Kate Quinn has appeared many times on my blog for her mid-twentieth century historical fiction, but The Astral Library is her first fantasy novel. The Astral Library poses the question, “Have you ever wished you could live inside a book?” What kind of a bibliophile would I be if I haven’t ever imagined living inside one of my favourite stories? I found the first couple of chapters of The Astral Library very difficult to get through, but once I did, this novel ended up being a fun read.

The Astral Library is about a twenty-six-year-old woman named Alix Watson who was abandoned by her mother as a child and grew up in the foster care system. She struggles to get by on three low-paying parttime jobs and has $36 in her bank account, except when she goes to by some groceries to feed herself until her next payday, her card is declined, and she learns that someone has hacked her bank account. On top of that, she gets fired from the job that pays her the most money and she gets kicked out of the apartment where she was couch surfing. As an empathetic person, let me tell you, all this sent me into an anxiety spiral. How is Alix supposed to live when she has no money and no family that she can turn to for help? And this isn’t just happening to a fictional character; this also happens to real life people. There are so many people out there who are one missed paycheque away from living on the streets. The anxiety was so much that I almost threw the book down to throw myself off a building, but I pushed through on the hope that Alix’s situation improved.

Alix’s situation does improve when she comes across the Astral Library, a hidden library that opens its doors to desperate people like Alix so they can escape reality and live new lives inside their favourite book – so long as the book is in the public domain. Alix is a bibliophile who loves the fantasy genre, so of course she is eager to live in a book, but before she can, the Astral Library is attacked and the patrons currently living in books are threatened. Alix assists the Librarian by going on a rollicking adventure through various books to rescue the patrons. It was entertaining to follow Alix and the Librarian through the various books, but honestly, with all the times that Quinn name drops Pride and Prejudice, she could have at least let Alix meet Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy!

Considering how much Quinn enjoys the fantasy genre herself and writers such as George R. R. Martin, J. R. R. Tolkien and Ursula K. Le Guin, The Astral Library comes across as low stakes. It has an important message about how our libraries are underfunded while under attack by bureaucrats want to monetize the public library system and unhinged book banners who want to limit other people’s access to books that only they find offensive, but it glosses over the dark details of why the patrons ended up at the Astral Library and why they cannot go back to their lives in the real world. Alix’s problems are also glossed over as the novel resolves its central conflict quickly and neatly lest it pollutes its gorgeous sprayed edges. The Astral Library is an enjoyable novel, but it is not very deep. It is escapist romantic fantasy for any reader to enjoy, but it will be most appreciated by those readers familiar with 19th century classics.