When we meet Evie she is experiencing her worst nightmare – the loss of her role as an assistant editor at a prestigious publisher due to underhanded tactics by her soon to be ex-girlfriend. Evie is banished to the mountains to join the librarians guild and become a member of the pack-horse librarians, with only her books and her cats to keep her company.
I found the world building to be done really well and found myself enjoying imagining the world Evie was experiencing, even though it is somewhat bleak. The romance in the book is meaningful and sweet, but very quick. It isn’t the focus of the book at all and that isn’t a bad thing. I loved how this book encounters many different types of characters and for the most part they all seem accepting of each other. I’ve read quite a few heavy books recently and this made for a really pleasant read for me because of this.
Evie is described as a “timid city mouse” and this is an accurate depiction of her at the start of the story. I liked her journey to a more confident character and would have enjoyed a little bit more of this to delay the ending of the book. I also thought it was a shame we didn’t get to experience more of Evie’s own magic on the page. I would have liked to have spent more time with the other librarians too.
The length of the book naturally means it’s a quick read and I would recommend to anyone looking for a sweet, inclusive book with some fantasy overtones. It’s also a great read if like myself you wouldn’t normally read fantasy.
I received an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
LGBTQ+ Reader 