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The Oak and Holly Cycle #1
The Wren in the Holly Library
Can you love the dark when you know what it hides?
Some things aren’t supposed to exist outside of our imagination.
Thirteen years ago, monsters emerged from the shadows and plunged Kierse’s world into a cataclysmic war of near-total destruction. The New York City she knew so well collapsed practically overnight.
In the wake of that carnage, the Monster Treaty was created. A truce...of sorts.
But tonight, Kierse―a gifted and fearless thief―will break that treaty. She’ll enter the Holly Library...not knowing it’s the home of a monster.
He’s charming. Quietly alluring. Terrifying. But he knows talent when he sees it; it’s just a matter of finding her price.
Now she’s locked into a dangerous bargain with a creature unlike any other. She’ll sacrifice her freedom. She’ll offer her skills. Together, they’ll put their own futures at risk.
But he’s been playing a game across centuries―and once she joins in, there will be no escape...
Some things aren’t supposed to exist outside of our imagination.
Thirteen years ago, monsters emerged from the shadows and plunged Kierse’s world into a cataclysmic war of near-total destruction. The New York City she knew so well collapsed practically overnight.
In the wake of that carnage, the Monster Treaty was created. A truce...of sorts.
But tonight, Kierse―a gifted and fearless thief―will break that treaty. She’ll enter the Holly Library...not knowing it’s the home of a monster.
He’s charming. Quietly alluring. Terrifying. But he knows talent when he sees it; it’s just a matter of finding her price.
Now she’s locked into a dangerous bargain with a creature unlike any other. She’ll sacrifice her freedom. She’ll offer her skills. Together, they’ll put their own futures at risk.
But he’s been playing a game across centuries―and once she joins in, there will be no escape...
Audible Audio
First published June 4, 2024
4381 people are currently reading
73171 people want to read
About the author
K.A. Linde
101 books11.1k followersK.A. Linde is the New York Times, USA Today, #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Wren in the Holly Library. She is prolific in both romance and fantasy and loves the blend of the two.
She has a Masters degree in political science and bachelors in philosophy from the University of Georgia. In her previous life, she was a head campaign worker for a presidential campaign and the coach of the Duke University dance team. She loves reading fantasy novels, traveling to far-off destinations, and dancing in her spare time.
She currently lives in Lubbock, Texas, with her husband, and son.
She has a Masters degree in political science and bachelors in philosophy from the University of Georgia. In her previous life, she was a head campaign worker for a presidential campaign and the coach of the Duke University dance team. She loves reading fantasy novels, traveling to far-off destinations, and dancing in her spare time.
She currently lives in Lubbock, Texas, with her husband, and son.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,694 reviews
June 11, 2024
3 ⭐️ An interesting dystopian concept but won't continue the series
**This review does contain spoilers**
She stepped inside to meet her own dark captor from a fairytale. The warlock who had led her off her path.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ dystopian urban romantasy
✨ NYC setting
✨ loose Beauty and the Beast retelling
✨ she’s a gifted human thief
✨ he’s a dangerous monster
✨ enemies to lovers
✨ heist plot
✨ “you work for me now”
✨ forced proximity
✨ 2/5 🌶️ (open door)
✨ “touch her a die”
✨ age gap
✨ roommates
✨ training
✨ found family
✨ Celtic mythology and lore
✨ single, third person POV
✨ TW: past lover, violence, gore, human trafficking, physical abuse (past), parental neglect (past), wealth disparity, potential love triangle
My Thoughts:
It was honestly a fine romantasy. There were some interesting elements to the story that held my interest but there were some things that bothered me. However, even though I had a lot of problems with it, I didn't have any strong feelings of dislike for it and I appreciate the overall story and world, so I don't want to give this less than 3-stars. But, I’m not invested enough to continue the series.
What I liked:
The interesting dystopian world. I don't think I've really read a story where monsters and humans coexist in a dystopian Earth, so that was a fresh concept to me. I thought it was cool that there were a lot of different 'monsters', which really I'd say they're more creatures than monsters. The story has vampires, werewolves, nymphs, trolls, ghouls, wraiths, shifters, goblins, druids, succubus, mermaids, witches, and warlocks. Pretty much any sort of monster/paranormal creature you have ever thought about, they exist in this world.
Kierse's friendship with Ethan and Gen. All three have been through a lot, but this trio really has each other's backs and are there for one another through thick and thin. Their love and loyalty to one another is sweet.
I liked the magic system and lore. We learn that magic isn't something known to most, and it's kept a secret by those who wield it. But each witch or warlock has their own unique power and it was really cool seeing that magic interact in this story. I also liked the lore about the Oak and Holly king, but I would have liked to have learned more about both the magic and lore. I'm sure all that's coming in book 2, which is a bummer because I probably won't be reading it.
I enjoyed the last few chapters even though they were predictable. The 'reveals' at the end were the most interesting part of the story. And while it was obvious what would happen, I felt a sense of relief that everything was finally out in the open.
What I didn't like:
The foreshadowing was so obvious from the start. There are so many instances where the characters will have these strange feelings or feel a tug, and it's meant to alert the reader that something more is going on, but the abrupt way it's done just felt like bad writing. Also, there are stories told that are clearly about the characters, but you're not really supposed to guess that. However, it's presented in such an obvious way, that by the time the reveals happen, they're not shocking.
These phrases "Like met like. Power met power" and "Like calls to like" are used. This whole concept of power drawing close together has been used so many times in fantasy stories that it's not an original idea. And even if someone wants to use it, isn't there a more creative way to say so than using the most popular one's found in stories like Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo or A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas.
There's a few parts of the story that feel like mashups of stories in this genre. For example:
- Throne of Glass. Kierse, the FMC, has a relationship with a toxic mentor who abuses her. She was an orphan and he took her in to train her to become his protege and she became the best and was hated by everyone in the guild because of it.
- A Court of Mist and Fury, Fourth Wing, or any fantasy story where the girl makes a bargain or has an agreement with the love interest to train her to become stronger so she can protect herself.
- A Court of Mist and Fury - Under The Mountain / Court of Nightmares. Kierse and Graves go to a party that's basically a drunken orgy and she has to pretend to be his pet and Grave's dresses her in a completely see-through dress. There is also a punch that Kierse is told not to drink because it makes you lose yourself to carnal desires, just like the faerie wine.
- Twilight. Just like Edward can't read Bella's mind, Grave's can't read Kierse, and he likes that about her.
- Six of Crows. Graves wears gloves like Kaz Breaker. This is also a heist plot, which I know people have compared it to, but I will say, it is very different.
The romance came out of nowhere. It had a lot of potential with the enemies-to-lovers vibes and forced proximity, but at the end of the day, it was introduced abruptly and I never could quite understand why they liked each other. So it all starts during a dinner after Kierse is living in Grave's house when she randomly starts to have thoughts about how hot Grave's is and should stop thinking about that because they're not on a date and they're working together. That's how the attraction/lust is introduced to the readers and then from there on, she keeps thinking about how hot he is. There just wasn't any finesse to it. And then later, Grave's, who is a strait-laced and uptight guy who never gets attached to anyone, starts to come undone for her. Why though??? I don't know. This change of behavior doesn't make sense with what we know about him.
The main heist plot, which was the reason for the entire book, is wrapped up so quickly and ended up not even being the biggest conflict in the story. Everything about King Louis being this big bad villain was a let down as well. Why was there so much build up to it?
Kierse getting mad at Graves for not being 100% truthful at the end was stupid. It wasn't even a breach of trust. He just withheld info. Get over it girl. Plus, he's said since the beginning that he will always have secrets. This conflict felt really contrived.
There isn't an established love triangle, but it seems like that's where this is headed. And that's just not my cup of tea.
This was a small thing, but I was annoyed at the past lovers aspect. I already don't like in stories when characters have interactions with their exes that incites jealousy, so when this happens, I was irritated. But mostly I found it to be unnecessary.
Overall, the story was interesting enough for me to finish, but I think the obvious foreshadowing and unconvincing romance are what really affected my enjoyment. I do think there will be plenty of people who will really enjoy this story though, so if the tropes I listed at the beginning sound interesting to you, maybe check it out to see if it's for you.
Thank you Red Tower Books for providing an e-ARC copy in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.
Favorite Quotes:
"The destruction hadn't only made monsters appear; it had made monsters of everyone."
_______
"I'm not a delicate flower that you should fear crushing in your palm."
"No, you're delicate like a bomb."
_______
"She was immune to his magic but not him."
_______
"That's not my home."
"It could be."
_______
"You smell so good. Let's find out what you taste like." 🥵
_______
"He's a monster. But he's my monster."
_______
Men could be just as much monsters as the ones with claws and teeth.
_______
"You're my wren."
_______
Both liars and monsters and murderers.
Both capable of love and laughter and light.
No heroes.
No villains.
Just people blessed and cursed with magic.
_______
**This review does contain spoilers**
She stepped inside to meet her own dark captor from a fairytale. The warlock who had led her off her path.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ dystopian urban romantasy
✨ NYC setting
✨ loose Beauty and the Beast retelling
✨ she’s a gifted human thief
✨ he’s a dangerous monster
✨ enemies to lovers
✨ heist plot
✨ “you work for me now”
✨ forced proximity
✨ 2/5 🌶️ (open door)
✨ “touch her a die”
✨ age gap
✨ roommates
✨ training
✨ found family
✨ Celtic mythology and lore
✨ single, third person POV
✨ TW: past lover, violence, gore, human trafficking, physical abuse (past), parental neglect (past), wealth disparity, potential love triangle
My Thoughts:
It was honestly a fine romantasy. There were some interesting elements to the story that held my interest but there were some things that bothered me. However, even though I had a lot of problems with it, I didn't have any strong feelings of dislike for it and I appreciate the overall story and world, so I don't want to give this less than 3-stars. But, I’m not invested enough to continue the series.
What I liked:
The interesting dystopian world. I don't think I've really read a story where monsters and humans coexist in a dystopian Earth, so that was a fresh concept to me. I thought it was cool that there were a lot of different 'monsters', which really I'd say they're more creatures than monsters. The story has vampires, werewolves, nymphs, trolls, ghouls, wraiths, shifters, goblins, druids, succubus, mermaids, witches, and warlocks. Pretty much any sort of monster/paranormal creature you have ever thought about, they exist in this world.
Kierse's friendship with Ethan and Gen. All three have been through a lot, but this trio really has each other's backs and are there for one another through thick and thin. Their love and loyalty to one another is sweet.
I liked the magic system and lore. We learn that magic isn't something known to most, and it's kept a secret by those who wield it. But each witch or warlock has their own unique power and it was really cool seeing that magic interact in this story. I also liked the lore about the Oak and Holly king, but I would have liked to have learned more about both the magic and lore. I'm sure all that's coming in book 2, which is a bummer because I probably won't be reading it.
I enjoyed the last few chapters even though they were predictable. The 'reveals' at the end were the most interesting part of the story. And while it was obvious what would happen, I felt a sense of relief that everything was finally out in the open.
What I didn't like:
The foreshadowing was so obvious from the start. There are so many instances where the characters will have these strange feelings or feel a tug, and it's meant to alert the reader that something more is going on, but the abrupt way it's done just felt like bad writing. Also, there are stories told that are clearly about the characters, but you're not really supposed to guess that. However, it's presented in such an obvious way, that by the time the reveals happen, they're not shocking.
These phrases "Like met like. Power met power" and "Like calls to like" are used. This whole concept of power drawing close together has been used so many times in fantasy stories that it's not an original idea. And even if someone wants to use it, isn't there a more creative way to say so than using the most popular one's found in stories like Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo or A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas.
There's a few parts of the story that feel like mashups of stories in this genre. For example:
- Throne of Glass. Kierse, the FMC, has a relationship with a toxic mentor who abuses her. She was an orphan and he took her in to train her to become his protege and she became the best and was hated by everyone in the guild because of it.
- A Court of Mist and Fury, Fourth Wing, or any fantasy story where the girl makes a bargain or has an agreement with the love interest to train her to become stronger so she can protect herself.
- A Court of Mist and Fury - Under The Mountain / Court of Nightmares. Kierse and Graves go to a party that's basically a drunken orgy and she has to pretend to be his pet and Grave's dresses her in a completely see-through dress. There is also a punch that Kierse is told not to drink because it makes you lose yourself to carnal desires, just like the faerie wine.
- Twilight. Just like Edward can't read Bella's mind, Grave's can't read Kierse, and he likes that about her.
- Six of Crows. Graves wears gloves like Kaz Breaker. This is also a heist plot, which I know people have compared it to, but I will say, it is very different.
The romance came out of nowhere. It had a lot of potential with the enemies-to-lovers vibes and forced proximity, but at the end of the day, it was introduced abruptly and I never could quite understand why they liked each other. So it all starts during a dinner after Kierse is living in Grave's house when she randomly starts to have thoughts about how hot Grave's is and should stop thinking about that because they're not on a date and they're working together. That's how the attraction/lust is introduced to the readers and then from there on, she keeps thinking about how hot he is. There just wasn't any finesse to it. And then later, Grave's, who is a strait-laced and uptight guy who never gets attached to anyone, starts to come undone for her. Why though??? I don't know. This change of behavior doesn't make sense with what we know about him.
The main heist plot, which was the reason for the entire book, is wrapped up so quickly and ended up not even being the biggest conflict in the story. Everything about King Louis being this big bad villain was a let down as well. Why was there so much build up to it?
Kierse getting mad at Graves for not being 100% truthful at the end was stupid. It wasn't even a breach of trust. He just withheld info. Get over it girl. Plus, he's said since the beginning that he will always have secrets. This conflict felt really contrived.
There isn't an established love triangle, but it seems like that's where this is headed. And that's just not my cup of tea.
This was a small thing, but I was annoyed at the past lovers aspect. I already don't like in stories when characters have interactions with their exes that incites jealousy, so when this happens, I was irritated. But mostly I found it to be unnecessary.
Overall, the story was interesting enough for me to finish, but I think the obvious foreshadowing and unconvincing romance are what really affected my enjoyment. I do think there will be plenty of people who will really enjoy this story though, so if the tropes I listed at the beginning sound interesting to you, maybe check it out to see if it's for you.
Thank you Red Tower Books for providing an e-ARC copy in exchange for an honest review! As always, all opinions are my own.
Favorite Quotes:
"The destruction hadn't only made monsters appear; it had made monsters of everyone."
_______
"I'm not a delicate flower that you should fear crushing in your palm."
"No, you're delicate like a bomb."
_______
"She was immune to his magic but not him."
_______
"That's not my home."
"It could be."
_______
"You smell so good. Let's find out what you taste like." 🥵
_______
"He's a monster. But he's my monster."
_______
Men could be just as much monsters as the ones with claws and teeth.
_______
"You're my wren."
_______
Both liars and monsters and murderers.
Both capable of love and laughter and light.
No heroes.
No villains.
Just people blessed and cursed with magic.
_______
Read
November 7, 2025DNF @ 26%
June 5, 2024
In a world full of monsters, a thief is doing her best to survive. She takes a job to steal a ring from a wealthy home, but it was much more than it seemed. She was caught by a monster who needed up offering her a job instead of something worse. He needed her particular set of skills to obtain something he wanted. A business relationship turned something more over the course of the story.
The Wren in the Holly Library has a promising start but quickly ran into issues. From the flow of a scene, to plain typos, to plot holes… it was messy. When did they learn to do that “skill”? They were just doing jobs for a couple thousand dollars because of their worth and suddenly they’re negotiating for millions… the magic didn’t make sense, and just so much more could have been done better.
Example: character gets into a fight that dislocates their shoulder, gets it put back in and can suddenly fight with that arm without hindrance or mention of the injury. In the same like, hour.
Example: character is standing having a conversation, next paragraph they’re suddenly sitting and in a different set up.
So on, and so forth… over and over again.
I couldn’t figure out what timeframe this was set in either. It read like a 1920-1940s mob-ish New York. But they had cell phones and computer technology. It was strange.
Unfortunately this is another case of a much needed editor. I WISH Red Tower put funding into getting books edited rather than just making them look pretty. Granted, they are gorgeous books… It needed a line editor. Hell, it needed another draft.
The base of the story had huge potential it just fell flat. 2⭐️
*ARC provided by red tower, clearly all thoughts are my own.
The Wren in the Holly Library has a promising start but quickly ran into issues. From the flow of a scene, to plain typos, to plot holes… it was messy. When did they learn to do that “skill”? They were just doing jobs for a couple thousand dollars because of their worth and suddenly they’re negotiating for millions… the magic didn’t make sense, and just so much more could have been done better.
Example: character gets into a fight that dislocates their shoulder, gets it put back in and can suddenly fight with that arm without hindrance or mention of the injury. In the same like, hour.
Example: character is standing having a conversation, next paragraph they’re suddenly sitting and in a different set up.
So on, and so forth… over and over again.
I couldn’t figure out what timeframe this was set in either. It read like a 1920-1940s mob-ish New York. But they had cell phones and computer technology. It was strange.
Unfortunately this is another case of a much needed editor. I WISH Red Tower put funding into getting books edited rather than just making them look pretty. Granted, they are gorgeous books… It needed a line editor. Hell, it needed another draft.
The base of the story had huge potential it just fell flat. 2⭐️
*ARC provided by red tower, clearly all thoughts are my own.
Want to read
June 5, 2023I don't understand how people rate a book, let alone with a 3-star review, months before the release.
If this is somehow similar to Six of Crows, that's a green flag to me and it goes directly to my TBR. The second green flag is that this is from the same publisher as Fourthwing and it will be a beautiful copy.
If this is somehow similar to Six of Crows, that's a green flag to me and it goes directly to my TBR. The second green flag is that this is from the same publisher as Fourthwing and it will be a beautiful copy.
September 24, 2024
Shades of ACOTAR and other romantasies, but the further you get into it, the more it feels like a stereotypical new adult romance than anything else. The mythology isn't all that compelling, and the romance just has all those conventional NA beats, characters, back stories, sex, and rote language. It’s not specifically terrible, but none of it offers much genuine surprise or excitement, either.
Some editing issues here and there, and quibbles with the endless parade of exes/past histories that sort of move the plot along but don't really have much of an impact on the characters otherwise. Taking it off the "adult" shelf and leaving it on PNR/UF, though that's probably being a bit generous. I would have been more tolerant if the story had wrapped up in the one book, but in pursuit of romantasy cred, this one seems set on presenting itself as an epic fantasy series.
2.5 stars
Audio Notes: The narrator Stephanie Németh-Parker does well overall, except that the way she reads the FMC makes it feel very very YA/NA, though I guess that's fine if that's what you're interested in. Her MMC voice is pretty good at first too, except that there are more plummy UK characters/accents introduced, which then makes them all feel sort of put-on and indistinguishable.
But the worst comes when they start having sex and the MMC starts using that slow, lofty accent to talk dirty to her, and then I just started laughing and couldn't stop. I'd try another audiobook narrated by her, though, this was just a bad combination.
P.S. Breads Bakery, which is mentioned repeatedly but not by name, does have the best babka. But the chocolate one is better.
Some editing issues here and there, and quibbles with the endless parade of exes/past histories that sort of move the plot along but don't really have much of an impact on the characters otherwise. Taking it off the "adult" shelf and leaving it on PNR/UF, though that's probably being a bit generous. I would have been more tolerant if the story had wrapped up in the one book, but in pursuit of romantasy cred, this one seems set on presenting itself as an epic fantasy series.
2.5 stars
Audio Notes: The narrator Stephanie Németh-Parker does well overall, except that the way she reads the FMC makes it feel very very YA/NA, though I guess that's fine if that's what you're interested in. Her MMC voice is pretty good at first too, except that there are more plummy UK characters/accents introduced, which then makes them all feel sort of put-on and indistinguishable.
But the worst comes when they start having sex and the MMC starts using that slow, lofty accent to talk dirty to her, and then I just started laughing and couldn't stop. I'd try another audiobook narrated by her, though, this was just a bad combination.
P.S. Breads Bakery, which is mentioned repeatedly but not by name, does have the best babka. But the chocolate one is better.
June 17, 2024
DON'T FALL FOR THE PRETTY BOOKS.
Red Tower can suck it.
Can I count this as "read" if I skipped 100 pages in the middle because I was so ungodly bored that I just wanted to know how it ends and turns out this author just wants to be like ACOTAR and Throne of Glass?
Spoilers below if you gaf but idgaf so here goes:
For starters, the editing in this book is so horrific that if there was an actual human who edited this, fire them.
There was a page where every single paragraph started with "Kierse + action."
"Kierse looked to her left." "Kierse didn't take the bait." "Kierse jerked at the sound of his voice." "Kierse's breathing intensified."
I felt like I was either:
A: Reading closed caption sound effects. *breathing intensifies*
Or
B: Reading the inner monologue of someone who only refers to themselves in the third person. Like Jimmy in Seinfeld.
("Jimmy's under the boards!" "Jimmy's in the open!" "Jimmy makes the shot!")
Secondly, all of the characters in this book are so dull that I gave zero fucks what happened to any of them. Kierse is supposed to be like a really good thief (from her days in the "thieving guild" lololol) but she's kind of an idiot and gets caught all the times she "thieves?"
She also talks about her "slo-mo" a lot 🤣🤣🤣 like that's the place where she goes when she's mentally preparing to "thieve." Literally she's like "and then Kierse entered her slo-mo" like I'm reading a script for the Power Rangers or some shit.
Third, she's a girl who doesn't know anything about her parents deaths, she's found on the streets by "Jason" the president or whatever of the "Thieving Guild" and then he teaches her how to be this master thief and then she leaves the "thieving guild" and makes her own way.
Sound familiar? It's Kmart Aelin!
Next, she's found by a brooding big magic man who "totally sees her potential" or whatever. Anyway he knows what she is from the start but doesn't tell her. In the end she learns she's a Fae hahaha. And then he "frees her from her bond" and omg she reaches up and hER eArs aRE PoInTy?!?! 🤣
And then at the end she sails off to Ireland (?) to learn of her Fae Heritage™ and then you learn that he's also searching for a cauldron or whatever idk I literally do not care.
Red Tower suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks. They are doing their authors a HUYYYYUGE disservice.
Red Tower can suck it.
Can I count this as "read" if I skipped 100 pages in the middle because I was so ungodly bored that I just wanted to know how it ends and turns out this author just wants to be like ACOTAR and Throne of Glass?
Spoilers below if you gaf but idgaf so here goes:
For starters, the editing in this book is so horrific that if there was an actual human who edited this, fire them.
There was a page where every single paragraph started with "Kierse + action."
"Kierse looked to her left." "Kierse didn't take the bait." "Kierse jerked at the sound of his voice." "Kierse's breathing intensified."
I felt like I was either:
A: Reading closed caption sound effects. *breathing intensifies*
Or
B: Reading the inner monologue of someone who only refers to themselves in the third person. Like Jimmy in Seinfeld.
("Jimmy's under the boards!" "Jimmy's in the open!" "Jimmy makes the shot!")
Secondly, all of the characters in this book are so dull that I gave zero fucks what happened to any of them. Kierse is supposed to be like a really good thief (from her days in the "thieving guild" lololol) but she's kind of an idiot and gets caught all the times she "thieves?"
She also talks about her "slo-mo" a lot 🤣🤣🤣 like that's the place where she goes when she's mentally preparing to "thieve." Literally she's like "and then Kierse entered her slo-mo" like I'm reading a script for the Power Rangers or some shit.
Third, she's a girl who doesn't know anything about her parents deaths, she's found on the streets by "Jason" the president or whatever of the "Thieving Guild" and then he teaches her how to be this master thief and then she leaves the "thieving guild" and makes her own way.
Sound familiar? It's Kmart Aelin!
Next, she's found by a brooding big magic man who "totally sees her potential" or whatever. Anyway he knows what she is from the start but doesn't tell her. In the end she learns she's a Fae hahaha. And then he "frees her from her bond" and omg she reaches up and hER eArs aRE PoInTy?!?! 🤣
And then at the end she sails off to Ireland (?) to learn of her Fae Heritage™ and then you learn that he's also searching for a cauldron or whatever idk I literally do not care.
Red Tower suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks. They are doing their authors a HUYYYYUGE disservice.
December 11, 2024
✩ 2 stars ✩
“To the girls who fell for the library before the beast.” - she knew what she was doing with this dedication. 💛
What to Expect:
➼ Dystopian Fantasy
➼ Beauty & The Beast Vibes
➼ Forced Proximity
➼ Monsters & Magic
➼ Heist
➼ She works for him
➼ Secrets
➼ Hidden Identities
➼ Single POV (with interludes)
Meh… this was not great. I never felt the urge to DNF it, but I don’t have any plans to continue the series either. The revelations of the true identities of the characters (including side characters) connected too many dots for the plot to feel believable. Things aligned a little too tidily while also leaving many aspects of the world and magic system unexplained. And a Wren? Half the plot hinges on a bird that literally no one could pick out of a line up. 😅 I’m guessing this will also develop into a love triangle and I have zero interest in reading that. ✌🏻
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
Pre-read: The gang has been DNFing this one left and right so I’m keeping my expectations low. 🫣
“To the girls who fell for the library before the beast.” - she knew what she was doing with this dedication. 💛
What to Expect:
➼ Dystopian Fantasy
➼ Beauty & The Beast Vibes
➼ Forced Proximity
➼ Monsters & Magic
➼ Heist
➼ She works for him
➼ Secrets
➼ Hidden Identities
➼ Single POV (with interludes)
Meh… this was not great. I never felt the urge to DNF it, but I don’t have any plans to continue the series either. The revelations of the true identities of the characters (including side characters) connected too many dots for the plot to feel believable. Things aligned a little too tidily while also leaving many aspects of the world and magic system unexplained. And a Wren? Half the plot hinges on a bird that literally no one could pick out of a line up. 😅 I’m guessing this will also develop into a love triangle and I have zero interest in reading that. ✌🏻
✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼ ҉ ✼
Pre-read: The gang has been DNFing this one left and right so I’m keeping my expectations low. 🫣
June 9, 2024
2.5 stars
I need to stop falling for the Red Tower releases with pretty edges. 🥲
I need to stop falling for the Red Tower releases with pretty edges. 🥲
June 12, 2025
I gotta say I really did love the start of this book and honest to god was a bit confused as to why people kept rating it 3 stars.
But alas I understood, but I also have my own bone to pick with some elements of this book. DISCLAIMER: I was given an ARC so the copy I was reading was NOT a final copy so perhaps some things changed from the ARC to the final copy, and if u did read the final copy please let me know if things were changed!
To start off I gave this book a 3 stars, and I don’t want anyone to think that me rating it a 3 means it’s a bad book, no…it’s not bad at all. In fact it was so fun, filled with so much action and plot and honestly such a fun story.
However, there were some things that took me out of the story that I sort of struggled with enjoying the full experience. First of all, anyone who thinks this is like six of crows…it’s not. It’s not at all☠️. Just because there’s a heist doesn’t mean it’s like six of crows. Like YALL gotta stop thinking six of crows is some og heist book.
Second, I completely understand that the author wanted to include diverse cast and relationships, but in my personal opinion it was a bit messy. It’s very subtly mention but you’ll meet a hijabi Muslim doctor, who legit was previously in a relationship with the MMC, like a white man who’s not Muslim. Now thank god the relationship did not work out- but I think it needs to be made distinctly clear to anyone who didn’t catch on, that it is FORBIDDEN for Muslims especially to girls who are clearly hijabi to be in a non marriage relationship. Now don’t get wrong, the author is super sweet and nice, she had sensitivity readers for specific characters but I find it strange she didn’t gave one for the inclusion of her hijabi character. And once again she wrote her super kindly, did not ruin her aside from mentioning she was in a relationship that does not happen in our culture.
I also really love how both her mcs are bi, however I think she made their relationship history SO messy because how are you here telling that the MMC was in a fucking relationship with every single person whose LEGIT NOW HIS ENEMY. And on top of that he basically knew he had a soulmate? Like I’m sorry I don’t find that romantic at all. I really liked his character, I did, but then he just started to get confusing. Let’s talk about the fact that he was in a past relationship with one girl and then cheated on her with her guy BESTIE, like no duh doofus of course she doesn’t like you anymore and u made an enemy of her.
What he was, and what she was pretty predictable. Give me a new storyline where the MMC is not hiding his identity and he’s actually always loved the girl like bffr WE WERE GOING SOMEWHERE.
And I know this seems like I’m trying to hate on the book, but I’m not. The plot and the world building was genuinely good. I think the characters were distinct, and no one was inherently SUPER bad in terms of main characters. The beginning of this book was so promising but the more I got into the story the more I genuinely felt like I was being given dumps of “oh yes we had a relationship before, don’t trust this person their now my enemy”. Like bitch u literally ARE part of the problem. Also this book gives the vibes that there will be a 3some and I’m sorry just not my mojo, if that happens I’m saying bye to my thread of hope😭
Anyways yea, maybe I’ll read the next book. At the moment the next book is not my anticipated read but the story and where the plot might go is promising. And I really enjoyed how easy it was to fly through the book🫶
But alas I understood, but I also have my own bone to pick with some elements of this book. DISCLAIMER: I was given an ARC so the copy I was reading was NOT a final copy so perhaps some things changed from the ARC to the final copy, and if u did read the final copy please let me know if things were changed!
To start off I gave this book a 3 stars, and I don’t want anyone to think that me rating it a 3 means it’s a bad book, no…it’s not bad at all. In fact it was so fun, filled with so much action and plot and honestly such a fun story.
However, there were some things that took me out of the story that I sort of struggled with enjoying the full experience. First of all, anyone who thinks this is like six of crows…it’s not. It’s not at all☠️. Just because there’s a heist doesn’t mean it’s like six of crows. Like YALL gotta stop thinking six of crows is some og heist book.
Second, I completely understand that the author wanted to include diverse cast and relationships, but in my personal opinion it was a bit messy. It’s very subtly mention but you’ll meet a hijabi Muslim doctor, who legit was previously in a relationship with the MMC, like a white man who’s not Muslim. Now thank god the relationship did not work out- but I think it needs to be made distinctly clear to anyone who didn’t catch on, that it is FORBIDDEN for Muslims especially to girls who are clearly hijabi to be in a non marriage relationship. Now don’t get wrong, the author is super sweet and nice, she had sensitivity readers for specific characters but I find it strange she didn’t gave one for the inclusion of her hijabi character. And once again she wrote her super kindly, did not ruin her aside from mentioning she was in a relationship that does not happen in our culture.
I also really love how both her mcs are bi, however I think she made their relationship history SO messy because how are you here telling that the MMC was in a fucking relationship with every single person whose LEGIT NOW HIS ENEMY. And on top of that he basically knew he had a soulmate? Like I’m sorry I don’t find that romantic at all. I really liked his character, I did, but then he just started to get confusing. Let’s talk about the fact that he was in a past relationship with one girl and then cheated on her with her guy BESTIE, like no duh doofus of course she doesn’t like you anymore and u made an enemy of her.
What he was, and what she was pretty predictable. Give me a new storyline where the MMC is not hiding his identity and he’s actually always loved the girl like bffr WE WERE GOING SOMEWHERE.
And I know this seems like I’m trying to hate on the book, but I’m not. The plot and the world building was genuinely good. I think the characters were distinct, and no one was inherently SUPER bad in terms of main characters. The beginning of this book was so promising but the more I got into the story the more I genuinely felt like I was being given dumps of “oh yes we had a relationship before, don’t trust this person their now my enemy”. Like bitch u literally ARE part of the problem. Also this book gives the vibes that there will be a 3some and I’m sorry just not my mojo, if that happens I’m saying bye to my thread of hope😭
Anyways yea, maybe I’ll read the next book. At the moment the next book is not my anticipated read but the story and where the plot might go is promising. And I really enjoyed how easy it was to fly through the book🫶
March 5, 2024
A new, addicting romantasy world that I couldn't help but fall in love with. K.A. Linde's writing shines in this fast-paced, action-packed story about a young woman discovering she may be more than just a human in a monster's world -- and that magic really does exist. I absolutely loved living in this alternate New York where Linde painted such a vivid picture of a world ruled by monsters. From the mystery and thrills to the angst and steam, I was completely wrapped up. Anxiously awaiting book two and excited to have a new world to obsess over!
May 12, 2024
I don’t usually go for Beauty and the Beast-inspired fantasy books, mainly because I find a lot of them lean too much into villain or dark romance for my tastes. But there’s something delightfully unique about this version, which mashes up some BATB story elements with Celtic mythology and a magical NYC that lies somewhere between SIX OF CROWS and THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS.
The basic plot is simple enough. Kierse, a preternaturally skilled thief, is hired to break into the mansion of Graves, a reclusive “monster,” but instead gets caught and hired by him for a heist of his own. Slowly, though, the world that unfolds around her proves to contain several layers of centuries-old grudges, a newfound peace that not everyone wants, and a mystery surrounding her own identity.
A lot of books talk a big talk about being “morally gray” but wind up with characters just brooding about how they’ve Done Such Terrible Things. I loved that this one actually let everyone - Kierse included - be realistically murky. They’re in a tough world trying to survive. No one’s motivations are pure, and no one is a mustache-twirling villain. That alone bumped this from four to five stars.
Look, we all know that books like this will be super hit or miss for most readers. I’m a firm believer in the “did I have a good time?” scale, though, and I genuinely enjoyed every minute of reading this.
The basic plot is simple enough. Kierse, a preternaturally skilled thief, is hired to break into the mansion of Graves, a reclusive “monster,” but instead gets caught and hired by him for a heist of his own. Slowly, though, the world that unfolds around her proves to contain several layers of centuries-old grudges, a newfound peace that not everyone wants, and a mystery surrounding her own identity.
A lot of books talk a big talk about being “morally gray” but wind up with characters just brooding about how they’ve Done Such Terrible Things. I loved that this one actually let everyone - Kierse included - be realistically murky. They’re in a tough world trying to survive. No one’s motivations are pure, and no one is a mustache-twirling villain. That alone bumped this from four to five stars.
Look, we all know that books like this will be super hit or miss for most readers. I’m a firm believer in the “did I have a good time?” scale, though, and I genuinely enjoyed every minute of reading this.
December 25, 2025
Smutty paranormal beauty&beast retelling.
Lousy world-building, primitive dialogues, predictable plot based on a bunch of tropes and cliché for characters – most disappointing.
Lousy world-building, primitive dialogues, predictable plot based on a bunch of tropes and cliché for characters – most disappointing.
July 12, 2024
raging cus this book was false advertised and it's completely different then what I expected (not in a good way)
another book, where in the beginning I thought it's great, maybe new fav, there's some tension, but since 30% it became mid and boring and it's just too many tropes and nothing original, it's literally - acomaf in the middle:
- mysterious dark "monster" warlock
- she lives with him
- teaches her, gives her books
- he gave her new wardrobe
- she has to dress like a sl^+ and pretend to be his "pet" at some party
- they're planning a heist - he teaches her how to fight - and the effing worst - insta lust, no tension after initial meeting, no chemistry
- and ofc he's 100+ vo and she's 25
- after knowing each other three days he calls her "my wren" and says his home could become her home and she has realization she doesn't want to leave him🙄
"she was his" but they know each other a week and it's 50% of the book and "he ruined her for every other men"🙄
"he's a monster but he's my monster🥺", but they know each other two weeks and didn't have any meaningful conversation that wasn't about heist or magic or monsters
and the awful love corner, pls pls pls authors stop doing love corners in every book, I need them to meet each other and slowly fall in love and not firstly get immidiately attracted to one guy, be surpried he's bad and controlling (shocker ik) and then immidiately lusting after another guy, who isn't much better, but they have "a connection" and "she knows him" and he's just misunderstood broken boi and a "villain in his own story"
I literally don't know anything about mmc except his name is graves ("like the thing people crawl out of") and he's sexy, powerful, experienced, soooo handsome, just misunderstood, hundreads yo and does magic😃
and the fmc's name is Kierse, she has wren necklace she never takes off and every powerful person takes notice of it (very sneaky btw, def it's just normal wren necklace, nohing special about it😃) and she's this badass thief, she can get anywhere, steal anything, all she does is steal and had abusive teacher (giving tog fanfic)
the romance was so dry goshhhh, there's more chemistry between me and my vacuum than between these two
another book, where in the beginning I thought it's great, maybe new fav, there's some tension, but since 30% it became mid and boring and it's just too many tropes and nothing original, it's literally - acomaf in the middle:
- mysterious dark "monster" warlock
- she lives with him
- teaches her, gives her books
- he gave her new wardrobe
- she has to dress like a sl^+ and pretend to be his "pet" at some party
- they're planning a heist - he teaches her how to fight - and the effing worst - insta lust, no tension after initial meeting, no chemistry
- and ofc he's 100+ vo and she's 25
- after knowing each other three days he calls her "my wren" and says his home could become her home and she has realization she doesn't want to leave him🙄
"she was his" but they know each other a week and it's 50% of the book and "he ruined her for every other men"🙄
"he's a monster but he's my monster🥺", but they know each other two weeks and didn't have any meaningful conversation that wasn't about heist or magic or monsters
and the awful love corner, pls pls pls authors stop doing love corners in every book, I need them to meet each other and slowly fall in love and not firstly get immidiately attracted to one guy, be surpried he's bad and controlling (shocker ik) and then immidiately lusting after another guy, who isn't much better, but they have "a connection" and "she knows him" and he's just misunderstood broken boi and a "villain in his own story"
I literally don't know anything about mmc except his name is graves ("like the thing people crawl out of") and he's sexy, powerful, experienced, soooo handsome, just misunderstood, hundreads yo and does magic😃
and the fmc's name is Kierse, she has wren necklace she never takes off and every powerful person takes notice of it (very sneaky btw, def it's just normal wren necklace, nohing special about it😃) and she's this badass thief, she can get anywhere, steal anything, all she does is steal and had abusive teacher (giving tog fanfic)
the romance was so dry goshhhh, there's more chemistry between me and my vacuum than between these two
August 1, 2024
Monsters, humans, warlocks... fun story! I took a star off because it felt like it was missing something?? It was a fun read that kept me turning the pages, but it felt like it could use something extra to bump it up a star! A little spicy (I think two shortish full scenes) but mostly training and learning about the characters.
October 19, 2025
Okay, listen. I do not read Red Tower books expecting quality. It’s just an unfortunate fact that the writing in this was just so poor and amateurish that I was in disbelief that this was an actual print book I was reading and not some random Kindle Unlimited fodder with a man's bare chest on the cover. However, what editing this book lacks, it makes up for an attempt in storytelling. Key words here being: an attempt.
Firstly, I can tolerate the comparison to A Darker Shade of Magic, but I have a bone to pick with everyone who compared this to Six of Crows. News flash: not every book that features a thief needs to be comped to Six of Crows just because it’s the most hyped-up heist book out there. It set this book— and many others with this comp— at unrealistic expectations, and it affects my personal reading experience. So please, kindly, stop!
Okay so. The writing. Yikes. Reading this felt like reading a first draft, or an amateur fanfiction. You know the common writer saying, “show, don’t tell”? Yeah, well this author does a fuck-ton of telling and not showing. "Kierse did this," "Graves did this," "Then, Kierse did this," "Then this happened." "Finally, Graves did this." It was so hard to read at points that I just started skimming. There were these ✨ moments of brilliance ✨ though, scenes here and there that actually started to make this seem like a well-put together story, but it would quickly lose itself to that basic, boring telling again. To me, this felt like a lack of skill and creativity, with everything being made so obvious, like I was reading an informative textbook rather than a fictional story.
Beyond that, there were also a lot of inconsistencies in the writing. For example, the author reveals that Graves is a warlock in chapter 14 on page 92, a species Kierse was unaware of prior to their conversation. However, Kierse calls him a warlock in the previous chapter on page 88. There are so many instances like this, to the point where I literally doubt that this book had an editor at all during the publication process.
Another thing, the names of the people and places? I mean, come on. The main characters names are Kierse, Graves, Lorcan, all fine and dandy for a paranormal fantasy novel. But then the side characters names are all Ethan, George, Nate, Gregory, etc. Like, where did the creativity go? Pick a side, go with fantasy or modern names. It’s upsetting when you can tell a character’s importance in the story just based on their name alone. Also, the location names had no creativity at all. The Holly Library. The Five Points. The Third Floor. It's all so conventional and unrealistic, I was at the point of laughing because this is some of the most outrageous shit I've read all year.
My final writing complaint: the romance— and this one might get me side-eyed a bit. In my ever most humble opinion, Kierse and Graves had more of a found family-type, mentor/mentee or even parent/child connection, and their romance came completely out of left field. When I first started reading, I was wondering if maybe I had read the synopsis wrong and Kierse’s love interest was actually supposed to be Lorcan? Because the relationship between her and Graves did not seem like it was steering in that direction at all until it very abruptly did, and I was a bit weirded out if I'm being honest.
As for the storytelling, I have to give Linde some credit. The story, at its base, had the potential to be something great— it’s the execution that fails it. I would’ve loved this story had the planning, writing, and editing been up to par; a modern-day paranormal fantasy, with monsters and humans living in uneasy harmony, with a Beauty and the Beast-inspired romance? Sounds like my dream novel. I’m just so disappointed that it had been published like this.
Entangled Publishing (Red Tower’s parent publisher), I’m begging you: the pretty covers are nice but PLEASE hire editors for your books. If this book had anything beyond beta readers or a line editor, this probably wouldn’t be half as bad as it is. And the thing is, I’m not even mad, I’m just ironically amused. That's the main reason I didn't DNF this, as well as the receipt for this book saying that the return due date was literally the day before I started reading this so I was like "this must be fate" lmao.Lowkey I wanna read Sanctuary of the Shadow now for shits n giggles because if this one was that bad... (Update: I read it. It was objectively better. What is wrong with y'all lmao.)
(Also, I don’t think that this is entirely K.A. Linde’s fault, and I’m still interested in giving her Ascension series and Royal Houses series a shot at some point,probably not anytime soon though. Her non-Red Tower books seemingly have more of a positive reception, so I’m hopeful that her next venture isn’t as unsatisfactory as this one.)
TL;DR: Pretty cover syndrome strikes again, concept was cool but execution was shit, it’s so bad it’s funny and I want to give it a zero but I can’t so I give it a one, and another one of my bookish rants is now over.
Edit: So I gave the prequel to this series a shot and uh... I'm gonna let y'all see how this went over for yourselves lmao
Firstly, I can tolerate the comparison to A Darker Shade of Magic, but I have a bone to pick with everyone who compared this to Six of Crows. News flash: not every book that features a thief needs to be comped to Six of Crows just because it’s the most hyped-up heist book out there. It set this book— and many others with this comp— at unrealistic expectations, and it affects my personal reading experience. So please, kindly, stop!
Okay so. The writing. Yikes. Reading this felt like reading a first draft, or an amateur fanfiction. You know the common writer saying, “show, don’t tell”? Yeah, well this author does a fuck-ton of telling and not showing. "Kierse did this," "Graves did this," "Then, Kierse did this," "Then this happened." "Finally, Graves did this." It was so hard to read at points that I just started skimming. There were these ✨ moments of brilliance ✨ though, scenes here and there that actually started to make this seem like a well-put together story, but it would quickly lose itself to that basic, boring telling again. To me, this felt like a lack of skill and creativity, with everything being made so obvious, like I was reading an informative textbook rather than a fictional story.
Beyond that, there were also a lot of inconsistencies in the writing. For example, the author reveals that Graves is a warlock in chapter 14 on page 92, a species Kierse was unaware of prior to their conversation. However, Kierse calls him a warlock in the previous chapter on page 88. There are so many instances like this, to the point where I literally doubt that this book had an editor at all during the publication process.
Another thing, the names of the people and places? I mean, come on. The main characters names are Kierse, Graves, Lorcan, all fine and dandy for a paranormal fantasy novel. But then the side characters names are all Ethan, George, Nate, Gregory, etc. Like, where did the creativity go? Pick a side, go with fantasy or modern names. It’s upsetting when you can tell a character’s importance in the story just based on their name alone. Also, the location names had no creativity at all. The Holly Library. The Five Points. The Third Floor. It's all so conventional and unrealistic, I was at the point of laughing because this is some of the most outrageous shit I've read all year.
My final writing complaint: the romance— and this one might get me side-eyed a bit. In my ever most humble opinion, Kierse and Graves had more of a found family-type, mentor/mentee or even parent/child connection, and their romance came completely out of left field. When I first started reading, I was wondering if maybe I had read the synopsis wrong and Kierse’s love interest was actually supposed to be Lorcan? Because the relationship between her and Graves did not seem like it was steering in that direction at all until it very abruptly did, and I was a bit weirded out if I'm being honest.
As for the storytelling, I have to give Linde some credit. The story, at its base, had the potential to be something great— it’s the execution that fails it. I would’ve loved this story had the planning, writing, and editing been up to par; a modern-day paranormal fantasy, with monsters and humans living in uneasy harmony, with a Beauty and the Beast-inspired romance? Sounds like my dream novel. I’m just so disappointed that it had been published like this.
Entangled Publishing (Red Tower’s parent publisher), I’m begging you: the pretty covers are nice but PLEASE hire editors for your books. If this book had anything beyond beta readers or a line editor, this probably wouldn’t be half as bad as it is. And the thing is, I’m not even mad, I’m just ironically amused. That's the main reason I didn't DNF this, as well as the receipt for this book saying that the return due date was literally the day before I started reading this so I was like "this must be fate" lmao.
(Also, I don’t think that this is entirely K.A. Linde’s fault, and I’m still interested in giving her Ascension series and Royal Houses series a shot at some point,
TL;DR: Pretty cover syndrome strikes again, concept was cool but execution was shit, it’s so bad it’s funny and I want to give it a zero but I can’t so I give it a one, and another one of my bookish rants is now over.
Edit: So I gave the prequel to this series a shot and uh... I'm gonna let y'all see how this went over for yourselves lmao
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2024
Life is too short for boring books.
Welcome to the 1 star club.
Welcome to the 1 star club.
June 7, 2024
2.5 rounded up. this has good bones but ultimately reads like a first draft and not a good one at that. like we get it…this takes place in new york. you don’t have to prove that to me by waxing poetic about every subway line
July 11, 2024
2.5 stars
An adequate fantasy meets an underwhelming romance.
While I liked some elements of The Wren in the Holly Library, I had a lot of issues with it as well. So much of it is just cliches from the YA genre forced together to hold up a very slow plot. I also had issues with the pacing and way the author delivered exposition. Every time the plot shifted or a twist was revealed, it felt incredibly stilted. Overall this wasn't horrible, but it was definitely underwhelming. I've noticed a trend of Red Tower publishing a bunch of Adult Romance/Erotica authors' first YA fantasy books (Fourth Wing, Sanctuary of the Shadow, The Wren in the Holly Library), and I've found them all pretty cliche and boring so far. Hopefully that improves, cause a publisher can't stay afloat with so many duds.
An adequate fantasy meets an underwhelming romance.
While I liked some elements of The Wren in the Holly Library, I had a lot of issues with it as well. So much of it is just cliches from the YA genre forced together to hold up a very slow plot. I also had issues with the pacing and way the author delivered exposition. Every time the plot shifted or a twist was revealed, it felt incredibly stilted. Overall this wasn't horrible, but it was definitely underwhelming. I've noticed a trend of Red Tower publishing a bunch of Adult Romance/Erotica authors' first YA fantasy books (Fourth Wing, Sanctuary of the Shadow, The Wren in the Holly Library), and I've found them all pretty cliche and boring so far. Hopefully that improves, cause a publisher can't stay afloat with so many duds.
August 11, 2024
I’m so disappointed that I completed my 2024 reading challenge with this book.
(Edit 07/19/24) I was originally planning on leaving it there, but the more I think about this book the more I come to hate it. On top of that, it’s come to my attention that the author has apparently been bullying people who give this book bad reviews. So in return, I’m going to give this book a bad review. Let’s get into it.
First I just want to say that the only reason this book gets two stars (really like 1.5) instead of one is because there is potential. The main love interest Graves is a very interesting and enjoyable character in my opinion. I hope that in the sequel he gets more chapters in his POV as I think he has a lot to contribute to the story, especially since all the remaining possible antagonists are connected to him in some way. The sex scenes were surprisingly well written compared to the rest of the book, so it’s clear where the author’s talent lies (there’s nothing wrong with excelling with writing those scenes, especially right now when smut is selling so well). In all honesty though, this is coming from someone who just recently started reading books with smut in them, so my take might be off. Finally, I am very intrigued by the Celtic mythology aspect as I have never seen that in a fantasy book before. I feel like if the author chooses to focus on that more instead of the random assortment of monsters that she had in the first book, she could find herself with a successful series.
Now, moving on to my main problem of the book which was the lack of original ideas. With the exception of the sparsely used Celtic mythology, there was nothing that made this book stand out from the many other fantasy books that exist. I will say though that it doesn’t seem like the author really wanted to stand out as it seemed as though they were flipping though some of their favorite books while they wrote, picking their favorite parts and writing them into their own story. I noticed a lot of similarities to the ACOTAR series, specifically the second book “A Court of Mist and Fury” which seemingly has exact lines taken from it. The main relationship between Kierse and Graves was very reminiscent of the relationship between Bella and Edward in “Twilight” in the sense that Graves falls in love with Kierse because he couldn’t “read” her like he can with other people. Some of the food and getting ready descriptions reminded me of “The Hunger Games” which might be missed by most people but I literally never stop thinking about “The Hunger Games”. Then I have also been told that a lot of the names used in this story also appear in the “Throne of Glass” series. So it seems like K.A. Linda just really wants to be Sarah J. Maas. I understand that at this point in time it will always be possible to find similarities between two books just because so much has been written, however it shouldn’t be so easy to find striking similarities between multiple very popular series. To me this book read much more like an ACOTAR fan fiction than it did an original story.
My next biggest problem with the book was easily the main character Kierse. I found her to be insufferable. She was described to be an independent person who always has to watch her own back, save herself, and she never needs help doing it. Which is fine, that would make for a very strong main character. Except it’s not fucking true. Kierse is very reliant on everyone else throughout the book. After her parents die and she has to live on the street, sure she learns how to pickpocket to survive, but all that probably does for her is help her tread water. If she had still been living on the street when the Monster War (which desperately needed a better name) started she would’ve died. She didn’t because she was saved by a scumbag named Jason. I call him a scumbag because that’s what we’re told he is multiple times throughout the book despite us never actually meeting him of getting much of a complete comprehensive story on him. But, Jason saves her from the street and brings her into his thieving guild which we literally never learn anything about. Then when Kierse decides she doesn’t want to work for Jason anymore and he tries to kill her, her future beat friend Gen saves her from death and lets her live at her moms brothel (that storyline with Collette is a whole other issue). Then when Kierse takes a job trying to rob Graves the only reason she survives it is because he decides to spare her. When she gets poisoned by the red powder Graves saves her. Then when Lorcan manages to successfully kidnap her she only survives because he also spares her. Then he kidnaps her and spares her again for some reason. And the only time she actually saves herself is in the final battle when it makes ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE for her to be able to save herself. She goes up against at least a dozen vampires and manages to kill all of them because she’s mediocre with a spear??? Leading up to the final fight she was even begging for Graves to show up and save her, she has no faith she could manage it (because logically she couldn’t) but somehow she defeated a fuck ton a vampires with barely any magical talent, like three weeks worth of training with a spear, and a badass final line (spoiler it was not badass it was so stupid). I have a lot more to say about Kierse, but that would take up the whole review. Just know this, she likes babka, she really likes to pickpocket people and has literally no other hobby, she likes her friends who have no noticeable personalities way too much, she’s supposed to be a very skilled thief but we are only ever told that and every heist we do see her do doesn’t go well, and she fucking loves exits, like loves them, its mentioned every 20 pages. She. Loves. Exits. And that’s all we know about her.
Apart from Graves none of the other characters were very interesting to me. Like I already mentioned Kieran’s best friends Ethan and Gen were just boring and didn’t seem to have much personality. We’re told exactly what they are supposed to be like, such as Gen being soft-spoken and sweet, but we never really see it from them. When the author does attempt to give them some personality, which really just revolves around how much they love Kierse, they’re just annoying. At the very end Ethan chooses to be trained in magic by a guy who just days earlier held a gun to his head and almost killed him and his two best friends, instead of being trained by the guy who tried to save them. On top of that it seems like the only reason Ethan chose Lorcan over Graves was because he was mad at Graves for slightly betraying Kierse. I cannot express how much that decision pissed me off. It pretty much sealed the deal that I will not be reading the next book as I don’t think I would be able to handle much more of Ethan’s decision making. Unless the author makes it that Ethan went with Lorcan because he’s attracted to him and theres gonna be a love triangle between them and Ethan’s current boyfriend Corey, then I kind of hope that decision blows up in his face because we were given no good reason to believe it won’t. Gen and Ethan are seemingly going to play a much bigger role in the next book so hopefully K.A. Linde gets it together for them as they do both have potential. Especially Gen who is supposed to be mostly blind but that was mentioned like once.
Lorcan was also enjoyable but I don’t like how he seems to be getting set up to be another love interest. I feel like K.A. Linde is going to try and be SJM again and pull a Tamlin with Graves and I don’t think that will work. She would have to do some serious character assassination in order to make Graves unlikable enough for me to be rooting for Kierse to end up with Lorcan. Part of me was more rooting for Graves and Lorcan to end up together and for Kierse to just disappear and never be mentioned again, but then they ended up being brothers so that hope was ruined.
The final character problem I had was that the author also had a habit of naming literally every single minor character and giving many of them backstories only for them to not end up mattering at all. Unless they end up being important in the next book in which case they should be introduced then because theres no way readers are remembering all 20 background characters and their tragic backstories. While some characters were better than others, none of them were fleshed out apart from their tragic backstory, which all of them had.
That leads me to my next problem with the book, which was that the writing was just bad. There was so much repetition throughout the book it was laughable. Multiple times throughout the book the author would say something just to say it again a few lines later in a different way. She also repeated facts a lot. Every time a bobby pin was brought up it would be elaborated on the Kierse uses them to pick locks. Then of course we are told that she loves stealing over and over again. And then theres the exits. Holy fuck does Kierse love her exits. Theres supposed to be a love triangle in this book but I would honestly argue it’s a square and exits are in the lead. I also got sick of the small descriptions over and over again, like what color Grave’s hair is, like just say black and I’ll remember, I promise. On top of the repetition the author includes unnecessary things and information. There was straight up a scene where Kierse goes to the doctor to find out what kind of monster she is and the doctor asks if she’s had sex in the last few months and whether or not she could be pregnant. Which already seemed like a pointless conversation to me but I had hope that the author was going somewhere. Nope. The doctor literally goes on to say that it doesn’t matter. THEN WHY PUT IT IN THE BOOK. I don’t care if it’s an accurate part of going to the doctor, I’m not reading a fantasy book for realistic doctor's appointments. If you are then you need to reevaluate your reading choices.
Overall, like I said in my original review, this book was just disappointing. There was a lot of potential there which I do think could have been reached if the author had a better editor for this story. But lack of editing seems to be a trend for Red Tower books. They make super pretty covers, with insanely promising synopses, but don’t bother to make the story itself good. Which works pretty well for the first book of the series, but as the pretty covers fail to deliver a good story over and over again, they're going to lose a lot of readers by the last book, which is unfair to the author. Well, not in this case. If she truly is bullying people for not liking her book, then she deserves for her sales to suffer. You can’t bully people into liking your book, especially if it’s a bad book.
(Edit 07/19/24) I was originally planning on leaving it there, but the more I think about this book the more I come to hate it. On top of that, it’s come to my attention that the author has apparently been bullying people who give this book bad reviews. So in return, I’m going to give this book a bad review. Let’s get into it.
First I just want to say that the only reason this book gets two stars (really like 1.5) instead of one is because there is potential. The main love interest Graves is a very interesting and enjoyable character in my opinion. I hope that in the sequel he gets more chapters in his POV as I think he has a lot to contribute to the story, especially since all the remaining possible antagonists are connected to him in some way. The sex scenes were surprisingly well written compared to the rest of the book, so it’s clear where the author’s talent lies (there’s nothing wrong with excelling with writing those scenes, especially right now when smut is selling so well). In all honesty though, this is coming from someone who just recently started reading books with smut in them, so my take might be off. Finally, I am very intrigued by the Celtic mythology aspect as I have never seen that in a fantasy book before. I feel like if the author chooses to focus on that more instead of the random assortment of monsters that she had in the first book, she could find herself with a successful series.
Now, moving on to my main problem of the book which was the lack of original ideas. With the exception of the sparsely used Celtic mythology, there was nothing that made this book stand out from the many other fantasy books that exist. I will say though that it doesn’t seem like the author really wanted to stand out as it seemed as though they were flipping though some of their favorite books while they wrote, picking their favorite parts and writing them into their own story. I noticed a lot of similarities to the ACOTAR series, specifically the second book “A Court of Mist and Fury” which seemingly has exact lines taken from it. The main relationship between Kierse and Graves was very reminiscent of the relationship between Bella and Edward in “Twilight” in the sense that Graves falls in love with Kierse because he couldn’t “read” her like he can with other people. Some of the food and getting ready descriptions reminded me of “The Hunger Games” which might be missed by most people but I literally never stop thinking about “The Hunger Games”. Then I have also been told that a lot of the names used in this story also appear in the “Throne of Glass” series. So it seems like K.A. Linda just really wants to be Sarah J. Maas. I understand that at this point in time it will always be possible to find similarities between two books just because so much has been written, however it shouldn’t be so easy to find striking similarities between multiple very popular series. To me this book read much more like an ACOTAR fan fiction than it did an original story.
My next biggest problem with the book was easily the main character Kierse. I found her to be insufferable. She was described to be an independent person who always has to watch her own back, save herself, and she never needs help doing it. Which is fine, that would make for a very strong main character. Except it’s not fucking true. Kierse is very reliant on everyone else throughout the book. After her parents die and she has to live on the street, sure she learns how to pickpocket to survive, but all that probably does for her is help her tread water. If she had still been living on the street when the Monster War (which desperately needed a better name) started she would’ve died. She didn’t because she was saved by a scumbag named Jason. I call him a scumbag because that’s what we’re told he is multiple times throughout the book despite us never actually meeting him of getting much of a complete comprehensive story on him. But, Jason saves her from the street and brings her into his thieving guild which we literally never learn anything about. Then when Kierse decides she doesn’t want to work for Jason anymore and he tries to kill her, her future beat friend Gen saves her from death and lets her live at her moms brothel (that storyline with Collette is a whole other issue). Then when Kierse takes a job trying to rob Graves the only reason she survives it is because he decides to spare her. When she gets poisoned by the red powder Graves saves her. Then when Lorcan manages to successfully kidnap her she only survives because he also spares her. Then he kidnaps her and spares her again for some reason. And the only time she actually saves herself is in the final battle when it makes ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE for her to be able to save herself. She goes up against at least a dozen vampires and manages to kill all of them because she’s mediocre with a spear??? Leading up to the final fight she was even begging for Graves to show up and save her, she has no faith she could manage it (because logically she couldn’t) but somehow she defeated a fuck ton a vampires with barely any magical talent, like three weeks worth of training with a spear, and a badass final line (spoiler it was not badass it was so stupid). I have a lot more to say about Kierse, but that would take up the whole review. Just know this, she likes babka, she really likes to pickpocket people and has literally no other hobby, she likes her friends who have no noticeable personalities way too much, she’s supposed to be a very skilled thief but we are only ever told that and every heist we do see her do doesn’t go well, and she fucking loves exits, like loves them, its mentioned every 20 pages. She. Loves. Exits. And that’s all we know about her.
Apart from Graves none of the other characters were very interesting to me. Like I already mentioned Kieran’s best friends Ethan and Gen were just boring and didn’t seem to have much personality. We’re told exactly what they are supposed to be like, such as Gen being soft-spoken and sweet, but we never really see it from them. When the author does attempt to give them some personality, which really just revolves around how much they love Kierse, they’re just annoying. At the very end Ethan chooses to be trained in magic by a guy who just days earlier held a gun to his head and almost killed him and his two best friends, instead of being trained by the guy who tried to save them. On top of that it seems like the only reason Ethan chose Lorcan over Graves was because he was mad at Graves for slightly betraying Kierse. I cannot express how much that decision pissed me off. It pretty much sealed the deal that I will not be reading the next book as I don’t think I would be able to handle much more of Ethan’s decision making. Unless the author makes it that Ethan went with Lorcan because he’s attracted to him and theres gonna be a love triangle between them and Ethan’s current boyfriend Corey, then I kind of hope that decision blows up in his face because we were given no good reason to believe it won’t. Gen and Ethan are seemingly going to play a much bigger role in the next book so hopefully K.A. Linde gets it together for them as they do both have potential. Especially Gen who is supposed to be mostly blind but that was mentioned like once.
Lorcan was also enjoyable but I don’t like how he seems to be getting set up to be another love interest. I feel like K.A. Linde is going to try and be SJM again and pull a Tamlin with Graves and I don’t think that will work. She would have to do some serious character assassination in order to make Graves unlikable enough for me to be rooting for Kierse to end up with Lorcan. Part of me was more rooting for Graves and Lorcan to end up together and for Kierse to just disappear and never be mentioned again, but then they ended up being brothers so that hope was ruined.
The final character problem I had was that the author also had a habit of naming literally every single minor character and giving many of them backstories only for them to not end up mattering at all. Unless they end up being important in the next book in which case they should be introduced then because theres no way readers are remembering all 20 background characters and their tragic backstories. While some characters were better than others, none of them were fleshed out apart from their tragic backstory, which all of them had.
That leads me to my next problem with the book, which was that the writing was just bad. There was so much repetition throughout the book it was laughable. Multiple times throughout the book the author would say something just to say it again a few lines later in a different way. She also repeated facts a lot. Every time a bobby pin was brought up it would be elaborated on the Kierse uses them to pick locks. Then of course we are told that she loves stealing over and over again. And then theres the exits. Holy fuck does Kierse love her exits. Theres supposed to be a love triangle in this book but I would honestly argue it’s a square and exits are in the lead. I also got sick of the small descriptions over and over again, like what color Grave’s hair is, like just say black and I’ll remember, I promise. On top of the repetition the author includes unnecessary things and information. There was straight up a scene where Kierse goes to the doctor to find out what kind of monster she is and the doctor asks if she’s had sex in the last few months and whether or not she could be pregnant. Which already seemed like a pointless conversation to me but I had hope that the author was going somewhere. Nope. The doctor literally goes on to say that it doesn’t matter. THEN WHY PUT IT IN THE BOOK. I don’t care if it’s an accurate part of going to the doctor, I’m not reading a fantasy book for realistic doctor's appointments. If you are then you need to reevaluate your reading choices.
Overall, like I said in my original review, this book was just disappointing. There was a lot of potential there which I do think could have been reached if the author had a better editor for this story. But lack of editing seems to be a trend for Red Tower books. They make super pretty covers, with insanely promising synopses, but don’t bother to make the story itself good. Which works pretty well for the first book of the series, but as the pretty covers fail to deliver a good story over and over again, they're going to lose a lot of readers by the last book, which is unfair to the author. Well, not in this case. If she truly is bullying people for not liking her book, then she deserves for her sales to suffer. You can’t bully people into liking your book, especially if it’s a bad book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2025
Eh, an honest struggle bus for me. Nothing really original and the storyline was just meh.
I love me some Romantasy. I’m HERE for it. A touch of this book, a touch of that book, ok, so what. But what I want is TENSION. I like desire and relationship building. I like world and plot building. I like the idea of enemies to lovers taking more than a blink of an eye. Give me a reason they are inseparable. Make me want it FOR them. This just seemed….well, to fall off the cliff into a pool all of that and the entire journey to get there was missing. The PASSION was missing for me.
I also LOVE me some dystopian. The premise was good, the overall storyline seemed to fall very short. I really did struggle bus through a LOT of this. It was a letdown and I’d give it 2.5 ⭐️ rounded up.
I know this continues on into another book, so I’m hoping the author works out the kinks. I don’t think I’ll read on though.
I love me some Romantasy. I’m HERE for it. A touch of this book, a touch of that book, ok, so what. But what I want is TENSION. I like desire and relationship building. I like world and plot building. I like the idea of enemies to lovers taking more than a blink of an eye. Give me a reason they are inseparable. Make me want it FOR them. This just seemed….well, to fall off the cliff into a pool all of that and the entire journey to get there was missing. The PASSION was missing for me.
I also LOVE me some dystopian. The premise was good, the overall storyline seemed to fall very short. I really did struggle bus through a LOT of this. It was a letdown and I’d give it 2.5 ⭐️ rounded up.
I know this continues on into another book, so I’m hoping the author works out the kinks. I don’t think I’ll read on though.
May 10, 2025
OJITO, QUE HOY TRAIGO UNA OPINIÓN…😱
Un tanto rebuscada…
Creo…
Aunque puede que no lo sea…
Espera, que empiezo a divagar, y a ver quién me para🤭
🌸A lo que iba,
como sabes, no todos los libros son para todos los lectores y, como es de lógica, no todos los lectores son para todos los libros...
Y si ha esta ecuación le añadimos mi frase favorita: "Los libros son almas en busca de su media naranja", pues….
Pa`que nos entendamos:
Estoy soltera y sin compromiso.
Vamos, que he tenido una cita con este libro y, aunque ambos teníamos el hype por las nubes, a la hora de conocernos, la magia no ha fluido…🥴
Así que aquí estoy, preparada para mi siguiente cita amorosa… 🔥
Un tanto rebuscada…
Creo…
Aunque puede que no lo sea…
Espera, que empiezo a divagar, y a ver quién me para🤭
🌸A lo que iba,
como sabes, no todos los libros son para todos los lectores y, como es de lógica, no todos los lectores son para todos los libros...
Y si ha esta ecuación le añadimos mi frase favorita: "Los libros son almas en busca de su media naranja", pues….
Pa`que nos entendamos:
Estoy soltera y sin compromiso.
Vamos, que he tenido una cita con este libro y, aunque ambos teníamos el hype por las nubes, a la hora de conocernos, la magia no ha fluido…🥴
Así que aquí estoy, preparada para mi siguiente cita amorosa… 🔥
August 25, 2024
@K.A.Linde book two when???????
July 21, 2024
ੈ✩‧₊˚ This is supposed to be a darker shade of magic meets six of crows... which this book is not. But that's ok because I didn't like those books but I also didn't like this book so...
June 11, 2024
3.5~
Abusive ex-mentor relationship
Drugs (magic ones but still)
Murder
Decapitation
Both main characters are bi
This was fun, but the end was a tiny bit too convenient.
Also the last few chapters were messy because a lot happened with not enough time for each - I get that is probably on purpose for the continuation but still.
The MMC would not stop hiding stuff and then he was surprised by our FMC reactions. For a really old dude I feel like he should know better.
I need more people to read this and tell me if they also got some Holly Black vibes?
Abusive ex-mentor relationship
Drugs (magic ones but still)
Murder
Decapitation
Both main characters are bi
This was fun, but the end was a tiny bit too convenient.
Also the last few chapters were messy because a lot happened with not enough time for each - I get that is probably on purpose for the continuation but still.
The MMC would not stop hiding stuff and then he was surprised by our FMC reactions. For a really old dude I feel like he should know better.
I need more people to read this and tell me if they also got some Holly Black vibes?
Want to read
June 4, 2024"Can you love the dark when you know what it hides"
This beautiful copy just arrived today and I can't wait to start it!💗
June 25, 2024
I didn't know it was possible to gag from cringe 💀
dnf
August 1, 2024DNF at 61% :( Yeah won't be continuing this one LOL I've been "reading" it for two months now and have no motivation to continue. I love the concept of a supernatural NYC, but I wasn't connected to the characters, and the plot did not interest me enough...it kind of dragged. And I can't get over one of the characters dramatically leaving her family back "home" in JERSEY CITY to help with the war efforts in Manhattan. I lived in Jersey City, and it takes like 10 minutes to get to Manhattan...anyway. It's a pretty cover at least.
June 11, 2024
I don’t think there was a single original thing in this book
did-not-finish
July 18, 2024DNF @71%
150 year old sugar daddy mentors a Chosen One.
This turned out to be the most cardboard cutout fantasy novel I've ever read. Boring characters. Boring plot. It put me to sleep because everything dragged so much.
150 year old sugar daddy mentors a Chosen One.
This turned out to be the most cardboard cutout fantasy novel I've ever read. Boring characters. Boring plot. It put me to sleep because everything dragged so much.
November 7, 2025
4.25 stars
K.A. Linde starts a captivating Romantasy series with ‘The Wren in the Holly Library’. Fantasy usually isn’t my jam, but this one took place in NYC, didn’t have excessive world-building, and kept my attention from start to finish. Linde’s writing is, as always, addicting and alluring. I loved Graves and Kierse, and I can’t wait to read more from this world.
K.A. Linde starts a captivating Romantasy series with ‘The Wren in the Holly Library’. Fantasy usually isn’t my jam, but this one took place in NYC, didn’t have excessive world-building, and kept my attention from start to finish. Linde’s writing is, as always, addicting and alluring. I loved Graves and Kierse, and I can’t wait to read more from this world.
Audio book source: Libby
Story Rating: 4.25 stars
Narrators: Stephanie Nemeth-Parker
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Romantasy
Length: 15h 16m
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