The Thirty-Fifth Page

by Lya Badgley

The ink shimmered, shifted, stirring awake like blood beneath skin.

As Sarajevo teeters on the brink of war, American art conservator, Miri Adler, arrives to research the legendary Sarajevo Haggadah, a medieval manuscript that has withstood centuries of upheaval. Immersed in her work, Miri discovers strange patterns hidden in its pages—clues pointing to a truth that could unravel everything she knows. When a mysterious thirty-fifth page appears, she is drawn into a shadowed realm where history and folklore entwine, stirring long-dormant Balkan legends and a curse on the verge of reawakening.
Spanning two timelines—from a city on the precipice of conflict in 1992 to its fragile peace in 2015—The Thirty-Fifth Page unfolds as a luminous tale of inherited wounds, ancient magic, and the enduring stories that shape our identities.
Brimming with magical realism, this gothic-tinged literary suspense explores the legacy of a city caught between the scars of its past and the promise of a new beginning.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Paranormal

Paperback

Published October 28, 2025

About the author

Lya Badgley writes internationally set fiction that blends suspense, history, and transformation. Born in Myanmar to Montana parents—a political scientist and an artist—she was raised in a home that prized both creativity and critical thought. Her unconventional path has carried her from Seattle’s music scene to covert film work with Burmese insurgents, and from archival preservation in Cambodia to entrepreneurship in Yangon.
Her debut, The Foreigner’s Confession (2022), was a finalist for the Nancy Pearl Award for Best Fiction. Her second, The Worth of a Ruby (2023), was a 2024 finalist for both the International Book Award and the National Indie Excellence Award. She lives outside Seattle and is excited to release her third novel, The Thirty-Fifth Page.

Reviews

[Teri M Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Thirty Fifth Page by Lya Badgley is a literary suspense laden with magical realism and a dash of historical fiction. Miri is a researcher whose specialty is medieval manuscripts. She flies to Bosnia to study the Sarajevo Haggadah, an illustrated Jewish text of the Passover Seder housed at the National Museum. Unfortunately, Sarajevo is on the brink of war, so Miri has to work quickly.

As she works, she believes the Haggadah has strange powers. Before she can figure it out, war breaks out, and the Haggadah is lost. But when it finally returns to its place of honor at the museum, it has a new page. And she is called back to find out why. This thirty-fifth page merges history and folklore, putting Miri and those she cares deeply about into the middle of an ancient curse.

I loved going on this adventure with Miri as she tries to figure out who she is and what she wants in the world. I also loved seeing how the past directly affects our present and future - and how we pass that on from generation to generation.

You are definitely going to love this new novel by Lya Badgley!

[Book Tea 🫖 with Jai · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Thirty-Fifth Page by Lya Badgley is a captivating and skillfully-crafted enigma that masterfully weaves together elements of literature and suspense with a profound exploration of self-discovery and familial introspection. Badgley artfully constructs a tale that invites the reader into a world where secrets linger across generations and the truth lurks in the margins of an unfinished manuscript.
At the center of the story is Sophia, a woman grappling with uncertainty in her life, who stumbles upon a discarded manuscript. The writing is hauntingly beautiful yet disconcerting, offering glimpses into a life marked by grief, yearning, and unresolved trauma. However, the narrative comes to a sudden halt just before a pivotal moment – the thirty-fifth page. This missing piece becomes the focal point of a larger mystery, one that is unexpectedly intertwined with Sophia's own familial history. As the story unfolds, her quest to find the missing page takes on a symbolic meaning, as she simultaneously searches for the missing fragments of her own identity.
Badgley's strength as a writer shines through in her ability to deftly construct multiple timelines without causing confusion for the reader. The story seamlessly transitions between past and present, gradually revealing secrets in a natural and captivating manner. Each chapter adds a layer of emotional depth, building upon the suspense as Sophia unravels the connection between her life and the manuscript's origins. The pacing of the novel is deliberate, immersing the reader in a slow-burning literary mystery rather than a fast-paced thriller – a style that perfectly complements the themes that Badgley delves into.
The novel delves into complex themes such as memory, inherited trauma, artistic expression, betrayal, and the intricacies of family dynamics. The idea of a silenced story – one that has been intentionally erased or suppressed – serves as a powerful metaphor throughout the book. Badgley masterfully uses this motif to explore the ways in which entire histories can be reshaped or hidden, particularly within families who fear the repercussions of revealing the unvarnished truth. Overall, The Thirty-Fifth Page is an eloquent and thought-provoking read that leaves a lasting impact on its readers.
One of the standout strengths of the novel is its atmospheric quality. The author, Badgley, has a knack for creating moody, evocative settings that seem as if they belong in a film. Every location, be it a dusty archive or a family home steeped in history, is brought to life through her vivid prose. This adds to the mystery of the story and allows the reader to feel like they are unraveling secrets alongside the main character, Sophia.
What truly sets apart The Thirty-Fifth Page is the emotional payoff it provides. Badgley skillfully builds towards revelations that are not only surprising but also meaningful. The final chapters offer twists that are rooted in the characters rather than just for the sake of shock value, making it a truly powerful and earned ending. The missing "thirty-fifth page" is more than just a plot device, it becomes a contemplation on facing the truths that shape us.
Overall, The Thirty-Fifth Page is a beautifully written and atmospheric novel that will captivate readers with its exploration of family secrets, lost manuscripts, and the personal journey of uncovering one's own history. It strikes a perfect balance between being contemplative without dragging, mysterious without being melodramatic, and emotional without becoming overly sentimental. Badgley's writing is truly impressive. I received a free copy of this book via The Niche Reader

[pastiesandpages - Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you @booktoktours for the eARC.

"War is a place where demons dance, and angels weep."

It's 1992 and art conservationist Miri Adler has travelled from America to the city of Sarajevo to study a medieval manuscript, the legendary Sarajevo Haggadah.

Side note: the Haggadah is a real manuscript that has survived for centuries and I fell down a rabbit hole looking up details.

Miri discovers strange patterns in its pages and the ink seems to shiver and flow before her eyes. There are shadows at the edge of her vision and an unsettling feeling that the book is more than she suspects.

Her studies are interrupted by war. The build up to the war is realistically portrayed with the arrival of journalists and war correspondents in the city, reports of unrest and attacks getting closer and then all hell breaks loose in former Yugoslavia. Miri is entrusted to keep the Haggadah safe after the museum is damaged.
A journalist called Malcolm has been getting friendly but there's something off about him. And then Miri witnesses a brutal killing and takes a mysterious young girl into her care. The girl with the braids and yellow scarf and an otherworldly vibe.

Miri has to escape the country before it's too late.

Years later, working in America and suffering from nightmares of the past, Miri is called back to study the book once more. It's back under protection but there's a 35th page which didn't exist before and initial tests show it to be centuries old.

The atmosphere is gothic, the Balkan setting realistic, and Miri is a compelling character.
Folklore and history combine into an ethereal mix of legend, curse and legacy.
Mystery and academic research blend with war and what happens to a nation in the aftermath.

A totally immersive reading experience. I loved it.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ink shimmered. And honestly? So did I. This book felt like being pulled into a dream where history has a heartbeat and old stories watch you back. We follow Miri, an art conservator in Sarajevo, and you’d think it would just be academic research vibes… but no. The Sarajevo Haggadah is hiding secrets, and the way this story unfolds made me feel like I was right there beside her, brushing dust from ancient pages with my breath held. There’s magic here, but the quiet kind—the kind that lingers in hallways and hums under the skin, the kind that feels like something older than memory is stirring awake.

The dual timeline between 1992 and 2015 flows so seamlessly it feels like a single wound slowly learning how to scar over. The city itself becomes a character, carrying grief, resilience, and whispered folklore in every shadow. The gothic undertones? Gorgeous. The Balkan myth and curse elements? Softly eerie and perfectly measured. And the emotional current running through it all left me absolutely feral in the most respectful literary way.

This is a story about inherited pain, the power of stories, and the way history can love us, haunt us, and shape us all at once. I closed the book feeling like I had been entrusted with a secret I’m still not quite ready to let go of.

★★★★★ Haunting. Tender. Beautifully unforgettable.

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I read this book I found myself with tears in my eyes and hope in my racing heart as Miri and Goran discuss the possibility of basically erasing evil - and it’s not hypothetical!

The Thirty-Fifth Page by Lya Badgley is a literary fiction captured by a whirlwind of cinematic experience through the eyes of a young woman named Miri. Part historical fiction, part thriller, and with a dash of romance, the author weaves deep history and modern history with the present day in a narrative that spans centuries.

The story is constantly in motion, in so many directions, but remains clear and easy to follow. It’s packed with emotion, tension, and even some whimsy.

I don’t know how to talk about the plot without spoiling it! I learned from this book - some about history, and some about life. I also felt at times that I’d fallen into a dreamscape, the world was so immersive. The magical realism was managed so deftly that it truly felt real. There’s a certain tree (you’ll know it when you read it) and I honestly had the feeling that I could go and find that tree’s remains if I tried!

Everything about this book is visceral, evoking all of the senses and producing complex emotion. This is a contender for my favorite book of the year!

It’s a modern day fairy-tale - a warning disguised as a memory tucked into a storybook.

I loved it so much I will be reading it again soon! I also think I will be incorporating it into my high school homeschool language arts curriculum!

[Kay Smith-Blum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to The Thirty-Fifth Page and the very real world of fairy tales with grim truths, and not-make-believe. Who hasn’t sensed a deeper presence in folklore, sitting on a grandparent’s knee – listening to a story that resonates through the ages? As Badgley pulls us into a world of collapsed empires that have “unraveled and eroded from within,” the eerie parallels emerge, and as readers, we seek “the pocket of light, sealed against the gathering dark.” Thankfully, Badgley provides constant reminders of the solace in nature. But because “fear moves faster than wisdom” in war-torn Sarajevo, deeply drawn characters —good and bad—are not what they seem, and our hero, Miri will meet many disappointments. But hope prevails, and just as “starlight travels across eons to reach us,” Badgley reminds us that even if we have no blood family, we can build a home - a seemingly “impossible structure built of pollen, air, sunlight” and love. Well done, Ms. Badgley.

[Vivian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part historical fiction, part magical realism and a whole spellbinding writing. This book is truly brilliant from beginning to end, from the 1992 narrative of the Sarajevo war to the 2015 period of middle age Miri, but always the Sarajevo Haggadah in the middle and midst of the story, this book will grab you in its narrative but also of what is imply, but not written, in its pages.
There's something magical going on in the story, and oh, how I would like to see the Haggadah now in person and look at those illustration to see if they talk to me as they did to Miri.
The last scenes of the book are, for me, the best ones of the book and the ones that tie the whole book together.

[Chelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Henry Roi PR for the review copy.

The Thirty-Fifth Page follows Miri, an American art conservator, as she works on extracting DNA from the Sarajevo Haggadeh in the early 1990’s and then when she returns to the area in 2015. During her stay in 1992 tensions are high and war breaks out, forcing her to flee and entrust the safety of the Haggadeh to a Serbian soldier, Garan.

The Haggadeh not only is a treasured and important piece of Jewish history, it appears there is something even magical about it. I love the premise of this story. Scholars studying ancient works and making new discoveries generations later is like catnip for me. Add in a possible curse/magic and I’m hooked. I’m not sure the execution completely worked for me but the story was very compelling.

I also learned a lot about the conflict in the Balkans in the 90’s, of which I knew a pathetic amount. I appreciate how Badgley was able to convey the horrors of war, not only affecting citizens and communities but culturally important artifacts and history.

[Aleksandar · Rating 5 out of 5]

As my family is from Bosnia / Republic of Srpska, traveling through the novel The Thirty Fifth Page I was experiencing many feelings, exactly like when I travel through that beautiful but scarred country. I was excited, anxious and argumentative with myself. However, reading through it the revelation hit me that this book is not just about that region. The Thirty Fifth Page is about all of us, humanity and the book gives us a clear path on how to erase evil from the world.

[Bebe Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lya Badgley’s third novel, The Thirty-Fifth Page, unveils itself like the Sarajevo Haggadah of the story, revealing more with each chapter, rich and detailed, unexpected and ever-changing. Badgley creates a vivid, tactile tapestry of Sarajevo in 1992, of her main character, scholar Miri Adler, of an ancient book passed from generation to generation, from one nation to another, kept safe as a sacred text.
Miri discovers something unfathomable in the Haggadah and keeps its secrets…
In The Thirty-Fifth Page, Lya Badgley created a novel immersive and richly written, weaving history with folktale, war with love, and reality with magic.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a recent pick for one of the in person book clubs that I am. We are lucky that the author lives in the same town that the book club is held and she was able to come to the book club meeting and discuss her book with us, let us ask questions, and provide feedback. She is actually going to be moving out of the country for awhile within the next year, and will be writing her next book while living in the area that her husband is from.

In this book, there is a duel timeline, one in the more recent time of 2015 and one that reflects back to the conflict in Bosnia in 1992. An art curator travels to Bosnia during the time of the conflict to research and document an old text that has been able to escape conflicts throughout history and remain intact. As she researches it, mysterious things begin to appear within the page and a magical theme emerges.

Engaging, weaving in folktales with magical realism, this is a delightful read that I highly encourage everyone to read.

[Coffee Book Couch by Ava · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lya Badgley’s The Thirty-Fifth Page is the kind of book that reaches inside history and stirs the dust until it glows. It’s both a mystery and a meditation—one of those rare novels where art, memory, and myth converge into something quietly spellbinding. Set between the besieged Sarajevo of 1992 and the city’s fragile rebirth in 2015, it tells the story of Miri Adler, an American art conservator drawn to study the legendary Sarajevo Haggadah—a centuries-old manuscript that has survived war after war, yet holds secrets that no archivist has ever managed to unlock.

From the first chapter, Badgley establishes a tone of elegant tension. Sarajevo is described not merely as a place but as a living entity: a wounded, watchful city carrying the echoes of its past. Through Miri’s eyes, we see what it means to work with objects older than nations—to touch something that’s been protected at enormous cost, and to feel both awe and responsibility in its presence. The atmosphere is thick with reverence and fear, the kind that art and history often inspire when they remind us that we’re only temporary caretakers of something greater than ourselves.

When Miri begins noticing irregularities in the manuscript—tiny marks, patterns, and symbols that seem to shift under the light—Badgley tilts the narrative toward the uncanny. The story slides seamlessly from the academic to the mystical, from the laboratory to the legend. The mysterious “thirty-fifth page,” which appears to surface out of nowhere, becomes both a riddle and a metaphor: a fragment of history that refuses to stay buried.

What makes The Thirty-Fifth Page stand apart is its restraint. The magic isn’t loud or showy; it murmurs at the edges of perception. Folklore blends with realism in a way that feels entirely organic—ancient Balkan myths bleeding into modern memory, superstition echoing through the ruins of war. The result is haunting but never heavy-handed.

Miri herself is an extraordinary protagonist. She’s methodical yet emotionally porous, trying to navigate her professional discipline while feeling the pull of something beyond rational explanation. Her internal conflict—between believing in science and sensing the invisible—is one of the novel’s most compelling threads. Through her, Badgley explores how knowledge can illuminate but also endanger, how some truths resist being pinned down by scholarship alone.

The dual timeline structure works beautifully. In the 1992 sections, the city trembles under siege, and Badgley captures both the claustrophobia of confinement and the strange intimacy that grows among people living in fear. In 2015, we witness the scars that remain—some visible, others woven deep into the cultural fabric. The interplay between the two eras builds a powerful commentary on collective trauma and the ways in which stories (both written and whispered) help us endure.

Badgley’s prose is rich without ever tipping into excess. Her imagery lingers: the smell of dust and parchment, candlelight glinting on ink, snow falling over ruins like a shroud. Even her quieter passages hum with emotional charge. The pacing is deliberate, but never dull—the narrative feels like a slow excavation, where each uncovered truth deepens both wonder and dread.

Beyond its plot, The Thirty-Fifth Page is a book about preservation—of art, of memory, of self. It asks what we owe to the past, and what it costs to uncover it. There’s an ache that runs through the story, a recognition that beauty and horror often share the same space. Yet, there’s also hope: the belief that even after devastation, something fragile and luminous can still survive.

By the end, you don’t just understand Miri’s obsession—you share it. The manuscript feels alive, its shifting pages reflecting our own urge to make sense of the stories we inherit. And when you close the book, you may find yourself wondering what “pages” history has hidden from you, too.

Five stars, without hesitation. The Thirty-Fifth Page is haunting, intelligent, and profoundly human—a novel that lingers like the trace of ink on old paper, reminding you that stories never truly fade; they only wait to be read again.

[Terhi Tatjana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historical magical realism. Hauntingly alive. This book tells the story of Miri Adler’s journey from fresh-faced grad student eager to study an ancient book, The Sarajevo Haggadah, to a middle-aged woman battered by grief, loss, and the left behind dregs of war. Yet like most stories that encompass the complexities of human nature, the push and pull of the layers of culture and human history, this one is poignantly breathing while it takes the reader on a quest for truth. The descriptions of the landscape, city, the food and drink, are all so vivid that I felt the melting butter on my tongue from the sirnica and the burn of the rakija as it washed down Miri’s throat. The sense of place and time is incredibly present in the story, drawing me into the brick and dirt of a country far, far away. Miri’s goal, clear and precise in the beginning, to understand its history, its journey, is a little more muddled in the middle, taking her on a quest that spans beyond the pages of the manuscript she’s studying. Like uncovering the secret journeys of the keepers of the Haggadah, Miri’s own growth is intertwined in the uncovering of her true motives, her fears, her shame, all the sorrow her own story holds.
I love how Badgley grapples with the nuances of history, it’s bloody and scarring effects, not just physically and not just on individual people, but emotionally and spiritually, and on the landscape, the earth, the forest and hills. There’s a bit where a couple is on holiday and wanting to go visit the spot where the snipers took shots into the city of Sarajevo, calling it Genocide Tourism. It’s such a grizzly image, so casually floated yet so accurate, and a little bit of an admonition to those who seek to see historical places without understanding, or at least trying to understand, the complex horrors of that history. It’s hard to disagree with the sentiment. An encompassing theme in the book is how humans grapple with the stories we’ve been told, the beliefs and histories of our place, our people, our communities, and how they try to overcome those stories, try to shift them from hate and tragedy and violence, to love and compassion and respect; or how they often fail at this endeavor. It’s humanity’s ultimate big picture attempt, to stop repeating the violence and ignorance of the past, no matter how it comes dressed up to make us believe it’s a new idea, a new thing to fear, to fight, to take up arms and beget the violence it beseeches us to take part in. The ultimate act is to turn the impulse to give into the past into a choice, a deliberate cultivated decision, to walk into the light, to come forward and meet in love instead of hate. A brilliantly written book with a message of hope, crafted diligently and placed carefully into the world as a guiding light.

Favorite Line ~ “The seeds of future wars weren’t sown with weapons but with memory, with harsh voices lingering too long in the soil, in the air, in the stories people told themselves. How could they not be poisoned by it?”

Favorite Random Thing ~ The descriptions of the land and how it was a main character all on its own.

[Deepa Kandaswamy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Religion was…there,” he said, waving a hand vaguely. “But it didn’t define you. Not like now.” - The Thirty Fifth Page

Why does art matter, especially books ? Are war correspondents scavengers or documenting truth? If yes, whose truth and at what cost? Are they just showing suffering in neat consumable packages which people can watch without guilt? Does history not stay in past but leaks into the present and it is just a circle if we pretend the violence and injustice of the past never took place? Is home a place or a person? These questions and more are asked and answered by the author in her book, "The Thirty Fifth Page."

In 1992, American Miriam aka Miri Adler takes up a research project of the Sarajevo Haggadah and Jennifer Cooper is a war correspondent expecting war to break out in Yugoslavia. Enter Malcolm Pyre, a stringer from San Francisco who Miri is attracted to but distrusts. When Sarajevo is bombed, Miri is given the Sarajevo Haggadah and asked to protect it by her Bosnian friend, Jusuf, who is in charge of the Sarajevo museum when it is bombed.. While Malcolm offers Miri a chance to sell it, she turns it down. Then she meets a young girl Vila whose grandmother is shot dead in front of the journalists. While Miri decides to return to America, she also decides to drop the Vila at her village. This is where the book actually begins as Miri has to escape Serbian Army who seem to be searching for the Sarajevo Haggadah. How did they know it is missing? Who is Vila and Malcolm? Who is Goran Markovic who helps Miri ?

Miri returns after 23 years in 2015 at the request of the Sarajevo museum as they wish to honor her. Once she lands, it starts all over again. The book disappears. What happened to Goran? What about Malcolm and her friend Jusuf? What about the Sarajevo Haggadah itself which now has a new page ? What does this mean?

While reading , the reader will find the story of Yugoslavia breaking up into Bosnia and Serbia very similar to that of Ukraine and Russia including the colors of the flags.

The writing is clear, insightful with a beauty so profound that the reader should be prepared to mark many passages. It is kind and humane that the author will make most readers rethink our stated positions in politics and international affairs.I understood why there is a sudden rise of the right wing worldwide . The genre though stated as historical fiction, encompasses thriller, mystery, magic, horror, fable and fantasy.

This is a book everyone should read as it ends with hope- Hope for humanity irrespective of religion, race, language or region. Good book to end this year with.

[Adrian Klackers · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Thirty-Fifth Page — Lya Badgley (October 2025)

📦 A manuscript with a phantom folio. A city scarred by war. A conservator caught between myth and memory.
💥 A literary thriller where folklore, trauma, and survival intertwine.
📍 Sarajevo — from the siege of 1992 to the fragile peace of 2015.
🗝 History, inheritance, concealment. Badgley threads her narrative through the Sarajevo Haggadah, a medieval manuscript that becomes both relic and riddle. The thirty fifth page — absent, imagined, cursed — is the novel’s axis, a symbol of what is lost and what refuses to disappear.

What if a single hidden page could rewrite both history and destiny?

Badgley’s novel moves between timelines: the chaos of Sarajevo under siege and its tentative recovery decades later. At the centre is Miri Adler, an American art conservator drawn to the Haggadah’s mysteries. The book’s pulse lies in duality — the manuscript as both artefact and omen, the city as both ruin and rebirth, Miri as both seeker and witness. The thirty fifth page becomes metaphor: the missing line in history, the silence that haunts survival, the fragment that refuses closure.

The detail is rich and unsettling. Badgley captures the claustrophobia of war — basements, ration lines, whispered legends — and contrasts it with the fragile optimism of post war Sarajevo, where every stone remembers conflict. Folklore and fact blur: Balkan curses, inherited trauma, and the weight of memory converge until the reader feels the manuscript’s danger as palpably as its beauty.

This is not simply a novel about a book; it is about the stories books carry when nations fracture. Badgley’s prose is lyrical yet sharp, a reminder that history is written not only in archives but in scars.

If you like literary thrillers that treat history as a living wound and folklore as contagion, this novel delivers the same moral unease as dramas where the past refuses burial.

💭 “Manuscripts are wounds that bleed across centuries.”
💭 “Every hidden page is a mirror waiting to fracture.”

📚 Why @KlacksReads recommends: Because it shows how stories survive war, how legends haunt peace, and how one page can hold the weight of centuries — a haunting meditation on what is preserved, and what is lost.

@KlacksReads · London · 14 November 2025

[Bethany Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book. I don't even know how to review it, because it was just brilliant from start to finish. The world inside this book is so richly detailed and evocative, realistic in its depiction of the outbreak of war, and so genuine in the kindness and selflessness of its main characters. I would recommend it to anyone without hesitation.

As someone who is interested in Medieval literature and manuscripts, Miri was a fascinating character to me. Her research into the Haggadah, a mansucript that survived several conflicts, was the most realistic depiction of academic research I've seen in fiction so far. Miri as a character was so lifelike and wholesome that I would have followed her off the page if I had the chance; I felt genuine fear when she, the mysterious silent girl she was taking home, and their driver were pulled over by soldiers at a checkpoint outside Sarajevo.

I loved her initial obsession with Malcolm, and the way he was described as someone untouchable yet alluring. His return in the second half of the novel was markedly different, yet he still had the charisma of the war journalist from two decades before. Miri's battle between wanting to protect the Haggadah and simultaneously wanting to use it for good was such an interesting internal conflict, even if it led to personal destruction for some of the characters.

The second half of the novel, twenty-three years after the first, was where things got even more intriguing. The story becomes a mystery in magical realism, when Miri, as the world's expert on the Haggadah, is recalled to Sarajevo to investigate the appearance of an extra page in the manuscript. This kind of impossibility absolutely tickles me; one of the reasons House of Leaves makes me so restless is the impossible dimensions of a house that is half an inch or so bigger on the inside than the outside. It's not an impossibility on the scale of Doctor Who, but just enough to scratch an itch in my brain.

Dipping into folklore, magic, and the gothic, The Thirty-Fifth Page is a masterpiece in magical realism and historical fiction (even if the history was only 30 years or so ago), with a wonderfully wholesome main character I would follow to the ends of the Earth.

[Celeste Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

War is not always predictable unless legend says otherwise.

You know you enjoyed a good book when you miss the characters the minute you turn the last page.

The story spans decades with several characters entering and exiting at different intervals. This, however, did not detract from the core story and the main character. I found that as a main character, Mira grew emotionally from a young confused and neglected art conservator to a strong and compassionate woman.

Sarajevo is on the brink of war. Mira has been hired by a museum in the city to verify and study the Haggadah, an ancient manuscript. It’s getting dangerous and she must leave but Mira waits too long. The war has started, and she finds herself caring for a young girl caught in sniper crossfire.

As the war rages, the museum director thrusts the book into Mira’s hands and tells her to hide it as she struggles to find a way home from a war zone back home to America.

However, the girl and the artifact prove difficult to protect. Ancient folklore, magic and pending curses haunt Mira. Through a string of strange and tragic events, Mira returns to America without either of her charges.

Decades later Mira has the opportunity to return to Sarajevo where she finds more mystery and tragedy surrounding the Sarajevo Haggadah. It found its way back to the museum.

As the story continues, Mira is haunted by the spirit of the girl. She has another opportunity to study the book but this time there is an extra page! Is it a blessing or a curse.

The novel is steeped in magic and mystery. A fantastical read for anyone who enjoys a deep dive into folklore and legend.

Themes: Folklore, legend, war crimes, magical realism, unlikely romance

[Meg Richman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book shimmers with magic. The prose is consistently poetic, and the descriptions of Sarajevo, the villages surrounding, and the dark forest are vivid and haunting. Badgley gives us a visceral sense of the wounds that history holds and that can re-open at a moment's notice. The book is full of heart and pain and delicious mysticism.

My only gripe is kind of complex. As a writer myself, I have pooh poohed the notion that you have to be of a certain ethnicity, race, gender, neurology to really understand these in a character. I rebel at those strictures. But this book makes me understand a little better the protests. Though Miri Adler is clearly Jewish (from her name) and the Haggadah at the center of the The Thirty-Fifth Page is a quintessential Jewish book, Miri doesn't have a Jewish soul or Jewish psychology. In this case it's not so much ethnic appropriation, but rather erasure. Even a Jewish family in the book has both a menorah AND an icon. Why? Nonetheless, no harm is done by this absence of actual Jewishness, just a missing opportunity.

Despite this complaint that is more intellectually interesting to me than concerning, the book is a marvel. It DOES understand the Balkans, and give us an education in history and a call to pacifism. Beautiful, beautiful.

[Bruce Mendelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well written and informative book that looks at the complex history and folklore of the Balkan Region. The prose is captivating. A sentence from page two had me hooked: "A warning mistaken for truth, spreading like fire because fear moves faster than wisdom".
The main character, Mira is a scholar that specializes in medieval manuscripts. She comes to Sarajevo in 1992 to study a 14th century version of The Haggadah. As war breaks out, the Haggadah is lost. The book finds it's way back to the National Museum. Mira returns to Sarajevo in 2015 to continue her study and finds that the book has a new page. This 35th page contains history, folklore and warnings.
The author is able to convey the rich and savage history of the region. There are healthy doses of mysticism and spirituality. The overall story is captivating and the book is almost impossible to put down.
This is great historical fiction that also provides a message to everyone lucky enough to read it.
The only thing that I would have added would be an introduction explaining the basics of a Haggadah. I was raised in a Jewish family and read the Haggadah annually at the Passover celebration. A small introduction for those not familiar with the Haggadah would be helpful.

[Joan Fernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense, spellbinding story of an American medieval art conservator, Miri Adler, who travels to Sarajevo to study the illuminated 14th century manuscript, Sarajevo Haggadah. Immediately, there is crackling tension for as the country teeters on the edge of the Bosnian war, Miri senses a strange, awakening energy in the ancient pages. Its centuries of survival—most recently hidden from Nazi treasure hunters—appears to emote a mysterious nefarious arousal. Miri turns out to be both a key and target of the text. This is edge-of-the-seat psychological drama at its best. Gripping suspense. Magical realism roused from folklore. A potent mix of drama and artistic elegance that charges the reader straight into an inflection point of violence and magic and mystery. From page one I was completely intrigued by Lya Badgley's unspooling of a tale that shares nuggets of rich Bosnian culture as well as tragic witness to the savagery of the Bosnian War. This book is an impressive achievement. A gift and contribution to readers that know how a well-crafted story can provide a nuanced understanding of history and humanity. Couldn’t put this book down.

[Jennifer Haupt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, right from the first page of the prologue, a fairytale that promised adventure and magic. The first chapter brings the magic and folklore into modern times, introducing Miri. She's "a detective on the trail of an ancient mystery, following clues left by hands now dust." As Miri unravels the secrets and hidden stories of the Sarajevo Haggadah, I felt her excitement as my own. Miri, a scholar from Columbia University, comes to war-torn Sarajevo to study the famous Haggadah. But as the story progresses, she must come to terms with her own past, and heal her own inner demons. I love the details of Sarajevo, of Miri's delicate work, and the relationships she builds with the quirky characters she encounters and the Haggadah itself.

Miri poses a question that's at the core of this entrancing story: "What if the words are more than words? What if they're keys--keys to something hidden in plain sight. What if the past isn't just a record of what was, but a guide for what could be?"

[Rachael Aleshire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant cross between historic fiction and magical realism. This story had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. Starting in 1992 in the war torn city Sarajevo, we meet Miri, a grad student studying an illuminated manuscript known as the Sarajevo Haggadah. As the Bosnian War escalates, Miri is faced with impossible decisions and doesn’t know who to trust.
Years later when Miri returns to Sarajevo as an expert on the manuscript to investigate the mysterious edition of a thirty-fifth page, she reunites with her former enemies and allies to discover the secrets the manuscript hides.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historic fiction, magic, folklore, and books about books.
The transition between 1992 and 2015 was flawless and even though we don’t see the in between, readers can see how Miri continues to be affected by her past experience and choices.

I received a free copy of this book via The Niche Reader.

[Dawn Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hooked from the very first page of this novel. Lya Badgley combines historical events with magical realism and folklore as her protagonist, Miri Adler, travels to Sarajevo to study the Sarajevo Haggadah, a medieval manuscript which seems to hold mystical properties. In 1992, when the Bosnian war begins, Miri is tasked with keeping this beloved book safe. The story is action packed. The description is beautifully visual. Plus there is a love story that I was hoping for all through the book. I highly recommend The Thirty-fifth Page. You won’t want to put it down.
D.W. Hogan author of Unbroken Bonds, Intentionally and contributing author in Feisty Deeds and Grief Like Yours anthologies

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lya Badgley’s The Thirty-Fifth Page is one of those rare novels that blend history and magic so seamlessly you stop noticing where one ends and the other begins.

In 1992 Sarajevo, art conservator Miri Adler studies the fabled Sarajevo Haggadah—only to find a mysterious thirty-fifth page that unravels secrets hidden for centuries. The story moves between war-torn past and tentative peace, weaving folklore, loss, and quiet hope.

Badgley’s prose is poetic without ever feeling heavy. The atmosphere is thick with mystery and emotion, and Miri’s flaws make her real and relatable. It’s a slow-burn read, but worth every page.
For readers who love People of the Book or The Shadow of the Wind, this is a haunting, beautiful journey through art, history, and the power of story.

[Dragonfly Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, sugar, The Thirty-Fifth Page had me hooked right from that first shiver of ink. Lya Badgley sure knows how to blend history and a touch of something mystical into a story that lingers like perfume on old lace. Miri Adler, bless her heart, goes chasing secrets in Sarajevo, and what she finds in that ancient manuscript is more than any scholar could’ve dreamed—or handled easily. The book slips between years like a whispered memory, full of art, folklore, and the quiet ache of a city that’s seen too much but still finds beauty in its scars.

It’s thoughtful and haunting in the gentlest way, like a hymn sung low in the dark. Five stars from this Southern lady, and a pot of tea to go with it.

[Sandra Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Thirty-Fifth Page takes you on a mystical, magical realism adventure grounded in a stark, gritty setting. War has pervaded Sarajevo, darkening everyone’s lives. Undaunted, Miri enters the country to research a revered religious text, The Haggadah. The book seems to have been waiting for her to come alive, and she’s driven to protect it at her own risk. When soldier Goran decides to help her, the connection alters both their lives in drastic ways. Just like Sarajevo, the two must find it within themselves to recapture the spark of past idealism, helping to carve a path to the future. The Thirty-Fifth page is beautifully written literary fiction laden with enlightening historical details.

[Jeannée Sacken · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully wrought work of literary suspense that only Lya Badgley could have written, The Thirty-Fifth Page is set in an achingly rendered Sarajevo as war approaches the city in 1992. American art conservator Miri Adler bears witness to the coming conflict while at the same time researching a priceless medieval Haggadah, seeking answers to the seemingly inexplicable. Strange patterns that emerge in the pages. Images that shift and change. A page that mysteriously appears. In prose that scintillates, Badgley melds legend and history, magic and the reality of war to explore the stories that define us.

[Carola Schmidt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written. Rich in mystery. Lya Badgley captures the soul of Sarajevo, mixing history, art and memory. I loved how the story moves between timelines. Miri’s search through the Haggadah becomes something far deeper, touching on the way trauma and beauty can coexist. The magical realism is also well worked on this book. Five stars.

[Jamie Helaudais · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free ARC of this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers and am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Thirty-Fifth Page begins in 1990's Sarajevo, at the cusp of civil unrest. Miriam is tasked with examining the Sarajevo Haggadah and uncovering it's secrets. The book spans decades, delves into history and lore and shimmers with magic. A really beautiful story.

[Brittany Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing and so different from Lya’s usual works! It’s so cool seeing her break into different genres. Such a multi-talented author!