In a world where books are religion.
What would have happened if the Library of Alexandria never burned down? That is the daydream of every hardcore book lover. This books give a very intriguing glimpse of what that world might have looked like.
The Library controls all access to knowledge, protects all original copies, and shares that wealth of knowledge with the world "unbiasedly", because of their control black market original books are very desirable. This is where we meet Jess who is the son of a predominant black market dealer. When his father finds out Jess doesn't have the heart to take over the family business he sends him to school, this is where we learn he qualifies for tryouts for one of the worlds most Elite jobs in The Library.
With a collection of others students they are put to the test, only 6 positions are available. The competition is cut throat as they delve deeper into the actual world of The Library. They make discoveries and start to question whether The Library truly stands for the greater good of humanity or for the papers they hold sacred.

It took a little while to get back into the mindset of reading a book about books, but once I was in it I found myself absorbed into the world! This is a book that ends on a cliff hanger which I normally don't enjoy, so I am looking forward to getting my hands on books 2. ( )

3.5 stars. Imagine if Peaky Blinders met Fahrenheit 451, in a universe where the printing press never got invented. Nobody is allowed to own real books, and instead all original books are controlled by the Library of Alexandria, (that never got burned down), which is also essentially an authoritarian surveillance state. Great concept! But it didn't really start to pick up until the 2nd half, and I didn't really care for the main character. I *am* curious to see how it plays out in the next book! ( )

Excellent story of the love and power of books. Rich characters, magical elements, and great suspense. ( )

I really enjoyed the concept of this book alot. Loved having a male as a lead character and all the other character me met along the way. I really loved the premise and also how the story progressed. The world building was a tad weak but hopefully in future books it will get better!
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I really enjoyed the concept of this book alot. Loved having a male as a lead character and all the other character me met along the way. I really loved the premise and also how the story progressed. The world building was a tad weak but hopefully in future books it will get better!
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