Small Favors, By Erin A. Craig ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Supernatural Fiction, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: July 27th, 2021

480 Pages

Synopsis: Ellerie Downing lives in the quiet town of Amity Falls in the Blackspire Mountain range—five narrow peaks stretching into the sky like a grasping hand, bordered by a nearly impenetrable forest from which the early townsfolk fought off the devils in the woods. To this day, visitors are few and rare. But when a supply party goes missing, some worry that the monsters that once stalked the region have returned.

As fall turns to winter, more strange activities plague the town. They point to a tribe of devilish and mystical creatures who promise to fulfill the residents’ deepest desires, no matter how grand and impossible, for just a small favor. But their true intentions are much more sinister and Ellerie finds herself in a race against time before all of Amity Falls, her family, and the boy she loves go up in flames. (Goodreads)

For anyone who’s read Stephen King’s Needful Things, you’ll definitely recognize some similarities in regards to residents of a small town making bargains with a supernatural creature, but Small Favors takes this central premise in a creative new direction.

One of the strengths of this novel is the character development. I absolutely loved Ellerie and her family, although Samuel, Ellerie’s disagreeable twin, had me perplexed throughout most of the book. Ellerie is a fantastic protagonist. She’s eighteen, and is struggling to find her role within her family and the town. She’s not perfect, she makes mistakes, but she determinedly forges ahead. She displays a  tremendous amount of love and loyalty to those she cares about, even the bees she and her family raise. Her relationship with “Whitaker” begins as a case of insta-love, but their romance fades into the background through a good portion of the book because of everything else going on. The other residents of Amity Falls are equally well written and and help bring the story to life. 

The plot is an interesting mix of historical fiction with mythological/supernatural overtones, and Ellerie’s climactic confrontation with the queen of the Dark Watchers, is an enjoyable battle of wits that takes on aspects of Rumplestiltskin. I confess to having mixed feelings regarding the open ending. I like how Amity Falls’ ultimate fate again harkens back to Needful Things, but there are some minor questions I feel aren’t fully answered, mainly regarding Samuel’s actions and how the Downing family are going to be able to move forward. But these are definitely not enough to spoil my enjoyment of the story. What I love the most is the thoughtful exploration of how the Dark Ones are responsible for setting the horrible and tragic events which occur in motion, but in the end, it’s the townsfolk themselves who are responsible for most of what ensues.

Overall, Small Favors is a wonderful follow-up to Craig’s debut The House of Salt and Sorrows, and will undoubtedly please her fans as well as win her new ones. I’m eagerly looking forward to seeing what this imaginative storyteller comes out with next.

The Lost Apothecary, By Sarah Penner ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction, London, Mystery, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Park Row for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: March 2nd, 2021

320 Pages

Synopsis: A female apothecary secretly poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them—setting three lives across centuries on a collision course.

Rule #1: The poison must never be used to harm another woman.

Rule #2: The names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register.

One cold February in 1791, at the back of a dark London alley, in a hidden apothecary shop, Nella awaits her newest customer. Once a respected healer, Nella now uses her knowledge for a darker purpose—selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who kill to be free of the men in their lives. But when her new patron turns out to be a precocious twelve-year-old named Eliza Fanning, an unexpected friendship sets in motion a string of events that jeopardizes Nella’s world and threatens to expose the many women whose names are written in her register.

In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from the discovery of her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary bottle near the river Thames, she can’t resist investigating, only to realize she’s found a link to the unsolved “apothecary murders” that haunted London over two centuries ago. As she deepens her search, Caroline’s life collides with Nella’s and Eliza’s in a stunning twist of fate—and not everyone will survive. (Goodreads)

The Lost Apothecary is a solid debut by Sarah Penner that seamlessly travels from 1791 to the present day, and connects these three strong characters in surprising ways. I’ll be honest and say that it was Nella’s and young Eliza’s lives and their developing relationship that captured my attention the most, but I enjoyed Caroline’s mudlarking and sleuthing in the present day as well. There were a couple of things that prevented this from being a perfect read for me. The first, is that I could have done without the drama between Caroline and her unlikable husband. While I realize that the twist with them in the last half of the book, is coincidentally connected in more than one way to the events of the past, I thought for the most part, their relationship to be an annoying and unnecessary distraction. My second issue, was that in both timelines, obstacles and hindrances were cleared up a little too quickly and neatly. However, these are very minor dislikes, and overall I quite enjoyed this book from beginning to end. The Lost Apothecary is a captivating tale about secrets, friendships, and three women determined to control their own fates.

The Innkeeper’s Daughter (The Gentlemen Spies Series #1), By Bianca Schwarz ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Sex Trafficking, Sexual Abuse, Suspense, Torture

Thanks to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: January 12th, 2021

384 Pages

Synopsis: In the twilight of a November evening, Sir Henry March, a man of wealth and charm, comes across a badly beaten Eliza, desperate to escape her cruel stepfather. Realizing she has nowhere to go, Sir Henry takes her home to Mayfair.

There, as she recovers, Henry introduces the lovely Eliza to a world of art and literature she never knew existed. But Eliza’s brutal world follows her to London where the salons of the aristocratic elite co-exist with the back alleys of the criminal underground.

Thankfully Henry, a secret agent to the crown is able and willing to deal with the man Eliza’s stepfather had sold her to, and the pimp who plans to enslave her.

As romance blossoms between them, Eliza unearths an old secret that leads them into the dark sadistic world of sex trafficking, and finally allows Henry to identify the traitor responsible for selling military secrets to the French, causing the death of thousands.

A natural at the spy game, Eliza proves herself a worthy partner in their fight for truth and justice. But with time running out, and the fate of one girl hanging in the balance, Henry and Eliza must find a way to outwit a nasty pimp and eliminate a dangerous enemy agent.

The Innkeeper’s Daughter caught my eye both for the beautiful cover, and because the premise seemed reminiscent of My Fair Lady, albeit a much darker version. I sped through this in two sittings, so obviously it was fast-paced and kept me reading. Henry and Eliza are both quite affable and I enjoyed the dialogue between them. I wish Eliza had been written a little older though, even just by a couple of years. A romantic relationship between a man in his early thirties, and a girl barely eighteen, left me a little unsettled, especially given the graphic sex scenes. The secondary characters are equally well-written and had very interesting backstories which added immensely to the main plot. The best part of the story though, was the political intrigue and mystery and that’s what kept me engrossed. Although the villain was revealed fairly early on, there were enough exciting twists to keep me guessing. The ending wraps things up neatly and sets the stage perfectly for the next book, The Gentleman’s Daughter which will be released in July 2021. As you can tell, The Innkeeper’s Daughter isn’t your usual frothy Regency romp. The romance between the two main characters I could have done without, and there are some extremely dark themes here including: sex trafficking, physical abuse, and sexual abuse. In addition to the steamy romantic escapades, there are a couple of graphic sexual torture scenes that made me cringe a bit, but overall I found this to be quite unique in such a crowded genre and I found the story and characters both memorable and entertaining. I’ll definitely be reading the next book.

The Scorpion’s Tail (Nora Kelly #2), By Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Archaeology, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: January 12, 2021

480 Pages

Synopsis: Following the acclaimed debut of Old Bones, this second “happily anticipated” new thriller in Preston & Child’s new series, features Nora Kelly, archaeologist at the Santa Fe Archaeological Institute, and rookie FBI agent Corrie Swanson as they work together to solve a twisted crime that reaches far beyond any of their worst fears. (Booklist).

 A mummified corpse, over half a century old, is found in the cellar of an abandoned building in a remote New Mexico ghost town. Corrie is assigned what seems to her a throwaway case: to ID the body and determine cause of death. She brings archaeologist Nora Kelly to excavate the body and lend her expertise to the investigation, and together they uncover something unexpected and shocking: the deceased apparently died in agony, in a fetal position, skin coming off in sheets, with a rictus of horror frozen on his face.

Hidden on the corpse lies a 16th century Spanish gold cross of immense value.

When they at last identify the body—and the bizarre cause of death—Corrie and Nora open the door into a terrifying, secret world of ancient treasure and modern obsession: a world centered on arguably the most defining, frightening, and transformative moment in American history.

Scorpion’s Tail is the second book in Preston & Child’s Nora Kelly spin-off series and while I didn’t like it quite as much as last year’s Old Bones, I’m still looking forward to future books featuring Nora and Corrie.

As always, the research Preston and Child put into this story is meticulous, but there seemed to be something missing here that I’m not sure I can put my finger on. I liked the historical mystery behind this, but perhaps due to the length of the book, I found my attention wandering more than once. Also, while both women have been recurring characters in the Pendergast series, Nora Kelly is much more relatable. Corrie Swanson is in her early twenties, yet strikes me as an old soul. I like her, and find her intriguing, yet I’m frustrated by her at the same time because she has a remote personality that makes it difficult to connect with. I’m hoping to see her character develop as she and Nora work more cases together. And finally, (here’s my one spoiler), while I enjoyed Pendergast’s cameo at the end of the previous book, this time I found it unwarranted and a bit annoying.

While The Scorpion’s Tail is not my favorite story from Preston and Child, it’s still a worthwhile read. And to be honest, I’ve been reading their books since the 90s, and have extremely high expectations for each new entry. If any of you are fans I’d love to know your thoughts about this once you’ve read it. 

In the Garden of Spite: A Novel of the Black Widow of LaPorte, By Camilla Bruce ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Fiction Based On a True Story, Historical Fiction, Horror, Psychological Thrillers

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: January 19th, 2021

480 Pages

Synopsis: An audacious novel of feminine rage, about one of the most prolific female serial killers in American history—and the men who drove her to it.

They whisper about her in Chicago. Men come to her with their hopes, their dreams—their fortunes. But no one sees them leave. No one sees them at all after they come to call on the Widow of  La Porte. The good people of Indiana may have their suspicions, but if those fools knew what she’d given up, what was taken from her, how she’d suffered, surely they’d understand. Belle Gunness learned a long time ago that a women has to make her own way in this world. That’s all it is. A bloody means to an end. A glorious enterprise meant to raise her from the bleak, colorless drudgery of her childhood to the life she deserves. After all, vermin always survive.

As nighmare-inducing as In the Garden of Spite is, the fact that it’s based on true events, gives it an extra level of horror. Many of you know I’m a fairly quick reader, but once I started reading, it was impossible for me to put this down, and I flew through this in the course of one night!

I hadn’t heard of Brynhild Paulsdatter Størseth, aka Belle, before now, and this book is a mix of fact, embellishments, and fiction. In the beginning I felt sympathy for her and the bleak circumstances of her growing up dirt poor and ultimately the victim of a severe beating which resulted in the loss of her unborn child at the hands of the father, in Norway (this event is rumored to have happened, but is unproven). However, that feeling waned as her victims began to pile up. The story is a slow burn in the beginning, yet I was completely engrossed, wanting to know what turned this woman into such a cold-hearted, prolific serial killer. Alongside Belle’s chapters are her older sister Nellie’s which give further insight into the development of this sociopath.

Normally I’d say almost 500 pages would be too long for a book like this, but Camilla Bruce does such a wonderful job blending fact with fiction in her portrayal of the enigmatic Belle, that I soon lost interest in the page count. The Afterward is a must read as well, as Bruce talks about how she came to write this, as well as what is documented as fact and what fictional elements she added. In the Garden of Spite, is a multi-layered blend of horror, true crime, historical fiction, and psychological thriller that I highly recommend. It’s left me wanting to do more research, which I call a huge success. I unhesitatingly recommend it to readers who enjoy books like Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City.

Rebel Rose (Queen’s Council #1), Emma Theriault ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Fairytales, French Revolution, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ, Political Intrigue, Romance, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: November 10th, 2020

352 Pages

Synopsis: Happily ever after is only the beginning as Belle takes on the responsibility of becoming queen and learns to balance duty, love, and sacrifice, all while navigating dark political intrigue—and a touch of magic.

It’s 1789 and France is on the brink of revolution. Belle has finally broken the Enchantress’s curse, restoring the Beast to his human form and bringing life back to their castle in the province of Aveyon. But in Paris, the fires of change are burning, and it’s only a matter of time before the rebellion arrives on their doorstep.

Not so very long ago, Belle dreamed of leaving her provincial home for a life of adventure. But now she finds herself living in a palace, torn between her past as a commoner, and her future as royalty. While Belle grapples with her newfound position, there are those who do anything to keep her from power.

When she stumbles upon a magic mirror that holds a dire warning, Belle wants nothing more than to ignore the mysterious voice calling her to accept a crown she never desired. But violent factions of the revolution may already be lurking within her own castle, and doing nothing would endanger everything she hold dear. With the fate of her country, her love, and her life at stake, Belle must decide if she’s ready to embrace her own strength—and the magic that ties her to so many female rulers before her—to become the queen she is meant to be.

Rebel Rose is the first in the Queen’s Council series, an empowering fairytale reimagining of the Disney Princesses—and the real history behind their stories—like you’ve never seen before.

It’s probably not a big surprise to you why Rebel Rose would appeal to me. First, there’s that gorgeous cover, and then of course, the continuation of Belle and the Beast’s (here known as Lio), story. Except for a couple of hiccups, I quite enjoyed it.

Surprisingly, the biggest issue I had was with Belle. For the first half she was almost unrecognizable as the character I’m more familiar with. Instead of the self-assured, intelligent Belle, this one was timid and full of self-doubt. She was also annoyingly unsure of what she should be doing in her new role. She obsesses too much over the title of Queen, and lets that get in the way of truly helping her people. Thankfully, in the latter half of the book, she begins to realize the power she holds if she’ll only accept it.

Lio, is very relatable, suffering from severe PTSD after being the Beast for ten long years. Adding to his torment is trying to ensure that the small kingdom of Aveyon isn’t dragged into the violent, political upheaval that France is devolving into. Unfortunately he’s sent off on a diplomatic mission early in the book which I understand is necessary to the plot, yet I found myself missing him and his interactions with Belle. They definitely bring out the best parts of each other.

The villain’s identity is known from nearly the beginning, yet his motivations are somewhat murky even at the end. As for the secondary characters, old favorites such as Mrs Potts, Chip, Cogsworth, Lumière and LeFou make a welcome return, as well as the mysterious Enchantress, who cast the original curse. I especially enjoyed the scenes with Mrs. Potts, whose sage advice was instrumental in encouraging Belle to embrace her role as Queen.

Overall, Rebel Rose is a wonderful start to the Queen’s Council series. It takes the beloved fairytale, skillfully adds in the backdrop of the beginning of the French Revolution, and introduces a few new characters who mingle perfectly and assist Belle and Lio on their destined path. There aren’t many details on forthcoming books in the series, but I’m looking forward to seeing where this leads.

Eventide, By Sarah Goodman ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Southern Gothic, Young Adult Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Teen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 6th, 2020

336 Pages

Synopsis: MADNESS, SECRETS, AND LIES

Wheeler, Arkansas, 1907

When their father descends into madness after the death of their mother, Verity Pruitt and her little sister Lilah find themselves on an orphan train to rural Arkansas.

In Wheeler, eleven-year-old Lilah is quickly adopted but seventeen-year-old Verity is not. Desperate to stay close to her sister, Verity indentures herself as a farmhand. But even charming farm boy Abel Atchley can’t completely distract her from the sense that something is not quite right in this little town. Strange local superstitions abound, especially about the eerie old well at the center of the forest. The woods play tricks, unleashing heavy fog and bone-chilling cold…and sometimes visions of things that aren’t there.

But for Verity, perhaps the most unsettling revelation of all is that her parents have a scandalous history in this very town. And as she tries to unearth the past, sinister secrets come with it—secrets that someone will go to violent lengths to protect…

A haunting tale of long-buried secrets, small-town scandal, and single-minded vengeance by talented debut novelist Sarah Goodman.

Eventide is the debut novel by Sarah Cooper, and while its slow burning suspense might not be for everyone, I thoroughly enjoyed the eerie Southern gothic theme, as well as the fascinating characters and intriguing mystery. I have to be honest and say that Verity annoyed me at first with her rather know-it-all attitude, but there’s so much more behind that initial obnoxiousness. Likewise, there’s similar complexity with all the characters, even the villain who winds up deserving of a small amount of sympathy. The mystery and how everything ultimately comes together, kept me turning the pages even though there were some slow spots. There are some reviewers who have criticized that there weren’t enough fantasy/supernatural elements until the near the end, but I actually liked how they were tantalizingly kept under the surface. Overall, Eventide is an excellent YA debut by Cooper and I unhesitatingly recommend it. I’m looking forward to seeing what she comes out with next.

The Lions of Fifth Avenue, by Fiona Davis ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Dysfuncional Families, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ, Mystery, Romance

Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: August 4th, 2020

368 Pages

Synopsis: In nationally bestselling author Fiona Davis’s latest historical novel, a series of book thefts roil the iconic New York Public Library, leaving two generations of strong-willed women to pick up the pieces.

It’s 1913, and on the surface Laura Lyons couldn’t ask for more out of life—her husband is the superintendent of the New York Public Library, allowing their family to live in an apartment within the grand building, and they are blessed with two children. But headstrong, passionate Laura wants more, and when she takes a leap of faith and applies to the Columbia Journalism School, her world is cracked wide open. As her studies take her all over the city, she finds herself drawn to Greenwich Village’s new bohemia, where she discovers the Heterodoxy Club—a radical, all-female group in which women are encouraged to loudly share their opinions on suffrage, birth control, and women’s rights. Soon Laura finds herself questioning her traditional role as wife and mother. But when valuable books are stolen back at the library, threatening the home and the institution she loves, she’s forced to confront her shifting priorities head on…and may just lose everything in the process.

Eighty years later, in 1993, Sadie Donovan struggles with the legacy of her grandmother, the famous essayist, Laura Lyons, especially after she’s wrangled her dream job as a curator at the New York Public Library. But the job quickly becomes a nightmare when rare manuscripts, notes, and books for the exhibit Sadie’s running begin disappearing from the library’s famous Berg Collection. Determined to save both the exhibit and her career, the typically risk-adverse Sadie teams up with a private security expert to uncover the culprit. However things unexpectedly become personal when the investigation leads Sadie to some unwelcome truths about her own family heritage—truths that shed new light on the biggest tragedy in the library’s history.

The Lions of Fifth Avenue is undoubtedly going to be one of my favorite novels of 2020, thanks to the exceptional storytelling of Fiona Davis. Starting with every library lover’s dream setting of the New York Public Library, and including the time period’s socioeconomic disparities and stirrings of the women’s rights movement, Davis skillfully blends the historical with two fascinating mysteries that are connected, albeit decades apart. More often than not, when reading a book with two timelines, I find myself preferring one over the other, but that wasn’t the case here. I loved both Laura and her granddaughter Sadie, and was equally invested in both of their stories. I don’t want to give too many details away, so let me just say this book is a sumptuous feast for any reader who loves books, libraries, history, wonderful characters, and fascinating mysteries!

Angel of the Crows, by Katherine Addison ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ, Mystery, Steampunk, Supernatural

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: June 23rd, 2020

432 Pages

Synopsis: Katherine Addison, author of The Goblin Emperor, returns with The Angel of the Crows, a fantasy novel of alternate 1880s London, where killers stalk the night and the ultimate power is naming.

This is not the story you think it is. These are not the characters you think they are. This is not the book you are expecting.

In an alternate 1880s London, angels inhabit every public building, and vampires and werewolves walk the streets with human beings in a well-regulated truce. A fantastic utopia, except for a few things: Angels can Fall and that Fall is like a nuclear bomb in both the physical and metaphysical world. And human beings remain human with all their kindness and greed and passions and murderous intent.

Jack the Ripper stalks the streets of this London too. But this London has an Angel. The Angel of the Crows.

Being a Sherlock Holmes fan, I was immediately intrigued by Angel of the Crows which began as fanfic. It’s not bad, but it could have used some more originality.

For the most part, what Katherine Addison has done, is taken some of Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories (A Study in Scarlet, The Adventure of the Copper Beeches, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and The Speckled Band), thrown in the Whitechapel murders by Jack the Ripper in the background, and added fantasy, dystopian, and steampunk elements. The problem is, despite these different themes the characters and stories don’t really divert much from the original source material. Some of the dialogue is even remarkably similar to BBCs Sherlock Holmes series.

For the first half of the book I was also a bit confused much of the time in regards to this alternate London. It took me a while to understand the difference between angels and their roles. I felt as though I had just been dropped and left to make my own way through this murky world.

Despite these issues, I did find much to enjoy in this rather curious tale. I did like Crow (Sherlock), and Doyle (Watson), and as much as I love ACD’s original stories, it must be admitted that some had racist and sexist connotations. Addison deftly removed these without taking anything away from the story. I also liked the addition of Dr. Doyle’s secrets that he’s hiding. They’re creatively done yet perfectly fit in with his personality. The story is also quite fast-paced and I never found myself bored.

Overall, while not perfect, Angel of the Crows is an entertaining journey back to Victorian London with English literature’s most endearing odd couple. I can easily see this being turned into a tv series like Showtime’s Penny Dreadful. For fans of the original Sherlock series, think of this as a nice reread with some interesting fantastical additions. If you’re not familiar with the four stories I mentioned, you may actually enjoy this even more.

 

The Paris Library, by Janet Skeslien Charles ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: February 2nd, 2021

409 Pages

Synopsis: Based on the true World War II story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris, this is an unforgettable story of romance, friendship, family, and the power of literature to bring us together, perfect for fans of The Lilac Girls and The Paris Wife.

Paris, 1939: Young and ambitious Odile Souchet has it all: her handsome police officer beau and a dream job at the American Library in Paris. When the Nazis march into Paris, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear, including her beloved library. Together with her fellow librarians, Odile joins the Resistance with the best weapons she has: books. But when the war finally ends, instead of freedom, Odile tastes the bitter sting of unspeakable betrayal.

Montana, 1983:  Lily is a lonely teenager looking for adventure in small-town Montana. Her interest is piqued by her solitary, elderly neighbor. As Lily uncovers more about her neighbor’s mysterious past, she finds that the share a love of language, the same longings, and the same intense jealousy, never suspecting that a dark secret from the past connects them.

A powerful novel that explores the consequences of our choices and the relationships that make us who we are—family, friends, and favorite authors—The Paris Library shows that extraordinary heroism can sometimes be found in the quietest of places.

A book about heroic librarians resisting Nazis that’s based on a true story! No surprise I immediately requested it is it? The American Library in Paris, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, has a fascinating history, but it’s what the library and its staff did under the leadership of Library Director Dorothy Reeder, during the German occupation of France that’s truly astounding. For more on this, visit https://americanlibraryinparis.org/history

As far as The Paris Library is concerned, it’s obvious that Janet Skeslien Charles did her due diligence in regards to the Library’s history and the Nazi occupation of Paris. Charles met some of the descendants of the historical figures who appear in her story, when she worked at the Library in 2010, and her love and fascination for the subject shows. The WWII passages are the best part of the book in my opinion. I loved the setting and all its thoughtful details such as the inclusion of the Dewey Decimal System and specific works of literature. I also loved seeing the war through the prism of the Library, its staff and its patrons. As this is historical fiction, a good portion of the book focuses on Odile’s life and relationships which I quite enjoyed as she’s a believable and charismatic character who adds a personal note to a chapter from history that I’m not sure many are familiar with.

The weakest parts of the book are when the story veers away from Odile’s wartime experiences and jumps to her life in 1983. I feel a little guilty about complaining, because there nothing inherently wrong with this timeline, except for it being slower in pace. It’s just that I was completely caught up in the events of Paris of 1939-1944, so much so that I found myself a tad resentful at being pulled away.

In her author’s note (which is a must read), Charles discusses her research and how this book came to be, but there’s two passages that stood out to me and I’d like to share them.

My goal in writing this book was to share this little-known chapter of WWII history and to capture the voices of the courageous librarians who defied the Nazis in order to help subscribers and to share a love of literature.

…A friend says she believes that in reading stories set in World War II, people like to ask what they would have done. I think a better question to ask is what can we do now to ensure that libraries and learning are accessible to all and that we treat people with dignity and compassion.

Without hesitation, I HIGHLY recommend The Paris Library to library, literature and history lovers, as well as all readers interested in learning a fascinating piece of WWII history. On a personal note, for a retired children’s librarian like me, for who libraries and librarians have played such an integral role in my life, reading about these heroic librarians was a privilege and absolutely thrilling.