Book review: The Wren in the Holly Library by K.A. Linde

It is very rare that I read a book blurb and fully believe I am the target demographic. I know my preferred genres and tropes. And from there if a story sounds interesting I will probably buy it. However, this one? It was written specifically for me. It's no secret I am a huge fairy tale and folklore fan - but to take inspiration from my favorite stories and turn it into a heist novel? Sign me up, this book was written specifically for me.

What surprised me the most about this book was how many mysteries were woven into the plot. By my count there were five different mysteries, some were solved in this novel and some will continue into the sequel. I felt like these were a fantastic way of hooking the reader into the novel, there were so many answers the reader needed to have and it kept you wanting to turn to the next page. It kept the pacing from ever feeling too slow and introduced a very rich world. It feels like it realistically could be our world fifteen years from now, an impressive feat considering the monsters and magic.

I also appreciated the use of folklore and fairy tales within the books. Some characters were obvious, such as Imani being a take on the traditional fairy godmother. And while Beauty and the Beast very clearly inspired the book, I would not say it is a retelling of the classic story. And that's not a bad thing! It allows Linde to weave in other folklore stories in a way that feels organic without having to stick to a very specific plotline. This book also made me want to research Celtic folklore, something I don't know much about because it's clear it will be important in understanding the second book in this duology. And as I love researching folklore, this makes me excited to find out more about these sorts of legends to better understand what is going to come.

The heist was the only thing in the book that disappointed me. While the entire book was leading up to it, the heist didn't start until there were sixty pages left in the story. In my opinion, this was not enough time to show off everything that I would expect in a heist. Not only did it start so late, but it ended quickly because there was an additional major plot point after it! As a result, the heist felt rushed and I felt like it could have been expanded on. It also used one of my least favorite action tropes: the main character is knocked out and when they wake up the majority of the action is over. I would have preferred a much longer heist, even if it did require the book to be significantly longer - especially when earlier in the book, there was a different heist that had the details that I wanted! With the amount of lead-up to this plot point, it felt like a letdown once we got to it. And I know, from earlier in the book, that Linde can fashion a thrilling and interesting heist. And I hope that is what we will get in the second book.

Overall, I do feel like the comparisons to Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows are valid. They have very similar vibes with a very similar morally gray cast of characters. However, The Wren in the Holly Library stands on it's own within the romantasy heist subgenre. I am looking forward to the sequel and seeing the adventure that our characters go on next - especially as I am predicting the next book will take place in Ireland.

The Wren in the Holly Library is available through Entangled Publishing