Sabbers had ravaged Livira’s desert village, but she survived. By sheer luck, she got a possibility to train at the expansive library in the city of Cragh. Livira’s IQ is off the charts, so she learns quicker than anyone else.

Meanwhile, Evar Eventari and his four siblings live in the library, affected by a mysterious Mechanism, capable of transforming books into tangible experiences. They’ve been trapped there for ages, untouched by time’s passage. Each of them gained valuable skills and knowledge from the books they entered, except for Evar. He only knows that something—or someone—is amiss, and so he embarks on a quest to find them.

The story is unique in its approach to romance and time; it spans years for Livira but only days for Evar. Their storylines revolve around each other but focus on many things. Maybe even too many? Anyway, the central theme of knowledge and its power to shape reality impressed me. I found Livira’s story more interesting than Evar’s but both are strong.

The issues I have with the story tie with its length and detailed world-building that slows the pace down and requires a lot of attention. It’s possible all of this will pay off in the sequels; However, I felt some parts simply dragged. The love story between the two is quite peculiar. They’re separated briefly after their first encounter, but it doesn’t stop them from getting deeply in love. Now, it’s not insta-love the way you suspect, but it felt abrupt.

That said, the story keeps personal stakes high and twists are coming left and right, keeping the suspense high. I’m not in love with this book, but I’m interested to see what happens after THIS ending.