The Bookbinder’s daughter is the 2nd book that I have read of Jessica Thorne’s. The 1st being The Lost Girls of Foxfield Hall. I really enjoyed that book and was excited to get an advance copy of The Bookbinder’s daughter.

The Bookbinder’s daughter follows Sophie, a bookbinder like her mother. Her mother disappeared when she was young and she has been mostly alone ever since. Then her uncle Edward shows up and invites her to the Ayredale library where she lived as a child and fromwhere her mother disappeared. The Library itself seems like a character in this book, and as a lover of books I really enjoyed that aspect. There were shades of Deborah Harkness’ All Souls Trilogy about this novel, but I have to say I enjoyed this novel more. It was an nice escapist novel. The mysteries around the library and Sophie’s mothers disapparance were intriguing and kept me guessing, plus the cover was beautiful. The publisher’s art department is fantastic with covers.

All in all this book was a great way to enjoy an afternoon immersed in another world, and a world of books and magic at that!

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher Bookouture and the author Jessica Thorne, for the chance to read and review this book.

Great premise with books and magic and missing memories.

Sophie lost her mother 15 years ago but wasn't well right after, and her memory of what happened is missing.

The book has all the elements I need- libraries and mysteries and a reconnection with the past. It had characters to root on and a suspenseful trail to follow. I was invested in Sophie and her quest to figure out the secrets of the Ayredale Library.

While I highly recommend this book if any of this sounds like your reading go-tos, I had a few negatives, none of which kept me from finishing the book. Some of the characters were flat, and a few of the plot points were not needed for the story to be complete.

Thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture for the ARC.

Spellbinding doesn’t even begin to describe this book.
I have always been interested in well-written “otherworldly” novels. Some stories that deal with magic are fanciful and some are downright ridiculous. I believe that there is magic all around us and some people are more in-tune with it than others.
I guess, in other words, I like a little bit of realism with my magic.
And that is why I absolutely loved this book.
The author has created a story within a world that I found to be entirely plausible. The characters were realistic and “normal”…until they weren’t. And everything made sense to me, as I accepted it as it was told.
As I mentioned, I am very open to that sort of thing, so it was easy for me. But I think that even skeptics could enjoy the book as a fantasy novel – again, because of the realism.
I liked Sophie’s character. She seemed like an unfinished book to me (fitting, because of her profession and the focus of the story). Her story was being written as the story played out. It was an effective story-telling method.
Her life was broken into two parts: childhood memories of the Library and her adult life after she and her father left the Library. With a big gap of missing memory for the transition.
There’s a reason for that, and the author wisely gives the reader hints and drops clues as Sophie herself tries to recover her past.
One of the things that struck me – again, adding to the realism – is that Sophie questions her memories of childhood. Her father never spoke of them, and she is left wondering if she had imagined any of it or if it was real.
I think we all do that. How much of our memories are actually our own and how much are from what people have told us about what they remember? And if nobody talks to us about our memories, then it is natural for us to question whether or not they are real.
I also liked the way that the author rolled out the information. As I mentioned, there were just enough hints for the reader to grasp the underlying current, but the bigger reveals happened at just the right moments.
I guess that’s just another way to say that the pace and plotting was well-done.
I don’t usually like to mention other author’s books in a review, but this case needs the exception. One of my favorite books (and series) is A Discovery of Witches. I can re-read it repeatedly and always find something new.
I got the same vibe from very early on in this book (from both the plot itself and the way the story was told. I kept thinking about how I couldn’t wait to read it again and discover new aspects I didn’t catch the first time around.
I really enjoyed this author’s The Lost Girls of Foxfield Hall and liked this one even better. I very much look forward to more from this author!

This was an intriguing read, something a bit out of my comfort zone, I like magical realism but this was definitely a bit darker than I'd normally read.

Sophie is a bookbinder and after a split from her boyfriend ends up back in Ayredale Libary, with it's collection of the finest rare books in the world, but also where her mother disappeared one day never to be seen again.  Sophie and her parents used to live there, but after her mother disappeared her father moved them both away and wouldn't speak of it ever again.  But Sophie's uncle still works there and persuades her back there to work, but also because she's meant to be there.

There's lots of undercurrents and not all the people are quite what they seem, and Sophie slowly starts remembering events and people from her childhood there and realising that she has certain abilities that she hadn't realised she had.

So whilst intriguing I did lose a little bit of interest in the middle, but there was certainly lots happening towards the end!  More fantasy than magical realism with some very strange things happening.

I honestly wanted to read this book because of the cover and once I saw the blurb I just knew that I had to read it. I liked Sophie and I enjoyed watching her evolve into a force that was to be reckoned with. The Book Binder’s Daughter is an absolutely stunning book that is filled with love, secrets, sacrifice, magic, lost memories and second chances.

I find it hard to resist a book about a library, and when it is a magical library, then I am 100% sold! Jessica Thorne’s wonderfully imaginative creation is a library like no other, and once I stepped through it’s doors with Sophie, I knew I never wanted to leave.

The library is an ever changing beast, sometimes delightfully mysterious, other times dark and sinister. The inhabitants of the library are equally enigmatic. From vibrant Tia, to Titivillus, the library cat, there is more to uncover about each and every character than initially meets the eye. In particular for me, it was love at first sight with Will, and I was eager to uncover his secrets..

I have always wanted to try my hand at book binding and a job restoring damaged books in a mysterious library sounds like heaven. I would love to see the Mortlake grimoire, it sounds so beautiful, not to mention all of the other shelves full of rare books house within the library.

The mention of Elias Ashmole and the School of Night put me instantly in mind of one of my favourite book series, the All Souls Trilogy, and made me hopeful I would love this book just as much. Deborah Harkness is a tough act to follow, but luckily Jessica Thorne did not disappoint (having read some of her previous work, I was confident this would be the case). I feel like there is a lot more to come from the library, and I am hopeful for a follow up book soon!

What a wonderful book, it was so interesting and so different to other books I have read about libraries. This had had a touch of magic about it which gets my vote every time. I loved the characters and the air of mystery hitch ran through the whole book. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Sophie is trapped in her life by the mystery of her mother’s disappearance, the strained relationship she had with her late father and now by her controlling and patronising boyfriend Victor. Then a mysterious letter arrives from her Uncle Edward, inviting her to work alongside him at the Ayreshire library - library of rare and unusual books. Suddenly Sophie finds herself heading back to the place where her mother disappeared, a place that is a black hole in her memory. Can she find out what happened all those years ago?

On paper, this should be my perfect book… it’s a book about books after all with elements of mystery, secrets, a magical library, a budding romance and an enchanted tree.

It’s certainly an atmospheric read but for some reason I never became fully engaged with the plot of the characters. I kept waiting for the book to get under my skin but even at 60% through, I was struggling and it didn’t hold my interest.
I kept reading, only to find the ending unbelievable and rushed with very little character development for Sophie. As much as I wanted to love this book I was just disappointed with it.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion.

A charming YA fantasy novel.

Sophie is a bookbinder. She lost her mother when she was young and recently she lost her father. Het relationship with Victor comes to an end when she finds out he is cheating on her. Her uncle Edward comes to the rescue and offers her a job and a place to live in the library of Ayredale, the special collection. She lived here when she was young with her parents, but she forgot all about it. Now memories are coming back. She’s home again, but is she safe?

It’s a charming story of finding true love again, and finding the place where you belong. In a combination of books and magic it’s a lovely story to read. Bad versus good and full of mystery, it keeps you reading till the end.

📚 I really enjoyed this one. It’s a fun, magical world centered around books so what’s not to love? The Aryendale Library really came to life, making me wish it was a real place.

Sophie is our a lovable main character surrounded by a cast of characters all hiding their own secrets that kept me eagerly reading, wanting to find out more. The book had the right amount of intrigue and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened.

I only wish I would have gotten a little more backstory on Tia and Will as they were so interesting and had so many more layers to them and we only got to see a few.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Takeaway: a fun, magical bookish world filled with mystery, secrets and intrigue.

Review in 10-ish words: Strong start to the story with cool imagery throughout. 3/5

Synopsis:
After losing her mother and then her father, Sophie is feeling lost. Living with a boyfriend who treats her like garbage, holding down her job and trying desperately to remember her childhood memories so she can get some answers.

Her absentee uncle shows up at her job to whisk her back to where it all began: Ayredale Library. People would KILL to work there, amongst the finest collection of rare books in the world.

Her return to Ayredale will raise more question than it answers.. not to mention the reappearance of a childhood love. Can she find out what happened to her mother and finally move on?

My thoughts:
I love a good library as much as the next person and Ayredale sounds like a bloody treat to work and live in! This book had a really strong start. I was super intrigued.. I love how Sophie left her old life and stumbled into this magical library.

Sophie herself was a little shallow in terms of her character, I didn't really connect with her or Will. I really enjoyed Tia as a side character though!

There is a lot of secret keeping.. and the reader experience a lot of being told there are secrets, which at time got a little old.

All in all, it's a good 'rainy afternoon and need an escape' kind of read- you can escape inside the walls of a really old, cool building for a little and be kept entertained.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an ebook of this read in exchange for my honest review

The magic throughout this book took me away to another place along with Sophie and Will. The emotions were so raw and I could feel that undying love that they had for each other. Yet there was always something go on in the background, but I couldn't put my finger on it. This story about a bookbinder's daughter lets you escape the real world and join in the fantasy land of Ayredale. The characters you meet along the way all play an important role throughout and lead you more into the library.

This was fun and interesting. Its genuinely a good 'refresher' book and the cover and absolutely stunning - coming from someone who doesn't often like real people on covers. Honestly,there isn't much to say. I enjoyed the writing. I enjoyed the characters. It was good, not necessarily memorable. I do want to buy it anyway so the cover can be in my collection!

The magic of a library cannot be underestimated and this novel tries to bring that to life. Sophie is a book binder with a traumatic past and is struggling to find her path. The surprise return of her uncle and a job offer in one of the most prized book collections is the kickstart she needs. An engaging story.

2,5/5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This book is average. Nothing more, nothing less. I was hooked in the first half but the second half really, really disappointed me. The last sentence is what made me give more than 1 star. I liked the concept, characters and worldbuilding. However, nothing about the plot is even close to enough. Everything is so messy and confusing for absolutely no reason.

Reading this book, I did not hate it. Which is probably a good thing.

The review is very short because the book itself is short and mostly empty.

Except for Harry Potter (which I am an ardent fan of), I haven't had much interest towards Sci-fi/Fantasy genre. But seeing the book cover of this book (which I thought was pretty) and decided to try out the new genre, I decided and requested for this ARC.

Sophie gets a job at the library where her mother used to be the bookbinder. As she arrives at the place, a magical tree inside the library, she can hear voices and she is the only one who seem to hear the voices.

Truth to be told, I must say, the plot was interesting. The writing was beautiful and the author did a good job of captivating the reader to the story, making the reader feel like they are inside that magical library. The characters are OK and I do like the chemistry between Will and Sophie, as Sophie try to remember the memories she had in that magical library. As this is the first time I am reading the book from this author, I actually got fascinated with the whole story. The ending was OK.

Overall, it was OK book but then me being not much of a fantasy and sci fi lover, I actually liked this book and looking forward to read more books from this author.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

3.5-4 stars This book hooked me from the beginning. What’s not to love about a magical library and a girl whose called by the magic within?!

I feel like there were aspects that were rushed (the ending could have used a couple more chapters I think) and I would have liked more magical world building, but overall a good read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

3.5 Hearts I actually enjoyed most of this book. The idea was very fresh and interesting. Any bibliophile would love living in a library and this would be a great one to stay at.

About Sophie. I had a bit of a problem with her. At times she seems so independent and at other times a wet dish cloth. I can appreciate that she and Will were able to rekindle a first love so quickly but it seems odd that she was ever even in love with Victor. She was just a doormat to him.

I enjoyed the “suspense” part of the story. Trying to figure out why one day her mom was there and the next day not. Why can she read a magical spell book when no one else can.

I felt that the library was in and of itself a character. And I wish there had been more magic in the special area of the library.

I think this story had a lot of potential and lived up to some of it.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

If you believe libraries are a place full of magic and mystery and wonder, then this book is for you! Get a glimpse into the quality and care behind the binding of rare and antique books. Feel immersed in the grand sweeping staircases and stained glass windows of the library's architecture. Find that feeling of 'home' literary lovers feel when they are surrounded by a world of books.

The story follows Sophie, a talented book binder, as she returns to the Ayredale Library, the home of her childhood. But as she begins to inmerse herself in her work, the strangeness and mystery of the library, and her mother's disappearance, begin to come to light around her. And when Sophie discovers she is the only one that can read the strange language in some of the library's rare and antique books, the mystery behind one of the library's locked doors begins to draw Sophie towards the answers she's been looking for.

A truly magical, mysterious tale that hits all of a library lover's curiosities and desires.

Expected release date: September 21, 2021

As an information science student who wants to work with rare books, I was really excited for this book. Unfortunately, I felt that while the descriptions of the work were spot on and beautiful, and the prose itself was extremely well written, the pacing of the plot was too slow, and then too rushed. I also felt that the romance between Sophie and Will was underdeveloped, and I never found myself attached to Sophie as a character at all.