Book Review: The Wren in the Holly Library by K. A. Linde
It’s been thirteen years since monsters came out of the shadows and plunged the world into a catastrophic Monster War. Now, after a decade-long reign of terror, monsters and humans have finally come to an uneasy accord. Both sides must abide by the Monster Treaty but New York City remains a dangerous place to live. Street thief Kierse knows that better than anyone. When a lucrative job goes wrong, she comes face to face with a shadowy figure called Graves. He’s a powerful kind of monster Kierse has never encountered before and he’s well within his rights to dispatch the thief found pilfering from his home. But instead of killing her, Graves does the unthinkable: he offers Kierse a heist job.
All Kierse needs to do is sneak into a heavily guarded monster’s lair under the city and steal a coveted artefact from an impenetrable vault. If she succeeds, she’ll not only gain riches beyond her wildest dreams but she’ll also have a chance to find out who she really is. It’s a deal that could easily end in capture, torture and death. For an orphaned hustler like Kierse, it’s a deal she can’t refuse. As she lives and trains alongside Graves, preparing for a perilous job that will either set her up for life or see her become yet another victim, Kierse learns that there are worse things in the world than monsters. And the closer she gets to Graves, the more she realises that her fate isn’t just intrinsically linked to his, but to something so ancient it was long thought to be a myth.
Loosely inspired by Beauty and the Beast, K. A. Linde’s urban fantasy set in an alternate New York invites readers into a fascinating world of ruthless monsters and curious legend. It’s a romantasy that’s heavy on foreshadowing, teasing the impending steamy romance between Kierse and Graves right from their first fractious meeting, as well as the implication that Kierse is unknowingly in possession of a power much more valuable than just her thieving skills. The Wren in the Holly Library is – to borrow a phrase from another fantasy book – the epitome of a ‘like calls to like’ story. Graves and Kierse may begin on opposite sides but they’re drawn to each other physically and emotionally. Their futures were entwined before they even met and every obstacle they overcome feels like another step closer to either their mutual success or ruin.
I’m not a delicate flower that you should fear crushing in your palm.”
“No, you’re delicate like a bomb.”
Whilst the romance between Kierse and Graves propels the story forward, allowing readers to see gentler sides to the brooding monster and the wily thief, it’s also the part of the story that feels most familiar. If you read a lot of romantasy, the by-the-numbers romance plays out exactly as you’d expect it to, with plenty of sizzling heat, badly kept secrets and inevitable angst. Yet it’s the lingering trauma of the Monster War backstory and the tentative peace of the present treaty that gives readers something substantial to invest in. From the humans to the monsters, every central character in this book is damaged in their own way. They’re all just trying to survive in an uncertain, frightening world, and readers don’t need to have encountered vampires, werewolves or wraiths to understand that very human feeling.
The Wren in the Holly Library has short chapters and a quick pace, which keeps the action flowing and the romantic tension high, but it also means that many of the book’s pivotal moments feel rushed. Kierse’s inherent aptitude for thieving gives her the ability to slip in and out of secure rooms with enviable ease, yet the very fact that she has such little trouble with getting past barriers means that there’s never a genuine sense that she won’t succeed. Kierse is a complex character and her motives – surviving to see tomorrow and keeping her friends safe – are relatable, but there doesn’t seem to be any obstacle she can’t overcome, whether that’s a dislocated shoulder or an inability to master the magic Graves teaches her. Readers want characters to thrive but we need them to fail too, and sometimes that means letting them appear weakened for longer than a couple of chapters.
There have been many Beauty and the Beast reimaginings and The Wren in the Holly Library is one that stands out for its dystopian monster world, its diverse set of characters, its strong theme of found family and the weaving of Irish legend, which promises a whole new setting and series of challenges for Kierse as the story continues. If it leans into these elements in unique and surprising ways, K. A. Linde’s series has the potential to step out of the shadow of all the romantasy books that have come before. And after the thrilling revelations in the final chapters, not to mention the possible tease of a love triangle, I really hope it does.
★★★½
The Wren in the Holly Library was published by Tor on 4 July 2024
