I could rave about this book for hours and hours! Mystery, magic, books, binding, suspense, twists, dark and romance - ticked all the boxes for me. Victor was such a great character and the dynamic between him and Sophie evoked so many emotions! (wanted to give him a slap once or *coughs* twice! The characters, setting and storyline were in perfect sync and after reading the book - I listened to the audio version and that just made the whole experience even more enchanting! Blew me away 🤗📚

The Bookbinder's Daughter by Jessica Thorne

Narrated by: Charlie Norfolk Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins

This is the first book I have read by Jessica Thorne and I can highly recommend it. This book was a wow! It was beautifully written from start to finish, it was a wonderful and so magical read. I loved it especially as I had a chance to listen to the audio as well Charlie Norfolk was perfect for this beautiful audiobook.

I will be looking out for this author in the future........Perfect in every way. Thank you guys x

Big 5 Stars from me

Big Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture, and Bookouture Audio! for a digital and audio book copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Book Binder's Daughter by Jessica thorne is a bit of magical realism in modern times. Sophie gets to leave her abusive boyfriend when she is offered a job at the prestigious Ayredale Library which houses the rarest books. Soon she realizes she has a direct line to the Library. It is where her mother disappeared, she is the only one who can decipher the ancient spell books and the Library is not letting her leave.

The narrator Charlie Norfolk brings a dreamlike tone to her storytelling that is truly spellbinding. There is evil present. I never quite understood why but a magical library is always worth a visit.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from #bookouture via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

What a magical interesting story. I loved it. Never thought I would like this type of story. I just did not want to stop listening Thank you for my copy of this tale.

1.5
Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for providing me with a audiobook ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I'm at about the 20% mark and I'm going to have to put this aside, at least for now. I haven't decided if I am going to truly DNF this or maybe pick it up again at a later date but for now the writing is kind of getting on my nerves and I really don't want to continue. right now. Since this was an ARC I actually tried to give myself a few days break but after a week I really had no interest in picking the book back up and when I tried any way I only got through about 5 minutes before wanting to stop again.
My main issue is that the writing is a pretty heavy handed. There is absolutely no subtlety and as a reader it is almost insulting to my intelligence. At this point, it is distracting me from the plot. While I definitely noticed it pretty much right off the bat (There is a character that we spend like two seconds with right in the beginning of the book and I immediately thought " oh, that guy is bad news" and guess what? He was!)
For all I know this book has a great plot, but I can't even really make it that far to find out. The premise sounds interesting so maybe I will give it another try later. In the 20% I did listen to there were some interesting plot threads that were set up that I wouldn't mind seeing where they go. Therefore, I would say that if you don't mind being "told and not shown" and don't mind some repetitive descriptions this might be worth a shot.

It could have been a wonderful book, the plot is imaginative and the descriptions are magical. But it is far too repetitive and just keeps going over the same situations again and again. As soon as the story starts moving it immediately regressrd again to go over all the same ground from before. Does the author think we could have forgotten everything by turning a page, hence feel the need to keep repeating the whole story all over again? The main character is totally insipid, and spends all her time not knowing what to say and totally unable to move. She ends up being a hero simply by virtue of the blood within her, not by actually doing anything. All of the other characters are interesting and full of life. The library sounds wonderful and secrets within are fantastic

The book revolves around Sophie and her journey of discovering her mother in a hidden world unknown to her.
What I liked about this book:
World building-Dreamy is what I would like to describe this book. Not because of the strory, but because of the dreams, which were painted so beautifully that it was a world of its own.
Character building- Sophie is portrayed as a tacit but strong lady, a trait I really appreciate in a book.
Magic- always an additional benefit. We all need a little bit of magic in our lives to keep our hopes alive.
Adventure/drama- the book takes us through ups and downs.
The book was a real page turner and the bookbinder profession definitely intrigued me as I was unaware of the nuances of bookbinding. However that was something that drew me more towards the story.
I was given an audiobook by the publisher and netgalley. This was my second audiobook in a long time so it took me quite a while to finish. The narrator did a great job of producing different voices, though I found it a bit funny due to that but entertaining nonetheless.

Totally blown away by this book, I couldn’t read it fast enough. Loved everything about it. The simple love story wound itself gently through the main story which itself was a fascinating view on books, life, inspiration

I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of The Bookbinder's Daughter by Jessica Thorne. The story was set in a magical library, I have read a couple of books with a similar setting but still enjoyed this read. I would rate it four out of five stars and recommend this book to all fantasy lovers.

Who doesn't love a good book about books?

The Bookbinder's Daughter is a whimsical tale of one woman's journey of self-discovery and her yearning for a place to call home. I have always considered libraries to be places of wonder, where one can escape to a multitude of realities with just the turn of the page and, I believe the author perfectly encapsulated this ideology.

In The Bookbinder's Daughter, Sophie returns home, to the Ayrendale library, the place where she tragically lost her mother in a mysterious incident that has plagued her since childhood. As the library begins whispering to Sophie and secrets buried within the past start unraveling, Sophie begins learning the truth of her origins and is faced with the startling reality that everything is not as it seems.

My inner book lover rejoiced at the author's ability to bring the library alive. The worldbuilding, specifically as it relates to books stemming from a tree of knowledge that slowly trickles into the world to spur creativity and innovation was utterly brilliant. The author has a very lush and descriptive writing style that complimented the wonder of the storyline. This was further enhanced by the versatile and daresay quite posh voice of the narrator, Charlie Norfolk. There was a very welcoming and calming quality about the voice that enhanced the story for me.

While I enjoyed the narrative, I believe the secondary characters (Will, Tia, Sophie's uncle, the keepers, even the cat) deserved to be developed further as these backstories could have enriched the story that much more and added some context to the inner workings of the library. The writing also felt slightly monotone and repetitive in certain areas. I believe the first 60% of the book could have been compressed to make way for more expansion in the second half of the book where the real action starts unfolding. The last 5% of the book flew by and it was slightly confusing with all the ideologies and explanations being crammed into this short space.

I believe in the essence of this book and adore the concept and truly believe that with some adjustments to the execution, this story could be fantastic.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

It’s okay. The bookish bits are intriguing, at the first library. But things are just too convenient for me to believe how things settled in with the beginning of the second library. I read the audio version of this, and usually like audio books. But I just couldn’t get into the book. Other books jostled this one out of the way on my currently reading list, and I never finished it. I wanted to like it. I wanted to let it take me away. It just couldn’t. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

The Book Binder’s daughter is an interesting tale of a woman just getting out of a bad relationship, heading to the magical place she left when her mother was mysteriously killed. She has forgotten so much about her childhood there but it is all about to start come crashing back to her in unexpected ways.

The Ayredale Library is one of a kind. It houses a fantastic collection of rare books unlike any else in the world, the people who work there are quite unique and there is a magic tree just growing behind an arched door. When Sophie remembers more of her past and reconnects with her first love as well as the people in the library, she starts to remember more about the magical world she left behind and her place in it.

The ideas in this book are really good. I like the concept of the library and a goddess bound to it along with families that have looked after it for years. Sophie herself is someone you really like and want to protect. She has been through a lot and you can tell that all she has ever wanted is to be loved. She has some emotional scars coming out of an abusive relationship and sometimes it is hard since she just doesn’t trust herself. But I rooted for her the entire time hoping she would find the courage she needed to become the woman she was supposed to be.

I enjoyed the story but felt like it had much more potential than what was shown. The ideas of the world were really fantastic and could have been built out a little more.

Narration:

Charlie Norfolk is a new to me narrator but fit the style of the book and the English setting well. The characters came to life under their vocals and the performance was one that made me feel like I was at Ayredale library discovering all of it’s secrets too.

Family secrets and the library, heck yes! I loved the intrigue and the quest to learn more about the past. I will always love books about magical libraries, no matter how many I read.
While this one was enjoyable, it wasn't the best ever. It was a little of the road read for me, enjoyable but not super memorable.

I’m not sure what prompted me to pick up this book. Perhaps it was the captivating cover. Perhaps it was the title and gripping tagline. Whatever it may have been, I am so glad I did. I love the creativity in this story. There is so much more to Sophie than she realizes. Ayredale Library and Will have a way of drawing Sophie out and she begins to seek answers to long suppressed questions. The cadence picks up immediately and moves at a steady pace until the end. The magical nature of the tale is spellbinding. I had the added privilege of listening to an audio version and the narrator did a phenomenal job of capturing each of the characters, the mood, and the mystical nature of the tale.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own, freely given.

I was invited to listen to The Bookbinder's Daughter by Jessica Thorne by the publisher. This audiobook grabbed my attention from the very first chapter. It was haunting, interesting, magical and fun. The narrated voices were extraordinary and drew me into the story from the start. I could identify with Sophie and Will from the beginning, but kept trying to unravel the mystery of Sophie's mother and her disappearance. Half way through the book, I thought I had the mystery solved, but the wonderous twists and turns of the plot so cleverly created by Jessica Thorne kept me holding my breath until the very last word faded away. Half the fun of the story was trying to solve the puzzle of the mystery of the special collections and how all of the characters interconnected. What a truly enjoyable audiobook! I am going to read more books from Jessica Thorne. Wonderful, magical, intelligent and a must listen too audiobook!

I haven't read that many books dealing with magical libraries and I found the synopsis of this book quite interesting to give it a go. Plus, I opted for the audiobook and after listening to it I think I made the right choice. With an ancient library with antique, magical books and a magical Tree of Knowledge at its core, the book has plenty of twist and turns and interesting characters who all have a special purpose to serve and safeguard the library's secrets to keep the narrative engaging and the narrator Charlie Norfolk does a great job of bringing the whole book to life with her splendid narration. I particularly loved how the climax of the book was written and Charlie's narration helped me visualise the entire book in a much better way.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture Audio and the author Jessica Thorne for the audio ARC of the book.

Rating 5/5 ⭐️

I was given this audiobook from NetGalley and Bookouture for my honest review. 

First I want to say I didn’t think I would like this book at all. The synopsis had me a little iffy. However I am so happy that I listened to my friend and listened to this amazing, magical book. Then adding Charlie Norfolk as the narrator, wow really brought the book to life. 

Jessica Thornes attention to details really helped build this magical world, mixed with a little mystery and fantasy; pulls you in and keeps you on your toes the whole time. Then when it finally ends you wish it didn’t have to. The character development was phenomenal, and not just the main characters to see the growth in all of them. I do have to say watching Sophie's growth was the best, I felt that I could relate to her, all the pains & joys. I could understand all the confusion and wondering who is real and who is fake and I loved the build up because, that final bam was omg really! 

I loved the romantic parts of this book however I wish there could have been more, or more explanation. I felt that at some parts it was a little rushed. However the friendships, belonging and self discovery was beautifully interwoven throughout the book. 
I can not wait to read this book again. I feel as if you read it over and over you will discover more and more from this book.

I want to thank NetGalley, and bookouture for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

Thank you NetGalley, Jessica Thorne and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this book.

This book is narrated magically by Charlie Norfolk. I recommend the book for her performance alone. The premise of the book is extremely interesting. A magical tree created by a goddess... Sign me up. Sophie has issues. She was in an emotionally abusive relationship at the start of the book. She still has growth to do as she chooses to go after this abusive ex Victor instead of her new love at one point. She falls into her new relationship very quickly.

I loved Will and Tia as characters. It was sad to see a strong woman like Tia crumple over a man.

If this turns into a series I will be checking out the next book to see where this world goes next.

This was a fantastic read with plenty of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. The plot was well-paced and engaging to the end. the characters were complex and interesting. I highly recommend this great book! Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Bookbinder's Daughter. The intrigue, the evocative writing, and the wonderful characters kept me reading. I am a sucker for books that take place in libraries and the added touch of fantasy enhanced this story.

This wasn't a simple tale as it first appears, but there are many complex twists and turns that keep you guessing as to the outcome. I want to say more but don't want to give anything away. Jessica Thorne does an excellent job with this story and I will look for more of her books.

I listened to the audiobook and the reader does a great job. It is well modulated and her inflections helped maintain my interest. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook. #netgalley #thebookbindersdaughter