Name: The Librarian of Crooked Lane
Rating: 3.666666666666667 (6 reviews)
ISBN: 9781922554222

C J Archer

The Librarian of Crooked Lane

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 historical 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…

A Fantasy Mystery Novel

Dusty Tomes, Whispering Magic, and Hidden Scars

The Glass Library itself feels like a dream for any book lover—a sanctuary housing the world's greatest collection of magical texts. Archer’s world-building treats magic not as flashy explosions, but as something subtle, mysterious, and intricately woven into historical London.

If you love stories featuring clever librarians, brooding yet gentle heroes, and ancient secrets hidden inside old books, C.J. Archer’s tale is a wonderful escape.

Clyde Baer

Dusty Tomes, Whispering Magic, and Hidden Scars

The Glass Library itself feels like a dream for any book lover—a sanctuary housing the world's greatest collection of magical texts. Archer’s world-building treats magic not as flashy explosions, but as something subtle, mysterious, and intricately woven into historical London.

If you love stories featuring clever librarians, brooding yet gentle heroes, and ancient secrets hidden inside old books, C.J. Archer’s tale is a wonderful escape.

*An interesting historical mystery that lacked the promised magic*

Set just after WWI but in a world that openly wields magic, 

 is about a young woman who is offered a job at a library that specializes in books about magic. Sylvia lost her brother in the war and her mother to the Spanish Flu. Left with no family and swallowed by grief and depression, she jumps at the chance at a better life. But she is soon drawn into a murder investigation with the library’s handsome benefactor who consults with the police on cases involving magic.

The story is told in first person, past tense from Sylvia's POV. Despite some qualms, I did like Sylvia though she didn't always make the best choices.

On the upside, the story did take a realistic look at the aftereffects of the war and pandemic. From PTSD to displaced veterans lacking jobs and support to the misogyny that pushed women out of the workplace once men returned, there were plenty of real-life details of the time period.

this book has some of the most disappointing and underwhelming magic I've ever read.

 The story barely had any real magic. I'd barely even call it Magical Realism let alone Fantasy. The library wasn't magical either. There was mention of enchanted items in the library, but there was no impact of that. It was really just had books 

 magic. So that was extremely disappointing. I expected a magical library, but I didn't get it 

In this alternate world, magicians have an affinity for one material and can only do magic with that material. They are basically craftsmen who make slightly better products. So, magical potters make dishes that don't break as easily. Weavers make cloth that doesn't wear out as quickly. It's hard to get excited about cotton or rubber magicians. Enchanted erasers just aren't exciting. But that is pretty much all the magic in this book was.

Not surprisingly, Sylvia had a mysterious background regarding who her father was and why her mother moved them constantly. This was hinted at so often and unsubtly that it screamed "important secret!" at volumes usually only heard at a death metal concert. Cue exasperated sigh at yet another plain jane character being secretly special.

The main plot was a mystery of a stolen magically enhanced painting. It was fine mystery-wise but nothing special. And it did almost feel like a subplot at times since there was a lot going on in the story.

I was not at all interested in the love triangle that was set up. It involves emotional cheating and a heroine who spent too much time mooning over an unavailable man. And it was made even worse because he's technically her employer. That made it hard to like the characters at times. But that is probably me being persnickety of my hatred of pointless drama. The side characters were enjoyable though.

Despite being underwhelmed with some parts, I was invested enough to be interested in checking out the next book. It's always nice to have some Cozy Mysteries in-between longer, heavier books.

Characters and Character Development: 2 Stars

Colleen

3 Stars

*An interesting historical mystery that lacked the promised magic*


Set just after WWI but in a world that openly wields magic, The Librarian of Crooked Lane is about a young woman who is offered a job at a library that specializes in books about magic. Sylvia lost her brother in the war and her mother to the Spanish Flu. Left with no family and swallowed by grief and depression, she jumps at the chance at a better life. But she is soon drawn into a murder investigation with the library’s handsome benefactor who consults with the police on cases involving magic.

The story is told in first person, past tense from Sylvia's POV. Despite some qualms, I did like Sylvia though she didn't always make the best choices.


I didn't blame her for shrugging off the heavy blanket that had shrouded the nation after four years of war and another one and half years of the flu. Sometimes the bleakness had seemed as though it would never end. But despite their personal losses, some people were ready to move on. Daisy needed to move forward with her life.

I hadn't quite reached that point yet.


On the upside, the story did take a realistic look at the aftereffects of the war and pandemic. From PTSD to displaced veterans lacking jobs and support to the misogyny that pushed women out of the workplace once men returned, there were plenty of real-life details of the time period.

On the downside, this book has some of the most disappointing and underwhelming magic I've ever read. The story barely had any real magic. I'd barely even call it Magical Realism let alone Fantasy. The library wasn't magical either. There was mention of enchanted items in the library, but there was no impact of that. It was really just had books about magic. So that was extremely disappointing. I expected a magical library, but I didn't get it at all.

In this alternate world, magicians have an affinity for one material and can only do magic with that material. They are basically craftsmen who make slightly better products. So, magical potters make dishes that don't break as easily. Weavers make cloth that doesn't wear out as quickly. It's hard to get excited about cotton or rubber magicians. Enchanted erasers just aren't exciting. But that is pretty much all the magic in this book was.

Not surprisingly, Sylvia had a mysterious background regarding who her father was and why her mother moved them constantly. This was hinted at so often and unsubtly that it screamed "important secret!" at volumes usually only heard at a death metal concert. Cue exasperated sigh at yet another plain jane character being secretly special.

The main plot was a mystery of a stolen magically enhanced painting. It was fine mystery-wise but nothing special. And it did almost feel like a subplot at times since there was a lot going on in the story.

I was not at all interested in the love triangle that was set up. It involves emotional cheating and a heroine who spent too much time mooning over an unavailable man. And it was made even worse because he's technically her employer. That made it hard to like the characters at times. But that is probably me being persnickety of my hatred of pointless drama. The side characters were enjoyable though.

Despite being underwhelmed with some parts, I was invested enough to be interested in checking out the next book. It's always nice to have some Cozy Mysteries in-between longer, heavier books.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 2 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 3 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars

The Librarian of Crooked Lane

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