Glass Library Series by C.J. Archer
A librarian with a mysterious past, a war hero with a secret, and the heist of a magic painting. THE LIBRARIAN OF CROOKED LANE is an intriguing new fantasy from C.J. Archer, the USA Today bestselling author of the Glass and Steele series.
Librarian Sylvia Ashe knows nothing about her past, having grown up without a father and a mother who refused to discuss him. When she stumbles upon a diary that suggests she’s descended from magicians, she’s skeptical. After all, magicians are special, and she’s just an ordinary girl who loves books. She seeks the truth from a member of the most prominent family of magicians, but she quickly learns that finding the truth won’t be easy, especially when he turns out to be as artless as her, and more compelling and dangerous than books.
War hero Gabe is gifted with wealth, a loving family, and an incredible amount of luck that saw him survive four harrowing years of a brutal war without injury. But not all injuries are visible. Burying himself in his work as a consultant for Scotland Yard, Gabe is going through the motions as he investigates the theft of a magician-made painting. But his life changes when he unwittingly gets Sylvia dismissed from her job and places her in danger.
After securing her new employment in a library housing the world’s greatest collection of books about magic, Gabe and Sylvia’s lives become intwined as they work together to find both the painting and the truth about Sylvia’s past before powerful people can stop them.
But sometimes the past is better left buried…
The Reason
The whole series was on sale in Audible and I thought I’d give it a try.
The Quotes
“A hidden passage inside a library? Have you been reading my childhood diary and discovered all my favorite things?”
“Nobody could make anyone believe something they didn’t want to, no matter how compelling.”
The Narrator(s)
Marian Hussey. She was perfect for the whole series. I enjoyed her narration immensely!
My Thoughts
Book 1 – The Librarian of Crooked Lane
Book 2 – The Medici Manuscript
Book 3 – The Untitled Books
Book 4 – The Dead Letter Delivery
Book 5 – Secrets of the Lost Ledgers
Book 6 – The Journal of a Thousand Years
I had never heard of the books nor the author, but I love bookish books and the titles of the books and series drew me in immediately. The whole series was on sale and a preliminary search of the books made me feel good about an impulse buy. I wasn’t disappointed, it was such an enjoyable series! I especially loved the pacing and the way the stories flowed from one book to the next. To the point where it makes it hard for me to talk about the books one by one (which I initially wanted to do) because I don’t remember where a plot ended and another began, so I’ll just talk about all of them as a whole.
Apparently, this series is a spin-off from the Glass and Steele series by the same author. I was initially interested in reading them too but there are 13 books in the series, and unless I get lucky with another sale, I don’t think I’ll be doing that!
As for this series, they give me dark academia meets magical fantasy meets historical romance vibes. I loved how we get to know the characters more with each book and how their relationship progressions grow naturally. There are references to things that I assumed happen in the Glass and Steele series but doesn’t leave us with questions in this series and, as far as I know, doesn’t seem to spoil the Glass and Steele series.
I listened to the whole series on audio, one right after the other, and I thought it was just the perfect series to listen to during a time where I couldn’t be a hundred percent focused. It was light-hearted and easy to follow, yet also interesting and thrilling enough to keep my attention throughout all six books. I loved the whole experience and I was transported into another world for a wonderful time.
My Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.
Have you read this series? Would you read this series? Did you like it or do you think you would like it?
