The Astral Library

I picked up Kate Quinn's newest book, The Astral Library, thanks to the contest Chapters/Indigo was having; if you pre-ordered it, you were entered into a contest to win a trip to P.E.I. I knew I wanted to read The Astral Library at some point, as I like Quinn's books and was interested in what she would do in the fantasy genre, so I pre-ordered it. I sadly did not win the contest, but I got a great book out of the deal. :)

The Astral Library is the story of Alix Watson, a young woman struggling through life. She was abandoned by her mom at the age of 8 into the foster care system. Having aged out of the system, she's now struggling to survive: holding down multiple jobs, only about $36 to her name, late on rent payments, and desperately trying to price out the groceries she can afford. But when her card gets declined at the grocery store, she loses her most steady job, has no hours at another job, is getting evicted from her apartment, and seems to be the victim of identity fraud, things look bleak. But then she steps through a door at the Boston Public Library and enters the magical Astral Library, where she's given the chance to live in a book. But as she readies herself for her new adventure, the Librarian receives word that some of the Astral Library's other Patrons are under attack. Alix tags along (much to the Librarian's chagrin) as they hop from book to book, looking for the other Patrons to bring them to safety.

I will admit: the first two chapters are a bit rough to read: it was crazy depressing going along with Alix as her world blew up. But once you get to the actual Library, the book really takes off. The characters are a lot of fun, especially the Librarian, the Gallerist (the curator of the Astral Gallery), and the Programmer (the guardian of AGNIS - the Astral Gaming Network Interspace System). I also really liked how people were able to move through books, paintings and games (and the differences between them). Some things were a tad predictable (like how the library had a perfect set-up for Beau), but others caught me by surprise (like who the villain ended up being). 

After I got through the first two chapters, I didn't really want to put The Astral Library down. It's a really fun story that I recommend for anyone who loves libraries. :)