Author: Kate Quinn
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Fantasy
Format: Kindle ARC
No. of Pages: 304
Date of Publication: February 17, 2026
My Rating: 4 Stars
DESCRIPTION:
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?
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:
The Astral Library by Kate Quinn is an imaginative and engaging adventure set against a richly layered fantasy backdrop. At its heart is Alix Watson, a young woman whose life has been anything but easy. Having bounced from home to home in the foster care system, Alix has never truly known stability. Even working three jobs barely keeps a roof over her head, let alone allows for anything resembling comfort.
Her one sanctuary is the Boston Public Library. Within its walls, she can momentarily escape her struggles and lose herself in other worlds. Books have always offered her refuge. What she doesn’t realize, however, is that one day they will offer her something far more literal.
While wandering the stacks, Alix stumbles upon a hidden door. On the other side waits the Librarian—a mysterious figure she instinctively trusts. Crossing that threshold changes everything. She is told she need only choose a book—any book—and she can step into a new life. Not just a fleeting daydream, but a fully realized existence complete with quests, challenges, and the tantalizing possibility of peace and security—the very things she has longed for her entire life.
What unfolds is a journey through a complex multiverse where Alix encounters literary figures she once knew only from the page. The premise is enchanting, but it is not without consequences. Each new world carries risks, and the promise of “the grass is always greener” proves far more complicated than it first appears. Alix’s adventures are filled with wonder, but also with hard truths about choice, sacrifice, and the cost of escape.
At the start of the novel, Alix’s “woe is me” outlook is noticeable, but understandably so. Given her history, her longing for something better feels authentic rather than indulgent. Watching her confront the realities behind her fantasies all while discovering her own resilience brought great strength to this novel.
Though the pacing occasionally felt a bit too brisk for my personal taste, the imaginative scope and emotional undercurrents more than compensate. For readers who enjoy magical realism blended with literary homage and multiverse intrigue, The Astral Library is a compelling and thoughtful read.
Many thanks to William Morrow and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
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