I have been wanting to read this book for a while and I’m glad I finally did! It’s an urban romantasy with a strong female lead, interesting magic, and plenty of lore which I ate right up. There was pretty much every type of monster or magical being I know (and then some). The surprises unveiled at the end just kept on coming, the perfect balance of satisfying answers and new questions making me excited for The Robin on the Oak Throne, coming out next month. Perfect timing.

I received a digital copy from Entangled Publishing, plus listened to the audiobook while reading. The narrator really added to the story, voicing each character distinctly. I highly recommend the audio! 💖

Definitely bingeable: it's Beauty and the Beast meets Batman meets the Avengers. Once you make it through the first section/volume, it’s hard to put down!!! It is creatively engaging and has some great topics to discuss.

Right in the beginning, we are thrown into the action. Our FMC, Kierse (like Pierce) is a believable and likable thief! We learn of her journey slowly, as she learns it/reveals it to us, and how she's survived through this post-apocalyptic world of monsters.

Our MMC Graves ends up being this mysterious benefactor, and poses as a sort of parallel to Kierse. He and Kierse have broad emotional spectrums in this book, in my opinion.

The beginning and end were a bit slower paced for me. Once I finished the first section, and encountered the first interlude, I was seriously hooked. That interlude shows you almost like a second camera/storyline - I looked forward to each one! Some word choices seemed out of place and took me out of the story. Other than that, if you love NYC, you probably would really enjoy that this gritty, dystopian fantasy of monsters vs humans takes place right in the Big Apple.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Riki Cleveland for gifting me an eARC that I won through a contest, with no requirement to post a review. I also had my own physical copy of this book.

The twists and turns had me wanting to not stop reading. I throughly enjoyed this twist on this beauty and the beast. We meet Kierse, a fierce thief who is loyal to a fault and only wants to protect her family. Graves was dark and broody and had his reasons to not entirely trust. But when Kierse comes into the picture it was fun to watch his walls (and Kierse’s) fall. It was such an adventure and I can’t wait to find out what’s going to happen next. If you enjoy morally gray MMC/FMC, slow burn, dystopian, enemies to lovers, heist plot, found family, interesting magic/ Celtic ties then this one is for you!

Thank you Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read this with you!

This was an amazing read! The world building was easy to understand and as the world opened up more, it did not overcomplicate things. There was so much hidden messages, Easter eggs and meaning that made me devour this! I loved Kierse and Graves dynamic and how their relationship developed.

Thank you so much to Red Tower/Entanglement publishing for sending me this Ebook. I am so excited for the next one in this series!

4.5 ⭐️
1.5 🌶

What to expect:
✨ forced proximity
✨ hidden powers
✨ found family
✨ morally grey MMC
✨ she’s a thief
✨ unique magical world
✨ enemies-to-lovers-to?
✨ magical heists
🚨 Check TWs 🚨

The first chapter had me HOOKED. Kierse is a master thief, and when she encounters Graves for the first time, I just knew I was really going to enjoy their dynamic.

There is a lot of complexity/layering when it comes to the plot of the story, and Graves is a master of mystery and sharing just enough information to keep you interested. Every interaction Kierse has with Graves feels like a chess match and he’s at least three moves ahead at all times.

How many secrets does Grave have and is he the hero or the villain of Kierse’s story? Hmmm…

The tension between Graves and his Wren is intense, the slow burn building with every encounter, and when it combusts… 🔥🔥🔥

With this, why do I also find myself rooting for Lorcan and Kierse? There is a bond there, nothing solid in any way, abut a yearning, and I love a man who yearns!

The world-building is interesting, giving a dystopian fantasy feel almost like Crescent City. There were some parts of the book that were a little hard to follow due to the amount of information that was being given, but overall it was enjoyable. My only regret is that I had to stop and start reading multiple times due to family commitments.

Overall, I cannot wait for book 2 to come out!

Who knows, maybe Lorcan isn’t the bad guy we all think he is…?

This is a great read for new adult to adult readers. I really loved the enemies to lovers vibe that went through the whole book. I loved the how the fictional world mixed fantasy and real world perspectives together. I also like how the main character found herself throughout the trials and tribulations she faced in this story.

A slow burn romance in this magically induced whimsical adventure of gods and lore. Such an intriguing and original storyline to capture the interest of the reader. I love all the twists and turns within the plot.

Why read this book?
✔️ Beauty and the Beast retelling
✔️ Dark romantasy
✔️ Celtic mythology
✔️ Monsters vs. humans
✔️ Dangerous heist
✔️ Morally gray MMC
✔️ Tortured hero
✔️ Stabby FMC
✔️ Magical creatures
✔️ Enemies to lovers
✔️ Spice 🌶️
✔️ Touch her and 💀
✔️ Forced proximity
✔️ Found family

This story! Wow. K.A. Linde's writing absolutely shines in this electrifying, fast-paced, action-packed story with an addicting romantasy world that I couldn't help but be enraptured with. The characters, the plot, the romance were all so well written and developed. This is already a top read for me for the year and I cannot wait for book 2! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I read this book with the Entangled Insiders Read Along and I loved it to much I finished before I was supposed to! The Wren in the Holly Library is a quick read, with TONS of exciting unique lore, lovable characters, lots of diversity, loyal friendships, and even a cat named Anne Boleyn. It all takes place in an Alternate NYC where monsters have taken over, and a monster treaty has been put in place to keep monsters from killing humans, and vice versa. The main character, Kierse, is a thief with an attitude and unparalleled thieving skills. She’s assigned to steal a gem from Graves, a super hot mysterious monster, who enlists her into a heist of his own. Graves definitely gives shadow daddy (no shadow powers- but he’s got the personality of a shadow daddy), with a soft spot for his new associate. And Kierse has a lot to learn about working with monsters AND even her true identity. This book was a BLASTTTTT. So quick to read, kept my attention the whole time, and it even had 2 spicy scenes (easily skipped if that’s not your jam). Thank you to entangled insiders and Riki for the gifted ebook to read!!! Loved loved loved!

i thoroughly enjoyed this book! i like that there was spice, but it didn’t take away from the plot. i like that it was more so a sub plot romance kinda thing. the ending was a little cheesy, but it was pretty good. i would def read more if there’s a second book coming out.

The story started out kind of slow for me and side commentary going in her head was exhausting throughout the whole book. However it did pick up and was a quick read. I enjoyed the interludes rather than a flip flop to a different character. It gave you more to the story with having to fully diverge into their storyline. I feel the history of her magic and about wrens could have be involved more another few chapters to really explain the characters history and how it plays into the storyline.

4 stars ⭐️ I loved this book! It was easy to follow and the world building was so fun! I loved Kierse as the FMC but I wish we’d gotten more chemistry between her and Graves! Patiently waiting for book 2 after that ending!!

What to expect:
- enemies to lovers
- forced proximity
- monsters
- celtic mythology

This is my first read from KA Linde but it will not be the last. I loved this book. Graves and Kierce were amazing together. Their chemistry was hot. It really sneaks up on you. I feel like we learn to trust along with them throughout the progression of the story. I enjoy the side characters, since you never really knew anyone motives in this world I was continually surprised, You never knew who to trust because sometimes you couldn’t even trust your own point of view. The monsters here were interesting mix because you never knew if the real “monsters” were. The humans or monsters. And ending was fabulous. Cannot wait for the sequel.

Thank you to entangled media and KA Linde for this ARC.

This is a book that you regret waiting to read! I got it as part of a book box subscription but never picked it up to read. The sequel comes out soon so I decided to give it a go. Man was I mad at myself for waiting!

Kierse lives in a human world amongst very real monsters. The book follows her on a journey as she steals from the wrong monster and her life is thrown into chaos.

It took me about 20 chapters to really get captivated by this book, but once I was hooked I couldn’t stop reading. There's kind of a student/teacher romance but not in a creepy weird way. Elements of the book really gave me A Discovery of Witches vibes and Graves for sure reminded me of Matthew Clairmont.

I love that the book blended magic and fairy tails and blurs the lines between real magic being in plain sight if you know what to look for.

3.75 ⭐️

This book was such a fun, action-packed, fast paced, bingeable dystopian romantasy. There is nothing revolutionary about it. Just a standard cliche new adult urban fantasy read, in a good way. Just enjoyed it for what it is.

I read this as a read along, and I honestly think that made it more fun. Just a bunch of girls enjoying a fun book. Reading this book in a silo wouldn’t have been as great of a time.

I also chose to do immersion reading with the audiobook and ebook. Stephanie Németh-Parker does a fantastic job narrating the story. Her ability to make each character feel individual was impeccable. This provided so much ambiance to enhance my reading experience.

This book had one of my new favorite troupes - found family. I loved Kierse’s devotion and love for her friends, Gen and Ethan. This needed more developing though. It’s one of the better elements of the story. There is a reveal about them at the end and it is something I hope Book Two explores more.

I also find the magic system to be intriguing. It needs a lot more fleshing out in Book Two, but it has the makings to be something interesting to explore and unravel.

I wished the romance built up more seamlessly between the main characters. They are suppose to be fated, but I wish we saw more of them falling in love on the page. They make more sense as mentor/mentee, so the jump into a physical relationship was abrupt. They go from simply thinking each other is hot to “you are my person” too fast for how little they interacted outside of their heist training and planning.

I don’t love the relationship histories of the characters, especially Graves. It doesn’t fit for how particular and orderly he is for his love life to be all over the place. Literally everyone hate him and they are his enemies. He seems to be too by the book for that to be the case. It would have made more sense if he kept to himself and didn’t pursue relationships at all.

One thing I do hope for is that this doesn’t become a love triangle. It’s hinted at here and there, but selfishly I would prefer the main characters figured out their trust issues and differences and pushed forward together.

I also could have done with less monsters. I couldn’t keep up, but that just might be a me thing. I prefer to stick to one or two magical creatures per book/series. Since it is clear in the blurb, I didn’t factor this into my rating.

I do wish we had more consequences in the book. Whether it is villains, deaths, betrayals, etc, all is forgiven and forgotten rather quickly. It would be more impactful to the story if the decisions made altered the trajectory of the main characters’ journey more. Mostly things are glossed over.

Just as an aside, one person wrote that this reads like a CW show, and I would agree. I wouldn’t say that’s a bad thing, I do love a good CW show. Just don’t expect too much from it and enjoy the ride.

Overall, I will keep reading and I’m looking forward to Book Two.

What to expect:
🗡️ Dystopian Romantasy
❤️‍🔥 Beauty and The Beast Retelling
🗡️ Celtic Mythology
❤️‍🔥Forced Proximity
🗡️Heist
❤️‍🔥Touch Her and 💀
🗡️Now You Work for Me
❤️‍🔥Spicy
🗡️Magical Monsters in NYC
❤️‍🔥Found Family

Thank you Entangled Publishing for my complimentary copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have had this book on my never-ending tbr since it came out, but it was never really at the top. I wanted to read it but other books kept being released that I wanted to read first so this I never got around to actually buying or getting this book, until Entangled Publishing chose this book as their monthly read along and I was so lucky to win a digital copy and now I absolutely regret sleeping so long on this book. But maybe it's not such a bad thing because if i would have read it right away I would have had to suffer so much long for the next book to come out and now I only need to wait a few more weeks.
Kierse's character shows what its like growing up really having to fight for what you have, I love the chemistry between her and graves but its also not the typical love story where the main characters just immediately are willing to put the love interest first, or drop everything for them. Both characters have their own agendas. Especially in Kierses case. I love how she knew how she still had to put heself first. she was not ready to immediately forgive graves and run back to him. Which shows how strong she is

Entangled Insiders was reading this book as a book club read, and it was on my tbr for a while, so I said, let's join!

I enjoyed this one. This book takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where monsters and humans have a treaty to co-exist. The two main characters in the book are Kierse (like Pierce with a K) and Graves. Kierse is very intelligent and a very good thief, she steals for a living. One day, she breaks into the wrong home, and there she meets Graves, the mysterious, intimidating yet very attractive homeowner. He offers her a job, which she accepts and everything changes!

Linde does a great job weaving together magic, mystery, and romantic tension in a way that feels both familiar and fresh. The banter and chemistry between the two main characters are definite highlights for me. I devoured any moments where they were alone together. While there are a few pacing hiccups and some elements that could have been explored a bit deeper, I overall found myself immersed in the adventure of this book, the world and all the characters.. This is perfect for readers who enjoy a fun, adventurous fantasy read with a strong heroine, a touch of danger, great side characters that bring a lot to the story, and a hot, very easy to drool worthy MMC.

Thank you Entangled for sending me a free e-book copy, and thank you for hosting this book club read.

Heists, monsters, and magic oh my! K.A. Linde builds us an intriguing world where monsters have come out hiding and there a tentative treaty that keeps the peace. Where even the monsters have tentative truths with each other and where people are just trying to survive.
I found this world to be very intriguing. I really like the Magic system and the mystery of what our FMC, Kierse, could be. Her abilities are quite intriguing and advantageous to her chosen profession…she’s a thief.
Overall, I really liked the book overall. The second half is where I think the book shined the most. I feel like the first quarter of it we don’t see the much interaction between our two love interests and when we do get interactions I wasn’t really feeling the spark. But as the story and character relationships developed I could see it forming.
I’m so intrigued to see where this story goes from here. I have so many questions still and feel lucky that I don’t have to wait to much longer for the second book to release.
Thank you to Entangled/Red Tower for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

✨𝒜𝑅𝒞 𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌✨
📖: The Wren in the Holly Library (Oak & Holly Cycle Book 1)

Only a little over a decade ago, the existence of monsters came into light. A fragile treaty between mortals and monsters was struck and the world is still recovering from the devastation of the war. But some monsters are made and some monsters are born.

Kierse McKenna struggled to survive on her own as a child and has honed her skills as a talented thief. When she’s caught by a powerful and enigmatic monster on a heist gone wrong, she strikes a dangerous bargain to secure her freedom.

Tropes:
💸Thief FMC
🐱Cat Daddy MMC
💫Monsters & Magic
🫥Hidden identity
🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒Found family
🚫Touch her & 💀
🫂Forced proximity
📜Celtic mythology
🏦Heists
🌶️: open door

Kierse is thrust deeper into the dark world of greedy monsters and sinister secrets. I loved her dynamic with the MMC and her chosen family set against the modern backdrop of a post-war world.

This story is fast-paced and full of delightful banter and delicious tension. I was kept on the edge of my seat as mysteries unraveled and secrets were revealed.

The Wren in the Holly Library is a captivating tale blending elements of monster lore, suspense, and a bewitching romance. I am chomping at the bit for the next book and luckily, the sequel The Robin on the Oak Throne is releasing June 17!

I had the best time on this Entangled read along! Huge thanks to the author, Entangled Publishing, and Red Tower Books for the review copy opportunity. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Expert thief Kierse McKenna’s life is unknowingly changed forever after accepting what should have been a simple job. Steal a diamond ring from a library

I liked the world the author set up. The unique magic system as well as the peace treaty that allowed monsters and humans to coexist was intriguing 🤝🏾

Admittedly, I’m not sure what to make of Kierse and Graves’ relationship. It was so full of half truths, omissions and distrust 🤦🏾‍♀️. Neither of them fully gave themselves to the other so it was hard to root for them. I’m mad at them both 😂 however I’m much more upset with Graves after the big reveal

At times I was so invested in the story and couldn’t wait to see what happened next and then other times I found myself zoning out and had to go back and reread sections. It’s like the story grabbed me but couldn’t keep me the full time 😔

I still have so many questions and gaaaah that cliffhanger 😮 I can’t wait to see what comes next