The Astral Library cover art

The Astral Library

A Novel

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The Astral Library

Written by: Kate Quinn
Narrated by: Kate Quinn, Saskia Maarleveld
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About this listen

From New York Times bestselling author Kate Quinn comes a gorgeously written fantastical adventure which poses the question: Have you ever wished you could live inside a book? Welcome to the Astral Library, where books are not just objects, but doors to new worlds, new lives, and new futures. Beautifully performed by award winning narrator, Saskia Maarleveld.

Alexandria “Alix” Watson has learned one lesson from her barren childhood in the foster-care system: unlike people, books will never let you down. Working three dead-end jobs to make ends meet and knowing college is a pipe dream, Alix takes nightly refuge in the high-vaulted reading room at the Boston Public Library, escaping into her favorite fantasy novels and dreaming of far-off lands. Until the day she stumbles through a hidden door and meets the Librarian: the ageless, acerbic guardian of a hidden library where the desperate and the lost escape to new lives...inside their favorite books.

The Librarian takes a dazzled Alix under her wing, but before she can escape into the pages of her new life, a shadowy enemy emerges to threaten everyone the Astral Library has ever helped protect. Aided by a dashing costume-shop owner, Alix and the Librarian flee through the Regency drawing rooms of Jane Austen to the back alleys of Sherlock Holmes and the champagne-soaked parties of The Great Gatsby as danger draws inexorably closer. But who does their enemy really wish to destroy—Alix, the Librarian, or the Library itself?

Includes a bonus conversation with Kate Quinn, Saskia Maarleveld, and Tessa Woodward (editor of The Astral Library).

Action & Adventure Fantasy Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction
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I was captivated in the start when she went into different books and I thought it was really cute! But it started to get boring and repetitive and there wasn’t much for me to cling onto. The overall message of the book was sweet I just felt it like lacking a plot and it needed more depth. I didn’t overly feel attached to the characters as well.

I wanted more

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I really struggled with the voice of Alex. It was too hyper. The whole story seemed very loosely constructed. The transitions weren't believable. Maybe as a fantasy book for teens, it would work. It was not at all what I was expecting because I love Kate Quins earlier books. I get the message about reading, and books, and libraries and how important that is in everyone's life but it did seem a bit like a campaign to Save Our Libraries.

Teens might like it

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Almost impossible to listen in headphones on the commute. I appreciate the different voices however the volume is quite far apart which makes it very challenging to listen as I have to adjust the volume every few seconds which steals all the enjoyment of the story and extremely annoying!

Disturbing volume difference

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Narrator was dreadful, particularly when doing the voice for the heroine. Story and characters lacked credibility and did not hold together. First book of Kate Quinn’s that I did not thoroughly enjoy. But I give her kudos for trying to write fantasy.

Disappointing

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Being a book lover my entire life, reading Astral Library made me feel like I’ve been waiting for a book like this one for a very long time and it was well worth the wait.
Thank you Kate Quinn for the magic!

The Library

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