Book: The Bookbinder's Daughter
Author: Jessica Thorne
Pub Day: Sept 20th 2021
About the Book:
The song surrounded her now, the murmuring of the library insistent, and her foot took the first step on the winding stairs. She knew it wasn’t entirely a dream. It was the library calling her, its magic driving her. When Sophie is offered a job at the Ayredale Library – the finest collection of rare books in the world, and the last place her bookbinder mother was seen when Sophie was just a teenager – she leaps at the chance. Will she finally discover what happened to the woman she’s always believed abandoned her? Taking in the endless shelves of antique books, the soaring stained-glass windows, and the grand sweeping staircase, usually shy Sophie feels strangely at home, and is welcomed by her eccentric fellow binders. But why is the Keeper of the Library so reluctant to speak about Sophie’s mother? And why is Sophie the only person who can read the strange spells in the oldest books on display, written in a forgotten language nobody else understands? The mysteries of the library only deepen when Sophie stumbles upon an elaborately carved door. The pattern exactly matches the pendant her mother left behind years ago, engraved with a delicate leaf. As the door swings open at her touch, Sophie gasps at the incredible sight: an enormous tree, impossibly growing higher than the library itself, its gently falling golden leaves somehow resembling the pages of a book. Amidst their rustling, Sophie hears a familiar whisper… ‘There you are, my Sophie. I knew you’d come back for me.’ An absolutely spellbinding read about long-hidden family secrets and the magic that lurks between the pages of every ancient book. Perfect for fans of The Ten Thousand Doors of January, The Night Circus and The Binding.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Bookbinder's Daughter' by Jessica Thorne.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Jessica Thorne, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 20th September 2021.
This is the first book I have read by this author.
I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'Perfect for fans of The Ten Thousand Doors of January, The Night Circus and The Binding.' I am a fan of 'The Night Circus' so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a prologue and 29 chapters. The chapters are medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in the UK 🇬🇧 . I always enjoy when books are set in the UK as I'm from Wales and have sometimes visited areas mentioned in the book. This makes it easier to picture where the scenes are set at times.
This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Sophie and Will. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
The 'Bookbinder's Daughter' has a unique and magical storyline. The fact that it is set in a library and the main protagonists are a bookbinder and a guardian of the library is a bookworms dream. A book filled with books!!!! The atmosphere is stunning with vivid descriptions that really bring the storyline to life and are absolutely magical and mesmerising. The plot is filled with magic, mystery, family, love, loss, romance and lots and lots of books!!! The detail in the book is fantastic especially the book binding process and watching it through Sophie eyes, definitely a bibliophiles dream!! The storyline is quite fast paced with alot going on to keep the reader turning the pages. However, I did find that towards the end of the book things started to get a bit confusing and things were being repeated quite alot which is a shame.
It is set over/includes multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.
There is a wide variety of characters in this book with different personalities, powers and influences. Unfortunately I didn't connect with Sophie as much as I liked and found her to be a bit of, for lack of a better description, a wet fish who made some strange choices. However, although I didn't connect with Sophie that much I did find that I liked Will who seemed to have more of a stronger personality. I also loved Tia who was an extremely memorable character with a lot of passion and personality!! I wasn't a huge fan of Edward and just found most of his choices a bit cliché and obvious at times so definitely a mixed bunch!!
Overall a magical and unique story filled with magic, books, mystery, love and adventure!!
Genres covered in this book include Fantasy Fiction, Historical Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy and Historical Fantasy amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'The Night Circus' and anyone who loves books within books and magic.
269 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 4 /5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author Bio
Jessica Thorne saw Star Wars at an impressionable age and life was never the same. She’s loved fantasy, romance and science fiction ever since and spends her time looking for adventure – in the pages of her books. Sometimes she is Ruth Frances Long and won the European Science Fiction Society Spirit of Dedication Award for Best Author of Children’s Science Fiction and Fantasy, 2015.
Social Media
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessthornebooks
Website: http://www.rflong.com/jessicathorne/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessthornebooks
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B09BCSKJ46social
Apple: http://ow.ly/iciE50FG1VL
Kobo: http://ow.ly/47Kp50FG1Uc Google: http://ow.ly/UqkO50FG2jS
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