"The Burning Library" is a fun, dark academia read that I finished in two days. It begins with the death of Eleanor Bruton, a nondescript woman (wife and mother) who minded her own business. Until she stole a piece of embroidery and was murdered on a remote Scottish island. Slowly we find out about two rival groups, the goals of whom are to help women...but using vastly different methods. Honestly, most of the time I was thinking "can't we all just get along?". If the Larks and Katherines worked together, they would be able to achieve more than the constant bickering between each other...that had too much of a tidy conclusion for me.
I liked the character of Anya, but I wasn't super invested in anyone and a lot of them didn't have any backstory, aside from a brief introduction. It was an entertaining read, fun adventure that was about women for a change. But I probably wouldn't read again.

Gilly MacMillans’s last book was in 2023, “The Manor House,” which I considered a terrific “real estate” thriller (characters defined by their residences). “The Burning Library” is totally different, more of a historical action thriller that gives us two main characters, Anya Brown, a young translation wunderkind recently recruited to St. Andrews in Scotland to decipher obscure manuscripts, and London Detective Constable Clio Spicer, investigating the hit-and-run death of her just retired mentor and its subtle connection to the death of an old Scottish woman who was in possession of a stolen piece of torn medieval embroidery.

Even though the adage “when women support each other, incredible things happen” is mentioned, this thriller wasn’t a break from the centuries old evil patriarchy trope. The bad old dudes are still there. But it involves two rival groups of women, the Kats and the Larks, who resemble medieval mean girls doing sorority pranks that include murder. For centuries, both groups (a trad wife group, manipulating husbands and sons in the background, vs a more independent, forward facing, academically inspired group) have been in pursuit of a feminist masterpiece, the “Book of Wonders.” This almost makes this an enjoyable DaVinci Code chase (in Verona instead of Rome), with Anya as Robert Langdon, but there’s a forced race against time — a false sense of urgency to build a foundation building for the Larks and a library for a standard megalomaniac rich guy who collects old manuscripts and who is in cahoots with the Kats.

As the plot keeps presenting twists, I love the progression and historical revelations, but I was annoyed that Anya, a true talent, has a previously unknown familial relationship with her pursuers, which is only revealed as she runs for her life. She would have fared just as fine as an independent scholar. Her significant other, Sid, is a true hero, and once Clio connects with the couple late in the novel, we have decent characters to root for.

It is a delight when you can Google Clio, Anya, and Sid’s paths around Italy (such as the particular hypogeum mentioned), in order to see the same visual clues Anya is deciphering. That puts this thriller in league with Dan Brown’s symbologist hero, and it would be nice to see Anya take on another medieval puzzle in the future. 4.5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO But much about “lantern eyes.”
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO There is an intriguing reference to Shakespeare’s “coronet weeds” (Ophelia’s flower crown).

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

(3.75/5 stars)
The Burning Library offers an intriguing blend of historical mystery and modern thriller, centered around a centuries-old secret and the fierce rivalry between two powerful women’s organizations. The layered storytelling — weaving between Eleanor’s death, Anya’s translation work, and Clio’s detective work — creates a slow-building tension that keeps you turning pages.

I enjoyed the atmospheric Scottish setting and the detailed world of medieval manuscripts, which added a rich texture to the story. The concept of these two groups battling over control in different ways was fresh and thought-provoking.

That said, the pacing sometimes faltered, with some sections feeling a bit dense or dragging, which made it harder to stay fully engaged at times. Some characters could have used a bit more depth to fully connect with their motivations and stakes.

Still, the mystery itself is solid, and the way the threads come together toward the end offers satisfying payoffs. If you like a thoughtful, slower-burning thriller with historical layers and feminist themes, this one’s worth a read.

A predictable sort of mystery that really wasnt for me. Thanks for the opportunity to read and good luck with the book.
I had not read this author before and might try again. this one was just so so

“The Burning Library” is a dark academia-esque novel centered around two rivaling groups of women, the Kats and the Larks. The prologue sets the stage for a search spanning centuries where the stakes are deadly. The protagonist, Dr. Anya Brown, has a photographic memory and research focus on ancient manuscripts, and is tasked with a new job prospect decoding a library of texts by a mysterious benefactor.

This book had all the right ingredients for the kind of thriller I love - secret societies where you can trust no one, a lost artifact with big implications if found, an enigmatic manuscript derived from a real-life mystery. The multiple POV chapters made the story more engaging and allowed the reader to make new discoveries along with the characters from different perspectives. There was obviously a great deal of research put in by the author regarding several historical texts, architecture, and European history and geography.

Ultimately, though, the story fell flat for me. The motivation behind the rivaling women’s groups did not seem fully fleshed out and left me wanting more by the end. The premise of the book had so much potential but with not enough payout. In my opinion, the protagonist was too smart to make so many poor errors in judgement, and several characters seemed to have been forgotten or left by the wayside without a conclusion to their arcs.

Overall, I appreciate the amount of work that went into this interesting story and believe that readers who enjoy historical mysteries and fast-paced thrillers will fly through this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I find Macmillan to be a must-read author on my long list of them! I was happy to accept this ARC from NetGalley. I didn't love the story, though. I found that there was too much happening, which kept me from connecting with the characters and plot. Perhaps I will pick it up at another time and have a different feeling. Thank you!

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I wasn’t quite sure how I would feel about this one after reading the premise but I found that I really enjoyed it. This author always finds interesting ways to pop in twists to the book and I found it super intriguing to follow along.

Two ancient societies, made entirely of women, are secretly forces moving history, and they both desperately want something. Dr. Anya Brown had been hired by an Institute to study rare manuscripts, but there is something not quite right.

This novel had a fun but creepy race around Europe, finding clues in art, poetry, and books in a similar manner to The Da Vinci Code or National Treasure. However, there was a lot of secretive power that was not believable and the purpose of the groups’ desire for this book was unconvincing.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the arc!

I recently read The Burning Library by Gilly Macmillan. This is the story of a young woman, Anya. She is in love with her boyfriend, Sid, and academically is at the top of her game. Dr. Anya Brown is an expert in ancient texts. In fact, she recently was able to translate the baffling Folio 9. Now she is in high demand, being offered positions at various Universities. Sadly, Anya's mom is ill, and she hates to leave her, but fortunately she has a trusted caregiver. After much deliberation Anya accepts a role at the Institute of Manuscript Studies at St. Andrew in picturesque Scotland. The offer is just too good to turn down. They are offering her renovated cottage housing, lots of time for research, even a job for Sid. Soon, things start to unravel. The manuscripts involve an ancient feud by controlling women's groups. Their reach is wide, silent, and deadly. You never know who is a member of one of these groups or which side they are on. Anya, now put in the middle, must discover the truth about these secrets and ancient rivalry before it destroys everything she holds dear.

This story is amazing. It has a great many characters, but they are easy to follow. Each person is well defined and plays an important role. The book moves quickly with a plot that will have you thinking action movie, thriller, and a very old unsolved mystery, all in one. Very suspenseful. A great read. I will be first in line to purchase Gilly Macmillan's next book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing for the early copy. I am so very grateful.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. The Burning Library by Gilly Macmillan was unfortunately a miss for me. There seemed to be a lot going on. I wasn’t really able to connect to the characters or to the motivations behind what they were doing. I just wanted to be done. I considered DNF but kept pushing though hoping things would click.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️
Publication Date: November 18, 2025

#TheBurningLibrary #NetGalley

Filled with dead bodies, suspicious characters aplenty and a circular plot that just goes round and round, The Burning Library is an ambitious literary attempt to create a dark tale going back centuries, somewhat reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code. Hidden clues in old manuscripts are sought by two opposing groups of cutthroat women in two organizations willing to kill their opponents in a race to the finish. The setting is England and Scotland, replete with dark dingy old houses, monasteries and churches and other places that gave me the creeps.

Anya, a student at the university is given an opportunity upon graduation to work for a group that is trying to decipher old manuscripts to break the code in a hidden book that conceals a secret so valuable that it’s worth killing for. I was never one hundred percent sure what that secret was. Anya relocates from England to Scotland with her boyfriend Sid, leaving behind her beloved dying mother. Once there, it becomes clear that something is terribly wrong. Others have gone missing and she slowly understands that her job is not what she thought it to be.

Macmillan did her research. And for that she deserves praise. The problem for me was that I was unable to identify with or even completely know any character. They were superficial stereotypes of their roles in the plot. The story itself was so convoluted that I lost track of where it was going at many points. To be truthful, I never became personally invested in the story but I did read until the end

Two little stars for an author who did her homework and can write more engrossing thrillers than this turned out to be. My thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my review. Publication date is November 18, 2025. You might like it better than I did.

The following review was posted on Goodreads on 06.01.25:

With one exception, I've really enjoyed Gilly Macmillan's mystery/thriller novels. I get excited every time a new one is announced. Bookish books always appeal to me, so the fact that THE BURNING LIBRARY has a literary element made me even more anxious to read it. Turns out, this novel is Macmillan's most ambitious and cerebral one yet, something that actually turned me off a little in the beginning. Once I got going with the plot, though, I found myself engrossed in the story. The tension and conflict kept me reading, even though THE BURNING LIBRARY ended up being a disappointing read for me overall.

I know nothing at all about rare, antique books, so that was an interesting subject to learn about, especially since Macmillan offers enough detail to set the stage but not so many that it bogged down the story. Other than the monetary value of the books at the heart of the story, I didn't really get why the Larks and the Kats wanted them badly enough to do all they did to get them. That premise never rang very true to me. It also made most of the women in the novel seem like cold, self-serving, greedy b*tches who cared nothing for the value of human life. I couldn't connect with them at all or even understand why they would go to such lengths for an old book. That made zero sense to me.

The only characters in the novel that I liked were the ones who showed some regard for people besides themselves, namely: Anya, Sid, Rose, and Clio. Anya makes for a sympathetic, likable heroine. I cared about her plight and wanted her to find real success away from the warring secret societies.

Unlike Macmillan's other mysteries, this one doesn't have a "whodunit" element. You know from the beginning who the bad guys are. Even the identity of the Kats' leader isn't much of a surprise. The tension and the conflict in the novel come from the cat-and-mouse game Anya plays with some very dangerous women. Still, the plot lacks the suspense of other mysteries where you don't know who is behind all the bad stuff that is happening. I would have liked more mystery in this novel to make it more of a suspenseful page turner.

As for the ending...meh. It's weirdly abrupt and not very satisfying. I wanted an Epilogue to show what happens next, especially concerning Anya and her relationship to the secret societies. I'm not a fan of open endings, so this one felt very dissatisfying to me.

Overall, then, I found THE BURNING LIBRARY to be a disappointment. There are a lot of nasty, unlikable, flat characters whose motives made little sense to me. The plot doesn't have as much mystery and suspense as I would have liked. With a dissatisfying ending, tell-y prose, and an overall kind of blahness to it, I found this book to be a pretty meh read for me. Bummer because I really am a big Macmillan fan. Bummer.

If this were a movie, it would be rated: R for strong language, violence, and blood/gore

2 stars

For well over a century two societies of women women with very different viewpoints, the Order of St. Katherine, who believe that women exert power and influence through their control of their husbands and other men and the Fellowship of the Larks who want women to have their own positions of power (there is no question which one I would be in, and I wonder if, in any way, this is meant to mirror our current political divide) have been battling for control of a manuscript, the Book of Wonders. Apparently it will…give power? Improve lives? This is not clear at all and really lessens by enjoyment of the book.

Dr. Anya Brown has just graduated from Oxford and has received much acclaim for translating an ancient folio; she has her pick of great jobs. She is intrigued by an offer from the Institute of Manuscript Studies in St. Andrews and going there would mean a job for her fiancé and allow her to stay close to her ailing mother.

Meanwhile, at Scotland Yard, Clio Spencer is looking into the death of her mentor, which she believes is linked to the two women’s organizations.

This book is rather like a beautifully gift wrapped package with nothing in it. Again, both groups are desperate for the manuscript, but why? Both groups claim to help women, but there is no indication that they do anything other than assist the moneyed, powerful women who are already members, and I’m assuming that’s what they will continue to do, but none of this is explained or really even touched on. It’s like the author thought that having secret societies and a quest was enough, nothing more necessary. So, the book was well-written, but there was no there there.

I didn't love it. I was super confused as to what the theme was - women empowerment, protecting history, murder, and / or family issues. There was to much happening and what seemed like it could have been a great story got lost in way to many storylines.

Great writer but I really could not get into this story. Thanks for the opportunity to read but it was just not for me. Good Luck with the boo.

This was an unexpectedly wild ride! Multiple murders, secret, underground gangs of women, art, books, handicrafts! Family drama! The book started off a little slow but once it got rolling it was a fun time. I liked the detective and the reveals were entertaining.

3.5/5 rounded down to a 3

Eleanor Bruton's death appears to be mysterious and unexpected, as she is believe to have lived an ordinary, risk-free life. However her death is not what it appears and Dr. Anya Brown and Detective Clio Spicer are on a collision course to finding out the truth behind her death.

A combination of dark academia and a suspenseful thriller definitely intrigued me as a combination I've never explore before and I found myself really enjoying the genre combination more than I expected. I found the twists to be good and unexpected, always what I'm looking for in a book. However, I found this book to have too many narrators and to be overly wordy. In addition, I discovered I am personally not a fan of medieval settings in books.

Overall, a solid read and may be more appealing if the dark academia and historical fiction appeal to you!

I just finished a great book. The Burning Library by Gilly Macmillan is available this fall. Pick it up! You won’t regret it!

I found this book to be so slow. I didn’t find it to be a page turner. I just kept putting it down. There were definitely some twists but nothing that really had me on the edge of my seat wanting more. I’m glad I was able to finish it but it definitely wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley, William Morrow and Gilly for the eARC!

Rating: ✨✨
Publication Date: November 18 2025

#TheBurningLibrary #NetGalley