I stopped reading at 48% and feel let down by this book. Though it has atmosphere and seemed to lean into the dark academia vibes that I was looking for, the frustrating characters, uneven pacing, and overly flowery writing made it impossible for me to continue on reading. Additionally, with the villain being so predictable early on, I don’t even feel the need to skim for the ending. This one was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest book review.

Such a cozy, well paced romantasy read! The characters are well written and likable. There are dark academia vibes but also paranormal. Very fun and quick read!

Thank you to Harper360YA for an advance reading copy to review.

This is a Young Adult ghostly mystery with a little side romance.

It was a really fun read and there were some eerie moments in the book that surprised me.

Este, the FMC is grieving the loss of her father and unfortunately this means she makes some really frustrating decisions. She isolates herself and attempts to tackle situations on her own.

Posy, a side character comes across so full on when we first meet her. To the point where I had to agree with Este, she was just too much. However, with Este keeping everyone at arms length for fear of losing them too, it’s clear in the end that Posy and the PI gang were genuine.

Mateo the MMC who just happens to be a ghost – was charming but sneaky from the first time Este meets him.

Their romance simmers just beneath the surface but it was a sweet awkward teen romance that you’d expect. It was quite cute and I think the target age group would love it!

I feel like this could be a great intro for young adult readers into dark academia books. The mystery aspect reminded me a little of the TV show Wednesday and there were some creepy tension filled moments whilst Este worked in the Library at night.

Overall this was very entertaining, I loved the whole concept of The Book of Fades and would be interested to find out more about its origin. I believe this is a standalone and the ending was wrapped up nicely, but I feel like they could become a scooby gang and solve Paranormal problems as a series.

This book is released in plenty of time for spooky season and I definitely recommend for readers who enjoy Paranormal Mysteries.

This was an okay read for me. There were times when I felt that there were gaps in the story or that things were glossed over. There were times s well when I felt the author over explained things - and used too many adjectives.

I think I might be in my ghost stories era.
I really enjoyed the ghost lore in this - how they became ghosts, as well as how they continued to exist amongst the living. I love when the authors create new rules for their ghosts.
I liked how the setting was infamous for ghosts and how Este could have found out so much if she hadn’t been so sceptical and closed-off. It was funny to see the stereotypical ghost-hunting equipment working on the ghosts.
I enjoyed the friendships Este created with the ghosts - but I constantly found myself frustrated that she didn’t take the time of day to become friends with her roommate, who was always trying so hard.
Although I expected the romance, I don’t think it was developed much. She went from thinking he was pretty but hating his guts, to being his friend, to being madly in love with him.
It was a very easy read, a cosy dark academia, with a little bit of romance and mystery, and a lot of friendly ghosts.

The cosy dark academic and mystery vibes in this book did not disappoint! The Library of Shadows is a pacey and immersive young adult novel with a paranormal plotline and loveable characters. The perfect book to read in autumn/winter and during spooky season later this year!

✨Book Review✨

The Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore

What an absolute treat this book was! Halloween is 161 days away, and if you’re already excited and looking for spooky recs, then look no further. 👻

Este is off to her new boarding school, Radcliffe Prep. Its history of student disappearances is infamous among its students. And it is, of course, haunted. But Este doesn’t believe in ghosts. She’s just trying to feel connected to her dead father by attending the same school. Then she meets Mateo, who frames her for the theft of a rare library book, and then proceeds to pop up out of nowhere at the worst times….

This book is the perfect blend of cozy and spooky. The dark academia vibes are such a nice backdrop to its quick-paced plot. And it has a nice ensemble of characters, despite their ~quirks~ (looking at you, Posy). The plot and its main twist are quite predictable, but, in my opinion, that doesn’t detract from enjoying the story unfold. In fact, it does a really great job of keeping you invested despite your expectation, which is a testament to Moore’s prose. The book is beautifully written.

To be clear, this isn’t a spicy paranormal romance—think more YA paranormal romance. The romance feels fitting and appropriate for Este’s age.

Overall, I think this is such a fabulous debut. It brought me so much joy to read! I’m already looking forward to the next one, US in Ruins. Thanks to @netgalley and @harpercollinschin for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. (Though this review is based off the physical copy since I already had my pre-ordered copy by the time I got around to reading it. 🙃)

Stay spooky, friends!

📖: (5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Library of Shadows drew me in so quickly with the promise of haunted libraries, supernatural creatures, a central mystery, and hidden secrets in a boarding school, so I was pleased to really enjoy this one. The highlights for me was the romance and the writing style, both of which I absolutely adored throughout the whole book and, whilst the mystery was slightly predictable, it was still intriguing enough to keep me glued to the pages until the very end.

Atmospheric and fast-paced - I really enjoyed it! 3.5 stars.

What a beautiful fantasy story with great storyline and great characters. Really liked the writing style and the cover is beautiful will definitely read more from this author.

The Library of Shadows was an intriguing premise that was ultimately underwhelming. I think it was written at too low of a level for what it's intended audience should be, which will leave teen and middle school readers unfulfilled.

REVIEW✨
The Library of Shadows
By Rachel Moore
••• ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• •••

I wanted to read this book because the cover was so beautiful and I wanted a read that would give me dark academia vibes. The story was cute, the world building of the cozy dark academia vibes was so good. But the characters and plot was just kinda flat for me. I didn’t care if I continued to read this book or not. But just because this book wasn’t for me, doesn’t mean that this book isn’t for you.

This book has…
🕯️ Dark Cozy Academia Vibes (Set at a School)
🕯️ Paranormal YA
🕯️ Mystery that must be solved by the MC
🕯️ Ghosts that only the MC can see
🕯️ Gorgeous Cover

Romance: ❤️❤️
Plot points: 💥💥
Stars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a wonder to read. Rachel Moore is so good at crafting out characters with interesting dialogue and tension. I enjoyed this so incredibly much. I absolutely loved Este as a main character. And since learning that Moore has another novel coming out soon, well I cannot wait for that wonderful tale and adventure soon too. I will be picking up every thing she has to write in the near future!

Absolutely loved this book, it took me the first couple of chapters to get into this book, but once I did I was hooked. After being accepted into the school her father once worked she ran into a ghost who promptly talked her into going in to the forbidden section of the library and the disappearing on her causing her to get caught and blamed for the missing book that he stole, she then gets roped into working for the library at night and attending the school by day so that she doesn’t get kicked out of the school. After struggling keep her work, school, and social life in balance all while helping the ghost to translate the book, They discover that the fades are controlled and are after specific targets, and her father was one 30 years ago and since she shares his blood they are coming after her next.

The Library of Shadows is full of secrets, lies and a thieving counterpart that happens to be a "ghost". Though the setting is dark academia, the story reads more as a cozy, but it all fits together to create a fun page turner!

A interesting YA paranormal read, I would recommend to those who think it sounds good!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I knew nothing about this one going into it except it had academia vibes and was a paranormal romance. This is such a fast paced book and that has its positives and negatives to it. It allowed me to become really submerged into this universe and plot points really easily, with minimal effort, but it lost some of the key moments where a slower pace would have helped the emotional impact more. I really enjoyed this one but it didn't blow me away because of that reason.

This is a cute paranormal romance. I think it's written for a younger audience though, felt very reminiscent of wealth 2000's YA

This book was just not all I hoped it would be. I had high hopes going into this, but I was extremely underwhelmed and it very much gave me the impression that it was trying to too hard to be like the early 2010’s paranormal romance books of the times.

Giving this a 4 star! what a brilliant read, Was really looking forward to reading this one and it was fantastic!

I enjoyed this book! It took me a little bit to get into it, but once I did I enjoyed the story! I was very intrigued by the paranormal mystery that unfolded!

Este was an interesting character, and I appreciated the backstory with her father. I loved Mateo! The ghost friends and her paranormal research friends were fun too!

I wanted more from the story. More romance and more details/ motives from the mystery part of it. I enjoyed reading it but wish I knew more. I’m sad it’s over cause I want to know what happens next! I wish the book was longer to give more explanation.

Overall this was a fast-paced a ride that I enjoyed! I would definitely recommend!