Honestly more than anything else, I straight up just had FUN reading this book! Rogerson has twice now created worlds that are nothing less than utterly enchanting, filled with lyrical writing and plots that are magical whirlwind adventures. And of course: her characters. Elisabeth is such a brilliantly funny and brave heroine that I think a lot of YA readers will love, especially alongside the equally charming sorcerer, Nathaniel Thorn. The pair of them have stolen my heart ❤️
There are a few little moments here and there I think could have been more fleshed out, but nothing major enough to distract from the overall enjoyment. The main villain character was a bit weak, often falling into trope-like qualities and motivations, but Elisabeth, Nathaniel, and Silas made up for that. Truly, very little critique from me, and I'll definitely be rereading at some point! ( )

The books had more character than the characters ( )

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. At first, I was afraid the story would be melodramatic or overwrought, mostly because the book seemed too perfect. With a magic library, a gothic setting, fairy-tale prose, and a mysterious sorcerer love interest, this could easily have been an exercise in self-indulgence. The ingenue protagonist/snarky wizard romance is becoming a cliche, but this particular story somehow managed to be consistently suspenseful and original. For one thing, the supporting characters are great. (If you liked Childermass in [b:Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell|14201|Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell|Susanna Clarke|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1357027589i/14201._SY75_.jpg|3921305] you may also....)

Another reason this novel worked so well was because the fast-paced plot. There were plenty of character-driven moments, but no wasted ink. The villain was a credible threat, and remained a step ahead of the protagonists all the way. As such, the gothic tropes served a purpose and weren't just window dressing. The novel was baroque in aesthetic, but not in style. ( )

I really enjoyed this read. It was fast pace magic themed historical fiction novel. I was immediately captured by the world building focused on the library system. I also thought he author did such a good way of explaining the world building in an easy to understand way. I felt immediately connected to the main character and really was invested in her storyline from page one. I liked how the romance developed through the novel and it had some laugh out funny moments. For me the highlight of this read was the magic system and the world building system. I also thought all the characters were so fleshed out and though the mystery was so well crafted. I really hope we get a book 2, in this series!. ( )

I really enjoyed this read. It was fast pace magic themed historical fiction novel. I was immediately captured by the world building focused on the library system. I also thought he author did such a good way of explaining the world building in an easy to understand way. I felt immediately connected to the main character and really was invested in her storyline from page one. I liked how the romance developed through the novel and it had some laugh out funny moments. For me the highlight of this read was the magic system and the world building system. I also thought all the characters were so fleshed out and though the mystery was so well crafted. I really hope we get a book 2, in this series!. ( )