This book had all the elements that first enthrall me to start reading: a library, some magic, and eccentric characters. This book ended up taking me longer to read because of the realness that I felt from the manipulation of the main characters action from every person’s opinion but her own.

I don’t think this will be a book that I pick up again, but it won’t be a book that I wouldn’t recommend to other bibliophiles looking for their own magical libraries.

Why do we have libraries?

Some say that libraries serve as gateways to knowledge and culture that support learning, innovation, and creativity. In Bookbinder's Daughter, Jessica Thorne, the author, conceives a story about the role of libraries in our society with a magical twist. It's my first time reading this kind of story and I couldn't stop myself from reading on until I find out the connection of the enigmatic Ayredale Library to a possible apocalypse triggered by selfishness and greed of some people working in this library.

The main character is unforgettable and relatable. Sophie's love for her mother and struggle with depression and trauma caused by the disappearance of her mother who was a bookbinder in Ayredale make me root for her. Relief washed over me when her elusive childhood memories gradually returned to her as she worked at the library. Her courage and sacrifice, in the end, kindled my appreciation of maternal and familial love.

The most exciting part for me is the revelation of the power that the library possesses through one of the characters whom I didn't expect to be the conduit of apocalyptic magic. The descriptions of the images and the sound carried me to that scene, invoking the emotions of awe and fear. The effects they have on me are still the same even on the second or third reading. Experiencing as if what I am reading is real is the reason why I love sci-fi and fantasy stories and The Bookbinder's Daughter is one of the best I've read so far.

Thank you, Jessica Thorne, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the ARC (ebook and audiobook) in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5

Sophie lives with her controlling boyfriend and works as a book restorer, until her uncle offers her a prestigious job at his library, which houses some of the rarest and most ancient books in the world, and she finds impetus suddenly to leave him. On arriving at the library, she begins to recover memories from her past - when she was a teenager growing up there with her parents, and her mother disappeared. Sophie is keen to understand what happened back when she was fifteen, but there are other concerns too as the various personalities within the library hierarchy all have different ideas of which way this repository of knowledge should be heading, and some of them could be dangerous.

There is something about this book that makes it read like a YA novel, although the occasional swears and mild sexual content suggest that it is probably aimed at adults. There's an earnestness about it, the magic is taken for granted and never explained. It took me a little while to get into the story, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. I like that the story is all neatly wrapped up in one volume rather than extending into an unnecessary series, and I probably shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but there is something about the cover that I really like!

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I loved reading this book. the whole idea of the bookbinding situation was a good one. The characters were developed well and the interest was also maintained in the story line and the development of the story, excellent read.

Sophie leads a quiet life dominated by her job and her magnetic boyfriend. That is until an invitation to work for the world famous Ayredale Library shows up at her door. Suddenly her traumatic past, much of it forgotten until now, makes its dramatic entrance. Her acceptance leads her back to where she started, a place of endings and beginnings. A place where love and friendship defined her and just as quickly disappeared. The question this time though is, who is she really and what will she become? With vivid, colorful strokes, Jessica Thorne introduces readers to a new type of librarian in the Bookbinder's Daughter. At once as fantastic as it is enjoyable, this book offers a vivid peek into a magical library where the books have more than one story to tell and the story within the story leaves readers guessing until the very end. An enjoyable novel for readers everywhere.

'The Bookbinder's Daughter': 4⭐

(Unpaid Review: thank you to @netgalley, @jessicathorneauthor and the publishers for allowing me to read this eArc copy in exchange for a review.)

What could you not possibly love about this book? Magical library ✔️ Whimsical atmosphere ✔️ romance ✔️ cover ✔️ the plot and subplot ✔️

This book was such a pleasant surprise! I really loved how the author created this new soft magic system, which we love to read about! Congrats on your new book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars
A book written to celebrate the love of libraries, we all book lovers like this kind of stories where there is an exceptional library and a magical haven for books and for us, it is our dream to find one and to live many fantastic adventures within it. Libraries are our wonderlands and that's the idea the author might intended to transmit through her book.

The story is about Sophie (My favorite name for Heroines) who got offered from her uncle a job of a bookbinder at the Ayeredale Library where her mother disappeared mysteriously. Now, after her father's death and the end of a toxic relationship, she sees it as a good opportunity to discover the truth but what she doesn't know is that there will be so many mysteries to unravel and hidden secrets about her family's past and the library.

Now, it was interesting all this captivating worldbuilding relating to the tree of knowledge and the incorporation of metaphysics to the fantastical aspect of the story making it looks more smart and complex for the reader but it might not be appealing to everyone.
For the characters, they needed to be more developed and for this the author could have wrote a duology for this plot or another 100 pages, it really needed more space for the story and the characters background's development, it felt really rushed and like "I have to put everything in this one book". Also, I liked Will's sensibility and Tia's personality who even with the villains of the book needed to be really more developed.

I really liked the author's writing style which made me interested in reading her other books.

A magical library full of books and secrets is a perfect lure for reading addicts like me. The Book Binder's Daughter is that perfect lure. Sophie who has no memories of her mother keeps dreaming the same dream for years but never gets any answers from her father. Suddenly she gets an opportunity to find out exactly that and her mother's secrets. What happens in this mysterious library and how Sophie is connected to this place is the story of this novel.
The author has weaved a wonderful story of connecting the present library to the ancient libraries of the world and their reasons of destruction. The story is confusing at the beginning but as the story evolves things starts getting a little clearer. I really loved the book though I wish Sophie's character would have been developed a bit more. I wish there was a real library like Ayredale :)

The Bookbinder's Daughter by Jessica Thorne

Narrated by: Charlie Norfolk Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins

This is the first book I have read by Jessica Thorne and I can highly recommend it. This book was a wow! It was beautifully written from start to finish, it was a wonderful and so magical read. I loved it especially as I had a chance to listen to the audio as well Charlie Norfolk was perfect for this beautiful audiobook.

I will be looking out for this author in the future........Perfect in every way. Thank you guys x

Big 5 Stars from me

Big Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture, and Bookouture Audio! for a digital and audio book copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about a mysterious library, surrounded by mysterious people. Sophie lived there as a kid but left and lost her memories. After the death of her dad, she receives a letter that somehow will help her understand what’s been missing in her life.

The characters are bland and could have been much more developed. It is even more disappointing when you finally learn more about the magic of this library and the different powers everyone has to deal with at the end of the book.

I think there was a lack of description and the plot was not carried out with enough intensity even though powerful forces were discovered as the book progressed

This ended up being a thoroughly enjoyable book for me. I enjoyed the protagonists and the tender and familial angle of the plot. while my interest was never fully captured by the mystery until halfway through, I think the author has huge potential, and I look forward to trying another book by them in the future. In the meantime, I'll be recommending me this as a perfect autumn read.

I LOVE stories that are set in a library (if you read this check out The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman).
At first, I was a bit put off by the writing, but then I saw that this was an uncorrected ARC, so I just ignored that.

I'd recommend this book to everyone who loves reading and being surrounded by books! A super exciting story set in a magical library.

I was attracted by the description, always hooked if a library is involved and a page turning read - certainly perfect for a holiday.
Sophie is a archival bookbinder following in her parents footsteps. Following the mysterious disapearance of her mother at her one time home in Ayredale Library, Sophie is taken away by her father who wants to erase all memory of Ayredale from Sophies memory. He is in the main successful but this leaves Sophie haunted by fragments of memory which seep into her dreams.
When we meet Sophie she is in a controlling and passively abusive relationship with Victor. However after intervention by her uncle Sophie is offered a prestigious role at her old home of Ayredale library. This breaks her relationship with Victor and allows her the much needed opportunity to investigate her mother and pick up threads of her old life, including her teen crush Will.
I enjoyed the mystrey elements and the author goes down a different library mythos route linking in Chaos, creativity with the symbol of the tree of knowledge.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for access to the ARC all views are my own.

This is an interesting book and a great novel for anyone who loves magic and magical libraries! It is very engaging and I liked the romantic story arc - there is a bit of a love triangle going on, which made me eager to see the protagonist get the good guy.. While I was reading it the book certainly kept my attention, but I'm not convinced that the characters and plot were that memorable to be honest. Still, it's a nice magical read for any bookworm on a dull, rainy day.

It’s ok. Loved that it was about and set in a special library. That’s what really drew me to this book. The characters were ok, couldn’t quite get into rooting for Sophie and Will. I just wanted Arthur and Victor to fail. And I was curious enough to continue till the end.

Thanks Bookouture and NetGalley for this arc!

This was a pretty good read, however I found it easy to put down and leave. The storyline was easy to follow. I feel this book would be more suited for young adults who enjoy fantasy type novels.

Sophie grew up remembering little about her mother or her past, and her father kept them isolated from her mother's family, so she was surprised after her father's death by the invitation to the Ayredale Library by her uncle. But the Library and her connection to it are not the usual at all, it speaks to her and draws her in strange ways, in dreams and in languages only she can read. Others at the library are out of the ordinary, and some she remembers dimly from her childhood, and some she knows she should remember but does not. At the same time outside forces without her or the Library's best interests in mind are gathering and stupid decisions are being made.
A lovely, magical story about memory and family and the spark of creativity. Similar in feel to Erin Morgenstern's Night Circus and Starless Sea. Things went pretty wild towards the end, but it all came together finally - whew. Highly recommended.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Awesome book I was on the edge of my seat.

*Received an ARC from Bookouture via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.*

I enjoyed the concept of the story quite a lot. I love reading books that are set in libraries or about libraries/bookstores. It brings me so much comfort. With this book there's the bonus of magic thrown into the mix. I found "The Tree" quite an interesting concept.

There were some parts of the text that repeated itself multiple times throughout the book which didn't feel right with the flow of the story. For that reason I gave it 4 stars but I would still recommend it.

When I started reading this I got this dark historical feeling from this books. It confused me when they were having phones on them and all that.

I did really enjoy this book. It’s been a while since I read a book about a magical library and this was a good one. It was well written and lovely described. You could almost feel like you were there with the characters.