The Wren in the Holly Library

Wren in the Holly Library, Book 1

By: K. A. Linde

Narrated by: Stephanie Németh-Parker

CAN YOU LOVE THE DARK WHEN YOU KNOW WHAT IT HIDES?

Some things aren’t supposed to exist outside of our imagination.

Thirteen years ago, monsters emerged from the shadows and plunged Kierse’s world into a cataclysmic war of near-total destruction. The New York City she knew so well collapsed practically overnight.

In the wake of that carnage, the Monster Treaty was created. A truce … of sorts.

But tonight, Kierse—a gifted and fearless thief—will break that treaty.

She’ll enter the Holly Library … not knowing it’s the home of a monster.

He’s charming. Quietly alluring. Terrifying. But he knows talent when he sees it; it’s just a matter of finding her price.

Now she’s locked into a dangerous bargain with a creature unlike any other. She’ll sacrifice her freedom. She’ll offer her skills. Together, they’ll put their own futures at risk.

But he’s been playing a game across centuries—and once she joins in, there will be no escape …

©2024 K.A. Linde (P)2024 Recorded Books

K.A.Linde does it again!

I read my first fantasy book by K.A. Linde in February of this year. Since then, I have torn through her entire fantasy catalogue, and dipped my toes into her contemporary romance as well. I've never regretted the decision.

With her latest book, she once again does not disappoint!

In Wren in the Holly Library, the reader is dropped into a dystopian New York underworld - a world where the monsters reign supreme. No, not the ones in the government, but actual monsters - werewolves, vampires, druids, wraiths, etc.

We meet Kierse, a thief for hire, tasked to steal a diamond ring from the house of a recluse - and she's not sure if the owner is a man or a monster. Makes no difference to her. In Kierse's life, many of the men she's met have been more monstrous than the true monsters who control her world.

Within the house, we are reintroduced to Graves, a minor character from K.A.'s Blood Type series, a warlock. He confronts her in the library where she is hunting for the ring. In a desperate bid to escape, she jumps out the window, only to be snatched back inside by Graves.

Intrigued by the human who has inexplicably breached the wards surrounding his home, Graves offers her an alternative to being arrested for violating the Monster Treaty governing the truce between monsters and humans. Help him steal a valuable artifact, and he'll pay her enough that she'll never want for anything again.

Kierse accepts his offer, and is immediately pulled into a world she thought only existed in fairytales and mythology.

This book is one of my favorite tropes - a Beauty and the Beast retelling full of fascinating side characters, and checks all the boxes -

•forced proximity
•enemies to lovers
•Celtic mythology
•roommates
•touch her and die
•tortured hero

What's not to love?!?

With a TBR full of over 1k books, it's not often I do a reread. I WILL be rereading this, and breaking my own Cardinal Rule when I do - it will be the first ever book that I annotate.

Beautiful, Thrilling & Addicting

I couldn’t put it down! It’s been a long time since I’ve read a beauty and the beast retelling especially not one sent in modern times. It was thrilling and addicting. Excited for the sequel to come out later this year :) & Narrator did a great job with all the different accents and characters.

Simply Amazing

I enjoyed the adventure and a new take on an old story. I love the subtle world building and how each character was developed and identified later based on the character interactions. Can’t wait for more!

Fantastic Listen!

I really enjoyed the narrator's performance of this story-- it was an absolutely bingeable listen!

Loved it!

At first the story was a bit slow. But the story was so interesting and it kept me wanting to know more especially as the story progressed. Loved the narrator as well!