It’s okay. The bookish bits are intriguing, at the first library. But things are just too convenient for me to believe how things settled in with the beginning of the second library. I read the audio version of this, and usually like audio books. But I just couldn’t get into the book. Other books jostled this one out of the way on my currently reading list, and I never finished it. I wanted to like it. I wanted to let it take me away. It just couldn’t. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

This riveting story of a young woman forced to confront the mysterious disappearance of her mother kept me enthralled until the last page and still hasn't let me go.

It has everything I (and probably anyone who grew up with a fascination with books) could ever want. There is romance, beautiful books, an enchanted library, a secret society, magic, heart-wrenching mystery, coming home, and healing from personal traumas. The story pulled me in so thoroughly it hurt a little when the book was over.

I especially enjoyed the character development in this piece. Each of the characters focused on were touched and found growth naturally throughout the story.

This book will be a fantastic read for any lover of books, libraries, or academic conspiracies.

I loved this book, the thrilling story of the sacred book kept me on my toes wondering what would happen next, highly recommend. I loved it

Unfortunately this just didn't click with me. i just couldn’t connect with the story or characters , I’m sure others will enjoy just not for me

I thought I had gotten over my magical realism phase, but this book made me really happy to find out I wasn’t.
The mystery of the missing mother, the forgotten past and the prospect of discovering the mysterious library hooked me pretty much from the beginning, but this was not the kind of book that was so immersive I couldn’t put it down. I loved alternating between the ebook and the audiobook, which helped me staying into the story.
When I reached 45%, I was finally unable to put it down. I adored the way the magic was described, the legends and the lore surrounding the library and the way it felt like a character in itself.

There were a few things that made this book slightly less engrossing than it could have been, though. One of them was that I wished the characters had been more layered; some of them were too one-dimensional, which was a shame, and the feelings they had were not always as deep as I would have needed to feel fully invested. There were also a few repetitions, with sometimes the same exact sentence being repeated in the following paragraph (and not in a stylistic way). The numerous flashbacks increased this feeling of repetitiveness.

I was a little disappointed in the romance. I was really into the slow burn part, but as soon as the romance fully started, I felt a bit cheated out of all the sweet moments we could have had. This would have given the climactic events more of an emotional impact. I also felt that Sophie should sometimes have been a bit harder on Will about the fact that he hid a lot of things from her. This was emphasized by the fact that Will himself felt she would never forgive him for it, but then she did very easily.

Overall, I still had a great time reading this book and I would completely recommend it for people who like books about books and magical libraries.

The Bookbinder's Daughter by Jessica Thorne is a magical, spooky story of a girl who loses her mother and many of her childhood memories of living in a library. The story unfolds as she returns to the library following her father's death, and the birthright she claims. The characters are well crafted and I found myself unable to put the book down - the pace and suspense increased through the book. I'll definitely be recommending it to others.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the published for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Bit hit and miss, enjoyable in parts but other parts were just a bit of a letdown. The end picked up but Sophie seemed a bit of a wet blanket to me and all the to-i g and fro-ing with Will was pointless. At parts I didn’t know what was going on and couldn’t picture it in my head. Don’t know if I’d read more from this author or not.

Unfortunately following multiple attempts to connect with this book I have had to mark as dnf. I just couldn't get into it.

I liked the premise of this novel, a magical library. However, the protagonist Sophie was not very interesting and I could not engage with the narrative.

Thank you Netgalley & publishers for the opportunity to read this!

WOW. The storyline. The characters. The cover Art. I was sucked in immediately and couldn't put it down!

I very much appreciate being gifted this copy of The Bookbinder's Daughter by Jessica Thorne, and the opportunity to read & review it. Thanks to the publisher.

What reader wouldn’t enjoy a book about a mysterious, magical library? But is that enough to keep you hooked? Nope! And therein lies the reason this book faltered a little. This book will make you feel great at the start but the end doesn’t create any impact.

eeep this could have been packed with mystery and is the ideal book lovers read... however it faltered on it's delivery and wasn't great

There is magic in books. The library is a magical place. Those who love to read know this. Our MC Sophie is about to discover it for herself. When she gets a job at Ayredale Library, she is thrilled and equally unsettled. The library houses the finest collection of rare books in the world, but it also was the last place her bookbinder mother was seen before she went missing many years ago. Sophie hopes this is the chance to solve the mystery of why her mother abandoned her as a teenager. But the job only leads to more questions as no one wants to discuss her mother. Things only get weirder when she discovers she is the only person who can read the unknown language in one of the library's oldest books.

The classic orphan who is has unknown magical powers trope was on full display but it was done in a very fun way. There were twists and turns I expected but it still kept me reading. The only thing that made me a little confused was the lack of emotional reaction from Sophie at times. I'd expect her to be more reactive but she never seemed overly shocked by anything. It was a little slow to start but did pick up in the last half when everything started to reveal itself and the mystery of her mother was being solved.

Overall a good read, not amazing but worth picking up.

The Book Binder’s daughter is an interesting tale of a woman just getting out of a bad relationship, heading to the magical place she left when her mother was mysteriously killed. She has forgotten so much about her childhood there but it is all about to start come crashing back to her in unexpected ways. This book was okay. Not outstanding, but not terrible. It just doesn't stand out to me and I probably won't remember much of it. Honestly, this "I have no parents and didn't know I possessed magical powers" storyline has been done so many times and this one blends in with the crowd.

I had high hopes for this but unfortunately it just didn't take off for me. Sophie just wasn't relatable enough with her lacking excitement over the whole 'magical library'. Overall it was a one and done and unfortunately wouldn't come to mind if I was recommending books to friends.

Pure magic!!!

I was instantly drawn to this book, the cover is gorgeous, the back blurb was enticing and well I just really wanted to read it, it sounded right up my street and it definitely was!

I adored the magical library setting, I was hooked and really wanted to be whisked in there to explore for myself. The plot is original and engaging, it whispers magic at every corner, I was instantly hooked, this was my kind of book from start to finish and I am looking forward to re-reading it, that's how much I loved this book!

Magical and mesmerizing, a truly beautiful book!

A fantastic concept but the execution left me a little underwhelmed so I probably wouldn't recommend it. The author just didn't do enough with the concept they'd created so I was left wanting more than what I got.

Binge read in two sittings, it played with my heartstrings and left me speechless. It was a rollercoaster and such a fab read....breathtaking!!!