I enjoyed this a lot! I do wish it had been maybe 10 pages longer, with two-ish pages devoted to each character getting more backstory so we could care a bit more when they meet their end. It was a bit tough caring deeply when characters started to die, since I did not have a connection established with them yet. I also wish the "ritual" was described more, or had occurred prior to everything else going down. Still, a short, accessible closed room mystery that will appeal to young adult and adult audiences.

In "That Night in the Library," Eva Jurczyk delivers a chilling locked room mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. Set on the night before graduation, seven students gather in the basement of their university's rare books library for a ritual borrowed from the Greeks. But when the lights go out and one of them drops dead, the group is trapped with a murderer on the loose.

As the body count rises and secrets are revealed, the group must rely on the books around them to protect themselves and uncover the truth. With each page, the tension builds, culminating in a cut-throat final twist and reveal that will leave you breathless.

Jurczyk's writing is gripping and atmospheric, transporting readers to a world where secrets lurk in the dark and the only way out is to wait until morning. With its clever plot, well-drawn characters, and unexpected twists, "That Night in the Library" is a must-read for fans of literary mysteries and psychological thrillers.

Once you enter the library, there is no turning back. So grab a copy of "That Night in the Library" and prepare to be immersed in a world where books breathe fears to life and the only way out is to uncover the truth before it's too late.

This description/ premise had a lot of promise and seemed to be in my “dark academic/ suspense” wheelhouse but unfortunately didn’t connect with me at all. I didn’t finish because I didn’t like any of the characters and found it slow.

A group of pretentious young adults are locked in a library for rare books overnight to complete a “ritual” prior to their graduation. How fun of an idea is that?? I was SO pumped to read this one!

But man, this just didn’t work for me at ALL. I have a degree in English Lit and read a lot of classic literature, and this was over the top even for ME. Not a single character is likeable or even close to realistic in how they speak to each other. One character starts crudely commenting about how another wants to have sex with another character (who’s boyfriend is also here, mind you), but probably can’t “get it up” because he’s gay. And NO ONE SAYS ANYTHING. There is literally no reaction from ANYONE about that—what???

There’s also a really weird combination of what brands/people are mentioned by name (like Ziplock and a few others I can’t remember), but we have to imply the existence of Ariana Grande and Sephora. I don’t know why that bothered me so much, but I clocked it immediately and couldn’t let it go.

The plot itself is just…not fully there. The pacing is all over the place, which is definitely not great for a novel under 300 pages. The ritual—which was the whole reason all of this unfolds in the first place—is never really explained, and at some points there is so much going on you forget what’s supposed to be happening.

I’m really bummed about this, because the entire premise and bits of the book were really interesting! But this just fell super short for me.

3.5 stars

When a graduating grad student wants to perform ancient Greek ritual the night before graduation, he selects the library basement, filled with rare, valuable books is the perfect place. Carefully selecting the guest list, the students gather after hours, locked in, and ready to get high and perform the secret ceremony when things start to go wrong…and soon someone ends up dead. With the murderer obviously locked in the basement among them, the students begin to panic, and not knowing who to trust, secrets begin revealing themselves and tensions rise. Can the students survive the night? Or will the ancient spirits guide them to murder and mayhem?

The story is told from the multiple POVs of the students in the basement during the night.

I feel like this book had so much potential from its premise, and it started out really well. But soon, things, like the situation in the basement itself, the book goes a little off the rails. I mean, as I said it’s quite a good set up, with the ritual and the locked-room mystery, but soon I started getting annoyed that these supposedly smart people were making such stupid decisions. (Though it could have been the drugs, tbf). It’s just as well, because none of the characters are really worth rooting for.

*minor, minor spoiler* Also, we never quite get a handle on what the ritual is or what it’s supposed to do or mean. That was a huge part of the draw and it was a big let-down.

But I give the book props for the ending. I did not see that coming. It was really a nice twist and one I liked a great deal, so it ended the book on a high note for me.

So, the book was so/so for me. Read with caution on this one, though I would definitely give this author another try.

But I give the

1.5 stars.

This could've been so good but it just wasn't unfortunately. A very near DNF but some others had said the twist ending was good so I kept going. Personally I don't think it was worth it.

Sorry :(.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Nope...nope...definitely not *said in my Olivander voice from Harry Potter.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I hate to say what so many people are saying but this just wasnt it. The idea of this book was so cool if it has been delivered a different way. The characters were either dull and uninteresting or way over the top. Between that and the slow pace, I couldn't connect at all.

I loved the premise of this book and the setting. Unfortunately I was really disappointed in the story and the twist. None of the characters were likable and the plot was literally unbelievable. I have a strong tolerance for suspension of disbelief but I just could not get there with this book.

There wasn’t any real time spent on the ritual itself or even any of the deaths or major elevating plot points. Any of the elements, the rare book library, the Eleusyinian Mysteries, the murders, could have been focused on and really hooked me but everything seemed so tenuously woven together. Just enough continuity to keep the book going but not enough to absorb me.

It was somewhat interesting for the moments I could suspend disbelief and, again, the premise and the setting were so promising but ultimately I was disappointed.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

That Night in the Library was not really what I was expecting. I thought there was going to be a lot more intrigue around cult like rituals and secret library societies. Instead, we follow a group of (mostly) graduating college students as they spend the night in the dark basement of the library and proceed to murder each other because no one trusts anyone and most of them are high on drugs.

I wanted to enjoy this book, but it fell flat for me. It is the night before college graduation and a group of seniors secretly hideout in the basement of the library after hours for an ancient ritual. I was disappointed from the beginning of the book, but had high hopes it would pick up. It didn't. Others might feel differently about this title, but I would have rated it a zero if I could have.

Davey and six invited guests agree to spend the night before their graduation in the basement of a Vermont university campus's rare book library. Each person has a connection to the library as a worker, student, or family member of a donor. Davey plans to replicate the ritual of the Homeric hymn to Demeter. Relationships and trust begin to unravel as events turn deadly. That Night in the Library is truly an academic locked room novel with its setting and literary references.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. It was super slow and difficult to keep interested in, but the twists were really good. I think if this book was reworked it could be much better.

The setup of this book is compelling for lovers of locked-room murder mysteries, secret rituals, and the gothic feel of old, deserted libraries late at night. However, the plot and characters of this book did not live up to the promise of its premise. One issue I had when reading was the rapid switches between character points of view, especially in such a tight/closed situation. It might have been more effective to pick fewer characters to tell the story and develop them further, as I never really connected with any of the characters. At times, it felt like the novel became overstuffed with the dark academia/Secret History-esqe tropes that are popular now, and the final twists felt underthought.

Oh my goodness. I can say one thing that this novel did really well - I can genuinely say that I never saw the twist coming. That is about the only good thing I can say about this cross between The Secret History and Lord of the Flies. A group of graduate students locks themselves in the basement of an old research library with no emergency exits to perform a secret Greek ritual (that's The Secret History.) One of them dies and everything falls apart (that's the Lord of the Flies.) No one is trustworthy, no one is likable, and at the end of the day, no one cares. An easy skip unless dark academia is your favorite genre.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

What could go wrong when students plan to do a ritual in the basement of the library the night before graduation?

What a slow burn!

This story had multiple points of view, but not from each of the main characters. It was interesting to get a little back story about each of the characters, but things got a little muddled before the end. I felt like I only knew most characters at a surface level. It still made me keep turning to the next page to see what would happen.

The space of the basement of the library seemed massive while reading it, but the layout still leaves you wondering about each part and how it may look in real life. I still have lots of questions since finishing it…

Thank you so much to the author, Eva Jurczyk, Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an eARC of That Night in the Library!

Tragically, I don't think this author is for me!

I loved the concept, but had such a hard time with the third person omniscient, as well as the mass amounts of telling. Further, I had a hard time understanding how so several people would agree to break into a library and do drugs as part of a ritual they don't really know about, with a bunch of strangers?!

Still, very grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc--I really thought I'd love this one!

This is a locked door thriller that takes place in a library with a group of college friends.
I was excited to read it going in, but I struggled to get into the book. Too many characters and not enough development. I just wasn’t that invested.
It did keep me mildly entertained and I would try another book from this author.
Thank you

Well - this is one book where I definitely did NOT see what was coming at the end! While I didn’t love the book - I couldn’t stop reading! I was engaged and needed to know “who dun it”. I so wanted to love this book - dark and twisty and real sounding characters, seeped in academic politics, set in a library - lots of fabulous elements. In the end, it just felt like too much… That said, it’s gripping and fast paced! Thanks to Net Galley for an ARC and the opportunity to review.

While I love a book that grips me and forces me to abandon all things for it sometimes other books can be good without making you feel as if you need to ignore life. When reading this book, your fully present and enjoy it but it’s not a fast paced thriller that will consume you. The slow burn of this book leaves you wondering why would these students need to do this ritual at this time in the semester and who benefits… then when you figure that out maybe it will lead you to the root of who murdered whom!