The Astral Library
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Synopsis
From New York Times bestselling author Kate Quinn comes a gorgeously written fantastical adventure which poses the question: Have you ever wished you could live inside a book? Welcome to the Astral Library, where books are not just objects, but doors to new worlds, new lives, and new futures.
Alexandria “Alix” Watson has learned one lesson from her barren childhood in the foster-care system: books will never let you down, unlike people. Working three dead-end jobs to make ends meet and knowing college is a pipe dream, Alix takes nightly refuge in the high-vaulted reading room at the Boston Public Library, escaping into her favorite fantasy novels and dreaming of far-off lands. Until the day she stumbles through a hidden door and meets the Librarian: the ageless, acerbic guardian of a hidden library where the desperate and the lost escape to new lives…inside their favorite books.
The Librarian takes a dazzled Alix under her wing, but before she can escape into the pages of her new life, a shadowy enemy emerges to threaten everyone the Astral Library has ever helped protect. Aided by a dashing costume-shop owner and bookmarking their way from volume to volume, Alix and the Librarian flee through the Regency drawing rooms of Jane Austen to the back alleys of Sherlock Holmes and the champagne-soaked parties of The Great Gatsby as their enemy draws closer. But who does their enemy really wish to destroy—the Library, the Librarian, or Alix herself?
Synopsis source: The StoryGraph
Review
Genre(s): Fiction, Fantasy
HB&W Rating: 5 stars
View on StoryGraph, Goodreads
Buy on Barnes & Noble, Amazon
I really loved this book. It gave me all the warm, fuzzy, bookish feelings.
I was a little worried that Kate Quinn’s shift from historical fiction to fantasy might feel jarring, but I needn’t have worried at all. The world she created was absolutely enchanting. The imagery of the library itself, the worlds brought to life from beloved novels, and the magical elements woven throughout were pure perfection. It’s the kind of story only a fellow bibliophile could write and other bibliophiles will fully appreciate.
At its heart, this novel is a love letter to books and to the stories that shape us, inspire us, and ultimately save us. I also appreciated that art and video games were included as meaningful forms of storytelling alongside literature.
As a lifelong reader (someone who used to keep lists of unfamiliar words from books so I could look them up later) I especially enjoyed the literary references, cameos, and the many delightful new-to-me words sprinkled throughout the story.
This was an engaging, comforting, and thoroughly enjoyable read that I think any book lover would appreciate. It’s a feel-good book in the very best sense. By the end, I found myself wondering what my own perfect library would look like and which books I’d choose to step inside. Such a fun, charming read.
Until next time,
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