Este Logano is joining the ranks of Radcliffe Prep, following in the footsteps of her deceased father. It is rumored to be the third most haunted school in the country, with students disappearing every ten years, but Este doesn’t believe in ghosts - until a ghost frames her for the disappearance of the rarest book at Radcliffe. With the threat of expulsion on the horizon, Este agrees to help the ghost who framed her find what he is looking for so she can get the book back and secure her place at Radcliffe, but what she learns in the process is more than she bargained for.
What a wonderful story to read to get me in the spooky season spirit! The premise is intriguing and the way that the characters and story are written kind of gave me Supernatural vibes (which is always a plus in my book). There were moments of comedy, tension, romance…I went through it all while reading this story.
While red herrings are abundant, I did find that I clocked part of the twist at about 40% into the story, though I had an inkling very early on. However, this didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book! It almost made it more fun to read, watching and waiting to see how the characters would figure it out. Once the full reveal happened, the missing piece that I hadn’t figured out was so obvious that I may have facepalmed (while also letting out a gasp of surprise).
The romance develops slowly and is impeded by elements out of the characters’ control, which made it that much more delicious. As the story progresses, I fell deeper in love with the characters as they started falling in love with each other and my anxiety was through the roof wondering if they would get their happily ever after. The way in which the love story unfolds feels almost unexpected, taking the characters (and even myself a little bit) by surprise! It felt like such a natural development of their relationship, but also like it snuck up on them and it was beautiful.
With each turn of the page, I felt like I was constantly trying to guess what was going to happen next and, once the end came, it all felt so obvious, like I should’ve been able to see it from the start. Stories like this make me fall in love with reading all over again and, if this is the kind of story to expect from debut author Rachel Moore, then I am anxiously awaiting whatever comes next.
THE LIBRARY OF SHADOWS by Rachel Moore hits shelves on September 5, 2023 and you can pick up a copy for yourself here.
Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher for free and have voluntarily written this review. If you purchase a copy using my Bookshop affiliate link above, not only will I receive a small commission (which will fuel my coffee and tea addiction and help to keep me up all night reading more books to recommend to you), but you will be supporting indie bookstores as well! If you prefer Amazon, visit my Amazon storefront and click on the list titled "2023 Book Recommendations."
