Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC.

7 college students lock themselves in the basement of a library with the intent of performing an ancient ritual. I had high hopes for this book, as the description and idea was quite good. The narrator was great but I was so incredibly bored. One student was constantly “woe is me, I’m so quiet and shy”. Another was determined to kill another over a library job after graduation. The storyline was hard to follow. This just wasn’t it for me.

DNF.
I couldn’t get into it. I was bored and incredibly uninterested in the story.
I think it would’ve benefited from more narrators to help differentiate the characters. Too many people to keep track of

Many thanks to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Recorded Books Media for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of this new gothic-style mystery by Eva Jurczyk, wonderfully narrated by Hannah Cabell. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 3.5 stars rounded up!

On the night before their graduation, seven students gather in the basement of their university's rare books library. One student has organized this event to recreate an ancient Greek ritual focusing upon Persephone, said to free those who take part from the fear of death. Then the lights go out and one of them drops dead. They are trapped in the library with no hope of getting out until morning and the body count begins to rise.

I am always up for a locked-room mystery and one that takes place in an academic library? Sign me up! This novel has a very creepy, gothic feel to it, with the hidden room, lights out, candles, and drugs. I mostly listened to the audiobook, and while the narrator did a great job, I seemed to have trouble keeping the characters straight in my mind. This may have been due to my inattention, but all the characters seemed to blur together and made me less involved, so I never felt fully invested in the story. Your experience may be different, so definitely give it a read if you like dark academic mysteries!

So sorry, but this one just wasn't it for. I couldn't get into the characters or the premise.

The narrator was great.

Thank you for this ARC.

*** I received an advanced copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***
2/5 stars
The book's description is what intrigued me, as I am currently attending an MLIS program and was excited to see terminology that is relevant to the field, due to the accuracy I gave it another star.
The plot reminded me of an Alex Michaelides novel, due to the theming but the execution was abysmal, the character's personalities seemed very flat throughout the whole book and there was no real reason to feel sympathy for any of them. The execution of the acid trip made it very difficult for me to continue reading, there were several times I had to stop because the characters and their choices did not make any sense. The ending was probably the worst ending I have ever read because there were no ramifications for what occurred in the basement.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this audiobook. First off, the voice actor was great- wonderful to listen to, didn’t try to get too fancy-pants with different accents and tones and everything which unless they are absolutely perfect with it, can get annoying fast. Their voice was pleasant and allowed the story to be the thing that stood out.
The story was ok. The premise was exciting: college kids locked in a library all night to perform an Ancient Greek ritual. But we didn’t get to see the full ritual performed, so that was disappointing. I was rather hoping for a fantasy element to the book I must say- for Persephone or Demeter to appear hazily and whisper a secret to them, or tell them they have to fight to the death to obtain a prize, and that’s what triggers all the action, maybe.

What we did see was a lot of really bad decisions. I told myself that this book wasn’t supposed to be realistic, not all books that aren’t outright fantasy have to be firmly rooted in reality, and this is probably what the author was intentionally writing, was a worst case humanity scenario. She accomplished it. The drugs helped, but how much, is the question I’m left with? How much would have been the same if everyone in that library had been sober that night? We know humans are capable of immensely terrible things, so this book may have been a little bit of a study in “how far would a person when they feel like their life and/or the life of someone they care about is in danger?”

The characters were a bit one dimensional, and I didn’t feel myself being really attached to any of them because they didn’t feel quite real. Perhaps there just wasn’t enough time in this shorter book for much character development.

Personally I didn’t guess ultimate impetus of the night until the very end when the character started explaining it. I don’t know a lot about chemistry, so that all remained a mystery to me, and I thought it was pretty clever- even if the character/characters should have guessed it due to their nearness and experience with the objects. Again, this didn’t have to be totally rooted in reality, people ARE stupid and arrogant, and that particular character was portrayed as being especially so. One dimensionally, but still.

I think this would be a fun read for my book club or a book club in general because you could really get into discussing tropes and humanity and the use of drugs and chemistry and who guessed what when, SHOULD a realistic fiction book have to be more firmly rooted in realistic decision making or is it ok that this probably never would have happened because it’s a book and supposed to be an escape, etc.

So, the premise sounded pretty interesting. Seniors, locked in a library to fulfill an Ancient Greek tradition…
But the book, well, for me, was disappointing…

I really tried to connect with one of the characters…I mean seriously, any ONE of them…But, they were all messed up. One worse than the next…

And so, I muddled through, and during the middle of the book it got a little more interesting…but then took another nosedive.

Sorry to say this is NOT one I’ll be recommending. Not my style… Way too many things going on that just did not add up in the end…

That Night in the Library by Eva Jurczyk and narrated by Hannah Cabell.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #RecordedBooksMedia for an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. (Which unfortunately is unfavorable this time…)

Due for release on 6/11/24.

2 1/2 ⭐️⭐️💫 for me, rounded up to 3, because I did have some hopes for it to get better in the middle…

I will keep my reviews limited to here (GR) and NetGalley only…

Thanks for reading along with me, and I really hope my next book is better, as I’ve had two that were not great (in my opinion only) in a row…

Like many readers and reviewers of this on the Internet, I just could not make out what the story claimed to be apart from the obvious.
The book is about seven students who get invited to a gathering in the basement of their University's rare books library. A mysterious place. A sacred place. Nobody was allowed to enter the library after closing time but, that's a good premise to perform a ritual. A seance of sorts. If it were to call spirits, seeking advice or wanting to talk to a loved one, I would probably have considered it. But, this ritual was going to address how to be rid of fear of death. This was too far fetched to make sense to me. Who really indulges in Greek chanting to invoke the Gods?!

Unfortunately, what started out to be celebration of winning over fear, turned turtle. The lights go out and one of the students falls dead. But, it does not stop there. More will follow. Is there a killer on the prowl or is it just some ghostly presence taking advantage of the situation. Something has to be done to stop this before it gets out of hand.

I was expecting quite a bit from a library set up. The characters were boring and I just could not relate to them; they sounded morose making the library such a dreary place to be.

I jumped tracks to complete the audiobook. Unfortunately, I would not recommend it. I hate to explain that I am not dismissive of authors and appreciate their hard work to put thoughts and plots to paper, but there only that much patience one can have. Also, it's sacrilege to give a 1 star rating.

That Night in the Library opens with an introduction to seven characters who are sneaking into the library to perform a Greek ritual before college graduation. This fun loving, and ignorant, group of people - some who are friends, some who are new - quickly find themselves under the influence of psychotics and with a big, bloody problem. Before the can even begin the ritual, events turn for the worse as the characters search for who to blame and separate hallucinations vs. reality. A series of problems occur with what was to be a risky, exciting night turns into everyone trying to survive.

I'll say I'm glad I kept reading past the first 3-4 chapters. It started SO confusing and I wasn't sure what I was reading, but I did get into it once the cast were in the library together. The plot was a bit jumpy, inserting some character development back stories throughout the book that made it hard to track the timeline and past/present. Similar books include The Unwanted Guest, The Hunting Party, Daisy Darker with that theme of multiple deaths, trying to figure out who was the victim and who is guilty.

That Night in the Library follows Davey and six of his acquaintances the night before college graduation. It’s told in multi-POV, with each chapter having the name of the character who’s speaking.

It was difficult to connect with the characters because there wasn’t a ton of back story. It left me feeling less than emphatic when something happened to them in the book. There were a lot of plot twists, which were sometimes difficult to follow. I did like the ending though! I felt it helped a portion of the book come full circle that led to the initial downward spiral.

Personally, I wouldn’t reach for this one again, but it’s a good quick read if you’re in a book hangover and it’s on your TBR.

It is the night before their college graduation and seven students hide in the library on campus to perform an ancient ritual that will leave them free from fear. Each one of them has their own reasons for wanting to be there. After the library closes they realize quickly that they are locked in and without any lights too. Luckily they have a small stash of candles and their phones flashlights. One of the students ends up stumbling into their circle and dies. That is the moment that everything begins to break down and nobody trusts anyone around them.

I really enjoyed this story. I could not really relate to any of the characters but I love a good mystery and trying to figure out who is responsible. I thought that the audiobook was performed wonderfully and the pace of the novel was just right. It may not be fast-paced throughout the entirety but it was wonderful and the story felt like everything was revealed at the exact right moment. I was definitely thrown by the ending because I could have never guessed it.

I struggled with this book. I love Ed the premise but it didn’t connect for me. The characters were not relatable and over the top. I was confused often with what was happening in the story as well. Between the cringy characters and the confusing plot, it just didn't work for me. The narrator was great.

That Night in the Library
Eva Jurczyk
Tomorrow, they graduate if they can survive the night. Seven students plan a ritual party for the night before they graduate from the university. Some of the students are library employees. No one is allowed in the library after closing. They hide until the library is closed and everyone has left. They are in the basement which holds the rare books. What better place for performing the ancient Greek ritual “the Persephone myth” that is supposed to free participants from the fear of death. The participants were acquaintances but not close friends. Davie or Danny (I’m not sure which and don’t really care) the head librarian organized the “party.” Most of the participants work at the library. Faye repeatedly reminds everyone she is a scientist; she keeps promising to keep them all safe. Roe is an employee at Applebee’s and he’s a drug dealer. Roe brings LSD to the “party.” Faye refuses to participate in using the drugs and everyone else claims to use. Kip has a serious reaction to the drug; blood begins to leak out of him. The group suspects someone poisoned him. Accusations are slung out. Another death but this time from violence.
When I read the tease, I was intrigued and eager to listen to this book. However, I am left disappointed and feeling cheated. I could not relate to any of the characters; they were self-absorbed, and not very wise. I didn’t care what happened to them. The characters needed to be strong and distinct to make this plot work. Most of the book is told from Faye’s point of view. Why the ritual? It never made sense. I would have enjoyed knowing more about the ritual, but it wasn’t “fleshed out.” The students freak out, then they lose all reaction, perhaps that was due to drug use. The plot was repetitive.

This book's premise is beyond interesting but the follow through was lacking.

Students stuck in a library to reenact a Greek story of Hades and Persephone filled with drugs and tension. When a body shows up, they start to panic.

I think my biggest complaint was trying to figure out who's point of view I am reading. Along with that, I had a hard time connecting to any of the characters.

The overall idea was so intriguing I will be looking out for this author in the future but I hope it goes through more editors next time.

honestly I didn’t jive with this. the characters were all frustrating in their own way and it made the story difficult to get through. I think the timing of night was a little off. just went on and on and I had to read the description to figure out what the ritual was

I was very excited to dive in to this intriguing story. It had such a unique premise. However there were big issues that I couldn’t get past, and for me, the character development just wasn’t there. I did not get a chance to care anything about the characters before…BAM… murder. I still have so many questions that will never be answered. I felt that the pacing was off and everything went so fast.
I really really wanted to love this book but it just wasn’t for me.
To me, it was a 2.7 read but I will round up for the idea alone..also, I did enjoy the narration.

I liked this one a lot! It kept me hooked from the start. I didn't feel like it was hard to get into the world the author built or the characters. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did!

2.5 stars

The night before graduation, a group of seven students gathers in the university library's basement after closing time for an ancient Greek ritual. Things go south when one of them drops dead, and the others have to make it through the night as the body count keeps rising.

The premise of this book sounded so intriguing to me and I genuinely went into it expecting to love it, but I was unfortunately let down. I will say that the atmosphere it created definitely was a highlight for me; there was a chilling, eerie vibe all throughout that I truly did enjoy. Also, the writing itself was definitely not too bad, and I would be interested in reading more from this author in the future.

I found the characters too be just a caricature of what they could have been... I see where it was trying to go, and the potential is all there, but the execution was not it. They were either too bland or too much, there was no in between. It made it hard to relate or even just care about any of them, which made it hard to care about what was going on in the first place. I felt just about the same with the plot: I see what it was aiming for, but it just missed. The pacing was all over the place, and there were so many twists it was just hard to understand what was going on. It had me pausing to try and make sense of it all quite a few times, and I still really couldn't. Many things were predictable, others were simply way too far-fetched.

I listened to the audiobook for this, and I do think this is one of those books where having multiple narrators would have probably helped making the story more engaging, but the narrator did a good job nevertheless. She did a great job giving every character a different voice and she did incredible with building up the tension the story proceeded. It genuinely really helped me get through the book, a definite highlight for me.

Many thanks to RB Media & NetGalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

That night at the library was a disappointment for me.
I had really high expectations since the premise of the book is great- I mean, who wouldn’t like a story about a group of seniors calling upon an ancient god with a murder mystery and everything that comes with it?!

I was confused most of the time while listening to this audiobook and I can’t really wrap my head around if it was the switch between the characters all the time, or the twists and turns that made my head spin like a carousel.

The characters themselves were not my cup of tea, they were boring and weird (not in a good way), and I wasn’t able to attach to any of them.

I’m glad I had the opportunity to listen to That night at the library, but it wasn’t for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for giving me the opportunity.

I had such high hopes for this book since it has all of the elements I enjoy. A library, a myriad of complex chapters forced together, a closed room mystery, and a bit of ritualistic magic. However, all of these elements somehow became muddled and so incredibly chaotic that I could barely follow the storyline. It gave me Bunny by Mona Awad vibes (another book that I didn’t enjoy), and I genuinely still don’t know what the point of the “ritual” was. I also couldn’t tell you a single thing about the characters, or even their names for that matter. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is a much more negative review than I typically give, but I just didn’t get any redeeming qualities in this book .