If you like bookish magic, more specifically, casting spells through book written in blood, you gotta read this one!
Emma Torz gives a masterclass in story telling. As you read this book, you start collecting clues from the different POVs and then when you realise what is going on, it is so satisfying! You feel clever because Torz tells you nothing, and yet, the mystery unravels before your eyes---it's so much fun!
The bookish magic system was fresh, a truly creative piece of worldbuilding. Love the scribes and how magic is performed. The sisters relationship and platonic friendships made this book for me. There are hints of romance too, but the mystery was the most compelling part of this story.
LOVED IT!
I haven’t got any complaints about this read. Cute premise about magic and books. Some heavy themes of secrets and family tension. Likeable characters, but the story is quick, so there’s not a Ton of room for development. Atmosphere and setting were nicely described and supported the overall vibe of mystery and some exciting quick turns.
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Laura Laskey
November 1, 2025
Verified Purchase
This is beautifully written and such an enjoyable read. Collecting clues from every point of view and putting together the answers ahead of the characters makes it exciting, and learning the truth along with characters makes it satisfying. I love a good book about magic and this absolutely falls into that category.
This story of Joanna, Esther and Nicholas is a story about the magic of books.
Joanna, Esther and Nicholas are young, prone to self doubt and mistakes, but also so full of courage that it was easy to go on this magically charged adventure with them.
On the surface, it’s about spell books, spells for good, for fun, for power, malicious spells and everything in between. But I think it’s also about the magic of books. How can they transport you, transform you, modify reality, influence thought, and empower you.
Though the book started off slow, as I got to know the characters, a steady pace sets in after about a quarter way in and the words fly off the page. I enjoyed the descriptions of nature and animals. And I adored the descriptions of books 📚and libraries. The premise reminded me a bit about the picture of Dorian Gray. I did feel there were a few plot holes, and a little too much exposition that slowed the pace down unnecessarily but I didn’t mind that terribly. The pace picks up steadily as the story unravels and I was flipping pages quickly by the end!
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Kendra Collins-Smith
June 10, 2023
Verified Purchase
Possible Spoiler Warning
Two half sisters, Esther and Joanna, have been separated for ten years. Joanna lives alone in their father's Vermont home, safeguarding a library of magical books kept in the basement. Esther moves every year to escape being murdered like her mother. A third character, Nicholas, under the ungentle care of his uncle, is exploited for his ability to write magical spells (books). But blood is needed for these books and Nicholas is being drained dry.
Great premise, but the prose is dense enough to slow the pace of the first half of the book. Leaning literary, the story grinds on until, in the second half, things speed up when these three characters get together.
There is a long backstory dump about three quarters through, which might have been more adroitly handled in bits and pieces earlier on. One of the subplots (or maybe the entirety of the stakes) reminds one of The Portrait of Dorian Gray.
If you lean literary in your reading taste, this might be an enjoyable read.
