot a frustration, particularly as Sophie then kept blaming herself for everything that had gone wrong in the past twenty years, none of which was remotely her fault! Similarly, I think some of the reveals came a little too late, so that quite a lot of the worldbuilding and relationship moments ended up a little rushed as they had to be crammed into the end.
But even though it wasn't craft-wise the best-constructed book I've ever read, I did really enjoy it, and I am keen to read more of Jessica Thorne's writing now!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Death, Gun violence
mysterious
medium-paced