Thank you William Morrow, #partner for the advanced and finished copies of The Astral Library in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library.
Publisher: William Morrow / William Morrow
Published: February 17, 2026
Summary:
From New York Times bestselling author Kate Quinn comes a gorgeously written fantastical adventure which poses the question: Have you ever wished you could live inside a book? Welcome to the Astral Library, where books are not just objects, but doors to new worlds, new lives, and new futures.
Alexandria “Alix” Watson has learned one lesson from her barren childhood in the foster-care system: unlike people, books will never let you down. Working three dead-end jobs to make ends meet and knowing college is a pipe dream, Alix takes nightly refuge in the high-vaulted reading room at the Boston Public Library, escaping into her favorite fantasy novels and dreaming of far-off lands. Until the day she stumbles through a hidden door and meets the Librarian: the ageless, acerbic guardian of a hidden library where the desperate and the lost escape to new lives…inside their favorite books.
The Librarian takes a dazzled Alix under her wing, but before she can escape into the pages of her new life, a shadowy enemy emerges to threaten everyone the Astral Library has ever helped protect. Aided by a dashing costume-shop owner, Alix and the Librarian flee through the Regency drawing rooms of Jane Austen to the back alleys of Sherlock Holmes and the champagne-soaked parties of The Great Gatsby as danger draws inexorably closer. But who does their enemy really wish to destroy—Alix, the Librarian, or the Library itself?
My thoughts:
I am clearly in my fantasy era and have no regrets! While known for her historical fiction books, Kate Quinn has given us the book we all need right now, the book that is an ode to libraries and book lovers alike. This book is for all of us bookworms who sometimes feel alone…as this one quite sums it up perfectly:
“Can a bookworm ever really call herself alone when she’s surrounded by books?”
Between the literary references, the adventures, and the FMC who you cannot help but root for, this is easily one book anyone will enjoy…and while it is fantasy, it’s so accessible that I think anyone will enjoy it. And I know for sure it will be a book I come back to again and again!
Audio thoughts:
Saskia Maarleveld was amazing as the narrator for this one. She brought this story to life as only she could, bringing such enthusiasm and energy in all the right places. And Kate Quinn reads the author’s note.
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I always have books with me and varied backgrounds are a fantasy for me. From Regency to even present day America (so so different to my world) all are fodder for me.
Thank you for this review.
Author
It’s such a fun, thought-provoking read. Highly recommend!