The Bookbinder's Daughter: An absolutely gripping page-turner filled with magic and family secrets

Jessica Thorne

Sep 2021 · Bookouture

About this ebook

‘I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!… perfection… FIVE STARS allllll the way!… Mind-blowing… so much to love… make sure you get it!’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

On her first day as a bookbinder at Ayredale Library, Sophie gazes in awe at the grand, turreted building nestled deep in the English countryside. It’s where her mother Elizabeth worked too: before she disappeared. Clutching her leaf-shaped necklace – all that Elizabeth left behind – Sophie hopes to finally find the truth, and soon feels strangely at home alongside her fellow binders.

 

But everything changes when a beautiful door – engraved with a leaf matching her mother’s necklace – swings open at her touch. Sophie gasps at the impossible sight inside: a silver tree growing higher than the library itself. Amidst the gentle rustling leaves Sophie hears a familiar whisper. Although there’s no-one to be seen she’s certain it’s her mother’s voice:

 

‘There you are, my Sophie. I knew you’d come back for me.’

 

Could the magical library itself have stolen her mother away? And could the necklace unlock the secrets of the tree?

 

Asking the enigmatic Keeper of the Library for answers gets her nothing but dire warnings – and when another face from her past appears at the grand doors of Ayredale, Sophie’s blood runs cold at his sinister smile. Will she ever find the truth about her mother – or will Sophie be the next to disappear?

 

An absolutely unputdownable read about long-hidden family secrets and the magic that lurks between the pages of every book. Perfect for fans of The Ten Thousand Doors of January, The Night Circus and The Binding.

 

Read what everyone’s saying about The Bookbinder’s Daughter:

 

‘Wow… one of the best books I have read this year… simply fantastic, amazing, outstanding and superb. I loved it so much… highly recommend… beautiful… This is an amazing book, which you just have to read so that you can feel the magic too!’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Amazing, magical book… pulls you in and keeps you on your toes the whole time… when it finally ends you wish it didn’t have to… phenomenal… omg… I cannot wait to read this book again.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“A beautiful tale… drew me in from the first page… must-read… I absolutely loved this book. Gorgeous… a treasure to read and reread for years to come… I can’t recommend it highly enough. Cuddle up and completely fall into this one.” A Day in the Lifestyle, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

‘Enchanting… Unputdownable… I loved everything about this book… Brilliant!… captured me from the beginning… I really loved the ending.’ Goodreads reviewer

 

‘What a magical story! It caught me and did not want to let go until the end… You can lose yourself to this story!… Highly recommend.’ Goodreads reviewer

 

“I was hooked from the first page. This was everything I want in a book. It has magic, romance, mystery, heart. A perfect read.” @jessicatreads, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

“Phenomenal… magical… the perfect winter read!” @houseofbonesandsorrow

 

“Hauntingly beautiful!… will capture any fantasy lover’s heart.” Fromthebookshelfofdreams, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

“I absolutely loved this… absolute bliss.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

“Heartbreaking… A must read!” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ratings and reviews

This was an intriguing read, something a bit out of my comfort zone, I like magical realism but this was definitely a bit darker than I'd normally read. Sophie is a bookbinder and after a split from her boyfriend ends up back in Ayredale Libary, with it's collection of the finest rare books in the world, but also where her mother disappeared one day never to be seen again. Sophie and her parents used to live there, but after her mother disappeared her father moved them both away and wouldn't speak of it ever again. But Sophie's uncle still works there and persuades her back there to work, but also because she's meant to be there. There's lots of undercurrents and not all the people are quite what they seem, and Sophie slowly starts remembering events and people from her childhood there and realising that she has certain abilities that she hadn't realised she had. So whilst intriguing I did lose a little bit of interest in the middle, but there was certainly lots happening towards the end! More fantasy than magical realism with some very strange things happening.

Sophie still grieving her father goes to work for her Uncle restoring books. She spent a lot of time in this library growing up. It’s a magical place, she hears whispers and is able to read books no one else can. This place and the people in it have secrets and all is not what it seems. This was a really good book, I enjoyed it so much! It was fast paced and kept my interest to the end Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

“A magical library. A broken family. A dangerous secret” When Sophie’s mother disappeared when she was a teenager, she thought she has been abandoned by her. Now following in her footsteps as a bookbinder, Sophie is offered a job at Ayredale Library which is the last place her mother was seen all those years ago. Jumping at the chance to work there, will she get answers to the questions that she so desperately craves? A tale of mystery, magic, family secrets and love, The Bookbinder’s Daughter immediately drew me in to its world and I was completely taken with the story. It’s engaging and immersive prose, had me transported into the pages, which had me experiencing it as its characters do. My first book by Jessica Horne, this was such a great introduction to her work. The plot is strong and intriguing, its characters well developed and memorable for many different reasons and has been well thought out and put together. All up a very enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more from the author.