Devi Nair
š§ Listened in audio š¢ Narrated by Gabrielle Nellis-Pain ā± Duration: 13 hours š·ļø Publisher: Orbit (audio), Redhook (print & Kindle) Genre: Fantasy
I showed up for the magical bookshops under London vibes and stayed for Cassandra Fairfax, our beautifully flawed, delightfully stubborn heroine who radiates āIām doing my best, okay?ā energy. Her insecurity, that sense of being handed a massive responsibility with zero instructions? Yeah, that hit a little too close to my daily life. But watching her realize sheās been powerful all along, and that the world kept underestimating her, was honestly the most satisfying part of this story.
Georgia Summers paints Londonās underbelly in shades of ink and wonder, building a setting that feels like The Night Circus met The Invisible Library. The world-building is lush with secret passages lined with living books, bargains written in blood, bookshops that rearrange themselves when youāre not looking.
Gabrielle Nellis-Painās narration adds so much texture to the world: the ink magic, the dimly lit aisles, the whispers between the shelves. And then there's Lowell Sharpe: tall, broody, and carrying Big Magical Himbo Energy. I fully appreciated that he existed mostly to look good and occasionally glower while Cassandra handled the real business. She saves him more than once, by the way, which I mentally high-fived every single time. Women empowerment? Delivered. Served. Gift-wrapped with magical ink.
The pacing feels like wandering through a labyrinthine bookshop: twists, secret doors, unexpected little emotional punches. The central mystery around Chironās death holds the plot steady, but the heart of the book is Cassandra reclaiming her identity after being told she wasnāt enough. Spoiler: she is way more than enough, and watching her step into that power was kind of addictive.
If you love feminist fantasy with mysterious libraries, clever magic systems, and a love interest who knows when to move aside, this is your next obsession.
Would I recommend it? If you love fierce, flawed heroines, magical bookshops that feel like characters themselves, and a romance where the woman > man (in the best way), this is your next obsession. Four glittering stars
Letās shelve this one together
Have you ever read a fantasy where the woman does all the rescuing? Drop your favorite titles in the comments. Iām building a āwomen save the world (and the man)ā reading list.
Originally posted at www.goodreads.com.
š§ Listened in audio š¢ Narrated by Gabrielle Nellis-Pain ā± Duration: 13 hours š·ļø Publisher: Orbit (audio), Redhook (print & Kindle) Genre: Fantasy
I showed up for the magical bookshops under London vibes and stayed for Cassandra Fairfax, our beautifully flawed, delightfully stubborn heroine who radiates āIām doing my best, okay?ā energy. Her insecurity, that sense of being handed a massive responsibility with zero instructions? Yeah, that hit a little too close to my daily life. But watching her realize sheās been powerful all along, and that the world kept underestimating her, was honestly the most satisfying part of this story.
Georgia Summers paints Londonās underbelly in shades of ink and wonder, building a setting that feels like The Night Circus met The Invisible Library. The world-building is lush with secret passages lined with living books, bargains written in blood, bookshops that rearrange themselves when youāre not looking.
Gabrielle Nellis-Painās narration adds so much texture to the world: the ink magic, the dimly lit aisles, the whispers between the shelves. And then there's Lowell Sharpe: tall, broody, and carrying Big Magical Himbo Energy. I fully appreciated that he existed mostly to look good and occasionally glower while Cassandra handled the real business. She saves him more than once, by the way, which I mentally high-fived every single time. Women empowerment? Delivered. Served. Gift-wrapped with magical ink.
The pacing feels like wandering through a labyrinthine bookshop: twists, secret doors, unexpected little emotional punches. The central mystery around Chironās death holds the plot steady, but the heart of the book is Cassandra reclaiming her identity after being told she wasnāt enough. Spoiler: she is way more than enough, and watching her step into that power was kind of addictive.
If you love feminist fantasy with mysterious libraries, clever magic systems, and a love interest who knows when to move aside, this is your next obsession.
Would I recommend it? If you love fierce, flawed heroines, magical bookshops that feel like characters themselves, and a romance where the woman > man (in the best way), this is your next obsession. Four glittering stars
Letās shelve this one together
Have you ever read a fantasy where the woman does all the rescuing? Drop your favorite titles in the comments. Iām building a āwomen save the world (and the man)ā reading list.
Originally posted at www.goodreads.com.