In so many ways, I loved this book - it’s about magic bookstores full of enchanted booksellers and books that can help solve your problems (for the right price). It’s set in London and full of atmospheric, lush writing that really brings you into the story. But the worldbuilding felt a little off to me. It’s not a book that gives you a long overview of “how this magic stuff all works”, and usually that’s fine, but I felt like there were so many loose ends about how the bookshops worked, about being a “reader”, and about the paradox books that just weren’t tied up well enough for me to feel like I really understood what was happening. It was like there were whole chapters of exposition that had been pulled out in order to make the story move forward, and I really needed that exposition. I loved Summers’ first book so much, and I wish that this one had just been a bit better edited so that I could love it just as much.

This was a really fun and magical twist with many elements of mythology and lore. The owner of the bookshop dies mysteriously, and because someone must always own it, it becomes a supernatural race for it.

My interest was caught from the beginning with the cover and the premise! It is unique and I was definitely invested.

A magical bookshop, a morally gray MC, lore and trials? What's not to obsess over?!

The author did a great job with the characters and I enjoyed the interactions between Cassandra and Lowell. They felt familiar yet new at the same time and they evolved wonderfully.

The pacing was good and the magic system was very unique. Sometimes it got a bit confusing, but it was easy enough to piece together as the story went on.

You really get to feel the emotions the author writes into their characters. The ones you're supposed to love are easy to love, and the hatred was massively hating (looking at you Roth).

I am definitely looking forward to the next part of the story!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit for the ARC!

This book was pretty good, I would definitely recommend

~This was given by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review………..

3.5/5 Thank you NetGalley for an eARC of this book. I did find this book enjoyable but there were a few plot points that caused m to lower my rating.
This book follows Cassandra Fairfax who has also gone by Cass Holt. Cass Holt is a book thief whereas Cassandra used to be a bookseller. When her old mentor dies (who was the owner of bookshop) dies, Cassandra adopts the bookshop as her own and tries to put the past of Cass Holt behind her. But this is not an ordinary bookshop, rather this bookshop is magical and so are its books. The magic is fueled by a river that runs through this bookshop and others, but the is a problem with the magic that Cassandra is going to have to solve.

This is definitely a unique story and I did get invested into the story. I grew to like Cassandra’s character (and Lowell). The author did a great job with the interactions between Lowell and Cassandra. And the enemies in this story were written great as well, I hated Roth.

I did have trouble getting a good grasp on what the magic really did in this book. It appears that the bookshop books could be read by someone and grant magic to the reader, and could give them what they desired? But there could also be bad readings where the book would take over the person, so only experienced people should handle the books but they also sold books to ordinary people. So I really do not know how it worked… I felt like the magic did not really make much sense.

Another issue I had was the alternate identity of Cassandra and Cass. I did not feel this was necessary to the story since it was pretty clear this was the same person. Cassandra and Cass is not that much different in name and she never wore a disguise. This caused her to be recognized by everyone except for the few other main characters.

My last issue was with the ending. Again as mentioned the magic did not make a lot of sense, and the ending was open ended to where it felt like anything could happen. I felt dissatisfied with the ending and I wish there would have been more guidance about how the magic worked and its limitations.

Overall I thought this was a fun read. I did get into it to where I did have trouble putting it down at times. The author did a great job of establishing high stakes in this book, there were life and death scenes and the bad guys were truly bad guys so it made it enjoyable to read (magic issues aside).

If you took the ethereal atmosphere from The Night Circus, mixed in the love of books and libraries from Sorcery of Thorns, and added a morally gray protagonist, along with heavy "we need to save the world" energy and a medium burn rivals-to-lovers romance, sprinkled on top with an adorable book-cat, you would get The Bookshop Below. And what a recipe!

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading Cass' journey back into the world she left, and her struggles to feel like she made the right decision amongst so much animosity from the other bookshop owners. I also liked getting to know the other characters, and appreciated how well-rounded and imperfect they were. They didn't exist just to prop up Cass' story, but had their own motives for their actions.

I definitely enjoyed reading this banter-filled romance, and had to stop right after reading page 76 (according to my ARC copy) because I was shrieking in excitement.

If there was anything that could be improved upon, I think more scenes of Cass while she was a book thief before the opening scene with Roth could've been shown. At some points, I felt more of her background was told instead of shown, and scenes of her actually doing some book thieving would've been cool to read about.

I would love to find a copy of this when it gets published to read again!

The Bookshop Below absolutely enchanted me. Georgia Summers weaves evocative, lyrical prose into a story filled with heart, mystery, and a quietly powerful sense of magic. Every page feels saturated with atmosphere, like stepping into a dream where grief, love, and wonder are all tightly bound.

The characters are flawed, endearing, and impossible not to care about. Their journey felt deeply human, with moments that genuinely moved me. I especially appreciated how their imperfections were never obstacles to connection but pathways to it.

The magic system is unlike anything I’ve read before: beautiful, strange, and filled with meaning. It blends the fantastical with the literary in a way that feels both fresh and timeless.

And that last line of the epilogue? Pure perfection. It left me with a bittersweet ache in the best possible way.

I loved this book so much I immediately added The City of Stardust to my reading list. Georgia Summers is officially an auto-read author for me now.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Cool premise: secret magical bookshops hidden under London, ink magic, bargains made with books. The atmosphere is solid, very cozy, dark academia vibes. But the plot felt rushed and pretty predictable. Cassandra is prickly but not always compelling, and the romance subplot didn’t add much. The world building felt surface-level and never fully delivered.

This book just wasn’t for me. I couldn’t get into the story or the characters. I unfortunately DNF’d it. I wanted to like it but couldn’t.

As someone who spends quite a bit of time in bookshops, the premise of The Bookshop Below immediately caught my attention; an FMC who has just as much love for bookshops as myself was an exciting prospect. While the book started a bit slow, around the middle mark I was hooked. There were lots of twists and turns, with interesting reveals in the latter half of the book. A world of magical bookshops was interesting to step into, although I wished more of the particulars of what Cassandra had to learn growing up in a bookshop were discussed. I really hope there is a sequel as there are some loose ends hinted at in the final pages that I am curious to see tied up.

Thank you to NetGalley, and author Georgia Summers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book had the same vibes as Sorcery Of Thorns just with adult romance. However I had the same issues with this book in that the books themselves were kind of meaningless and overlooked. A lot of plot details were random to me. I didn’t connect or deeply care about Cassandra or her efforts to save this supposedly magical bookshop. I did like the idea of the reading of stories being a form of magic, and elements of the romance were sweet and engaging. I just felt like there were a lot of missed opportunities here. Make the books into characters with their own magical qualities. Make saving them the suspenseful focus and not some weird confusing secret society. Sigh!

This was a brilliant story of hard choices, their consequences, and redemption. Full of high-stakes action and mystery, ‘The Bookshop Below’ managed to seamlessly toe the line between cozy fantasy and thrilling suspense.

The writing style is so descriptive and full of emotive imagery that I thoroughly enjoyed every moment inside this universe. I found myself longing to hear the river, snuggle up next to the hearth, and spend time among the magical tomes.

It’s the perfect fall read for anyone who has ever felt like they’d give anything to fix a past mistake or save the ones you love!

The Bookshop Below was unlike anything I’ve read before—in the best way possible! It’s got ink magic, a magical river, a touch of romance, and an atmosphere that completely pulled me in. 🖋️✨📚

It took me a little time to get into the story, but once I understood what was happening (and what was at stake!), I was hooked. Could. Not. Put. It. Down.

This story was so unique, and by the time I turned the last page, I was genuinely sad it was over. I needed more—still do, honestly.

And the characters? Loved them. Every single one. 💛

If you’re looking for something magical and fresh, give this one a try! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

If you’re in a slump from your dark romance or need a cozy read about a unique magic system, a mythical bookshop, then this is 100% your read!!!

We all need a breather or a little something especially if you’re a mood reader.

I love unique magic systems and the elements because it shows creativity and uniqueness. Also, ahem Lowell? yes 😝
You get the murder mystery, the magic, the path to unraveling secrets and truths.

I will be honest in that, it did take me a while to get into this, solely on the fact that I’m the biggest mood reader ever and I have to admit that I did put this down to start another before coming back to finish this.

There were some moments where I felt that didn’t need it necessarily but that’s what an ARC is all about, giving opinions or feedback. BUT, overall this was a good read and it was a whimsical experience. I’m excited to see the final result.

Thank you NetGalley for this experience and hope to continue doing ARCS for this author ❤️

I loved the idea of this story. A magical river that when books are submerged they imbue them with magic. But all magic has a price which may be a child, teeth or anything else the river requests. Books like these must be carefully cared for in hidden bookshops by the owners. The moments of action reminded me of Jumaji. One sad book about rain caused a flood in the bookshop until it was found and righted! Unfortunately, moments like these were few and far between. There was less action and more telling in most of the book. Some of it felt very confusing. There is a whole secret society that has code names they go by and every time they came back into the story I honestly had no idea what was going on. I really, really wanted to love this book about books (as someone who loves books!) but I just could not get into it.

Im. I wanted to like it, but I was just bored and a confused. The magic system is not explained well and it jumps right into it. There is very little world building which made it even harder to understand the magic. The lack of world building takes away from the fantasy of escape. I found myself skipping and skimming to get through it and finally decided I was just too bored to continue
Some of the descriptions were driving me mad as well, especially the overuse of the word "detritus" over and over as a descriptive word.

Absolutely adored this one! The cover is gorgeous, but the story inside is even more enchanting. Dark, dreamy, and beautifully written. Like a cozy fantasy with sharp edges. I was completely immersed in this magical world of dangerous books, ink magic, and shady societies. Cassandra was such a great main character, and the entire vibe felt like watching a movie in my head.

Expected Release Date: 11/20/2025

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the early access. All thoughts in this review are my own.

I love a book that is written about books so I knew I would love reading this. The beginning of this book was a little slow but once it takes off it is hard to put down.

Bookshops that not everyone can find. A unique set of characters throughout this book. Cassandra a book thief and liar returns to her past to try and right some wrongs. She becomes the owner of a magical bookshop. The magic system is unique and different from what I have read in the past. While Cassandra is trying to restore an old bookshop to its formal glory and solve the death of a mentor she comes across the deadly and greedy secret societies. Magic is fading and she must find out why and can she fix it with the rivers help. Cassandra is a strong lead that also has some faults of her own she must own up to. I enjoyed the romance which was a good fit in the storyline. Lots of twists at the end which I loved.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodderscape publishing for my ARC copy for my honest review.

Expected Publication date: November 20, 2025

A well written novel that unfolds with suspense and flows with layers of mystery.
Loved the dark academia vibes!!!
The format includes lots of excerpts from old stories, letters, notes, and texts. I felt like there was a lot of them, and while some definitely added context to the main plot, but some just left me puzzled which may have been the point. Maybe a re-read will add the needed context for these, and this book does seem like it is worth it.
I would characterize the tone as more serious, which worked with this type of narrative.
I really enjoyed the magic system and the morally grey main characters.
Seems like it’s set up to have a sequel, and If so, will definitely be reading it!



Thank you to NetGalley, author Georgia Summers and
Orbit Books and Redhook for this digital advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This was quite a highly anticipated book for me as I loved the authors debut but sadly this was a tad disappointing. The plot was boring and I did not like Cassandra as a main character, she was just annoying. 2.75 stars.