Information
Goodreads: The Wren in the Holly Library
Series: The Oak and Holly Cycle #1
Age Category: New Adult
Source: Library
Published: June 4, 2024
Official Summary
Can you love the dark when you know what it hides?
Some things aren't supposed to exist outside of our imagination.
Thirteen years ago, monsters emerged from the shadows and plunged Kierse's world into a cataclysmic war of near-total destruction. The New York City she knew so well collapsed practically overnight.
In the wake of that carnage, the Monster Treaty was created. A truce...of sorts.
But tonight, Kierse―a gifted and fearless thief―will break that treaty. She'll enter the Holly Library...not knowing it's the home of a monster.
He's charming. Quietly alluring. Terrifying. But he knows talent when he sees it; it's just a matter of finding her price.
Now she's locked into a dangerous bargain with a creature unlike any other. She'll sacrifice her freedom. She'll offer her skills. Together, they'll put their own futures at risk.
But he's been playing a game across centuries―and once she joins in, there will be no escape...
Review
I read a lot of fantasy but not a lot of paranormal, so The Wren in the Holly Library was a nice break for me. The setting is interesting, a modern-day New York City where monsters have finally announced their presence to the human world and now live in a tenuous semi-peaceful coexistence with humans. Protagonist Kierse, a master thief who has found herself partnered with a mysterious benefactor, has to pull off the impossible task of stealing from some of the most formidable monsters in the city.
The writing in The Wren in the Holly Library isn't always great. Some things just seem to happen. Other things are extremely convenient for plot purposes. I didn't really feel the relationship Kierse has with most of the other characters, whether her supposed BFFs, her ex whose loss she is apparently traumatized by, or a friend whom she relies on for help. The book tells me she cares about all these people, but it feels just like that: telling. Nonetheless, the overall premise is intriguing enough to carry a lot of the book, as well as the little mysteries readers will likely wish to see revealed. I was interested enough to keep turning the pages and get through the novel in a couple days, even as I raised my eyebrows as some of the stuff that was happening.
The romance portion of the book also had me on the fence. Personally, I could barely get over the love interest being named Graves, as I vacillated between envisioning him as some sort of reanimated corpse or an overly stuffy butler. (He is neither.) Beyond that, there just isn't a lot of build-up to the characters falling for each other. Once again, I had to simply assume they had because the book tells me so and take the relationship at face value from there. Nonetheless, the author does write some good, memorably romantic lines. I can see the book being quite quotable in some regards.
I see the appeal here. Romantasy is in. The book is solid and hits enough of the right notes to resonate with a lot of readers. I think there's room for improvement, but I had fun. Unfortunately, I do think this is one of those books where I'd probably read the sequel if it were available right now, but since I have to wait a year for the release of book two, I'll probably become less invested in that time period and not bother once it's 2025.
No comments:
Post a Comment