This book has been on my radar for quite some time. The second book that I had read and talked about in my podcast was The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. When I tell you that was and remains to be one of my favorite books I mean that. Everything about The Night Circus made me happy, from the magic, to the writing, to the characters, to the lack of plot made my heart swoon. Here is a link to the first of three episodes.

So I am going into this novel with very high expectation.

To set us on the same page, I put the book description from Goodreads.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Night Circus, a timeless love story set in a secret underground world—a place of pirates, painters, lovers, liars, and ships that sail upon a starless sea.

Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood. Bewildered by this inexplicable book and desperate to make sense of how his own life came to be recorded, Zachary uncovers a series of clues—a bee, a key, and a sword—that lead him to a masquerade party in New York, to a secret club, and through a doorway to an ancient library hidden far below the surface of the earth. What Zachary finds in this curious place is more than just a buried home for books and their guardians—it is a place of lost cities and seas, lovers who pass notes under doors and across time, and of stories whispered by the dead. Zachary learns of those who have sacrificed much to protect this realm, relinquishing their sight and their tongues to preserve this archive, and also of those who are intent on its destruction. Together with Mirabel, a fierce, pink-haired protector of the place, and Dorian, a handsome, barefoot man with shifting alliances, Zachary travels the twisting tunnels, darkened stairwells, crowded ballrooms, and sweetly soaked shores of this magical world, discovering his purpose—in both the mysterious book and in his own life.

Okay so right off the bat… I see romance. Something I will never escape from sadly, but the tags mention LGBT so I have hopes that this romance is something I can connect with and fall in love with.

What is this party, who are these people? I am just left with no idea what this book is going to really entail. There is no trope outside of the shifting alliances, which makes me think this is whom Zachary has a romance with and will provide a little drama in the realm of this novel.

I am so sorry reader but I have no idea what else to write because I have no idea what to expect in this novel.

Predictions

I feel like this book with have the character learning about his past and that he had a connection to whatever powers be at play.

Friendly Review

So something I want to do is asking friends who have read books to provide a quick review for the book. This little reviews are to be meant for people who have not yet read the book.

So it is fitting that I asked my dear friend Melissa who is the person who suggested this novel years ago.

“Not Entirely sure what happened but it sure was a lot. 4.5/5 stars.” – Melissa

Those that do not know, I will take Melissa’s review as fact and will read anything that she recommends to me. She is my savior and my hero.