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A review by pageswithpaige
The Book Binder's Daughter by Jessica Thorne
3.0
CW: Emotional abuse, cheating.
Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Actual star rating: 3.5. I’m conflicted in writing this review because I feel this book has so much potential, but ultimately left me feeling a little underwhelmed. The premise of a magical library was enough of a draw card to have me requesting and the library itself was beautifully written, with the philosophy behind it being really interesting. For me, the setting and ambience was the strongest part. I crave to see Ayredale. The magic was drawing on common knowledge but expanded on in a way that was unique and fresh to read but didn’t have rules or structure so for people that need a structured and well explained magic system this might not work for you but I enjoyed going along for the ride.
In terms of characters, Sophie has been in an emotionally abusive relationship (whilst not labelled on page, the characteristics of the relationship described gives me confidence in using it rather than just emotional manipulation - which was also present). I’m gonna give her slack, she made some choices, but I can understand her motivations behind them. The constant references to her memory loss were a little too on the nose for my liking as it was mentioned at least twice a chapter and yes, essential to the plot, but we could have minimised the amount it was mentioned.
Victor was an absolute twat. Will was your typical book-boyfriend with hair that was “overdue for a cut”... Tia was bloody fantastic and I love her. Uncle Edward was your doting, slightly misguided, mostly well-meaning fool but overall, I liked him by the end. Aside from Tia I felt the characters were very 2D but not “bad”, the potential for fuller characters is definitely there, especially seeing what Jessica is capable of with Tia.
In terms of pacing and plot there was a lot to be desired. I want emotions when reading and nothing shocked me or made me feel anything other than “this is enjoyable”. The big bad is obviously the big bad and personally, the mystery isn’t really that mysterious. The plot felt very Young Adult with New Adult aged characters. Personally I think the characters and villains could have been further developed with length. This is only a 248 page standalone so there is definitely room to expand to help support the plot and pacing.
I also received an advanced listeners copy and I cannot fault the audiobook narration. I started listening around 10 chapters in and it helped to further captivate my attention. I feel the issues I had with the characters and their descriptions were less noticeable once I started listening, rather than reading.
Overall, it was a really enjoyable read and I recommend people checking it out for something with a hint of whimsicalness, wanting to get lost in the pages of a book.
Thank you once again to NetGalley and the publishers.
Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Actual star rating: 3.5. I’m conflicted in writing this review because I feel this book has so much potential, but ultimately left me feeling a little underwhelmed. The premise of a magical library was enough of a draw card to have me requesting and the library itself was beautifully written, with the philosophy behind it being really interesting. For me, the setting and ambience was the strongest part. I crave to see Ayredale. The magic was drawing on common knowledge but expanded on in a way that was unique and fresh to read but didn’t have rules or structure so for people that need a structured and well explained magic system this might not work for you but I enjoyed going along for the ride.
In terms of characters, Sophie has been in an emotionally abusive relationship (whilst not labelled on page, the characteristics of the relationship described gives me confidence in using it rather than just emotional manipulation - which was also present). I’m gonna give her slack, she made some choices, but I can understand her motivations behind them. The constant references to her memory loss were a little too on the nose for my liking as it was mentioned at least twice a chapter and yes, essential to the plot, but we could have minimised the amount it was mentioned.
Victor was an absolute twat. Will was your typical book-boyfriend with hair that was “overdue for a cut”... Tia was bloody fantastic and I love her. Uncle Edward was your doting, slightly misguided, mostly well-meaning fool but overall, I liked him by the end. Aside from Tia I felt the characters were very 2D but not “bad”, the potential for fuller characters is definitely there, especially seeing what Jessica is capable of with Tia.
In terms of pacing and plot there was a lot to be desired. I want emotions when reading and nothing shocked me or made me feel anything other than “this is enjoyable”. The big bad is obviously the big bad and personally, the mystery isn’t really that mysterious. The plot felt very Young Adult with New Adult aged characters. Personally I think the characters and villains could have been further developed with length. This is only a 248 page standalone so there is definitely room to expand to help support the plot and pacing.
I also received an advanced listeners copy and I cannot fault the audiobook narration. I started listening around 10 chapters in and it helped to further captivate my attention. I feel the issues I had with the characters and their descriptions were less noticeable once I started listening, rather than reading.
Overall, it was a really enjoyable read and I recommend people checking it out for something with a hint of whimsicalness, wanting to get lost in the pages of a book.
Thank you once again to NetGalley and the publishers.