Astral Library by Kate Quinn ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Alexandria “Alix” Watson has learned one lesson from her barren childhood in the foster-care system: unlike people, books will never let you down. Working three dead-end jobs to make ends meet and knowing college is a pipe dream, Alix takes nightly refuge in the high-vaulted reading room at the Boston Public Library, escaping into her favorite fantasy novels and dreaming of far-off lands. Until the day she stumbles through a hidden door and meets the Librarian: the ageless, acerbic guardian of a hidden library where the desperate and the lost escape to new lives...inside their favorite books.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

February 2026; William Morrow; 978-0063244788
audio, ebook, print (304 pages); fantasy

I have read a few of Kate Quinn's historical fiction books and loved them. A few years ago, I listened to her short story that has a blend of historical fiction and science fiction. Fantasy isn't my favorite genre, but I thought that this sounded like fantasy-lite. Of course, it also features a library. 

If you enjoyed The Charmed Library by Jennifer Moorman last month, then you will want to put this book on your reading list. The biggest difference is that in Astral Library, the main character goes into various books, instead of calling characters out of books.

I absolutely loved this book for the first 20 chapters. I loved the race through the various books as they try to figure out who is threatening the Astral Library. It was fun seeing the various classics come to life. Alix and Beau are a lot of fun together - I really enjoyed their banter.

But then, suddenly, the adventure was over, and it became a regular bureaucratic fight that a normal public library would have. It also became a little preachy with demands to ban books for the safety of the children and modernization. The last several chapters were a struggle to get through.

This would make a fun television series.

Buy Astral Library at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

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