Unique & enjoyable

What's not to like about a world where grimoires are alive and kept in libraries for their safety and the safety of others? Some books are cute or eccentric, others are dangerous and malevolent. A really unique world that was interesting to learn about.
As for the characters, they were likeable enough. My favourite by far was Silas, Nathaniel's demon.
This is what I would consider easy-reading, like Harry Potter with a romantic sub-plot.
Overall, I really enjoyed the story and am glad I read it.

I would give it an overall score of 3.8/5.

(A 5 for me would be Words Of Radiance-by Sanderson or Name Of The Wind-by Rothfuss.)

I previously read 'An Enchantment Of Ravens' and would rank that one a 4.3/5.

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7 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Not bad at all.

I had my reservations at first but this book turned to be a good read.

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1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Loved it

I loved this. Will enjoy with kids, even my 8 year old. looking forward to more like this.

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Very good debut!!

I read this book the first time, and now I listened to the audiobook instead of rereading it, and I have to say that Emily Ellet did a fantastic job with the narration of this story.

Elisabeth, an orphan raised in a great library, spent her whole life surrounded by magical grimoires and is now an apprentice. She wants to become a Warden, someone who protects the books and who ensures the books stay in the library, for the security of everyone. Her life is quiet and under control, until the night of the attack, when someone sabotages the great library, and even though she saved the day, Elisabeth takes the fall for the attack. She is thrown into a cell and sent to the magister to be interrogated. This is how she came to travel with the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn (who she thinks wants to kill her) and his demon Silas. Elisabeth is thrown in the middle of a political and magical plot much bigger than anyone thought, and she needs to prove her innocence, hide what she knows, and flee before something bad happens to her, and obviously, she will need the dashing Mr. Thorn to help her.

This world-building really got me from the very first page. The magic of the grimoires, the girl talking to the books, feeling their energy, interacting with them even... Wow! I simply adore this idea that grimoires are sentient, and that one must treat them with love in respect, or that they would be willing to defend their library because it’s their home. The setting is also Victorian-like and reminded me of The Infernal Devices setting with its high society standards, fancy dresses, and strict codes for courting and ways to act in public.

The characters are very likable, but I am not 100% sure what the author was trying to do with the diversity and representation. Having read this book twice, and having read the novella too, I understand that Nathaniel is attracted to both genders, yet it is only very briefly mentioned. I also understand that Katrien (Elisabeth’s best friend) has darker-toned skin, but again, it is very briefly mentioned, as if the author wanted to make sure to have some representation in her book, which is great, but she didn’t spend enough time developing those specific aspects of her characters for it to really have an impact of the diversity of the cast… But that is a minor detail, and overall I still greatly enjoyed the story and I loved the characters.

As a certified and unredeemable bookworm, how can I not relate with a main character who grew up in a library, talks to books, and yearns for adventure and love? She is a well-developed and easy-to-love main character, and her bravery and determination were inspiring. I also liked that she had a more naïve side, since she grew up isolated in a library, and while it annoyed me at first how she sometimes would not question things that were told or presented to her, it made more sense when I read the book the second time, and took into consideration her very special upbringing.

I fell in love with Nathaniel Thorne. I’ve always had a weakness for charismatic-yet-sarcastic characters (Hello Will Herondale), and Nathaniel fits the bill perfectly. He is charismatic, and powerful, but also modest and sarcastic with dry humor, and I loooove him. The way he empowers Elisabeth instead of trying to shelter her or put her back “into her place”, because women are not supposed to run around fighting and investigating is also a big reason why I like him so much. He is sweet and kind when alone in his home, but shows this aloof and cocky side of him in public, and it was delightful to see the relationship development between Elisabeth and him.

In this world, old powerful and rich families made deals with demons, many generations ago, and that’s how they acquired magical powers. Their power comes from their demon, and Silas is Nathaniel’s demon. He is also an amazing character that I loved much more than I thought I would. He is such an important part of the book, he is there to support Nathaniel, but also Elisabeth, and his quiet, reassuring, and strong presence was so vibrant in this book, even in the audiobook it was amazing.

This is a unique, wonderful, and whimsical adventure for all the book lovers out there. The characters are great, the romance is sweet and does not take precedence over the plot, there is action, politics, and magic, and even though it is over 400 pages, it is a quick read, and it’s very easy to get lost in this book.

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good read

This was a good story I like that its not a series. The storyline kept me interested throughout.

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amazing

a bookworms dream! women with swords, tall dark and brooding live intrest, living books, magical libraries

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So Much to Say!

This is now one of my favourite books of all time. It made me laugh, cry, and it was overall a brilliant piece. My only complaint is that it's a stand alone, and I need more!

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Fun ideas

This book had a lot of interesting ideas but I felt like it fell short in many areas. The main character Elisabeth was pretty bland and I didn’t get much from the side characters outside of Silas.

The person reading the book was fine for the most part but I couldn’t stand the voices they did for the love interest. It made me hate scenes with him tbh.

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AMAZING

I loved this book the world is really cool can’t wait for the second one

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Magical Sentient Books, Need I Say More?

This story is wonderful, with charming characters, great action scenes, and an intriguing plot line.

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