I enjoyed the further insight into the librarians of Widdershins, they're an interesting crew. (I read the Whyborne & Griffin series first, which I recommend). It's nice to spend a little more time in this world. ( )

4.5 stars
An enjoyable visit to Widdershins with a new group of people. More chaos and magic!

I look forward to getting to know Sebastian & Ves, Bonnie, her younglings, Noct and the rest. ( )

A new series set in a familiar place, the uncanny un-Puritan city founded in 17th-century Massachusetts on a swirling vortex of arcane magic. Vesper Rune is, by his own definition, a monster, but he is on a mission to liberate himself and his younger brother, Nocturne, from a curse, using his skills as a bookbinder to obtain a position in the library of the venerable Ladysmith Museum in Widdershins. Sebastian Rath is the archetype of the fussy, prim librarian—archivist, to be exact. He resents Rune’s arrival, because it comes on the heels of the mysterious disappearance of a long-time colleague and family friend. Rath doesn’t see that Rune is a monster, only that he has taken a position that was held by a friend for whom Rath mourns. It’s a classic standoff until Rune unexpectedly comes to Rath’s aid in a moment of crisis, and they become inadvertent allies in something neither of them fully understand. A great start on this new series....at least for me. I understand there are now 11 more books. YEAH! ( )

This was my second reading of this story as I felt like my first read-through was more of a longing for more of Whyborne and Griffin than an investment in the new characters, which wasn't a fair place to start off.

Upon this reading, I really let the characters of Sebastian and Vesper take my full attention which was much more enjoyable. We had originally met Sebastian very briefly in the last Whyborne and Griffin novel seven years previously. Since that time Sebastian had stepped up in his duties at the Ladysmith Museum Library from junior librarian to archivist and is haunted by the memories of his mother's death. Vesper is a monster on the run who comes to Widdershins in the hopes of breaking the curse on himself and his brother.

I really enjoyed this foray into the second Widdershins series. Vesper and Sebastian make a great pair and it is lovely to see how welcoming the community of Widdershins is to those individuals that would be considered strange or monstrous. I liked how the mystery of the library labyrinth was explained and why its creator went mad. I'm really looking forward to reading more of this new series and seeing more of Sebastian and Ves (and perhaps more characters from the original series?!) ( )

3.5* ( )