Review by Booklist Review
In her debut, Moore has created a story that perfectly mixes gothic elements with romance and mystery. When Este receives a scholarship to her deceased father's alma mater, Radcliffe Prep, she sees it as an opportunity to learn more about him. The school's library quickly becomes central to the story, and book lovers will enjoy visualizing the immense and eerie space, complete with secret passageways and a resident ghost. Despite Radcliffe's reputation for being extremely haunted, Este only realizes the library truly is haunted when she meets the mysterious (and incorporeal) Mateo, who is eager to discuss the library's shrouded history. Plus, he needs her help getting a dangerous tome about soul-harvesting fades from the restricted section. The unusual pair begins to investigate why so many students have disappeared from the grounds over the years, growing closer in the process. Moore incorporates the enemies-to-lovers trope wonderfully, penning rapid and engaging banter between the sassy Mateo and curious Este as they try to ignore their connection. The book kicks into high gear when The Book of Fades goes missing, along with crucial pages that could help solve Radcliffe's dark secrets. This unique novel blends different genres in a magical way, and readers will happily lose themselves in its twisting passages. Recommend to lovers of gothic tales, such as Lyndall Clipstone's Lakesedge (2021) and Adalyn Grace's Belladonna (2022).
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Debut author Moore entwines fairy tale horrors and heady romance to craft an eerie boarding school mystery. Sixteen-year-old Este Logano has just received a legacy scholarship to attend prestigious--and rumored haunted--Radcliffe Prep high school, the academy her now dead father once dropped out of. Este soon meets handsome teen Mateo, who persuades her to explore the off-limits spire full of the school's rarest treasures, from which Mateo steals a magical text called The Book of Fades and vanishes. Caught by the imperious head librarian and threatened with expulsion unless she returns the book, Este seeks out Mateo, who reveals that he is the ghost of the school founder's son, who went missing in 1917. He also informs her that a student is kidnapped each decade by enigmatic spirits called the Fades, and that the book is the only way to stop the specters. But the tome is missing pages, and if the duo want to succeed, Este will have to dig into both Mateo's and her father's shadowy pasts. While densely rendered worldbuilding and plot points occasionally befuddle, the swoony paranormal courtship between Este and Mateo burns brightly in this dark-academia adventure. Ages 13--up. (Sept.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up--Este Logano is looking forward to attending Radcliffe Prep, the third most haunted school in the country, to learn more about her dead father's legacy. Rumors fly regarding the haunted library and ghostly souls such as Mateo. No one wants to go there at night. When Mateo blames Este for stealing an archived book, The Book of Fades, the paranormal romance begins to brew even though it seems unlikely. Este finds more than just books in the library during her investigation. Trap doors and secret passages are only part of the mysterious setting that Moore has created where the library is center stage. Readers that appreciate academic libraries and what they have to offer will enjoy the nostalgic research practices; however, those familiar with old collections will understand that some of the preservation practices are not authentic. The pacing of the story varies, meaning some situations resolve too quickly while others are well thought out. The paranormal investigator, Posy, starts with a dominant role but seems to be brushed off. The characters deal with grief and loss in a genuine manner. The ending is predictable but satisfying. VERDICT Fans of ghost stories and dark academia will embrace this debut novel. Recommended.--Karen Alexander
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A haunted library holds the key to Este's late father's secrets--if she lives long enough to uncover them. On learning she's receiving a legacy scholarship to her father's school, Radcliffe Prep, 16-year-old Este doesn't care that it's purportedly haunted. That's before she tours its spectacular library and meets the gorgeous and enigmatic Mateo, who is not quite what he seems. After cajoling her into a restricted area to find an ancient tome about soul-harvesting Fades and (hopefully) how to eliminate them, Mateo vanishes with it, nearly getting Este expelled. Working night shifts as reparation, Este and the irritatingly irresistible Mateo follow clues left by her father about crucial missing pages in the book. Time is ticking, though; the deadly Fades infesting the library, responsible for multiple student disappearances, are now hunting Este. Lyrical prose builds a complex plot featuring a sympathetic protagonist whose growing connections with the labyrinthine library and its haunts push her living connections aside, to her detriment. A lively enemies-to-lovers romance offers a sweet counterpoint to Este's poignant grief over her father's death. Some plot elements may feel confusingly convoluted to readers, though, and the ultimate villain is easy to spot. Also, certain unaddressed practical issues may pull readers out of the story. Main characters read white; some racial diversity is cued in secondary characters. A compelling, ghostly tale interweaving romance and mystery with a thread of horror. (Supernatural. 13-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
