I had high hopes for "That Night in the Library", unfortunately, the book failed to meet my expectations. The whole setup seemed wicked cool – a bunch of seniors sneaking into a rare books library for some ancient ritual? Sign me up! But when I finally cracked it open, man, was I disappointed.

Let's talk characters. Honestly, I couldn't relate to any of them. Like, who acts like that in real life? They were either too over-the-top or just plain boring. And the way they talked to each other? It felt like the author was trying way too hard to make them seem edgy and cool, but it just came off as forced.

And the plot? Don't even get me started. There were numerous points throughout the book where I found myself so confused. Like, there were so many twists and turns that it made my head spin. And not in a good way, you feel me? Plus, some of the stuff that went down felt totally random, like the author was just throwing stuff at the wall to see what stuck.

I really wanted to love "That Night in the Library." I mean, the premise was killer, and the writing was decent enough. But between the cringy characters and the confusing plot, it just didn't hit the mark for me. Maybe it's just not my cup of tea.

Being a librarian I was very curious to read it. It was suspenseful and thrilling. I always said the books talk at night and now I believe it.

I'm so sad about this!

Thank you to the publisher for my arc.

I was so excited to read this but sadly it fell flat in the execution. I feel like if this was written in a different format such as first person. that this would read better. having it in third person makes the chapters seem very choppy and hard to get through.

That Night at the Library is everything you want in a thriller or mystery. It has dark academia, rituals, Greek mythology, interesting characters and dynamics all wrapped into one locked room. I could not put this down!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the early access in exchange for my honest review.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley.

On the cusp of graduation, seven students converge in the library's basement, drawn together by a clandestine ritual borrowed from ancient Greek lore, a ritual rumored to grant liberation from the shackles of mortality. As they gather to partake in this arcane ceremony, little do they know that their night of revelry will soon descend into a harrowing battle for survival.

The allure of the premise is undeniable, I'm a sucker for stories that intertwine the mystique of libraries with the suspense of a locked-room mystery. However, even a quarter of the way into the story, the pace remains slow.

Moreover, the characters left much to be desired. They lacked depth and nuance, coming across as mere caricatures rather than fully fleshed-out individuals. It's difficult to muster empathy in their plight when they themselves feel dispassionate and uninspired. Their interactions felt contrived and forced, lacking the authenticity that would have lent credence to their predicament.

While the book held the promise of an enthralling literary mystery, it ultimately fell short of expectations.

It was an underwhelming read. The premise was very intriguing and its execution did not meet my expectations. I think it had a lot to do with the characters. I did not find any of them particularly interesting — nor were they likeable but it makes complete sense in this kind of story for me. Most deaths were interesting but one of them especially was of my liking, and it was also quite surprising.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

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.