"The Astral Library" by Kate Quinn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you ever wished to live inside a book? And what book would you pick? That's the premise of this enchanting story. Which book lover hasn’t dreamed of stepping inside their favorite book and living the dream? The Astral Library by Kate Quinn revolves around a magical library whose doors lead to new lives inside books.

The book follows twenty-six-year-old Alexandra Watson, or Alix. Abandoned by her mother at an early age and moving from one foster home to another, her life wasn’t exactly a bed of roses. Her refuge from reality was the library and its books that carried her to new horizons. Now working three dead-end jobs, she’s trying to make ends meet, having given up her dream of going to college. With only $36.82 to her name, she thought her life couldn’t get worse. When she’s fired from her job and kicked out of her apartment on the same day, she’s desperate. And to top it all off, someone has stolen her identity and changed the name on her bank account. What’s a woman to do? 

Taking refuge in her favorite place, the Boston Public Library, she stumbles through a door into the Astral Library and meets the Librarian — the guardian of the library who helps the desperate and the lost escape to new lives inside their favorite books. The only catch: it must be a book whose copyright has expired. Before she can start her new life, an unknown enemy threatens the Astral Library and its patrons (those in need of shelter). Aided by Beau, a costume-shop owner, and a couple of others, Alix and the librarian, and later on Beau, jump from one book to another, trying to save the day.

I enjoyed the book immensely. It started a bit slow, with too many descriptions of clothes and too much whining from the heroine about her lot in life, but the pace picked up after a while. They visited different books — such as the Regency drawing rooms of Jane Austen, the world of Sherlock Holmes, the parties of The Great Gatsby, the halls of Jane Eyre’s Thornfield, and the moors of Wuthering Heights, to name a few. I loved the exact descriptions of each book they visited, which made them come to life.

The idea of stepping through doors to other worlds or magically traveling into books isn’t new, but the execution here certainly was. The author expands on that theme by adding other kinds of magical libraries, such as the Art Library (led by the Gallerist) and the Computer Games Library (led by the Programmer). The book explores themes of grief, abandonment, found family, belonging, courage, friendship, the evils of corporations that think only of the bottom line, and the merits of public libraries. And there’s a book dragon! How cool is that?

While we don’t get an in-depth view of every character, there’s enough personality to make it work. I have to admit, I didn’t relate to the heroine at first, finding her too whiny, talkative, and thoughtless (running after a mirage in a strange world and risking her life was silly beyond words). And it wasn’t just once — she made several foolish decisions. But she grew on me, and I came to admire her spirit and bravery. She wasn’t the loser she thought she was, and I rooted for her as she grew.

Kate Quinn is an excellent storyteller who kept me engaged with gripping scenes and a creative plot that built suspense. She breaks the fourth wall by letting the narrator speak to us directly a couple of times, which I loved. I also liked the way the author inserted her name into the story when a side character referred to her as their boss. It was a nice touch. 

Overall, I loved the book, so I rate it 4.5 out of 5 stars, rounded up to five. I enjoyed visiting the pages of my favorite books and meeting old friends. I recommend the book to lovers of books, magical doors, and adventures. Known for her historical fiction, Kate Quinn takes her first step into the fantasy genre — and I hope more will follow, because for anyone who’s ever dreamed of living inside their favorite story, this book is pure magic.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc.  All opinions are my own.

* For more info about the book: "The Astral Library" by Kate Quinn