The song surrounded her now, the murmuring of the library insistent, and her foot took the first step on the winding stairs. She knew it wasn’t entirely a dream. It was the library calling her, its magic driving her.
When Sophie is offered a job at the Ayredale Library – the finest collection of rare books in the world, and the last place her bookbinder mother was seen when Sophie was just a teenager – she leaps at the chance. Will she finally discover what happened to the woman she’s always believed abandoned her?
Taking in the endless shelves of antique books, the soaring stained-glass windows, and the grand sweeping staircase, usually shy Sophie feels strangely at home, and is welcomed by her eccentric fellow binders. But why is the Keeper of the Library so reluctant to speak about Sophie’s mother? And why is Sophie the only person who can read the strange spells in the oldest books on display, written in a forgotten language nobody else understands?
The mysteries of the library only deepen when Sophie stumbles upon an elaborately carved door. The pattern exactly matches the pendant her mother left behind years ago, engraved with a delicate leaf. As the door swings open at her touch, Sophie gasps at the incredible sight: an enormous tree, impossibly growing higher than the library itself, its gently falling golden leaves somehow resembling the pages of a book. Amidst their rustling, Sophie hears a familiar whisper…
‘There you are, my Sophie. I knew you’d come back for me.’
An absolutely spellbinding read about long-hidden family secrets and the magic that lurks between the pages of every ancient book. Perfect for fans of The Ten Thousand Doors of January, The Night Circus and The Binding. - from NetGalley.com
Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture, and the author for giving me this ARC for free to share my opinion on this story.
The book cover art, the title, and the synopsis of the story all drew me into reading this one. I felt hesitant, as I was expecting it to turn into some sappy romance between some Librarian and some mundane damsel that was hired to put books on the shelf. I admit, I was truly wrong, and fully enjoyed the story.
The short plot description tends to make this an almost make-believe story: hired at the most prestigious of libraries of rare books even, where her mom used to work when she was younger. Oh my, vomit and drivel. Yet, that is where this story really starts at. But let's throw you some more bones - SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
All this takes place in England, as the story opens in London. Our main character, Sophie, is a simple compliant book binder with extremely talented skills) living with her controlling 'boyfriend'. She finds out she has been offered this prestigious position as a rare book binder for this library, where both her parents worked, at double the salary she makes and other perks. Of course, she remembers her family living at this library (large property) and her mom's disappearance, then her father taking her and leaving... blah blah.... forgetting the past, therapies, memories might come back. The usual hoo-hah. Wanting to think it over, she ends up catching her 'boyfriend' shagging another chick, and immediately leaves for this new job.
Now the job offer came from her Uncle, who also works for the library. Starting to sound like some weird family tree twisting and nepotism, right? Story moves on ... she does start to remember certain memories, and finds strange happenings occurring around her. Romance starts to blossom with Will, whom she was friends with before she was taken away. I wanted to be sure to get the romance in there.
So not to completely ruin it for you, Sophia finds out she has some 'magical' powers, as do some of the others around the library. Her family has been associated with the library since its creation many millennia before our story. Her romance blossoms with Will, though thankfully not in exquisite, sexual detail, and not so much that it takes from the story.
All in all, this was quite a good read. I was pulled in by storyline, as I have always enjoyed magical library stories (because libraries are truly magical places). The magic wasn't hocus-pocus related, and had quite a few distinctions on/of its use (only by certain people, and only certain types of 'magic'). There wasn't much really to do with the library itself, except as it being the repository of 'special' books, and how they were protected. Obviously, being "rare books" one just couldn't walk in and check out any book.
Character development was a bit lacking. Simple-minded girl, dumps cheating boyfriend for new job (double the perks!) and location, meets new love, large fantastical problem solved by simple girl, who know is in control of everything, and the world goes rosy once again. Yeah, there wasn't much to building the characters. A few look-backs of the time when they were younger, to explain certain things happening, or memories recollected by Sophia, but otherwise just so-so.
World build was somewhat interesting. I mentioned the magic, and how it is limited to certain characters, and the type of 'magic' they have the use of. The library itself consisting of what I will call, a living entity, that provides this magic, and the protections (through a Guardian) of not only itself, but its repository of knowledge (the books), in the simple form of a 'tree' living in the depths. And that this tree was the root of knowledge, and that creativity was shared through the binding of its leaves into books, and shared where needed around the world at times. Very different idea. I liked it.
Overall I found the book to be very enjoyable. Definitely a stand-alone, though, with some imagination, I'm sure future books could be tied to this one. Was easy to read and comprehend ideas. I saw no major differences of spellings between US English and British English, or words that are different for the same things. Definitely would recommend in the Young Adult and Fantasy genres.
#NetGalley #TheBookbindersDaughter
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