Book Review: The Haunted Librarian by Auralee Wallace

Pros: interesting protagonist, lovely setting

Cons: little emotional connection, too much telling rather than showing

When Amelia Bates lands her dream job working at an old library, she's dismayed to discover it's haunted by 3 ghosts. Her ability to see ghosts has always caused problems, so she created rules to never interact with them. But the library is in danger because the ghosts are unable to move on, so she has to overcome her preconceptions and befriend them.

I really liked Amelia. She had a rough childhood and ghosts contributed to that, so having her at odds with the ghosts in the library makes sense. I loved her snarky inner voice, and how she addressed different parts of herself, like 'hysterical Amelia' and 'rational Amelia'.

The library was great and I'd love to visit and spend some time there perusing the books.

I thought the beginning of the book did a good job of setting the scene and showing how Amelia wanted to improve her skills. She had trouble talking to library patrons despite her desire, and was befriended by both Simon and Rosalinda. But as the book went on, it seemed like everything began to focus on the ghosts to the exclusion of continuing to depict those human relationships. There's a scene where Amelia overhears Simon and Rosalinda talking about how she helped some library patrons, but those scenes should have been shown so the reader could see how she's grown as a person. This telling rather than showing came up more towards the end, where we're told that Amelia has gotten closer to the ghosts by doing various activities with them. But those descriptions didn't show me any emotional connection between the characters to the extent that I didn't feel any emotional kick by the ending. Instead of being told she watched a movie with Bradon, I wanted a scene where the two discuss the film afterwards. There were a few early scenes of Amelia having tea with Rosalinda, but then we're just told it was important to her. After being told that Amelia's customer service abilities have been improved, we're finally given a scene right at the end where she rudely cuts short a conversation with one patron so she can talk to the patron she's wanted to help the whole book.

I was shocked that Amelia never asked people around her for help. Rosalinda believed in the supernatural, so why not confide in her about the ghosts, or at least ask her about Minnie's case? Similarly, why not ask the sailor ghost outside why he's telling people not to go in the building? Does he have a sense of what's going on? I also thought the explanation of why the book kept disappearing unsatisfying given how important the knowledge it held was.

I liked Amelia, but I found the book on the whole didn't give me any emotional connection to characters beyond her. I didn't get to see her grow as a person the way I wanted. I felt her journey was hampered by too much telling rather than showing, especially towards the end of the book.

Books Received in September 2026

 Many thanks to Tor for allowing me to read an advance copy of The Magical Cheese Emporium.

The Magical Cheese Emporium by Sarah Beth Durst - This is the 4th book in the Spellshop series, though each one can be read on its own. I've actually finished this cozy fantasy and really enjoyed it. The romance is a little more central, which I liked, and there's a cute baby sentient plant. Out Jan 19, 2027.

When Eloren joined the revolution against the empire, she didn’t expect to lose everything―or to find a safe haven in a magical cheese shop.

After the Great Library burned down and her position as Assistant Librarian with it, Eloren had no other choice but to return to the only other home that would have her: her grandmother’s shop.

Now, she’s stuck at the Magical Cheese Emporium in the remote island town of Dew, struggling to become the small business heiress she never wanted to be. But the unicorns won't let her milk them, there’s a monster in the cheese caves, and Eloren is more into books than Brie. The only good thing about coming home is reuniting with Garyn, the childhood friend and clever inventor who, at some point, got a whole lot taller―and handsome.

When Dew’s governor imposes impossible taxes on small business owners, Eloren knows one thing: she didn’t take down the emperor just so someone else could exploit good people.

Eloren, Garyn, his (mostly) helpful contraptions, and a mouse made of cheese set off to rescue the cheese emporium and all the other local businesses. And in helping to save this community, Eloren might finally realize that home is where the Havarti is.

The Magical Cheese Emporium is a fantasy romance about the places that tell you you’re home when everything burns down and daring to see old friends with new eyes. Prepare for hard work, sparkly dreams, and lots of magical cheese.

Book Review: Twig's Traveling Tomes by Gryffin Murphy

Pros: interesting characters

Cons:

Louella Twig is a defunct witch who pooled her disappointment about her unique book magic not being recognized by her teachers by running a bookshop that can teleport between 4 storefronts. Her magic forces her to offer the book needed by each customer, regardless of whether that's the book they want or if it tells them unwanted truths. When one of her former teachers needs help reclaiming the scattered pieces of his stolen grimoire, she joins forces with a group of new friends, including a handsome former thief, to find them.

This is a cozy fantasy romance novel with low stakes and a lot of lighthearted banter. Louella and Everett engage in a lot of flirtation. There's some kissing towards the end of the book with some heat but no on page spice. It's a slow burn romance. The book also contains an intimate off page side romance, and some positive gay and lesbian representation.

Everett is portrayed as the perfect book lover's boyfriend. A real work of wish fulfillment. He's supportive of everything Louella does, encourages her, catches her when she falls (literally and figuratively), pays for her books, and wants nothing more than to be with her and help her achieve her goals. I imagine his attitude will annoy some readers who prefer more of a personality clash between the protagonists. What's keeping them apart is simply that Louella believes he's only around for the adventure and will leave once things settle down again. She doesn't want her heart broken and can't believe he actually loves her.

The main plot is engaging enough. The pages are disguised as exotic creatures scattered around the 4 realms, giving the group reasons to travel and explore unique locations. Some of the places they go are a lot of fun and the variety of creatures - some I recognized and some I didn't - were really neat. I especially liked the haregons, which sounded adorable.

The side characters were entertaining. I especially liked Midge and seeing her relationship with Oliver develop. Feralorn could be a little annoying, but was used sparingly, so that never became an issue for me.

I liked Louella's magic and how it played out. Seeing her have to give people books about things that were embarrassing or problematic made her sympathetic, especially when she prided herself - and had a real reputation - for getting the right book to the right person.

I thought Everett's prophecy was a little too specific and it seemed to cheapen their attraction somewhat.

All in all it's a fun, lighthearted romp, that doesn't take itself too seriously but does wrap everything up nicely at the end.

Book Review: Monumental by Simon Warrack

In addition to the intruduction and epilouge, the book has 10 chapters: First steps in stone [Canterbury cathedral, England]; The stones of Venice [Venice]; Doing as the Romans do [Rome]; Embracing Asia [Preah Ko, Cambodia]; The greatest temple in the world [Angkor Wat, Cambodia]; An obelist returns [transporting a stele from Rome to Axum in Ethiopia]; Carving a new Jerusalem[Lalibela, Ethiopia]; Temple of the sun [Umm Al Nar tombs, United Arab Emirates]; Two hundred chisels [Lebanon]; and The house of stone [Great Zimbabwe].

For some reason I was expecting this to be a book on the art of stone carving from the viewpoint of a stone carver, whereas it's actually a standard biography focusing on the author's training and work. The author has had a fascinating life and gives a lot of entertaining asides and digressions that add colour to the narrative. His writing style is fast paced and engaging, focused primarily on the various sites where he worked throughout his career. I appreciated the mini deep dives into local history that fleshed out the backgrounds of those monuments, making the book even more interesting.

There are 2 chapters that deal with Ethiopia, and as someone who's researched its churches and history, and read the Kebra Nagast (Glory of Kings) in translation, I was a little surprised by how he presented elements of their religious writings as historical fact. The sections are brief and hopefully they'll encourage people to research this rich and interesting culture.

The author tends to emphasize the bond of stone masons throughout history and how working with stone is a universal language in most of the chapters, which got repetitive and unnecessary as the book went on.

I had access to an early Advance Reader Copy, so there were more spelling and editorial errors than usual. Those should be cleared up by the time the book is published. Also missing were several illustrations, which simply had place holders. The images that were included were nice for understanding some of the more technical architectural language of the book.

On the whole this was an entertaining read. It was neat learning some of what goes into restoring and preserving ancient monuments made of stone.

Shout-Out: Blacktail by Scott Hawkins

The long-awaited second novel from the author of the cult hit The Library at Mount Char, a one-of-a-kind dark fantasy in which a wolf sets out on an epic journey of revenge. 

The wolf Blacktail is faithful to his Forest God, but in these times, faith is not enough. His world is besieged by men. Soon his territory will be overrun, and then there will be nowhere left to go. When his mate, a house dog, is killed, Blacktail rebels. He invades the house of her owners, seeking vengeance.

Blacktail’s fury catches the notice of an ancient and terrible feline witch, who makes an offer. What if Blacktail could end the human race responsible for the death of his family and for the destruction of the natural world, altogether? To do so, Blacktail must find and wake the Forest God. Only He might stand against the plague of men. Blacktail knows that his north woods are dwindling to nothing. He sees no other choice.

As Blacktail journeys farther from his wild home and deeper into the world of man, he encounters strangers—animal, mortal, and otherworldly—who, for their own reasons, want to help Blacktail rid the world of humans. Along the way, it becomes clear that he is more than just a wolf. The Forest God is sleeping, yes. But what will be the price of waking him?

Books Received in August 2026

 

My thanks to Ace for letting me read an advance copy of The Haunted Librarian.

The Haunted Librarian by Auralee Wallace - I'm a few chapters in and I'm loving Amelia so far. She's quirky and entertaining. Out October 6.

 

It’s a dark and stormy night…and Amelia Bates is caught in the rain. Life hasn’t always been kind to her, and being a ghostseer certainly doesn’t make things any easier.

Glowing warmly through the autumnal downpour is her safest haven: the library. Amelia, the newly hired librarian, has always relished the comfort of curling up with a novel, vastly preferring it to the company of humans (alive or ghostly).

But Amelia is shocked to discover the building is full of more than quiet stories and warm cups of tea. There are curious, talkative patrons, a shy, bespectacled head librarian who makes her heart skip a beat, and three quirky spirits causing paranormal havoc that endangers the future of the library.

To help the ghosts and save the building, Amelia will have to gather all her bravery and wits, because learning to trust others might just be the first step to a happily ever after she only thought was possible in books.

Book Review: Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

Pros: feel good fantasy, low stakes

Cons:

After completing her last job as an adventurer, the orc Viv takes her final prize, the magical Scalvert Stone, which stories say can draw the heart's desire. She buys a used livery in Thune and fixes it up into a coffee shop. She has to find trustworthy workers, deal with the city's 'protection' gang, and show people who've never heard of coffee what they're missing.

This is a low key, feel good fantasy novel. Viv's a fun character with a shady past and her desire to start fresh is fun to watch. The book moves slowly and basically feels like settling back with a cup of coffee yourself, watching her go through the motions of setting up shop and then dealing with the challenges that come up. There's a hint of romance, but it's understated with very little tension or conflict.

It's a novel about friendship and doing your best and was a pleasure to read.