The Library of Fates by Margot Harrison

 Lynnie 

magical realism, fantasy

 

Harvard's is home to The Library of Fates, a special library that is home to the Book of Dark Nights, a text that gives its keeper the ability to grant people's requests for the book that they need; the right book at the right time. The book it gives you might show you who you are, or teach you a lesson that you need to learn, or open you up to new opportunities. 

Anyone who has ever read fiction, however, knows that magic requires sacrifice. The Book of Dark Nights requires secrets; confessions must be written on its pages to sustain the magic and, in return, the book offers predictions to its confessors. 

When the book's keeper, the librarian, is murdered, and the Book of Dark Nights goes missing, her son, Daniel, and her apprentice, Eleanor, must put their confusing past behind them and work together to find the book, save the lives of those they love and maybe even the world. You know, nothing major. 

I really enjoyed Margot Harrison's The Library of Fates. Admittedly, I'm a sucker for books about libraries and bookstores and the people in and around them, but I loved the creativity in this story. I particularly enjoyed that these characters were not young; they were in their 40s and had lived lives and were now forced to clean up a mess from their youth. I loved Daniel and Eleanor and the way they interacted with one another, particularly as Daniel tried to figure out why there were holes in his memory. 

I often found myself shifting back and forth between characters trying to decide who had set the events in motion and who was the ultimate big bad guy pulling the strings. My guess was correct, but not complete, which made me happy. I love being wrong! And I loved the way it all sorted itself out in the end. 

I read the book and listened to the audiobook and enjoyed both. The audiobook narrator Caroline Hewitt did a nice job with multiple voices and accents; I was never confused about who was speaking. I do think she spoke very quickly, but I also didn't mind that most of the time, though I can see that some people would be bothered by it. 

If you're a fan of fantasy, magical realism or academic thrillers (I wouldn't really call this dark academia, but what do I know), give this one a try.  

The Secret Book Society by Madeline Martin

Amy    


historical fiction

In 1895 London, a wealthy three-time widow invites three acquaintances to join a secret society in which they read books from the widow’s library and discuss them over tea. She had chosen these women specifically because she suspected their lives were being stifled by their circumstances at home and their limited control. She gives them reading material to which they otherwise would not have had access, given their strict circumstances.

I devoured this one. The charming premise, characters, and setting were so compelling. Madeline Martin alternated the viewpoints of each of the four women, giving the reader the complete picture. As the very real, unjust threat of admitting bothersome women to insane asylums hung over each of their heads, they formed a sisterhood where they could each be themselves and trust one another. 

The widow seemed a little too omniscient but it made for a good story. Women had to abide by a very narrow code of conduct in Victorian London high society. They had to obey their husbands and their individuality was choked. Each woman was facing her unique troubles. The Secret Book Society allowed these four women to forge important friendships that enriched and improved all of their lives. I was pulled in to their stories and looked forward to discover each woman’s personal secret. Plus, I also enjoyed the novels selected by the women.

The audiobook was narrated by Saskia Maarleveld who is always a fabulous voice actor. She employed her large vocal repertoire for the cast of characters and I give her an A.

The Violin Maker's Secret by Evie Woods

 Lynnie 

magical realism, fiction, historical fiction

 

This is the third book I've read by Evie Woods and just like the others, I found The Violin Maker's Secret utterly delightful.

Woods is a master of weaving stories from multiple timelines together and in this case we get the story of a violin and its various owners over time from its maker, to its current owner, Devlin. He recruits his former teacher Walter, and an appraiser, Gabrielle, to help unlock the origins of the violin and along the way, they learn about themselves and discover more than any of them could have imagined.

It was easy to cheer for Devlin, Walter and Gabrielle. I found myself worrying about them and hoping everything would work out in their favor as new twists and turns threw obstacles in their path and placed them in danger. I enjoyed the narrative shifts in the chapters as the main characters - and others - took turns explaining what was happening at any specific point in time. This is a beautiful example of magical realism and is a great book to escape into on a snowy weekend or on a  weekend at the beach.

Fans of magical realism, found family, and anyone who has enjoyed Woods' other books is sure to enjoy this novel.

The Violin Maker's Secret will be published on February 24, 2026. Thank you to Harper 360, NetGalley and Evie Woods for the advanced reader copy.  

As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

Amy        

fiction

Salama, 18 years old and just a first-year pharmacy student, is serving as a doctor in her revolution-ravaged town in Syria. Her life has been put on hold as she struggles every day to help as many injured and sick people as she can. But it’s a lot to ask of a young woman whose mother was recently killed in a bombed building and whose father and brother have been taken hostage by the government. With minimal food, supplies, and shelter, she struggles with the decision of staying to help her country or attempting to flee for Europe with her very pregnant sister-in-law in the hope of finding safety.

Salama stepped up to make a contribution to her country. She was fortunate to have some good people in her corner. However, with all the stress and anxiety, she was going a little crazy. Her guilt and grief manifested as hallucinations. Her story through Zoulfa Katouh’s writing in As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow taught me about Syria and the atrocities its citizens have faced. The love story and the way Salama was able to look at things allowed hope to blossom despite the traumatic situations everyone faced.

The audiobook narrator was Rasha Zamamiri. She did a great job voice acting and relaying all the highs and lows of this story. She had a small vocal repertoire but it was sufficient. I’ll give her an A-.

The Astral Library by Kate Quinn

 Lynnie 

fantasy 

 

After being abandoned by her mother, Alix Watson grew up in foster care. She works multiple jobs to make ends meet and finds comfort and refuge at the Boston Public Library's reading room. One day, she opens a door and finds a magical, hidden library - the titular Astral Library, where people who are desperate, abused or lost can escape from their lives and live in the pages of their favorite books.  

It sounds like the dream of every kid who grew up finding escape within the pages of their favorite books right? That's what really drew me to this book. Unfortunately, Kate Quinn's description of The Astral Library is better than the execution. There are moments in this book that are wonderful. I was really engaged in the beginning and she brought the book home with a very strong finish. The middle however, plodded along and had a hard time engaging me; it was easy to walk away from and there were times I picked up other hobbies rather than read in the evening. 

While the message of the book is one that most agree with (certainly most of those who take the time to read advance copies and post on book social media sites) - books offer salvation for everyone who dares to turn their pages - it gets overshadowed by Quinn's heavy-handed writing and often cartoonish characters. Government overreach and book burners are bad, we get it. But in case we don't get it, Quinn tells us over and over and over again. Are you sure they're bad? Oh yes, thank you again for showing us why. 

There are some beautiful turns of phrase in this book, and some fun descriptions of how this world works. I just wish Quinn had let the world speak for itself rather than bashing us over the head with her message. 

The Astral Library will be published on Febrauary 17. Thank you to William Morrow, Kate Quinn and NetGalley for the advance reader copy of the book.

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan

Amy        

family drama, historical fiction

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan covers the lives of two families in small-town Ohio…childhoods, adulthoods, wars, lies, mistakes, abandonment, neglect, reconciliation, success, and failure.

This novel was largely a story about people going about their everyday lives.

Two people, (Cal and Margaret) whose childhoods left them neglected and unloved, end up finding surprisingly decent spouses, each with their own unique aspects.  Cal’s and Margaret’s back stories take up the first third of the novel. This was mostly boring, to be honest. In fact, at the 25% mark, I was looking to see if the book was almost over. Never a good sign.

In a few instances, what would have made for an interesting surprise had been divulged earlier in the book. This was disappointing to me but, I suppose, the foretelling was necessary to keep people reading. Without knowing the drama was coming, I certainly might’ve stopped reading. But giving these things away early reduced the impact when the situation eventually occurred.

I’m really not sure why this novel has a lot of accolades. It was ho-hum, slow-paced, and too long to me. I didn’t love the way Ryan presented the material. And the stuff that was the most interesting was soap-opera-y. The characters themselves were mostly disappointing, unremarkable, or emotionally stunted.

The cover art implies three stories about the same town. I suppose the three stories could be Margaret’s story, Cal’s story, and both of their families going forward from the point the two of them met. Maybe the three parts could be childhood, parenthood, and old age. Or maybe youth, choices, and regret. Obviously, the message of the art was not received clearly.

The audiobook was narrated by Michael Crouch. His voice acting was good but he spoke fairly slowly and had a very nasal sound quality. His tone reminded me a bit of Crispin Glover in Back to the Future. His vocal repertoire wasn’t large but his voice had an androgynous quality which made it easy to picture either a woman or a man speaking. I’ll give him a B+.

 

Red Star Rebels by Amie Kaufman

Lynnie 

science fiction, young adult

I believe Red Star Rebels is the tenth book I've read that was written, or co-authored, by Amie Kaufman and I enjoyed every minute of her latest space adventure. To be fair, most of Kaufman's books do follow a pattern. A young person is somehow stuck in space, the circumstances may or may not be of their own making. There is danger of some variety and there is always another young person who is inevitably a love interest, that they will need to rely on if they want to survive the impending danger or disaster.

Red Star Rebel is more of the same, this time following Cleo, a young woman stowing away on a Mars space station, and Hunter Graves, the heir to the family who initially colonized Mars. Hunter has a chip on his shoulder and is trying to prove to his family that he has what it takes to take over the family business. As the United Nations base is evacuated for an emergency, Hunter and Cleo get left behind - because, of course they do - and must rely on each other to survive and escape the mercenaries who forced the evacuation.

Red Star Rebels is action from the first page and never stops. It's a short book, under 300 pages, and it reads quickly because of all the action. I found myself reading later than usual into the night because there is never a good time to put this book down! I always wanted to know what was going to happen next. I loved Cleo and Hunter and how they worked together. Even when plot points were predictable, I didn't mind watching them play out.

Most of Kaufman's novels are series, so I don't know if this one will be, but if this is a standalone, it truly is a complete story. I could see more opportunities for storytelling though so I won't be surprised if there is a sequel in the works. Either way, I recommend Red Star Rebels, especially for YA science fiction fans. 

If you enjoy Red Star Rebels and are looking for other Amie Kaufman books to read, the Starbound series, co-written with Meagan Spooner, made Amy's and my favorites lists in 2015 and 2016 (Amy 2016) and her book of Obsidio, co-written with Jay Kristoff made my favorites list in 2018. 

Thanks to Random House Children's Books, Knopf Books for Young Readers, NetGalley and of course Amie Kaufman for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Red Star Rebels will be published on February 10, 2026.