Kate Quinn is one of the defining voices of our generation when it comes to historical fiction, but this time she’s giving readers something a little different. The Astral Library is a genre-bending fantasy that pays homage to her historical fiction roots, in a stunning tale of self-discovery that celebrates the magic of reading.
When Alix Watson’s life falls apart, she’s left with nothing. She has no money, no family, and nowhere to turn. Just when everything appears truly hopeless, she steps through a storage room door into a magical library.
The Astral Library allows people who need sanctuary to live inside books, hiding people away to make a home in their favorite stories. It’s unlike anything Alix could have dreamed up in her wildest imagination, and she immediately falls in love with this magical place.
But the library is under threat from a vicious and faceless bureaucracy, and it’s up to Alix to save it, with a little help from her friends.
what I wanted was ESCAPE, all caps, not just back in time but off to another world, preferably one where women rode dragons and flame-roasted the men who told them to smile.
In a fantastical setting, the characters in The Astral Library strike a great balance between whimsical and authentic. Alix Watson is your typical down-on-her-luck girl thrust into an exceptional situation, but she doesn’t lose the qualities that make her feel relatable.
This book has a very different tone and feeling from past works by this author. It’s a significant departure, but one that somehow works just as beautifully. The writing is the same poignant prose, just with a different lens. Kate Quinn honors her historical fiction roots in the most fascinating way, with historical costuming featuring heavily in the various stories Alix visits.
A deep love of reading and libraries is a big part of this story. It’s not only essential to the plot, but it is, in fact, the whole point of The Astral Library. With this important message comes a sense of whimsy, and the combination is something that anyone who has ever found solace in the pages of a book will appreciate.
What a miraculous thing a book was, when you stopped to think about it: whole worlds springing to life from nothing more than squiggles on a page.
Emotion and adventure are both equally important in this book, with some astute observations on society mixed in. The Astral Library was truly a wonderful read, one that resonated so well with my reader’s soul. A love of literature, a love of fantasy, and a love of history intersect in this novel to create something truly hopeful. 10/10 recommend.
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