The night in the library starts off with 7 graduating students sneaking into the rare book library the night before graduation for a night of rituals and fun. Things quickly go wrong when one student dies. It was a med paced book that I enjoyed.

Seven students. One lock-in at the library overnight. What could go wrong??

Rituals, murder, secrets, and dark academia all play into this incredibly disturbing night at the library. Can they make it till morning?

Although this story was not really for me, I think others will enjoy it. I will suggest picking it up if like a mystery/horror story.

Thank you to the publishers for my gifted ALC.

The Night in the Library by Eva Jurczyk promises a gripping tale of suspense and intrigue set in the depths of a university's rare books library. The premise—a group of students locked in overnight, facing a series of chilling events—holds immense potential for a thrilling read.

However, despite the intriguing setup, the execution of the story fell flat for me. While the premise hinted at a captivating exploration of fear, secrets, and the power of literature, the narrative failed to deliver on its promise.

The characters lacked depth, and their interactions felt forced, failing to evoke the tension and suspense essential for a successful mystery. Furthermore, the plot twists were predictable, robbing the story of its ability to truly surprise and captivate.

Ultimately, The Night in the Library left me wanting more. While the idea of being trapped in a library with a murderer is undeniably intriguing, the execution of this novel failed to engage me fully.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC/audiobook. You said, "We hope you enjoy this book." And I would like to reply that I did! Not my personal favourite of narrators, but she speaks clearly and is easy to understand, which is most important. This locked room mystery gets 4 stars from me, only for the reason that so many people contaminated the crime scenes. Surely by now everyone would know better!

I was fortunate enough to get to read "That Night in the Library", by Eva Jurczyk, so I was really excited when I was given the chance to listen to the audio book, and it did not disappoint. The narrator did an amazing job of keeping me up at night, both because I couldn't stop listening, and because it was even scarier as an audio book. I absolutely enjoyed every spooky moment.

I loved the premise of this book and I actually thought the ending was pretty clever as well. It's just the stuff in the middle I didn't care for.

These characters are awful. I was hoping more of them would die so I could stop hearing from them. I don't mean that I dislike the characters, I mean they were written as exaggerated caricatures instead of people. The whole basement part gets really confusing as well. It seems like a bit of an homage to Lord of the Flies since they get crazed, but it was not well done.

I wish so desperately that this was a first draft so that things could be changed as it held so much promise.


Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my advance copy of this audiobook.

1.5 stars rounded up
Overall, just not for me. There was just too much going on. Way too much going on. I understand that the author was trying to write a twisty book that would leave us guessing, but it just left me really confused. And don't even get me started on how insufferable every single character was. Honestly, if this hadn't been an ARC, it would've been a DNF

On the night before graduation, 7 college grad students, lock themselves in the basement of the scholastic library in order to perform the Elysian Mysteries, hoping to be free of fear. But almost as soon as the ceremony begins, the lights go out and one of the students drops dead. But who killed him?
Possibly because they had been fasting and then dropped acid, the situation goes from bad to worse. And people keep dying. And the conclusion will leave you needing more of a conclusion.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and RB Digital for this audio e-arc.*

Thanks to #NetGalley and #RBMedia for the book #ThatNightInTheLibrary by #EvaJurczyk. Seven students, decide to do a Greek ritual the night before graduation. This ritual has to occur in the basement of the library. As the night goes on and the lights go out, one by one they start dying. Who will be left to survive and who is responsible. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Thanks to RB Media, NetGalley, author Eva Jurczyk, and narrator Hannah Cabell for an entertaining and engaging audiobook. This was a great locked room mystery with a group of young college students who are on the eve of graduation choose to spend the night at the school library participating in a special ritual. All should have been fun and a wonderful experience to end their college life but then someone dies mysteriously and they find they are trapped. This is when their true sides come out and secrets are spilled that cause more death. Who will live to see the morning? Is the person standing next to you really someone you can trust or are they someone that will kill you to remove you from a plum job you hoped to get?
I really enjoyed this book and loved the characters and their reactions. I admit the final twist was a bit of a surprise but I like that. Loved the idea of the Library as a character. (Not really a spoiler just an observation!) Highly recommend this book—great book especially for a rainy day read—curled up with a hot drink and blanket 😊

That Night in The Library is a great read for anyone that enjoys mystery with horror!
This book begins by introducing the different characters. Later on, there is a murder. I found myself asking who did it all the way through the story! I’m usually pretty good at figuring out who done it but couldn’t this time! The story kept me guessing. I really enjoyed the end! What a crazy story! I could see this being a movie. My only negative critique is that the beginning was slow for me. With that said, the audiobook was the way to go.

3.5 out of 5 Stars

Twas an good thriller to read on a weekend.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced audio book.

I love a good campus novel and bonus that this was also a mystery/thriller. But despite the descriptions the characters all blended together and even with the first death happening in the first quarter of the book, this story couldn't hold my interest.

I was lucky enough to listen to the audiobook of this locked room mystery as I read along. This book was good but it didn't wow me as much as I'd hoped. I LOVED the library setting for the locked room. I'm not a huge Greek mythology fan but I did still enjoy this element of the ritual. With lots of gory parts and a great ending, I do believe the writing held a lot of promise. I look forward to seeing what the author writes next.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC (in audiobook format).

Narration: Hannah Cabell’s top-notch narration is a standout feature of this audiobook. Her voice carries the suspense and the darkness of the plot with a gripping cadence. Cabell’s ability to give each character a distinct voice adds depth to the storytelling, making the listener feel as if they are locked in the library alongside the characters.

Plot: The premise of “That Night in the Library” is intriguing—a group of students performing an ancient ritual in a library to conquer the fear of death, only to find themselves in a real-life survival scenario. The plot unfolds like a classic whodunit. The setting in a library filled with rare books adds a gothic, almost claustrophobic atmosphere to the story.

Characters: Eva Jurczyk has crafted a diverse cast of characters, each with their own secrets.

However, I did not find the characters at all likeable (essential for my investment and enjoyment in a story). Rather than join forces and provide each other the comfort of friendship, they are isolated, catty, and intentionally cruel to each other. Also, I quickly lost sight of the reason why they were all dropping acid (with one exception) and spending the night in a creepy library in the first place.

The dynamics between the characters is endlessly abrasive. As the night progresses and the situation becomes dire, these characters evolve slightly, but these layers make the characters neither more enjoyable nor more relatable.

Writing Style: Jurczyk’s prose is both eloquent and accessible, weaving literary references into the fabric of the narrative. The tension is palpable through her writing, and the pacing is well-measured, allowing for moments of reflection amidst the chaos.

“That Night in the Library” is a compelling listen for those who enjoy literary mysteries with a dark edge, and do not need to become emotionally invested in the characters... For example early on one member dies, but oddly, after no one can get a cell phone connection to report the death, the matter of their "friend's" (or at least cohort's) passing is viewed as a relative non-event, other than they keep verbally attacking the girl who the dead teaching assistant invited along on this torturous journey.

This audiobook is a testament to the enduring allure of mysteries set within the hallowed halls of libraries. Eva Jurczyk’s novel is brought to life by Hannah Cabell’s narration.

This story resonates with the fear and curiosity that lurks in the shadows of our minds, making us wonder what secrets might be hidden in the quiet corners of the places we consider safe.

However, this book only rated three stars from me as the writing and narration is top quality (this easily could have been a 5 star read) however I quickly tired of everyone picking at each other. About half way through this story I realized I did not care about the fate of these people who choose to take drugs in the dark night of a mysterious library.

Not my cuppa, much as I was looking forward to this audiobook, but if it sounds interesting to you, give it a read (or a listen, as I highly recommend the skills of the narrator).

Thank you Netgalley for this copy of the book. I chose this book because it had a great cover and title. Overall, I wanted to really love this book, but it fell flat for me. The characters were unlikeable, so much so that I had a hard time getting excited for any of the narratives. Also, I don’t mind cursing, but in this selection it felt unnecessary and forced. I did like the idea of getting locked overnight in a library, This just was not the book for me, but I am sure that it is a book for someone.

I was really intrigued by the premise of That Night in the Library. I loved a locked room mystery, and what could be more creepy than a dark library after hours?

I struggled at first to follow the different characters and their stories, which made it a bit harder to buy into the story. Some of the more graphic deaths felt a bit more out of place and gratuitous than I expected.

Having said that I think the author did a great job of establishing the creepy library setting. The characters felt self indulgent and pretentious, making it really hard to know who you could trust, and elevating the suspense. The discomfort I felt reading the story reminded me of reading Lord of the Flies for the first time. The second half was fast paced, with lots of tension, though I would have loved to see what happened after the end.

I was lucky to enjoy this as an audiobook and ebook. The narrator did a wonderful job in building tension and pacing within the story. The cool characterisations made the outcome of the story all the more chilling.

Thank you RB Media and NetGalley for a copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

I feel awful when I have to give this low of a rating but it’s warranted in this case.

I do want to thank NetGalley and RB Media for the audio arc of this title in exchange for my honest review.

I purposely don’t look at reviews or ratings before I read or listen to ARC books as I don’t want to be influenced in any specific way. I worried coming here to write a review with only 2 stars but a quick glance tells me ai am in good company.

The reading of the book is fine. It doesn’t impact the book itself either positively or negatively. The narrator was clear and didn’t get overly dramatic which i appreciate.

As for the book itself. The concept is outstanding! It will pull book words and dragons in easily with the locked room concept in a library.

However the execution just wasn’t there. The characters were so unlikable that you didn’t care what happened to them at all. The plot was also incredibly convoluted and hard to follow.
The ending came in from left field and just didn’t mesh well with the rest of the plot. There were a lot of twists but it didn’t add to the enjoyment. It just made it more and more unrealistic.

Lastly the dialogue was bizarre at times and completely not relatable or sound like a young adult.

Sadly I don’t recommend wasting time on this one.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars and I rarely round up.

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

A locked door murder mystery set in a rare books library? YES PLEASE!! I couldn't read this gothic thriller fast enough. As a librarian/archivist who has worked at the Thomas Fisher rare book library in Toronto (just like the author), this one was a pure delight! Twisty and dark and it kept me guessing right to the end. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!