Reviews

I really liked this book. It was a little slow to get into, but once I got going it was hard to put down.

Magical and mysterious, this was a whirlwind of complicated family dynamics, love, and friendship. I get a Practical Magic vibe from the story, and I think if you enjoy magical realism, you will enjoy this book.

annagwritesandreads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

General Description: Joanna has been protecting the library her father left to her after one of the books he spent his life protecting seemingly killed him. She does this completely alone, as her sister Esther was told by their father to run every year or the same people who killed Esther's mom would get her. However, for one year, Esther doesn't move. And chaos ensues. Esther has to escape the Antarctic base she's on alive and hopefully make it to Joanna. But the people hunting Esther are more powerful than anyone can imagine. How will Esther make it back to Joanna?

The good:
- The description of magic and how the books are created seems extremely unique and I was enthralled, if a bit disgusted.
- I liked the three different perspectives of the different roles in this hidden society and how they all come together (yes there are 3 perspectives even if the description doesn't say so, it surprised me too).
- I feel like the mystery was twisty the entire time and kept you on your toes (for a very long time)
- I could never predict any of the plot twists in this book and I was very impressed when they did hit in the second half of the book.

The loss of a star:
- We spend SO LONG building this world. It makes the book a bit tough to get through at first, and then we get through some major events so quickly. I wish this were a series. Because we've spent so much time in this world with not a ton of action in my opinion and I want to go back.

Overall, if you're okay with a somewhat frustrating fantastical book that you want to spend more time in, you should pick this up. If there is a second book announced, my review will be edited appropriately :)