Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows Este as she starts her junior year at Radcliffe prep to follow in her late father’s footsteps. Radcliffe prep holds many secrets. With clues from her father and the help of a mysterious boy named Mateo, Este plans to unravel these secrets.

The first thing I have to say about this book was that it was creepy. I’m a little bit of a scaredy cat so everyone may not feel that way, but it gave me a bit of the heebie jeebies. With that being said, this was an interesting story. I thought the mystery of it was well done, but that was really the only part I enjoyed. I didn’t really care for any of the characters and I thought the romance lacked chemistry. I couldn’t really understand what made the characters fall in love with each other.
When I’m reading a book I really love, anytime I stop reading, I can’t wait to get back to it again. I didn’t feel that with this book. I didn’t hate it, like I said, I liked the mystery plot, but I also didn’t love the book.

(Arc Review) Omg this book did immense things to me. Este is a loner and not by default. For the past couple years after her fathers death she was lost and forced to travel all across the country with her mother. Finally she finds a place at the boarding school her father attended, except she’s uncovers the dark secrets happening at Radcliffes library. She also discovers ghosts… and especially a hot dark headed ghost named Mateo.

Anyways guys when I tell you this book was amazinggg I am not joking! I was reading this at 2 am and was spooked the fuck out! This book gave the perfect amount of thriller but the mystery was the best part. Although I was able to predict some of the things I for overall was still shocked 100% of the time. Every-time I thought I was close to an answer I In fact was not! Este is also funny as hell. I was truly here laughing my ass off. She def is a teenage girl! Also MATEO. I WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR HIM. Did I also mention he’s dark haired?!? Yes. Highly recommend you read this it’s a mystery, romance y/a!!

DNF at about 25%

I was excited about this one! I love ghost stories, and the haunted school aspect seemed intriguing.

However, the writing felt too juvenile and all the world-building info was being unfurled too quickly. The author seemed so eager for the ghost reveal that no care was taken to establish more tone and stakes. Overall, too rushed and I rolled my eyes too many times.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"There is life, there is death, and there is love - the greatest of these is love."

This book is perfect for spooky season! This beautiful debut YA paranormal rom-com was everything to get me in the mood for Fall.

When you were a kid, did you watch the 1995 movie, Casper, and wished you were the one dancing with a handsome ghost? If you were, then you will fall in love with Mateo.

"When you love someone, it's like building a library and filling the shelves. It doesn't matter how many years it's been since Austen wrote Emma or Fitzgerald wrote This Side of Paradis. We cans till pull them from the bookcases and dive back into the words, the same as the day they were written. All the years and memories are still right here, cataloged inside us." -Mateo

If the idea of being haunted by a hot ghost with the most beautiful blue eyes and wicked smirk while working overnight in a haunted library sounds like a great time to you, then you NEED The Library of Shadows.

What to expect from this book:
👻 Ghost of dead students
👻 A mystery with high stakes
👻 Trapdoors
👻 Dark academia
👻 Great banter

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I received an e-arc of The Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore for free for an honest review. Thank you to the lovely team at Harper 360 YA and NetGalley for my advanced copy!

This story was so cute!! I loved the characters and the grumpy x sunshine dynamic they had. Between Este trying to keep everyone at a distance so she can’t be left again and Mateo practically being a golden retriever, the chemistry was off the charts! I loved the banter, Este’s determination and Mateo’s cheekiness. I’ve fallen for a few ghost boys in my time but believe me Mateo is up there with the best of them!

The paranormal elements were really fun and I enjoyed learning the lore of how the ghosts came to be trapped. Plus, the mystery of what happened to Este’s father and the puzzle of how to help the ghosts was so interesting too! The found family that they made together was so sweet and I loved the whole group together!

The Library of Shadows is an addicting read that I finished in two sittings because I didn’t want to put it down! It would’ve been in one but pesky work got in the way haha 😂 I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and it is a great book to add to your spooky season TBR’s!

I tried to get into this title multiple times and kept feeling my attention drifting elsewhere. Maybe I'm just not the age group their aiming for?

This story is about Este who goes to Radcliffe Prep boarding school. I love the boarding school vibe (Wednesday, Vampire Academy, etc.) but I didn't feel like there was anything unique about the atmosphere and/or setting the author was describing. Almost immediately, she's framed for a crime she didn't commit (book theft) and her punishment is to work at the crime scene (library). I don't know about any of my other fellow librarians, but I would never let a book thief work among the very items they hoped to steal, so this premise was hard to get over. From there it goes into standard YA paranormal romance, which some might like, but I found to be a tad overdone. All in all, I think this was a great first novel and hopefully the author improves over time.

This story is told in third person and follows Este as she enrolls in Radcliffe Prep, an exclusive school in Vermont for eleventh and twelfth graders on an Ivy League track. After her father’s death, Este’s mother became restless moving them around the country, but Este’s reasons for enrolling in the third most haunted school in the country are to find out more about her father’s past rather than cementing her education.

Este is used to being independent and having moved around so much, has issues with letting people in and accepting help giving her an excellent opportunity for character growth over the course of the book. The setting in the haunted school was very atmospheric especially the library, the ivy-covered Lilith, with its dark stairwells, cobwebbed passageways and creaking doors.

Este makes friends with two very different sets of supporting characters that I found enjoyable. The secrets behind what was going on at Radcliffe were intriguing though not complex, and the perpetrator behind all the nefarious student disappearances was a little obvious. Overall, I enjoyed this paranormal young adult story, but some may find it too simplistic.

Thank you to Netgalley and Katherine Tegen Books for a copy provided for an honest review.

I received an E-ARC with a request for my honest review.

This sweet, mysterious paranormal young adult romance is set at Radcliffe Prep and follows Este who has just received a scholarship to study in the school.

On her first day a new friend shares the stories of paranormal activity in the school, but as Este doesn’t believe in ghosts, she brushes it aside.

An encounter with a stranger, Mateo, in the library starts to change her paranormal belief, and soon she is wrapped in a dangerous mystery involving her late father and a rare book in the library.

Will Este solve the mystery? Who is Mateo?

This paranormal romance was a sweet read with plenty of mystery along with the romance. There are a few mysteries plots intwined not only involving Este’s father but the reason why this rare book appears to possibly be deadly.

Este is a strong female lead character, and I felt for her throughout with the grief she is still working through with her father’s death and trying to finally settle down in one place and have a good education.

Mateo is a mysterious character, you never know whether to trust him or not, although as romance blossoms you want to hope that Este can trust him.

Overall, a sweet paranormal young adult romance, where Este’s new start leads to a dangerous, mysterious mission.

Este Logano is joining the ranks of Radcliffe Prep, following in the footsteps of her deceased father. It is rumored to be the third most haunted school in the country, with students disappearing every ten years, but Este doesn’t believe in ghosts - until a ghost frames her for the disappearance of the rarest book at Radcliffe. With the threat of expulsion on the horizon, Este agrees to help the ghost who framed her find what he is looking for so she can get the book back and secure her place at Radcliffe, but what she learns in the process is more than she bargained for.

What a wonderful story to read to get me in the spooky season spirit! The premise is intriguing and the way that the characters and story are written kind of gave me Supernatural vibes (which is always a plus in my book). There were moments of comedy, tension, romance…I went through it all while reading this story.

While red herrings are abundant, I did find that I clocked part of the twist at about 40% into the story, though I had an inkling very early on. However, this didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book! It almost made it more fun to read, watching and waiting to see how the characters would figure it out. Once the full reveal happened, the missing piece that I hadn’t figured out was so obvious that I may have facepalmed (while also letting out a gasp of surprise).

The romance develops slowly and is impeded by elements out of the characters’ control, which made it that much more delicious. As the story progresses, I fell deeper in love with the characters as they started falling in love with each other and my anxiety was through the roof wondering if they would get their happily ever after. The way in which the love story unfolds feels almost unexpected, taking the characters (and even myself a little bit) by surprise! It felt like such a natural development of their relationship, but also like it snuck up on them and it was beautiful.

With each turn of the page, I felt like I was constantly trying to guess what was going to happen next and, once the end came, it all felt so obvious, like I should’ve been able to see it from the start. Stories like this make me fall in love with reading all over again and, if this is the kind of story to expect from debut author Rachel Moore, then I am anxiously awaiting whatever comes next.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for free and have voluntarily written this review.

This should make Rachel Moore a household name in YA fantasy.

Este is starting at a new boarding school, just like her late father had before her. I adored Posy, her roommate from the start, and Posy’s fascination with ghosts was a fun foreshadowing for the ghostly romance Este finds with Mateo.

That’s right — if you liked Casper, you’re going to be all in for this! 👻

Prepare for a dark academia tale filled with one grumpy teenager— I adore Este— library work, and oh, magical nefarious schemes that may or may not kill students. No big deal!

Este was phenomenal and clever. I almost loved watching her make friends as much as I enjoyed her romance with Mateo, who’s a cinnamon roll ghostie who I was dying to see alive again (pun intended maybe?).

This is Cassandra Clare meets Ashley Poston meets Harry Potter, and I’m here for it! Ready for the next adventure at Radcliffe Prep!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 3/5 stars.

In theory, this isn't a terrible book. I didn't DNF it nor did I stop reading it and dread to pick it back up...but it also wasn't good? The vibes were very academia and ghosties and all that stuff along with a mystery to solve...but the rest was meh? It felt like SO much was trying to happen but there was so little development with the characters and the plot and the pacing and then all of a sudden it's like "oh by the way here's all these things" and then you also throw in Este's roommate problems and the ghost hunting club and just...there was so much but there wasn't?

I also don't think it's a romcom. Like...the romance was there but it wasn't developed and also the fact that um he's a ghost? And like the ending? And the plot holes?

Like I said, it wasn't bad but also I spent a lot of the time reading trying to figure out what I had gotten myself into.

The Library of Shadows is a paranormal romcom by Rachel Moore. Both the title and synopsis suggest a book which will take place inside a haunted library. I just got Ninth house vibes by reading the synopsis, making me curious about what this book will bring. What will Rachel Moore have in store for her readers?

Some love never fades

After Este enrolls in Radcliffe Prep, the third most haunted school in the country, she has her hopes up of finding her dead father. He used to be a student and she hopes to learn more about who he was. She however doesn't believe in ghosts, until she meets Mateo who is a real ghost. Mateo has framed Este for the theft of the rarest book from the library, where no one dares to stay after dark. Este will have to track Mateo down to prove she is innocent and prevent from being expelled. Meanwhile she is following her fathers footsteps, which might be more dangerous than it seems. The student disappereances aren't a myth and she could be the next one to disappear. Can she find out what her father discovered and got him expelled? Can she trust Mateo and find the missing book? Who is behind all of the disappearances?

This book has two kinds of charachters, the living ones and the dead ones. Even though they are different from each other, both seems real. Mateo is the dead one who is most alive of all, he is present throughout the whole book, while others like the Fades just have a smaller part to play. Etse is the one who finds Mateo and soon hates him for setting her up. However she has always wanted to be a librarian and Mateo just seemed to give her that opportunity by doing this.

There is life, there is death, and there is love - the greatest of these is love

The writing style of Rachel Moore is really nice. The pace is fast, however this fits the storyline well. The worldbuilding of the library is amazing. It has those creepy haunted vibes. However this book also takes place in an academy which is described little to none. I felt like I wanted to know more about the rest of the schoolgrounds as well, since keeping the job is about having good grades. There is almost zero school vibes in this book, but this is compensated by the many library scenes.

This book is a really nice read. It has the haunted vibes, but not to much making it just right for a paranormal book. I didn't really feel like this book can be described as a romcom since romance is present just a little and I didn't find any real comedy parts in this book. Therefore I think that paranormal YA would be better. I enjoyed reading A Library of Shadows and give it a 4 star rating.

A book about a girl who runs from her emotions and the ghost who won't leave her alone? Set at a haunted private school? Sign me up, yes please!

The Library of Shadows certainly delivered on its premise. Following our girl Este Logano as she follows in her father's footsteps while running from the fallout she's left with after his death, we are thrust into the world of Radcliffe Prep. Filled with strict professors, a creepy library basement, and a cute but troublesome ghost. Mateo convinces Este to help him break into the tower of the library, only to leave her out to dry when he steals a book and vanishes. Left to beg for her spot in the school, Este is hired as a library assistant on the night shift, promising to find the book - and Mateo - before midterms. Through the twists, turns, and secret passageways in the library, Este soon finds out that being a library assistant is much more than she signed up for. Will teaming up with Mateo be the best way to get the book back, or will her sudden feelings get in the way?

I absolutely loved the atmosphere of this book. I was digging the mysterious library with creepy singing and shadows around every corner. The whole dark academia vibe really set the scene for our story, and I never wanted to leave. That said, I have to mention the fact that we rarely ever saw our main character actually go to class. She seemed to always be in the library, and when class was mentioned she seemed to be sleeping through all her lectures. I'm surprised she didn't get kicked out based on that alone.

I loved the story and the characters, I only wish that the relationships were paced a bit differently. Mateo and Este seemed a little close to insta-love rather than the bantering friends I was looking forward to. On the other hand, Este and her roommate Posy could have definitely developed more. I didn't completely buy the fact that Posy and the rest of the paranormal investigators dropped their trip to France (!!!) to bail out Este when she was really nothing but mean to them. She constantly blew them off and acted standoffish, never telling them about the ghosts until she had to. Honestly, I thought Posy deserved better. I would have liked Este to realize that while she didn't form friends with the Paranormal Investigators, she did find her own group with the Ghosts.

One small thing that bothered me, but is ultimately inconsequential, is that the characters felt older than they were. The cover makes it seem like they should be in college, hovering around 20 years old. Instead, Este is supposed to be 16! It felt a little like watching a CW show about high schoolers played by grown adults.


Overall, I did like this book. The story was great, the setting was fun, and I liked the individual characters enough to overlook the minor problems I had with their relationships.
The Library of Shadows is the perfect book to kick off your spooky season reading!

I received this arc from NetGalley and HarperTeen in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a quickly paced, well-plotted delight. This book is the perfect complement to spooky season. It is the perfect combination of sweet, spooky, and mysterious. I'm a huge fan of genre-mixing, and this hit all of the genres I really love.

With the gothic allure of Wednesday and the suspenseful intrigue of The Haunting of Bly Manor, The Library of Shadows is part a dark academia mystery, part ghost story—as one girl uncovers secrets that were meant to stay buried.

Overall, I adored the vibes of this book! The academia setting with bits of spooky drew me in instantly. I also enjoyed seeing Este investigate and discover bits and pieces of the overall mystery as the story went on. This was written a little on the younger side for me, but it was still a lot of fun and definitely had me on my toes.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

This book had me on a chokehold.
I felt so many emotions in this one. But in the end, this book just holds everything I love in a book.
For a reader, books have a special place in our heart. This story tells us that words beats time.
And the love of a father for her daughter can transcend everything, even death.

" There is life, there is death, and there is love---- the greatest of these is love ".

This is the story of a girl who loves books and wants to be a librarian, it's a story of a friendship and love between a human girl and a ghost, but it's above all a love letter of a father for her only daughter.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

The Library of Shadows is a story about Este, who goes to Radcliffe Prep on a scholarship and follows her late father’s footsteps, who attended three decades earlier.

“There is life, there is death, and there is love. The greatest of these is love.”

I didn’t know about this book, before it came in a newsletter in my inbox. After reading the synopsis, I was really intrigued and thought it would be a perfect read for autumn and the spooky season! A haunted school setting, a library and ghosts really set up that vibe!

The story starts off with Este arriving at Radcliffe Prep, meeting her roommate and meeting Mateo. From there on it actually evolves very quickly. The story was very quickly paced and I do believe it would’ve been better if some parts were slowed down a bit. I would’ve thought that at the beginning, Este would settle in a bit more at school; but she is already framed at the end of chapter four. While it did set up the rest of the story, I was surprised at how soon it happened.

I really liked the writing style itself in spite of the fast pacing. The writing really set the tone and gave this haunted, creepy vibe throughout the whole book with how the library was described. That was really well done! I also liked the way it was possible for the ghosts to “live” within The Lilith. It wasn’t the standard way ghosts usually manifest, so that was really well thought out.

I liked the characters. Mateo was the most interesting in my eyes, having such a vast past. I would’ve liked to learn more about all he’d seen in his years. Same with Este, I really liked her and her resolve to help, but I did feel like she could’ve grown more as a character. Don’t get me wrong, I liked them, but it kinda fell like the characters ended as they started.

The romance was really sweet! It was one of the parts I liked most! It developed really naturally and gradually and while knowing where it was heading, I still kept rooting for them! The fact that Mateo is a ghost made it actually more interesting and made me feel the longing so much more as they couldn’t touch!

The ending didn’t come as a surprise to me. I have to be honest; I had guessed who the culprit was around 35% in. In the end, I was right about who was behind it all, but I didn’t know the reason. I understood the reason, once explained, but I did think it could’ve been explained a bit more. It felt like it was told in two sentences. I did still like how the ending played out and the last chapter was a really nice way to wrap up the story.

Overall, The Library of Shadows is a nice story that really gives the haunted vibes in an old library full of ghosts and a main character who helps them.

I had very high hopes for this novel and they were just not met at all. I want to say that it wasn't a terrible novel (I've certainly read much worse), and I wouldn't be surprised if teen readers enjoyed it, but for me it fell flat for a variety of reasons. First off the big reveal at the end was not really a reveal. I called it from basically the first page we met the character on. It's quite possible this is more just due to the number of books I read, and not the skill of the author. My big complaint was just there were SO MANY things that just didn't make sense; including but not limited to why did the fades (who have been around since 1917 or so) look like 90's mean girls? And if Mateo knew who the bad guy was and that they needed Este why not do everything you could to get her to not step foot into the library? There were so many other things that bothered me too, but in an effort to not spoil anything I won't add them here. But as I said, the book wasn't all bad, and there were certainly things I enjoyed about it. The cast of side characters were great, and I would have loved to see more of them, and the ghost "rules" were fascinating. I also enjoyed watching Este learn to open herself up and let people in. So all in all not a book that no one should ever read, but it reads much lower than I was expecting. I don't see myself recommending this book to many customers unless they're asking for something very specific and they're of a younger age (like, 12 to 14), but I'll still be curious to see what Moore comes up with for her next story, and I wouldn't completely rule out giving her a second chance.

The Library of Shadows is a nice young adult fantasy novel by Rachel Moore. The story follows Este Logano who receives a scholarship to attend her late father’s old boarding school, Radcliffe Prep, the third most haunted school in the county. When she arrives, she meets Mateo, a ghost, who may get her expelled after an incident with a rare book from the library. This eventually leads to her discovering a mystery involving the school, which creates an interesting fantasy story where Mateo and Este also become closer, adding a potential romance into the mix.

Since this novel has some great dark academia vibes, it would be a great read once the weather starts to be a little more fall-like. It still was a compelling read in sunny August, so weather did not make or break the reading experience. The setting is well-described, and it was easy to picture everything. The pacing was great in terms of the mystery unfolding after the book is stolen and Este must try to stay in school, however, I do wish the actual stealing of the book took place a little later. As-is, the novel introduces Este and the school before almost immediately having the book event and then moving on to the main plot. Some readers may love being thrown into the action while others would prefer a slower transition. For me, I sometimes enjoy stories that start with action, but this story could have been read slightly better with at least a little more introduction before the action begins.

The characters in this story are interesting and I enjoyed Este’s character growth. She develops a lot from the beginning to the end. As this is currently standalone, everything wraps up nicely. Since everything needs to fit in a single book, there were some leaps throughout that I would have preferred to be explored in greater detail. There are also some plot holes, which, again, are most likely due to having to fit everything in a single book. While not perfect, this story was a compelling one that I read in a single sitting. It was a great introduction to the author’s writing style, and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, HarperTeen, for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

I enjoyed the mystery plot like itself well enough and I liked the haunted boarding school setting. I also liked the character of Mateo and thought he was interesting. Unfortunately I didn't particularly care about Este as a main character. I can't pinpoint a specific thing that turned me off from her other than I just didn't jive with her personality. I also couldn't figure out what her friendship status with her roommate was because sometimes it felt.lilentbeh clearly weren't friends and then sometimes something would be said that made me think maybe they are friends and we just aren't seeing it? Either way I wish we had seen that friendship more