by Kate Quinn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
**** Post review note: I got to meet Kate Quinn and she’s just lovely! This heroine sounds sooo much like her! ****
I’ll confess I wasn’t sold at first, and I was getting very nervous as in 2 days I get to meet Kate Quinn at a talk and signing (thank you Kate Quinn for coming to a lowly Canadian city like Calgary!!). The last thing I wanted was to tell her I didn’t love her first foray into fantasy (magical realism) and so while it was fun at first and a bit nostalgic at times it did take me a bit to really get into it. Our leading lady and I were not quite clicking… but then along came a stunning man, whom I can’t thank Quinn enough for making bisexual(!). And while he’s a relatively minor factor; Beau just made it all work that better for me. The turning point is (naturally) when a dragon shows up; and then all bets are off. Which makes perfect sense for a reader like myself whose number one genre is Fantasy, followed very closely by Science Fiction.
Before I spoil (promise that’s all the juicy tidbits you get) any further plot points I want to tell you this is a cozy story. It has a happy ending, it’s unrealistic to the ultimate, and completely unlike the way stories tend to end in our own world. It’s hope, wrapped in a lot of book references, and many pages talking about library smells, decor, and the rustling of pages. Which is okay. It’s the kind of book I might read again just to feel content when I close the back cover. I do have the limited edition to get signed (2 days!) so I’ll at least be looking at it on a special shelf in my home, and as a part of my own personal library. Yes I confess I meet the ‘criteria’ of owning 1000+ print books!
My least favourite part is that George R. R. Martin is mentioned so many times. Yes his books are incredible (or at least the first 3) but my feud with him will never end and (having met him personally long before HBO snared him) he’s more than a bit of a jerk so I struggle when he’s mentioned with any kind of adoration these days. I could go on and on about all this but I won’t because this is about Kate Quinn’s book!
So yes, I recommend picking this one up. A cozy little read that most will devour quickly. It’s not a ‘best ever’ read, but still worth five stars. I love how much Quinn puts of herself, her parents, and her love of books and reading into The Astral Library. It’s worth a quick read for any ‘book dragon’ or anyone who’s ever lost themselves inside a book and wished they could stay there forever.
The line used time and time again that stands out above all else:
”Have you ever wished you could live inside a book?”
Alternatively have you ever wished you could be Belle? Not just for the love and romance of the Beast story; but even so you could hang out in that amazing library with its glorious ladders? If yes, I bet this one will tickle a bit of your fantasy and even might bring you to get teary eyed or misty as you realize the distinct parallel between The Astral Library’s fight for survival and that of our own worlds literary access.
May we all fight to keep books on shelves and become book dragons ourselves.
View all my reviews
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
**** Post review note: I got to meet Kate Quinn and she’s just lovely! This heroine sounds sooo much like her! ****
I’ll confess I wasn’t sold at first, and I was getting very nervous as in 2 days I get to meet Kate Quinn at a talk and signing (thank you Kate Quinn for coming to a lowly Canadian city like Calgary!!). The last thing I wanted was to tell her I didn’t love her first foray into fantasy (magical realism) and so while it was fun at first and a bit nostalgic at times it did take me a bit to really get into it. Our leading lady and I were not quite clicking… but then along came a stunning man, whom I can’t thank Quinn enough for making bisexual(!). And while he’s a relatively minor factor; Beau just made it all work that better for me. The turning point is (naturally) when a dragon shows up; and then all bets are off. Which makes perfect sense for a reader like myself whose number one genre is Fantasy, followed very closely by Science Fiction.
Before I spoil (promise that’s all the juicy tidbits you get) any further plot points I want to tell you this is a cozy story. It has a happy ending, it’s unrealistic to the ultimate, and completely unlike the way stories tend to end in our own world. It’s hope, wrapped in a lot of book references, and many pages talking about library smells, decor, and the rustling of pages. Which is okay. It’s the kind of book I might read again just to feel content when I close the back cover. I do have the limited edition to get signed (2 days!) so I’ll at least be looking at it on a special shelf in my home, and as a part of my own personal library. Yes I confess I meet the ‘criteria’ of owning 1000+ print books!
My least favourite part is that George R. R. Martin is mentioned so many times. Yes his books are incredible (or at least the first 3) but my feud with him will never end and (having met him personally long before HBO snared him) he’s more than a bit of a jerk so I struggle when he’s mentioned with any kind of adoration these days. I could go on and on about all this but I won’t because this is about Kate Quinn’s book!
So yes, I recommend picking this one up. A cozy little read that most will devour quickly. It’s not a ‘best ever’ read, but still worth five stars. I love how much Quinn puts of herself, her parents, and her love of books and reading into The Astral Library. It’s worth a quick read for any ‘book dragon’ or anyone who’s ever lost themselves inside a book and wished they could stay there forever.
The line used time and time again that stands out above all else:
”Have you ever wished you could live inside a book?”
Alternatively have you ever wished you could be Belle? Not just for the love and romance of the Beast story; but even so you could hang out in that amazing library with its glorious ladders? If yes, I bet this one will tickle a bit of your fantasy and even might bring you to get teary eyed or misty as you realize the distinct parallel between The Astral Library’s fight for survival and that of our own worlds literary access.
May we all fight to keep books on shelves and become book dragons ourselves.
View all my reviews
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