If you are looking for somewhere to set an urban fantasy, creepy old bookstores are an irresistible lure, gothic castles being in such short supply in 21st-century cities. The first few pages of Melissa McShane’s The Book of Secrets made me wonder if I was still in Robin Sloan's Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore (2012). McShane’s heroine, Helena Davies, like Sloan’s Clay Jannon, takes a low-end job at a bookshop that specializes in books with magical properties. When her boss is killed on her first day, she becomes the prime suspect, and factions of the magical community are happy to see her in the frame.
Light and unpretentious. ( )

Reminded me a lot of Ilona Andrews' Innkeeper Chronicles series: A woman is caretaker of a magical building that serves as a neutral party in a paranormal universe. The woman finds original solutions to problems. There's a dashing and attractive man. Basically, if you liked one, you'll like the other. ( )

What a fun beginning to a magical series!

Helena just wants a job, and the add in the newspaper for a bookstore assistant is much more promising than a position at Pick 'n Pack. To her surprise, she's hired on the spot and immediately dives in by typing labels for catalogs. When her boss is murdered on the same day, she becomes the new head of the bookstore. . .a magical bookstore. The world flip-flops as she finds herself stuck in a war between magical factions and dimensions—she didn't even know magic existed. Not only does she have to figure out how to fulfill her duties with the instruction book missing, but faces heavy scrutiny from magis, who don't want her running the store. Add deadly monsters, a constant cloud of new secrets, and a murderer who might have a target on her back, and she's in over her head.

After reading this, I only have one thing to say—I can't wait to read book two! This is a story placed in the middle of a magical war, but unlike many magical wars in literature, it's not about action and magic throwing and an insane amount of dangerous monsters. The author takes on this book with a more natural pace, one that still never runs into the realm of boring.

Helena is a very average young woman, who is easy to connect with. She isn't sure what she wants in life, has a normal family, and a very sensible head on her shoulders. She isn't a kick-butt heroine—more of a bookworm—but that doesn't mean she'll just stand there and let powerful magis push her aside. She simply follow her nose and trust anyone who doesn't spike her gut. It does come across as a little naive at times, but it also makes her human. Curiosity and a little spunk give her bite, without going over-board and ruining her slightly socially awkward, gentle character.

The world is rich, allowing the book store to come alive with it's dust, leather and onion-smell. Much of the book takes place in the store, but the various characters and situations add tons of color and life. There are moments of action and several fight scenes, which are tense and exciting, and there are other moments, where caution haunts in the background, knowing that something is about to pounce. Still, the author does a great job of easing the reader into the world and Helena, taking the time to allow the quirks and wonders to unfold and develop. By doing this, one is entrenched in the world and gains a personal connection to several of the characters, with tons of promises of the excitement still to come.

And there are a couple hints at romance as well as pauses of normal world fun, which round the book off and keep it in touch with reality and familiarity.

In other words, it's an entertaining, light read with a touch of all those great things to make a magical world glisten and shine.

I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed this book so much that I wanted to leave my honest thoughts. ( )

The Book of Secrets by Melissa McShane is the first novel in The Last Oracle series. Helena Davies is interviewing for a job at Abernathy’s, a local disorganized bookstore. She is shocked when Nathaniel Briggs hires her and asks for her to start immediately after signing a handwritten contract. Helena is typing (on a typewriter) labels to mail out catalogues when a customer enters the store looking for Mr. Briggs. Malcolm Campbell is astonished that Helena was hired to work in the store. Helena goes searching for Mr. Briggs and discovers him dead from a stab wound in the basement. Who would want to harm Mr. Briggs? Malcolm must explain to Helena that Abernathy’s is no mere bookstore. It is a living oracle that provides prophecies. Helena, as the new custodian (she signed the contract) is tasked with finding the right book to answer the question put to the oracle by Wardens. Abernathy’s is an important tool in helping them fight the invaders in the Long War (information overload for Helena). Magic is real, and creatures invade from outside their reality to obtain it. Unfortunately, Mr. Briggs died before training Helena and the instruction book to assist her is missing. Malcolm is not the only person surprised by Helena’s appointment. Judy Rasmussen has been training for twelve years and wants Helena to abdicate (and she is quite pushy about it). Helena needs to learn her new position while fulfilling her customer’s needs, deal with Judy’s hostile attitude, discover who murdered Mr. Brigg’s before the police arrest her for the crime, and evade the deadly creatures who seem intent on attacking her (that’s not good). Despite everything that is happening, Helena believes she might have finally found her place.

The Books of Secrets is well-written and engaging. It has fast pace that will keep readers on their toes. I liked the author’s unique take on magic. I would say more but I do not want to spoil it for you. I did appreciate that the author did not dump out all the details at once. It develops throughout the story, but readers are not given everything in this first installment (we are left wanting to know more). The creature’s descriptions are enough to give a person nightmares (it did not stop me from reading though). Abernathy’s is a fascinating place. The author’s concept for the store was creative and multi-layered. Melissa McShane did a remarkable job at creating a one-of-a-kind world for her characters (and for us). I did feel that the characters needed more development and backstory. I wanted to know more about Helena’s upbringing and Malcolm’s background. I was also not a fan of Viv, Helena’s best friend. I found her annoying, overbearing, and immature. As Helena’s best friend, she is the logical choice for a sidekick. I just wish the author had tweaked her personality a bit. I am glad that The Book of Secrets is just the first book in The Last Oracle series. For a delightful story containing magic, murder, mayhem and mystery grab a copy of The Book of Secrets. ( )

Full review to come! ( )