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!

I’m not one to usually give poor ratings but I sadly had to DNF this one. The beginning was too slow for my taste. And I just had a hard time really getting into the book. I also didn’t care too much for the characters sadly.

I might try to pick this book up again and give it another shot sometime in the future. As I really did like the premise. But for now I’m marking it as a DNF. Sorry.

I really wanted to love this book, but unfortunately, it just wasn't for me. I felt like I couldn't connect with the characters and sometimes I was just plain confused with what was going on. There were too many twists and turns for my personal liking.

I wish I could say this book had it all because that’s exactly what I was expecting from it.
The premise seemed so promising. 7 seniors spend the night in a library and one is murdered. Totally set up for a great whodunnit, except that it just fell so short.
The characters were so obnoxious I wanted them all to die, and the plot felt so random. It’s almost like the writer couldn’t decide what plot to go with so they just tried them all.
I wish I could say this was better and I loved it. It just wasn’t for me.
Thank you netgalley for the AAC!

Anything described as a locked room mystery will get my attention.

A bunch of pretentious college students have a party in the library basement: drugs, sex, ritualistic sacrifices you know… who will make it out and who is doing the killing?

I could not get into this at all. I wanted to but the characters were insufferable and all the same and it just dragged until the end.

Thanks to netgalley and Macmillan audio for an eARC.

This audiobook was made available for me to listen to and review by Eva Jurczyk, RB Media, and NetGalley.

The narrator is Hannah Cabell. Ms. Cabell manages the 7 pov characters with their alternating viewpoints masterfully. With slight changes in tone and pitch each individual character has it's own tone.

Seven college aged folks spend the night at William E. Woodend Rare Book Library at a smallish liberal arts college in Vermont. The plan is to take part in the reenactment of an ancient Greek ritual. Six of the participants are students of the university, five are graduate students, one is an undergrad and another isn't associated with the university or the library.

This ritual is organized primarily by Davy who invited Mary, Faye, Umu , Ro, as well as couple Soraya, and Kip. The ritual is based on the Eleusinian Mysteries. Hallucinogens assist in this spiritual quest based on the Greek myth regarding Demeter, Persephone and Hades. In which Pilgrims walked the sacred road between Athens and Eleusis, retracing Demeter's route looking for her daughter. The ritual is traditionally in September but Davy scheduled it for the night before graduation.
Participants in the ritual are required to fast for 12 hrs. before, speak Greek phonetically, candlelight, food to be eaten upstairs, and the participants need to learn a secret in a physical object they can share at a specific point in the ritual.

The night of everyone has gathered in the basement to hide until Ronald, the head university librarian, leaves for the night. When they hear the alarm beep, they cheer and take hallucinogens. Before they can start the ritual the lights go out, shortly after the lights come back on a participant is found bloody on the floor. In an effort to get this participant help, the remaining participants realize they're locked in the basement until it opens the next day. Also, they're locked in the basement with whomever hurt the bloody participant on the floor.

This has a fairly decent base story concept. However, the story slows down about halfway through the story and the ending is a bit anticlimactic. If this was more tightly written it would've increased the tension and suspense. Still this was mostly medium ok.

Thank you to Eva Jurczyk, RB Media, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.