The Bookshop Below transported me. I don’t even know if I’ve come back yet. I love this book about books, bookshops, and magical rivers. Keep reading this book review of The Bookshop Below for my full thoughts.
Summary
If you want a story that will change your life, Chiron’s bookshop is where you go. For those lucky enough to grace its doors, it’s a glimpse into a world of powerful bargains and deadly ink magic.
For Cassandra Fairfax, it’s a reminder of everything she lost, when Chiron kicked her out and all but shuttered the shop. Since then, she’s used her skills in less ethical ways, trading stolen books and magical readings to wealthy playboys and unscrupulous collectors.
Then Chiron dies under mysterious circumstances. And if Cassandra knows anything, it’s this: the bookshop must always have an owner.
But she’s not the only one interested. There’s Lowell Sharpe, a dark-eyed, regrettably handsome bookseller she can’t seem to stop bumping into; rival owners who threaten Cassandra from the shadows; and, of course, Chiron’s murderer, who is still on the loose.
As Cassandra tries to uncover the secrets her mentor left behind, a sinister force threatens to unravel the world of the magical bookshops entirely…
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
The Bookshop Below is tender, action packed, and magical. This is a world of magical books with dangerous power. It’s about not knowing what we’ve bitten off before we have one foot in the grave. And it’s about those who sell the books, the opportunities, and negotiate with the river below. I would read so many books about this world of bookshops, power, and the monster of ambition. The Bookshop Below is about careful balance and what happens when the gaping maw of monstrous ambition goes unchecked. Who will reign it in? What follows is a fast paced book about uncovering mysterious deaths, mysterious magic, and mysterious people.
Before I go to more of what I liked, I think The Bookshop Below has promise, but I do feel like the world was magical, but a bit threadbare in places. It’s more of a magical vibe than the actual lore and history and as someone who loves the world building, at parts I found it frustrating. I think my feelings while reading this one felt a lot like The City of Stardust in that it has so much premise, so much potential, and it’s always just a little shy of what I need it to be. But The Bookshop Below has so much heart. The character dynamics here are twisting and beautiful. And the audiobook narration just further brings these dynamics. We can hear the regret, the tender vulnerability, and the narration just brings these emotions out further.
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Cassandra is fighting off her own guilt, her own past mistakes, and the ways in which people have been paying the consequences. She has to figure out if she can make amends. Can she create relationships which can move past her past? People who might see her and quite possibly forgive her? I enjoyed seeing Cass open up, to reconcile her past, her tendency to run, and what she wants for herself. There’s plenty of swoons and I wish we knew Lowell a bit more than just a side character. Overall, this was pretty solid, but as a standalone, I just wanted a bit more to bite into to really love it. Find The Bookshop Below on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.