Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a fan of dark academia, so when I heard that this book dealt with murder in a university's rare books library, I had to request it.
I really liked the premise of the story and the fact that they were locked in the library overnight added to the suspense of this whodunnit.

The reason I decided to give this 3.5 stars (I'm rounding it up here) is because it felt too slow at times. I liked that it included multiple povs and unreliable/lying characters, but reading long chapters of Faye's pov back to back felt a little monotonous. I would've preferred more and longer chapters with the other's povs to switch it up.
I was shocked at the amount of murder and blood in this book, but if you're a more experienced thriller/horror reader, that shouldn't be a problem. I just wanted to point it out.

Still, this book is unlike anything I've ever read and the plot twist at the end was very well written and I never could've guessed that that would happen. I just wished there was an epilogue because it would've been interesting to know what happened to the surviving characters...

young-adult, rituals, library, librarian, poisons, multiple-deaths, university****

I just couldn't get into it. The beginning seemed very slow and disjointed to me, but then it's been a very long time since I was at university. Methinks that this one would delight readers who are in the characters' age group.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
Available 11 Jun 2024

Wow! Not your typical book about libraries! I was hooked with the first twist. I enjoyed the chapters switching between characters perspectives, it helped move the story along. Highly rated and highly recommend.

DNF at 15 % . This book was just not for me, the plot and character seemed forced, flat and stereotypical. I realize that the author put their blood sweat and tears into this work and I hope they find their readers.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced digital copy of this novel. I was intrigued by the synopsis of the book, but to be honest, it did fall a little flat for me. It’s a relatively short book, and had a lot of POVs, so it was a bit hard to get invested in the characters. However, I did think the final twist was very interesting! I didn’t see it coming at all, which I always love. I just wish there was a better way of getting there.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the pre-pub in exchange for an honest review. Seven people gather in the library's locked basement to do cult things. Someone dies, and one by one, gruesome deaths continue until the gate to the basement opens.

A night of drugs, blood, and lies leaves readers on the edge of their seats, or so I thought it would. I love books about libraries. If the story has a library or archives, I'll give it a chance. I often wanted to abandon this book, but as traditional whodunits go, I needed to know who murdered whom.

That Night in the Library was entertaining but far from spectacular.

That Night in the Library grabbed my attention mainly for the title because I am a librarian and have a soft spot for books dealing with libraries. The book description also intrigued me and I settled in for a good read with loads of mystery.

Sadly, however, as I progressed through the book, I began to lose interest. I couldn’t quite find myself caring about the characters or their many flaws. They were all college students but for the most part felt like high schoolers posing as college students. The story muddled on, never seeming to want to end until bam, out of nowhere it ends.

Unfortunately for me, this book didn’t work out. I felt the characters fell flat, and the author tried too hard to make everyone seem guilty to the point you find yourself not really caring. The ending, came out of nowhere and didn’t stick the landing well.

If you are a fan of mystery and dark spaces, this book may be for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this novel!

This was fine, but it felt better in premise than execution. The pacing was inconsistent, and the characters and mystery weren't compelling enough to keep it engaging. It was a little hard to understand what she was aiming for with this? It just felt a bit all over the place.

After all the melodrama of the story, by the time we got to the twist, the ending didn't feel earned. Actually, the more I think about the ending and the fact that the author obviously did zero research to see if it was realistically possible, the more annoyed I get.

Definitely The Secret History inspired, definitely not up to par.

I hate this book, but I did finish it so I guess I’m the fool. I hated all the characters, the ending was awful.

I'm not even sure where to go with this one. The characters were awful humans and I found their behavior hard to believe. The ending brought a lot of actions together, but also seemed unrealistic in how the police & librarian acted.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the copy of That Night In The Library by Eva Jurczyk. I loved the idea of this locked room mystery in the library! This was a slow starter as we were introduced to the characters, maybe a prologue with some action would have helped keep me engaged in the story. When the overnight stay finally started it was an odd mix of bloody deaths, drugs, and rare book mayhem. The final reveal was clever but wasn't enough to compensate for the lackluster characters and sometimes incomprehensible writing. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Very hush hush, very mysterious vibes. Found it entertaining but wouldnt say I loved it. The end was very predictable

It will definitely be a hit or miss depending on the reader. It will start off a bit slow but it will keep you wanting to find out who did it and the novel progresses it will start to reel you in more and you’re trying to guess who actually did the murders

I DNF'd this book 60% of the way through. It's not that it's a bad book; it just wasn't for me. Even though 2 murders had occurred up to the point I had read, the pacing was rather slow. I think this is because of the format of the book: it frequently flashes back to explore character backstory in the midst of the action. The setting also works against the pacing; because the characters are trapped in one place, not much action actually occurs once the murders happen.

The characters also did not grab me enough to keep me interested.

The night before graduation, seven students gather for an all night ritual in the basement of a rare books library on their campus. Those who take part in the Greek tradition will no longer fear death. At a time when the students are about to embark on their unknown futures, the ritual seems fitting.
Except shortly after the lights go out, the first body drops. Trapped in a locked basement until sunrise, the students all turn on one another trying to identify the killer.

That Night in the Library is a twisty locked room thriller with a mix of Hunger Games. Alliances are formed and betrayed and everyone is in testing the limits of their own will to survive.

The night before graduation, seven students hide in the basement of the library to perform a Greek ritual. What was supposed to be a night of debauchery and fun quickly turns for the worse when the lights go out and one of their own dies.

I expected more dark academia, less drama. I imagined this premise would lead to backstabbing (literally) and mistrust, but a of the issues felt high school and half-baked. My biggest issue was that all of the characters were so insufferable. There was not one that I liked which made it hard for me to get sucked into the story.

Thankfully, at least, the whodunnit element kept me reading.

Phenomenal cover and title, though.

I loved the description of this book and wanted so much to love. A cool murder mystery in a library... Unfortunately this feel too flat for me. The points of view changed but when in their chapter it was hard to remember who's it was. I think I needed more and chapters to set out as to who they are.

The classic setting of a locked room mystery, where you have to figure out who in the room is killing people. I found it tedious, and I wasn't sucked into this book at all.

This book will keep you uncomfortable and guessing through each page! I seriously was not prepared for the level of epicness of this suspenseful read! Pick this up!!!

The premise of this sounded good, but it just didn't deliver. Seven university students agree to a ritual in the library's basement after hours...and soon it becomes a murder. It's hard to develop any character depth a) with a cast that big and b) because the narration doesn't really lean into any omniscient structure because it could reveal the killer. As a result, the characters are just bodies and the whole "who-dun-it" element falls flat.

While not a great story for General Mystery readers, I do think this would be a good story for YA audiences.

Overall: 2 stars (It was fine)

I'll tell my students about: drugs, murder/violence/gore, language, alcohol, trauma, LGBTQ+

**Thank you to NetGalley & Poisoned Pen Press for the free ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.**