All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer's Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery-- magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.
Then an act of sabotage releases the library's most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeths' desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.
As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she's been taught- about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.
Loved
- The books! This setting is a bookworm's dream. Elisabeth grows up in a library!! And what's more, these books actually have personalities and can turn into monsters- what?! So creative. Just learning about the books themselves is fascinating. Like humans, the books can be very destructive in this story, but also very heroic and selfless. I absolutely adored this idea of books that contain the ability to think and act, and, at times even become human-killing monsters. This was one of the most clever and creative plots I've read about, and I was completely sold from the first page, which takes place in the Library.
- Elisabeth. How can we not love our ultimate bookworm, Elisabeth? Not only does she have a library that Belle herself would be jealous of, but the books in this library are alive! She doesn't just read the books, she takes care of them according to their individual personalities and keeps them from becoming monsters. Elisabeth is refreshing because she's strong and brave, but not bratty at all. In fact, she is pretty naive at the beginning of the story. Her character develops nicely as she learns to re-examine some of her old beliefs and push herself to solve these mysteries.
- Nathaniel. Okay, so not only do we have a library with books that are alive, and a smart and beautiful keeper of those books, now we have the icing on the cake- a broody and misunderstood sorcerer. Nathaniel could rival even Jane Eyre's Mr. Rochester for Broodiest Man of the Year. However, Nathaniel also has a witty sense of humor and a relatable personality underneath the broodiness that makes him very lovable.
- Silas. Silas is one of the most underrated characters out there. Imagine a Michael-Cane-like butler, but much more wild, since he is a demon. Silas is the MVP of this story and doesn't get nearly as much credit as he deserves. His character is fascinating as we try to deduce whether he is a self-serving demon or a selfless friend- and at times Silas himself doesn't even know.
Didn't Love
- My only complaint about this book is that it's a standalone :( I need more of this world in my life!
Content
Content
- Language:
- A few uses of "hell" and "damn."
- Sexual content:
- Male character feels all over a female's body to make sure she's uninjured. She doesn't want him to stop and "had never been touched like this before" (page 259).
- A few passionate kisses, one gets particularly steamy- described as being "keenly aware of every place their bodies touched . . . " He pushes her down and kisses her while lying on top of her and goes to take off her dressing gown belt. He touches her waist through her dressing gown and she "feels like she isn't wearing anything at all." They caress each other's backs and skin, described as "fierce joy" and "warmth" and "heat" (page 345).
- Violence:
- A character finds someone she knows dead and lying in a pool of blood.
- Multiple fights against grimoires- books that have turned to monsters. These end up being intense and bloody at times.
- A main character is stabbed and nearly dies.
- Lots of references to demons being killed with sorcery.
- Other themes:
- LGBTQ+ Representation: In one line we learn that Nathaniel is bisexual. He tells Elisabeth that he "used to fancy" a certain boy, but assures Elisabeth that he can have feelings for her too.
- Demons: This story deals with demons who have to be summoned and put under servitude to humans to keep them under control. However, the book isn't dark and the demons aren't Satanic. They are a little like orcs, where you don't mind them dying because they're evil, but they don't keep you up at night with the creeps. There are rituals to perform to summon a demon. Again, this didn't feel dark to me, it just felt like part of the magic of this world. One of the main characters is a demon and he's the hero of the story. I wouldn't let the demon thing turn you off to the story, because it's not nearly as dark as it sounds.
- A few uses of "hell" and "damn."
- Male character feels all over a female's body to make sure she's uninjured. She doesn't want him to stop and "had never been touched like this before" (page 259).
- A few passionate kisses, one gets particularly steamy- described as being "keenly aware of every place their bodies touched . . . " He pushes her down and kisses her while lying on top of her and goes to take off her dressing gown belt. He touches her waist through her dressing gown and she "feels like she isn't wearing anything at all." They caress each other's backs and skin, described as "fierce joy" and "warmth" and "heat" (page 345).
- A character finds someone she knows dead and lying in a pool of blood.
- Multiple fights against grimoires- books that have turned to monsters. These end up being intense and bloody at times.
- A main character is stabbed and nearly dies.
- Lots of references to demons being killed with sorcery.
- LGBTQ+ Representation: In one line we learn that Nathaniel is bisexual. He tells Elisabeth that he "used to fancy" a certain boy, but assures Elisabeth that he can have feelings for her too.
- Demons: This story deals with demons who have to be summoned and put under servitude to humans to keep them under control. However, the book isn't dark and the demons aren't Satanic. They are a little like orcs, where you don't mind them dying because they're evil, but they don't keep you up at night with the creeps. There are rituals to perform to summon a demon. Again, this didn't feel dark to me, it just felt like part of the magic of this world. One of the main characters is a demon and he's the hero of the story. I wouldn't let the demon thing turn you off to the story, because it's not nearly as dark as it sounds.
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