Published By: Century
Pages: 416
Released On: 06/07/2023
Joanna Kalotay lives alone in the woods of Vermont, the sole protector of a collection of rare books; books that will allow someone to walk through walls or turn water into wine. Books of magic.
Her estranged older sister Esther moves between countries and jobs, constantly changing, never staying anywhere longer than a year, desperate to avoid the deadly magic that killed her mother. Currently working on a research base in Antarctica, she has found love and perhaps a sort of happiness.
But when she finds spots of blood on the mirrors in the research base, she knows someone is coming for her, and that Joanna and her collection are in danger.
If they are to survive, she and Joanna must unravel the secrets their parents kept hidden from them – secrets that span centuries and continents, and could cost them their lives …
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Century for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
The way Emma has described even the most everyday things in this book; the colour of the sky, the sound of the trees, the aroma of magic. It reads like poetry. It’s gorgeous. There’s a fine line writing like that, as it’s easy to stray into the corny cliches but she’s found the right balance.
The first section is more about the characters, letting us get to know them, getting invested in them, their pasts, presents and future, their likes and dislikes, their relationships, their motives. Then it’s more about the books and the magic they hold. And then we get into the real thriller action parts, where at times it gets more magical, but at the same time, more human. Hopefully that will make sense if you read it.
It is very involved. It has lots of layers. This means you need to concentrate. Take it from someone who is easily distracted. This deserves your full attention, for its complexity but also for its brilliance. You’ll find characters and stories that interlink, some very subtly, some more obvious.
There’s three main characters, sisters Esther and Joanna, and the mysterious Nicholas. They’re all fabulously written. Completely separate people but clearly linked. They’re all very distinctive and just brilliantly created. I have seen a review that says they didn’t think the characters were well developed but I completely disagree. I think who they are at the end is vastly different to how they were at the beginning, but they never lose my love and attention. There’s a number of secondary characters – too many to go into too much detail on – but they all work off of our main trio perfectly, building up their stories and giving us reasons to like and/or dislike them.
For something so fantastical and magical and unbelievable, it felt very real and tangible, like, of course this happens. And I think that’s because of the world building. She’s linked the fantasy to the real so well that it means everything seems real. She’s not completely bombarded the reader with facts about the world, because that would feel jarring. She’s worked little bits in here and there that it feels so normal, and you can build up this picture of the world in your mind and completely see the action in this setting.
It is a complete rollercoaster ride of emotions. There’s thrills and spills, twists and turns, loves and losses, heroes and villains, truth and lies. Everything about it is so gorgeous. It’s a movie just waiting to happen. Really exceptional. AND it’s a debut! Phenomenal.
It was more heartfelt that I thought it would be. I thought it would ‘just’ be a fantasy book about magical books. But it’s so much deeper than that, that you end up feeling quite moved by it all. Family is a big theme in this book and its proof that blood relations don’t always equal family. In this we have blood relatives, step-families, guardians, orphans, friends etc. And it shows that your friends can be your family more than your actual relations, and I think that’s a beautiful addition.
It doesn’t necessarily require a sequel, but I’d love to continue their story. I’m not quire ready to leave yet.
Books By Your Bedside 