Radcliffe Prep. The third most haunted school in the country, where a student disappearance isn't uncommon and no one dares stay in the library after dark. And Este Logano enrolls with the hopes of finding her dead father.
Not literally, of course. She doesn't believe in ghosts. Going to her dad's school just seems like her best hope at figuring out who he was.
But then Este meets Mateo, who is maybe-probably-definitely-a real ghost. And an annoying one at that.
When Mateo frames Este for the theft of a rare book from the library's secret spire and then vanishes, Este will have to track him down or risk being expelled and leaving Radcliffe early just like her father did.
Except following her father's footsteps might be more dangerous than Este ever anticipated. As she investigates the library with its secret passageways, hidden tunnels, and haunted halls, she learns that the student disappearances aren't just myth. And if she isn't careful, she'll be next.
Reminder, there are SPOILERS below this cut, this is your very last warning!
Mixed review! We were due, I guess.
I love the setting of this story. I'd love to attend Radcliffe - a personal dorm room and a living space shared with one other person? Yes please! Much better than you see in movies. The descriptions were amazing and I could absolutely picture every bit of the grounds and buildings. Or, at least, the dorm and the library, since we barely saw anything else - I can't remember Este ever even going to class, which seems odd in that hyper competitive, difficult prep school.
I felt like there were a few plot holes - the Fades are mentioned briefly at one point, literally in passing, and then introduced later as though we know everything about them? Este's father spoiled the sacrifice on his year simply by leaving, because no one could be substituted, but Aoife was a substitute for her year's sacrifice? And that ending - how do half a dozen people reenter society after so long, particularly the extremely famous one? - but I was reading a proof and it's very possible that these things were addressed later on and won't be issues in the final product, so please don't take my experience as final.
The language and story are brilliant and I did enjoy them. It's a really clever idea and I definitely recommend the book to anyone interested in urban fantasy. Give it a go.
The Library of Shadows publishes on the 28th of September, 2023. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.
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