What a unique book! Night of Wonders is a fantasy-adventure-romance set in ancient India with a librarian for the main character. A librarian who serves and curates magical books, but is not allowed to use magic himself.
Anik unexpectedly steps into the role of head Librarian when the man he serves under is found guilty of a crime and has his magical abilities removed as punishment. Anik loves knowledge and wants to remain in the library always, but he must hide the fact that he can do magic himself because he is from a lower caste that is not allowed to have or perform magic.
The Library belongs to a powerful Maharaja with two strong-willed children, the twins Nyan and Ishana. The twins are coming of age, and the whole court is traveling to the capital city so they can compete in the Night of Wonders, a festival of magic.
Anik reconnects with a childhood friend who convinces him that they could change India's laws about who is allowed to have and do magic if they work together. But Anik is torn between his friend's idea of equality and his own growing love for Ishana. Though she is far out of his reach, Anik still yearns for the lovely and talented princess, and he cannot keep his desires hidden for long.
I really enjoyed Bishop's storytelling here. She weaves together Indian folklore and myths with her own astute characterizations to form an entrancing tapestry of magic and love. Parts of the story were creepy (the ghosts with backward feet just make me shudder!!!), parts were thrilling, and parts made me appreciate the opportunities for equality I enjoy in my current society.
This book releases on Friday, May 12! I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to review it. All opinions are mine and unprompted.
Privileged people never want change. It scares them.
No child can escape the curse of their parents.
"The stronger a gift, the greater the temptation to abuse it."
If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG-13 for scary images, magic use, some romantic kisses and mentions of a woman's curves, and some violence. No bad language, no erotic scenes, no gore.
This is my 24th book read from my TBR shelves for #TheUnreadShelfProject2023.
Great review! I LOVED THE GHOSTS WITH THE BACKWARD FEET :D
ReplyDeleteAnd I loved the fast, smooth pacing. I think that's one of Charity's great strengths--her stories just sweep you along, no extraneous scenes or boring bits.
Thanks, Katie! Yeah, those ghosts certainly are memorable!
DeleteCharity's pacing skills are enviable, for sure :-D