Author – Bridget Collins
Pages – 448
Genre – fiction/ historical fiction
Rating – ⭐⭐⭐.75
Blurb
Imagine you could erase your grief.
Imagine you could forget your pain.
Imagine you could hide a secret.
Forever.
Emmett Farmer is working in the fields when a letter arrives summoning him to begin an apprenticeship. He will work for a Bookbinder, a vocation that arouses fear, superstition and prejudice – but one neither he nor his parents can afford to refuse.
He will learn to hand-craft beautiful volumes, and within each he will capture something unique and extraordinary: a memory. If there’s something you want to forget, he can help. If there’s something you need to erase, he can assist. Your past will be stored safely in a book and you will never remember your secret, however terrible.
In a vault under his mentor’s workshop, row upon row of books – and memories – are meticulously stored and recorded.
Then one day Emmett makes an astonishing discovery: one of them has his name on it.
I went into this book knowing nothing about it which is what i like to do and it kept me on my toes. When I thought the story was going in one direction it would totally change and follow a totally different plot line. It was really interesting and was my first experience reading a book like that.
We follow our main character Emmet a farmer’s son who had just recovered from an illness and is starting to get his strength back. However there is an underlying hostility towards Emmet from his family and a mysteriousness surrounding his ‘illness’. Things become even stranger when a so called witch requires him as an apprentice. The ‘witch’ is actually a binder someone who is able to take certain memories from you and put them in a book so you don’t remember. Which I found really interesting.
The book is split up into 3 parts, part one introducing you to Emmet and the world of binding. Part 2 and 3 are completely different. There are so many questions that arise in the first section and so many things left unsaid. The Book has also a really dark side that flows through the story just a trigger warning for rape, murder and abuse. I also appreciated the the different point of views and the jumps in the timeline I feel like it added to the story.
Overall i really enjoyed this book, I liked how it started out following one path but took a complete turn. I also like how we needed to get through part one to understand part 2 and 3 it was really nicely written and would be a great book to pick up on January 10th. And can we quickly just talk about the cover !! 😍😍😍
If you want to check it out you can your my link with book depository (free international shipping 🙌)
This cover is beautiful! Also it sounds interesting!
(www.evelynreads.com)
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It is !
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I have a review copy, and I’m really excited to read it. I love the idea of the three sections, I’m so curious now!
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It’s really good honestly hope you enjoy it
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Yes it is such a gorgeous cover. I loved reading this and I already know it’s going to be one of those books that ends up in displays in bookshop windows. Great review!
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Thank you and yes totally how could you hide this book away ?
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