The Book of Secrets is the first book in The Last Oracle series by Melissa McShane.

Helena Davies just wants a job that will get her out of her parents’ basement. Abernathy’s Bookstore is disorganized, out of the way, and smells funny, but it pays well and promises to at least be interesting. By the end of the first day, Helena has a dead boss in the basement, an unexpected promotion, and the news that she is now a part of an endless war against creatures from another reality. As Abernathy’s newest custodian, Helena is responsible for its secrets, including the most important one: Abernathy’s isn’t just a bookstore. It’s the world’s only living oracle, producing prophecies to help fight the war against alien invaders bent on draining this world of its magic. Helena’s job is to find books to answer questions put to the oracle by the Wardens, fighters in the Long War. It seems simple enough, but Helena’s new job is anything but. She has allies: her best friend Viv, from whom she has no secrets; Harry and Harriet Keller, elderly magi skilled at uncovering secrets; and the enigmatic Malcolm Campbell, warrior magus and one of the few who have faith in Helena’s abilities. But not everyone is thrilled that an outsider now has charge of one of the world’s most powerful magical entities. Helena must defend herself against the antagonism of Judy Rasmussen, who’d expected to be the next custodian of Abernathy’s, and her father William, powerful leader of the Wardens and someone with an agenda of his own. Without training, without any knowledge of the magical world, and facing the hostility of those who’d wanted someone else to be Abernathy’s custodian, Helena must navigate the treacherous waters of her new world and find a place for herself within it. But there’s still a murderer on the loose, someone who intended to control Abernathy’s by killing its custodian—and Helena might be next on his list.

The Book of Secrets is a book that was not quite what I was looking for, but in a good way. I tend to pick up or request books based on a quick look and then put off reading them until I do not remember the blurb- so I had no clue what was I was getting into- and I loved the ride. Helena is a complex character with a good balance of stubborness, flaws, and courage to make her a realistic and relatable character. I loved her pragmatism and ability to think things through as the world goes crazy around her. If only we could all do that. I think she, her family, and her friends were introduced well, and I think her circle will continue to be interesting secondary characters as the story continues. I think that members of the magical community, and the complicated society they have, was also well laid out. Things were introduced in small portions, as Helena learned them, and readers discovered the information along with her. I was not sure of the guilty party- although I had some suspicions toward the end, and think that the mystery was extremely well done. I think this hits the mark for a great coming of age novel for adult, in particular the new adult market (although I am well past that demographic and loved it). I am a little annoyed that the teaser for possible future romantic interest was included- because a life changing new job and introduction to making as you come into your own is not enough- she apparently need the possibility of a man in her life to make it all worth it. This is my current pet peeve, and it does work in the book, but it still bothers me.

The Book of Secrets is a great paranormal mystery and urban fantasy. I think young adults, new adults, and us technically adult adults will all enjoy this read.

The cover is quite appealing. I like the bookstore in the back and also the magical sparkles. In the front there is shown Helena. The title design is also really nice.

The writing style was quite simple and fluently readable. The story is written from the personal perspective of Helena. The chapters are quite short, as the book itself in general is as well. For me the book felt like a start of a series, rather then a whole big story of its own.

Helena is a nice girl. So far, she does not know, what she really wants in life. However, with becoming the new custodian of Abernathy's everything changes for her and it feels like she is finding her place in the world. The other characters were also quite nice. Although I was not really fond of the crush Helena had for Malcom. It felt for me a little bit too childish and I could not really empathize with it.

The main idea of the story was really nice. The concept with the custodians was quite innovative. I also liked the two political parties and their description, although I would have longed for more details there.

The end felt a little akward. It was quite certain. Overall, the book and the story inside were quite short. It felt like the story just started. Maybe a longer book as starter would have been great. Also the showdown was a little obvious.

Fazit:
Nice main idea, solid characters - I give 3 out of 5 stars ;)

Melissa McShane writes stories that really make it hard to put down my Kindle. This one follows a girl (and she felt like a girl) who inherits a magic bookstore that introduces her to a magical world. Throughout the book she has to deal with creatures trying to kill her and deciding whether she really wants to work in the bookstore. The magic world was interesting but there were times when there was too much information thrown at me. I liked most of the characters except her best friend Viv. She was too immature and made the main character too immature.

The Book of Secrets is the first book in a new series by Melissa McShane. Though the author's more widely known as a historical fantasy writer, this new series is a departure, since it's more of a light urban fantasy with cozy mystery. The protagonist is a hapless 21 year old who lands a job at an antiquarian bookshop and is thrust into an unknown world when her boss gets murdered whilst she's on the premises and she begins to find out that the bookstore is emphatically not your average bookstore.

I especially enjoyed the characters in the book as well as Helena, the main protagonist's, relationship with her best friend Viv. She also has a great relationship with her family! How refreshing to meet a protagonist in a NA book who isn't broken and emotionally destroyed. The entire book is full of quirky characters and the author does a good job of making them real in all their weird and funky glory. There's a foreshadowed slow burn romance interest, but the author doesn't just fling them together on page 12 (kudos for that!). There's the obligatory female love-to-hate character. I don't think I've read a NA novel in ages that had a female protagonist that didn't use the sarky female-female antagonist device. It's de rigueur. That small quibble aside, the book is fun and well paced and plotted. The oogie space monsters from another dimension are satisfyingly oogie and scary (though happily not wet-your-pants-and-throw-the-book-across-the-room horrifying!).

The mystery part has a satisfying and well paced denouement in the last chapter. All around a fun read. Looking forward to the next book(s) in the series.

Four stars, entertaining and well written.

Info:
The Book of Secrets, book #1 in the Last Oracle series by Melissa McShane.
192 pages, published by Curiosity Quills press.
Released: 20 Feb, 2018 in ebook and paperback formats

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I just unfortunately could not get into the story. The writing is well done, but the plot just did not draw me in and keep me hooked. The premise is a really interesting idea, though.

Wow – this book was unexpected!

I picked this book up relatively blind to the story or any of the details and just dove right in. What a fun and fantastic world! I was thoroughly engaged from start to finish and sad to see it end. Please tell me there’s more?

Helena is a woman adrift in the world. She’s not sure what she actually wants to do with her life, other than find a job to kill some time and make some money. A want ad has her ending up interviewing for a job at a strangely disorganized book store with a very odd boss. Things don’t really stay that way for too long, though. Helena is rapidly sucked into a world filled with magic, murder, mystery, and an increasing amount of responsibility. Surprisingly, rather than finding herself shying away from her newfound custodianship, she really steps up to the plate.

Aside from the murder mystery aspect of this story, I found myself really enjoying the new magical world that both the reader and Helena have to learn about. There’s different magical factions, lots of people who may or may not be bad guys, aliens (kind-of), and a book store that I am just absolutely in love with. Who knew that a setting could become such a critical character? I can’t say enough good things about this book. Assuming we get some quick follow-up in the series, it will definitely be on of my “must read” list.

This is a great read for young and old alike. Helena is hired to work in a bookstore and finds her new boss dead her first day at work. She discovers it's no ordinary bookstore and is now the new manager in a portal against evil. The story gets a little violent but not enough to keep teen readers away. As friends, magi and magicians step in to help keep the store safe, Helena discovers she likes this un-normal situation she was chosen for. This is book 1 in the Last Oracle series and prepares Helena for additional paranormal adventures. I received this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Quirky, quite different and thoroughly enjoyable nd possibly a 2nd book.

This was a read, with a little magic, mixed with a mystery. Although it did have un answered questions, as to why Helena was chosen to look after the store, and be able to give out the results of questions asked by the customers. Also why was she chosen, she had no connection at all to the World of Magic, monsters, wards and spells.

The Book of Secrets by Melissa McShane is the first novel in The Last Oracle series. Helena Davies is interviewing for a job at Abernathy’s, a local disorganized bookstore. She is shocked when Nathaniel Briggs hires her and asks for her to start immediately after signing a handwritten contract. Helena is typing (on a typewriter) labels to mail out catalogues when a customer enters the store looking for Mr. Briggs. Malcolm Campbell is astonished that Helena was hired to work in the store. Helena goes searching for Mr. Briggs and discovers him dead from a stab wound in the basement. Who would want to harm Mr. Briggs? Malcolm must explain to Helena that Abernathy’s is no mere bookstore. It is a living oracle that provides prophecies. Helena, as the new custodian (she signed the contract) is tasked with finding the right book to answer the question put to the oracle by Wardens. Abernathy’s is an important tool in helping them fight the invaders in the Long War (information overload for Helena). Magic is real, and creatures invade from outside their reality to obtain it. Unfortunately, Mr. Briggs died before training Helena and the instruction book to assist her is missing. Malcolm is not the only person surprised by Helena’s appointment. Judy Rasmussen has been training for twelve years and wants Helena to abdicate (and she is quite pushy about it). Helena needs to learn her new position while fulfilling her customer’s needs, deal with Judy’s hostile attitude, discover who murdered Mr. Brigg’s before the police arrest her for the crime, and evade the deadly creatures who seem intent on attacking her (that’s not good). Despite everything that is happening, Helena believes she might have finally found her place.

The Books of Secrets is well-written and engaging. It has fast pace that will keep readers on their toes. I liked the author’s unique take on magic. I would say more but I do not want to spoil it for you. I did appreciate that the author did not dump out all the details at once. It develops throughout the story, but readers are not given everything in this first installment (we are left wanting to know more). The creature’s descriptions are enough to give a person nightmares (it did not stop me from reading though). Abernathy’s is a fascinating place. The author’s concept for the store was creative and multi-layered. Melissa McShane did a remarkable job at creating a one-of-a-kind world for her characters (and for us). I did feel that the characters needed more development and backstory. I wanted to know more about Helena’s upbringing and Malcolm’s background. I was also not a fan of Viv, Helena’s best friend. I found her annoying, overbearing, and immature. As Helena’s best friend, she is the logical choice for a sidekick. I just wish the author had tweaked her personality a bit. I am glad that The Book of Secrets is just the first book in The Last Oracle series. For a delightful story containing magic, murder, mayhem and mystery grab a copy of The Book of Secrets.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel!😍 This is a book that any book lover who loves magic would enjoy! This book was filled with great characters, fantastic word building, a fast paced plot and magic! I loved Helena's character and how even though she was new to the magic world she was open minded and strong. The reason why I am not giving this book 5 stars is because the ending wasn't the best. Overall, this is a story that I really enjoyed and recommend.
I want to thank the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.I appreciate this opportunity and all views expressed are my own.

A very good fantasy that kept me hooked till the end. It is well written, with interesting characters and an unusual plot that entertains.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Curiosity Quills Press and Netgalley

E-book/ARC/Fantasy: This book just came out, so no spoilers here. I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy in lieu of an honest review. If you want a summary of the book, read it on the back of the book or any book site. I will only give you my thoughts on plot and character. Here we go:

At first glance of the description, I had a good feeling about the book even though it was "book 1" and I don't need to start another series. This is a "new" adult, not teen, who finds her way into a job at a bookstore. Then came the cliché characters:

Grumpy boss
Good looking, but mysterious rich customer
Snarky BFF who can barely take of herself, but has expensive clothes
Female antagonist with no self-awareness, who wants life handed to her
Police who are easily fooled by magic
Parents who are clueless

I could go on, but you get it. And then something amazing happened. I cared. I cared what happened to the heroine and the people around her. I cared about the shop. I wanted to have that job and live over the bookstore. And damn it, I wanted to know who the murderer was and why. Yes, somethings were rolled up too well in the end, but it only took me two days to read this over a weekend. I really liked the plot and if I see book 2, I'll probably read it too.

I requested this book from netgalley based mostly on the description. The title first grabbed my attention...mission accomplished! But once I read that a bookstore held some mystical secrets, protecting the world from darkness...how could I resist?

Helena had no idea how drastically her life would change the moment she signed her employment papers at Abernathy's Bookstore. I really enjoyed this book. What is not to like...she gets hired to work at a bookstore and discovers it's amazing hidden secrets! As if having all of this dumped on her the first day of employment wasn't enough, she is confronted by Judy. She must now learn how to accomplish her new job while dealing with the antagonism from an angry woman who believes she is entitled to the position. Helena's problems don't end there, but she has her best friend Viv for support...and some new allies. Possibly even a future romantic interest.

Each character is well thought out and portrayed beautifully. Helena is a strong female character, not giving into the stress of problems she now faces. Her refusal to give up because life became complicated or hard was inspiring. She was my favorite character in the story. I do feel as if there needs to be more character development to make me feel completely invested in them. This will likely come with the next book in the series.

The plot was nicely done, bringing many turns of events at proper points int he book. However, there were some plot points that I felt were unresolved. possibly intentionally leaving them open for the second book. I finished this book quickly. I did enjoy that the author created two separate factions of the defense of magic in the world. It was a refreshing twist on the typical "girl falls into a job that involves saving the world from some hidden demons, etc." often seen in books and movies these days. I did appreciate the story lacking sexual content. Often times that becomes too popular in young adult fantasy books. The one big battle scene did seem to be semi-anti-climatic.

The tale moved at a quick pace from the beginning. Though the book's pace remained quick, I felt there was a lot of setting up for future books. The information dumping was very well present. It was provided to the reader as Helena learning all of this.

This story did feel as if the ending was rushed, but it leaves off at a nice point for the second book in the series. I look forward to reading where Helena's new life and position take her. Hopefully, the second book has more dramatic scenes where opportunities allow, enhancing the urgency of the book.

How do I tell you how much I loved this book without spoiling anything for you but give you enough information to convince you that you’ll love it too… Oh, I know!

Magic.

Bookstore.

MAGIC BOOKSTORE!!!

Review endeth here.

Just kidding! Seriously though, those two words would be enough for me to pick up this book! Without giving away anything spoilerish, Helena answers a newspaper advertisement for a job at Abernathy’s Bookstore. Her first day on the job could easily be a contender for the Worst First Day at Work award 🏆 when her boss is murdered before giving her a handover or at least letting her know what her tasks will involve besides using a typewriter (!) to address labels to post the bookstore’s catalogue to customers.

Without having the foggiest idea what signing her employment contract actually means Helena’s life quickly becomes much more interesting, dangerous and bizarre than she could have imagined possible. Thankfully she has her best friend Viv to help with fashion choices, the blind date from hell, and some much needed “No, you’re not crazy. I believe you, girl!” chats.

During Helena’s first week at Abernathy’s she meets a plethora of customers, who range from gossipy curiosity to full blown rage at her appointment as Abernathy’s new custodian. It turns out Helena has stumbled into the middle of a war of the worlds (of sorts) that she knows nothing about.

It’s up to her to try to fast forward her training in a previously unknown magical world, all while dealing with the fallout of the unsolved murder of her boss and a murderer whose identity is a mystery. Some of the people Helena meets at Abernathy’s seem to be trying to help her learn the ropes, others are just waiting for her to fail and Helena doesn’t know who she can trust and whether she’s even the right person for the job.

There are so many characters, magical elements, reasons why Abernathy’s is the coolest bookstore in the history of the universe, plot points and hopes for future books in the series that I’d love to go into detail about but I can’t wreck your experience of this book with spoilers. 🤐 Please trust me when I tell you that there’s so much more to this book than I’ve told you.

I just have to say that I loved the writing, the characters, the mythology and of course, the bookstore, and I can’t wait to read the rest of this series. My favourite characters so far are Viv and Judy; Viv because she’s such a fun character and Judy because I can’t wait to see how her character unfolds throughout the series. Even though this is only the first book I can see this series becoming one of my favourites.

Food I Need in my Life After Reading This Book: Chocopocalypse cake 🍫 🍰 🤤

Melissa McShane, pretty please with an entire Chocopocalypse cake just for you on top, I don’t want to sound desperate - but I’m desperate! I need The Book of Peril in my life urgently. Hmm, what can I do to convince you?! Threaten to go to Abernathy’s and both categorise and alphabetise all of the books? Tell you my augury foretold it magically appearing on my Kindle overnight? Tell the familiars how lovely they look today? 😊

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Curiosity Quills Press for the opportunity to read this book.

A wonderful fantasy that kept me hooked till the end. I dont read many books about oracles!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Helena Davies is directionless and in desperate need of a job. Answering a newspaper ad for a position in a bookstore she finds herself thrust into a world she had no idea existed. On her first day her employer ends up dead in the basement and she finds herself custodian of Abernathy’s. The bookstore is in fact a living oracle. In a world where magic exists and beings from another dimension are hell bent on destroying the world.
With a colourful supporting cast Helena discovers more than just magic, she discovers herself.
The Book of secrets is an incredibly well-crafted, complex and powerful story that gripped me from first page to last. I am eagerly anticipating the next in the series.

McShane wrote a whimsical, magical tale about a magical bookstore and the normal, every day human that inherits it. Helena Davies needed a job. She never thought when she walked through the door of Abernathy’s Bookstore she would be swept into a world that she never knew existed. Finding your feet in a world where learning the magic around you means your survival, Helena must decide who she can trust, because there is a murder in their midst and a diabolical plan unfolding.

Fun, fast paced and filled with intriguing characters, The Book of Secrets captivates, entertains and keeps you guessing till the end.

I received this copy of The Book of Secrets from Curiosity Quills Press. This is my honest and voluntary review.

My Rating: 4.5 stars
Series: The Last Oracle
Sequence in Series: 1
Written by: Melissa McShane
Print Length: 213 pages
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Publication Date: February 18, 2018
Genre: Urban Fantasy | Paranormal

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Book-Secrets-L...

For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.

17 likes