A very trite story with a narrative that focuses on too many plot points: is it a crime and intrigue saga? Is it a romance or a fantasy with magical abilities? Maybe some social justice in the aftermath of WWI and its impact on societal norms in England? Oh wait, it's an art heist with the murkiest of motives and cardboard characters with no thread of events to connect the dots. And thus the novel is fractured, suspending reader engagement with unresolved vignettes strung together. The final chapter did no favours to bring a satisfactory ending, either. ( )

I won't rate it since I didn't finish it. It started off good and I got sucked in, but somewhere, it went off the rails. I don't know if this was a me problem and I got lost in the characters. I was listening to this on audio, so that could be the case. But I realized, I didn't know who was who and then I realized I also didn't care about the mystery they were trying to solve. I decided it was just time to give up!

The story has a Librarian (hence the title), a library, a theft, lots about art-history, (more than I really needed to know) an artist, magic, mystery, romance, an investigation, a handsome magical detective, that all comes together making it difficult... if not impossible, to stop reading. The 4-star rating was no fault of the story or the authors ability to write an interesting, winning novel. I was surprised to learn that this book is either the 2nd or maybe 3rd addition to a series called The Glass Library...named for the Glass family that invested in the library. This books place in the series was a bit confusing as some sources say it's the 1st book of 5. It didn't read like a continuation...but who knows? If any of this books' content might pique your interest, you may enjoy this one more if you read them in order.... whatever that order is. Not to give too much away I'll just summarize by using a description I found that gives you an idea how this book fits into what appears may be an established storylines from the other books.

"Librarian Sylvia Ashe has come to London to find out who the magic user is who her brother (died in recent WW1) thought had answers to questions they've had all their lives. Father unknown and mother VERY secretive about the past. She believes that while she and her brother are artless, there is some sort of connection with those who have silver magic. Soon she meets the son of the woman she seeks (who is wealthy, war hero, police consultant), loses her job, becomes entangled in a web of art theft, becomes endangered." ( )

A historical fantasy mystery set in London in the aftermath of WWI, about a young woman who gets a new job at a magical library.

Despite sounding very much like my cup of tea, I was on the verge of not finishing it. I found some of Sylvia’s reactions unrealistic (for instance why wasn’t she more annoyed when her friend caused her to lose her job?) and questioned the historical accuracy of some of the worldbuilding. (On one hand, historical fiction and historical fantasy doesn’t need to be perfectly accurate and it’s a perfectly valid to throw in fantasy elements instead of historical accuracy, but one the other hand, I don’t actually care about accuracy so much as verisimilitude, I want the story to flow and I want to be convinced…)

But then I changed my mind, reapproached with adjusted expectations and it was -- okay. Finishable. (One of those books I’d like to send back in time to my teenage self, who would have appreciated it more.) I am slightly curious about some of the on-going, unsolved mystery about Sylvia’s family and vaguely invested in her romantic prospects. Maybe one day I will be in just the right mood for giving the sequel a go? ( )

My kind of catnip, interwar story, magic as a bonus and some snobbery about it. Add in a magical library and a sarky heroine, Sylvia Ashe who is alone in the world, and is finding herself dealing with Gabe, who is a war hero and consults with Scotland Yard to keep away the terrors of his past.
Gabe accidentally gets Sylvia sacked from her job in a library and determines to fix the problem, the only way he knows how, and creates a job for her in the magical library. There she finds a home and he also finds that she has skills in linking information. He's got a girlfriend but their relationship seems based more on pragmatism than love.
It's complicated and messy and there are plenty of bright young things and it was a peach of a read. ( )