Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the digital ARC of "The Library of Shadows" by Rachel Moore.

I saw that the book is considered for fans of the 'Ninth House' and 'Cemetery Boys'... but this can also be for fans of the 'Wednesday' tv show as well... there are some definite similarities with some of the characters - and even a reference to the character Wednesday Addam's as well.

Our setting is Radcliff Prep, and what else could be better to read about than a boarding school with an extra haunted library, an attractive 'ghost', and the mystery behind the missing students over the years?!

The best part of 'The Library of Shadows' was the mystery unfolding, and finding out who exactly was behind the haunting, and mysterious deaths. This was well written, and did keep me guessing who it could be. Also, as an English teacher, and the daughter of a librarian - anything set in a library will always be on my list of things to read.

The main downside was actually Este Logano. She's hard-headed, but also very naive and indecisive... which isn't always a bad thing, but it frustrated me how quick she was to trust Mateo, then the second something goes wrong she's so quick to distrust him without any evidence. It might just be the interactions between characters that felt a little weak.

Overall this is definitely the perfect pairing of mystery and supernatural that I can see my students loving.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC! I jumped at the chance to read this book early and I’m SO GLAD I did!! This story is amazing. Wonderful characters with depth, hilarious banter, and all the spooky vibes perfect for fall/Halloween. I loved the romance and the descriptive language in this book! I highly recommend this for anyone looking for the perfect spooky read this fall!

3.5 ✨

All in all this was a cozy, fun book. The dark academia vibes were great, the characters were great, and the slow burn romance was solid.

While this book was predictable in some ways, the characters kept me invested in the story. This is definitely one I'll be putting in my classroom library.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is the perfect fall/spooky read with the best mix of ghosts, libraries, and romance.

Este starts at a private academy as a legacy student following in her deceased father’s footsteps. She wants nothing more than to feel connected to him again, but finds that with uncovering her father’s history at Radcliffe comes a haunting mission set up for Este to finish. The mission may include an alluringly attractive ghost who lurks in the shadows of the best location at Radcliffe- the library filled with hidden rooms, book ladders, and dusty old yearbooks.

I looooooved the character Mateo. The interactions between him and Este were my favorite. The setting/season were perfect and described in the coziest way that made me feel like I was in the midst of autumn despite it being summer as I read the book.

I do wish Este had had more development with her roommate and that we had gotten to see her actually participate in school. The plot was very predictable and simple, but Mateo and Este’s characters made the book so fun for me.

Definitely recommend for anyone looking for YA paranormal books to read during fall!

I loved this one! Great vibes and romance, and really well paced. I like a fantasy that's not too long while still delivering on romance and a twisty plot, and that was certainly the case here. Solid narrative ARC, and a solid ending.

Who wouldn’t want to spend years and years trapped in a library? The Library of Shadows is such a thrilling, but magical ghost ride that will have you flipping through the pages wondering can ghosts truly get a HEA?

With the beginning, I feel like it happened really fast. We were just kind of swept up into the world without some of world-building which I think really could have added to the story and plot line. However, when we meet Mateo and Este… you cannot help but root for these two.

Este is so focused on succeeding in following in her father’s foot steps. What she doesn’t realize though is that following in his footsteps may be darker than she realized. Enter Mateo. I loved Mateo as soon as we meet him. He is so swoon-worthy and self-sacrificing that I was absolutely falling for a ghost.

It’s funny because there was a Wednesday reference, and Posey reminded me very much of Enid from the show. So much so that I could not stop pictures Enid anytime Posey was around. With that, I will say I really enjoyed the side characters we see pop up in this story.

With the ending, I did predict the “villain” pretty early on, however that does not make the book any less enjoyable. The Library of Shadows has some thrilling moments, some laughs, and over all an endearing story that will absolutely have you falling in love with ghosts.

This one would be a great read for library lovers who enjoy ghostly love interests, a hint of mystery, and dark academia that doesn't go too dark! I'm not sure whether this one is upper or lower YA--it seemed to veer between the two.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

Thank you to Harper360YA for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Radcliffe Prep. The third most haunted school in the country, where a student disappearance isn’t uncommon and no one dares stay in the library after dark. And Este Logano enrolls with the hopes of finding her dead father. Not literally, of course. She doesn’t believe in ghosts. Going to her dad’s school just seems like her best hope at figuring out who he was. But then Este meets Mateo, who is maybe—probably—definitely—a real ghost. And an annoying one at that. When Mateo frames Este for the theft of a rare book from the library’s secret spire and then vanishes, Este will have to track him down or risk being expelled and leaving Radcliffe early just like her father did. Except following her father’s footsteps might be more dangerous than Este ever anticipated. As she investigates the library with its secret passageways, hidden tunnels, and haunted halls, she learns that the student disappearances aren’t just myth. And if she isn’t careful, she’ll be next.

Este is an interesting character. Being a bit of a loner from here, there and everywhere, she hopes being at Radcliffe Prep will allow her to feel closer to her late father. She seems to force herself to stay on the edges, not believing anyone could have any interest in her. She certainly seems at home in the library - even with its dangers. I think Este’s overall arc was a pretty good one. Her character seemed to develop well over the course of the book and she was engaging to read. I do think she was a little repetitive at times but generally, a very good character.
Mateo, for want of a better expression, is quite the asshole in the beginning. But he does end up growing on you. For a ghost, he is very much alive. As we start to learn more about him, the more the mystery grows which I quite liked. I would definitely entertain having a friend like him!

I’ve never necessarily been one for ghost stories but the premise of this story intrigued me enough that I wanted to dive in. The overall plot was pretty good and held my interest. I liked that there was some depth to it that held mystery and encourage the reader to continue on through the story. It definitely gave me Wednesday vibes which is a big bonus! The characters were fun and well fleshed out - certainly engaging to read. The romance was a little flat to me. It was nonexistent and then came about quite suddenly which was a bit jarring. I would have liked a smoother transition into it. The ending was a nice finale to this story. It was a little unexpected which is a bonus for me but it definitely wrapped up everything nicely. I do think this is perhaps more of a 3.5 stars but I’ve rounded it up to 4.

Overall, The Library of Shadows is a great ghost story that has you intrigued.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you again to Harper360YA for an advanced copy of this book. Review will be live on my blog on release day.

Sadly, this book missed the mark for me. I did enjoy the setting with it's mysterious passages and haunted libraries. The writing was descriptive. However, things feel flat aside from that. Este was stubborn and annoying. I was able to figure out the villain very early on. The relationship with Este and Mateo felt like instalove. Characters weren't as developed as I'd expected. The ending was a bit confusing and rushed.

I had high hopes for the Library of Shadows. Unfortunately, this book fell flat. Here are some of the problems I had with this book:
• Este’s attitude: Este spends the whole book blowing off her roommate…yet she gets upset when her roommate moves on and makes new friends
• The villain: It was pretty obvious who the villain was going to be from the start
• The instalove
• The lacking character development
• The ending: After a rushed ending, readers are left confused in the last chapter. Did everyone find out about the real story of the library and the villain? I shouldn’t be leaving the story with unanswered questions
Although there were major flaws, I did find the concept of this story intriguing. I liked the Wednesday/spooky vibes. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for the arc.

I went into this without knowing much about it. I’d heard it took place in a haunted boarding school, there was a ghost love interest (this is becoming a theme in YA and I kind of love it??), and I’d seen comparisons to Netflix’s Wednesday. I didn’t have many expectations, and overall, it was a fun read, but it wasn’t for me.

I admittedly thought that a lot of the Wednesday comparisons were due to the nature of the setting—paranormal boarding school. However, now that I've finished, I ultimately think the book read a little bit too similarly to Wednesday for my taste. If I found out this book was Wednesday fanfiction, I wouldn’t be surprised. Our main character, Este, is like a less severe Wednesday, while her roommate, Posy, is essentially just a ghost-obsessed Enid.

As fun as the characters could be, most of them lacked the necessary emotional depth to really engage me in the narrative. Admittedly this book read to me as lower YA, and I don’t connect as well with lower YA as I do with upper YA, so this could be an “it’s me, not the book” situation, hence the reason I'm still giving the book four stars. While there was nothing particularly standout to me about this book, the pacing was also relatively quick, the plot twists were fun, and the setting was atmospheric. It just wasn't the right book for me, and that's okay.

Overall, I do think fans of Wednesday will enjoy this book.

Mixed review! We were due, I guess.

I love the setting of this story. I'd love to attend Radcliffe - a personal dorm room and a living space shared with one other person? Yes please! Much better than you see in movies. The descriptions were amazing and I could absolutely picture every bit of the grounds and buildings. Or, at least, the dorm and the library, since we barely saw anything else - I can't remember Este ever even going to class, which seems odd in that hyper competitive, difficult prep school.

I felt like there were a few plot holes - the Fades are mentioned briefly at one point, literally in passing, and then introduced later as though we know everything about them? Este's father spoiled the sacrifice on his year simply by leaving, because no one could be substituted, but Aoife was a substitute for her year's sacrifice? And that ending - how do half a dozen people reenter society after so long, particularly the extremely famous one? - but I was reading a proof and it's very possible that these things were addressed later on and won't be issues in the final product, so please don't take my experience as final.

The language and story are brilliant and I did enjoy them. It's a really clever idea and I definitely recommend the book to anyone interested in urban fantasy. Give it a go.

If you love school setting spooky reads with cute ghost crushes and ghostly mysteries, this is a read for you. It gives off serious Wednesday vibes with a touch of Casper and a hint of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Este Logano loses her father not too long before the events of the book start, so she enrolls in spooky Radcliffe Prep to feel closer to him and follow in his footsteps. With her mother grieving and coping by indulging a serious case of neglectful wanderlust, the residential prep school is perfect for both their needs and, of course, the events of our story.

Library of Shadows got off to a bit of a rocky start for me. The dialogue was juvenile and the scenes didn’t quite transition well from one to another. By about the 4th or 5th chapter, though, the kinks ironed themselves out (mostly), and I got into a bit of a reading groove. I’m pretty picky with my spooky books, and I need bit more atmosphere to propel me through the plot easier than it did here. It’s certainly set in a haunted school with a library full of ghosts, but I didn’t feel the spook when I was reading it. Despite this, the characters, especially the supporting characters, were endearing and their interactions with Este made the book more enjoyable for me.

On a brighter note, Moore weaves a pretty good plot twist, which I saw coming, but the gem of this book shines when the characters interact. I absolutely loved Este’s roommate and her ragtag group of ghost hunters. They provided great banter and levity, which I automatically love in a book no matter what. It’s nothing overly brilliant, but it is enough to carry a stuttering pace and prop up a need for some more edits to really make the book shine.

For a YA book, this one was relatively clean for what’s currently offered on the traditional pub circuit. It does have some adult language (including the f-bomb) and a bit of adult content toward the end of the book, but it didn’t get too spicy for the age range. Despite that, I definitely recommend it for the older range of the YA market, 17 and up, because of this.

My thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Katherine Tegen Books for the eARC, for which I willingly give my own, honest opinion.

I think this would be great for readers wanting to dip their toes in dark academia. The plot was fairly intriguing and I really loved the autumn vibes. My main gripe with this story is you don’t get a great feel of the setting overall. It’s set in a historic high school but there really isn’t much of the school to be explored here. You’re either in a library or Este’s dorm room.

I get why other readers are saying the romance kinda comes out of nowhere. It goes from zero to 90 within a chapter. The romance was cute but I do think it could’ve been fleshed out a bit better. The payoff at the end would’ve been much sweeter.

Overall this book is an enjoyable read!

"Funny, moving, and heart-achingly real, this romantic romp and paranormal romcom debut - through a haunted library with trapdoors, ghosts, and memories - is full of great love that triumphs over even death, perfect for fans of Ninth House and Cemetery Boys.

Radcliffe Prep. The third most haunted school in the country, where a student disappearance isn't uncommon and no one dares stay in the library after dark. And Este Logano enrolls with the hopes of finding her dead father.

Not literally, of course. She doesn't believe in ghosts. Going to her dad's school just seems like her best hope at figuring out who he was.

But then Este meets Mateo, who is maybe - probably - definitely - a real ghost. And an annoying one at that.

When Mateo frames Este for the theft of a rare book from the library's secret spire and then vanishes, Este will have to track him down or risk being expelled and leaving Radcliffe early just like her father did.

Except following her father's footsteps might be more dangerous than Este ever anticipated. As she investigates the library with its secret passageways, hidden tunnels, and haunted halls, she learns that the student disappearances aren't just myth. And if she isn't careful, she'll be next."

Dark academia here I come! Bring on the library and ghosts!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

A ghost/human love story AND a haunted library??? Consider me obsessed. I had this on my TBR even before I requested the ARC and boy did it not disappoint.

The story follows Este, who is following in her late dad’s footsteps and attending a prestigious prep school. Her main goal was to find out what happened to make her dad suddenly leave the school, but her plan is derailed by a very cute ghost. Este suddenly finds herself working the night shift in a very haunted library surrounded by ghosts — some friendly, some not. Over the course of the book, she goes on a quest to find a missing artifact, learns more about her father, and learns to trust others instead of continuing to push them away.

I have not read a lot of supernatural YA books, but I really enjoyed this one and may branch out to similar books in the future. Even though I figured out the plot twist from pretty early on in the book, it was still very well executed and had me doubting myself for a minute. The pacing was pretty fast-paced, which I liked, but it sometimes jumped around so much that it was a little discombobulating. The only thing I would change is to see more of the friendship forming between Este and Posy. Throughout the book, the dialogue implied that they were pretty close, but you rarely even saw them interacting.

All of that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend this to anyone who enjoys:

- Ghost stories
- Grumpy/sunshine trope
- Dark academia vibes
- Libraries (my personal favorite)
- Boarding schools

I gave this a 4.25⭐ and will most likely be re-reading this after it is published.

This was kinda cute! Loved the whole Wednesday/ghosts/boarding school vibes. Im admittedly not the target audience for this, seeing as I am not a teen, however this was still very much entertaining in a run-of-the-mill ghost mystery way. I had a couple of issues with the writing (so many similes!). I also feel like the chemistry between all of the characters, and especially the love interest, was very lackluster and some parts weren’t as fleshed out as i wanted (like her friendship with Posy) but overall an average and entertaining read.

Thank you Netgalley and Harpercollins for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

* Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. *

When high school junior Este arrives at Radcliffe Prep, she believes that Radcliffe is the key to an Ivy League college, and to being close to her father, who attended the school as a teen and has now passed. Only, upon her arrival, she finds that there's a lot more going on at Radcliffe than she ever could've imagined, and it's up to her and a ragtag team of ghosts and friends to get to the bottom of it before it's too late.

The Library of Shadows was not a bad book but, admittedly, I wasn't super into it. The first 15%, for me, was a slog to get through. I picked up and put the book down around four to five different times, and it took about 2 weeks to even get to the 10% marker. After that, I did read the final 90% in one sitting. I will say that this book still didn't entirely captivate me, but if you're struggling with the first part, I can promise it does pick up, and comes a lot more interesting around the 20% mark.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes gothic horror but is interested in a lighter, more PG-13 type of mystery.

The Library of Shadows is a unique and spooky read with dark academia vibes. I loved the library atmosphere set in this book. Este spends quite some time working in the 100 year old library of the school and I could just picture it all right in front of me. There’s a lot of talk about all types of ghosts which contributed to the spooky vibe but it’s mostly because of the ghosts that actually make an appearance, how they’re very detailed described (and might I add; quite frightening) and Este spends a lot of time in the library the at night working and she gets into some terrifying situations.

The story is easy to get into and a relaxing read. Este and Mateo spend some time insulting each other which had me laughing out loud multiple times.
Este will have to dive into the school history and the missing students to keep her place at Radcliffe Prep.

“There’s no glory in trying to do everything on your own.”

Este was a well developed main character. Throughout the story we get to know her pretty well and see how she deals with the loss of her father.
Some of the side characters like Posy, her roommate, and Posy’s friends remained flat. Este sees them regularly and meets up with them but the friends felt interchangeable. I would have liked to get to know them better to get a feel for them.

I really liked the author’s writing. It was descriptive without being too much and there was a nice pacing throughout the story. The ending was a bit predictable and could’ve been a bit longer but it did leave me satisfied.

The Library of Shadows releases September 5th and I can recommend it if you enjoy dark academia, ghosts and/or books about private schools.

[arc review]
Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Library of Shadows releases September 5, 2023

<i>“There is life, there is death, and there is love—the greatest of these is love.”</I>

This debut novel had a cozy and intimate setting, with compelling characters and an engaging plot spanning many decades! It’s safe to say I loved every second of it.

It’s the year 2027, and Este has just arrived at Radcliffe Prep — a boarding school that her late father attended 30 years ago.

On her first night during a tour, Este meets a boy named Mateo who leads her to a locked room of heirlooms, to which she just so happens to have a key to.
The Spire hasn’t been opened in 30 years, and the last known person to have been inside the room was Este’s father.

The question is: who is Mateo, how does he know so much about Este, and why does he need <I>The Book of Fades</I>?

Read if you like:
- family history
- boarding schools
- enchanting and historic libraries
- ghosts
- a mystery involving 8 missing students
- hidden passageways
- a book that only the dead can read
- enemies to lovers

“The language of the dead does not belong to the eyes of the living.”

“When you love someone, it’s like building a library and filling the shelves.”

“Maybe sepia-toned nostalgia was its own type of haunting.”


My only critiques are that the PI team could have been developed more on page, and the villain of the story was obvious from the first page they were introduced, but I’m willing to overlook these things because the story as a whole resonated with me.