Beautiful photo by @divingintothepages!

Hello fairy friends!

Happy Monday and welcome to day 1 of our readalong of The Wren in the Holly Library by K.A. Linde. I’m so excited to be reading this one with you, I hope you all love it!

Before we get into the book, how are we all doing today? I hope you all had a wonderful weekend full of reading and good vibes!

Since today is day 1, we’ll be reading from the beginning to the end of Chapter 11. It’s time to get comfy and cosy with our book and get started!

When you’ve finished today’s section, catch up with me in the comments down below so we can discuss the beginning of the book. Happy reading!

Please be warned, the following section will include spoilers for The Wren in the Holly Library by K.A. Linde from the beginning to Chapter 11. Please only read on if you have finished this section!

–!SPOILERS!–

Kicking off today’s reading with a snowy New York City setting? I love it. 😍

We’re jumping straight in with the action – our main character Kierse is on a job to steal a diamond ring that is believed to be locked in a box in her targets library. She suspects the owner is a monster of some kind due to his mysterious identity.

We learn that there is a ‘Monster Treaty’ which I’m very intrigued about… anyone else?

The fact Kierse enjoys stealing honestly makes me like her more. (Do with that information what you will).

As she enters the Holly Library she looks at the whorls and swirls carved into the frame of the doorway, something tugging at the recesses of her memory… interestinggggg. I wonder why something seems familiar to her?

“All she wanted to do was pull them off the shelves just to smell them. Crack open those perfect spines and devour the contents.” Well this is certainly relatable.
As she begins to open the safe to retrieve the ring she feels something is wrong. Soon after, she hears a voice and knows it belongs to a monster.

Does anyone have any theories on our FMC might not be completely human after all? The way she describes her speed and strength as ‘something else’ has me SO curious. I cannot wait to find out more!

Ooooft. What a way to make an impression on one another: she tried to rob him, he dislocates her shoulder and throws her across the room. OUCH.
We get a little bit of information on their world, and how monsters revealed themselves to humans and essentially took over things.

“His eyes weren’t depthless dark orbs as she had believed. They were swirling grey, as temperamental as the weather and as fatal as standing in the ocean in the middle of a hurricane.” If someone described my eyes in that much detail after we first met, I’d probably fall in love with them to be quite honest.

Kierse grapples with identifying what kind of monster the ‘man’ is, ruling out vampires, werewolves, wraiths, shifters, and more. I wonder if we’ll encounter different creatures throughout the book—hopefully, we will!

The ‘monster’ asks her to sit down and gives his word that after she answers his questions she can leave.

I’m loving the deep dive into human and monster lore. Are you? We learn the war ended just three years ago with the signing of the Monster Treaty. The war started when a vampire was publicly killed by a werewolf, prompting all monsters to reveal themselves. The treaty imposes limitations on monsters and establishes laws for peaceful coexistence between humans and monsters.

Okay but how did she get past the security system? Do you have any theories yet? 👀

I definitely shouldn’t be ‘awwing’ at the fact he popped her shoulder back into place for her but here we are.Once she finally sits down and he begins questioning her, he asks who sent her. Eventually, she reveals the sender, and he instructs her to find out who his employer is. Interestingggg.

Why was he so surprised by the Wren necklace? What does the author mean by ‘Like met like. Power met power.’?!  AND, him asking her “What are you?” My interest is piqued with a capital P!

He asks how she bypassed the wards to get inside, but she has no idea what he’s talking about. He reveals that magic is real and doubts she is human since she shouldn’t have been able to break the wards without significant powers. He then offers her a job: steal a rare object guarded by an unbreakable security system and the vilest of monsters beneath the city. Naturally, this tempts our thief FMC.

Graves (our Monster man) allows her to leave on the condition that she informs him of her decision by tomorrow and gives her the ring as a sign of good faith.  I am wondering why he can’t just steal this object himself… After leaving Graves’ residence, she goes to her boss, Amberdash, to give him the ring. He warns her to watch her back… Ominous, to say the least.Returning to the loft she shares with Gen and Ethan, she recounts her encounter with Graves and his job offer. Suddenly, a gang raid forces them to flee via the fire escape, only to confront a gunman who seems to be one of the Druids. Kierse disarms him, and they escape to a nearby festival. There, a woman attacks her, declaring, “Boss says your time is up.” Our girl just can’t catch a break, can she?

Kierse eventually overcomes the attack, and they seek safety, only to encounter the same Druid man from earlier. It seems she is their target due to being seen leaving Graves’ place. Interesting—how and why are the Druids involved with him, and why do they want to eliminate her?

After escaping their assailants for a third time, they find refuge with alpha werewolf Nate O’Connor in Five Points, who I immediately like. She tells Nate about her situation with the Druids and Graves, learning that while he helped pass the Monster Treaty, he is just as dangerous as the Druids. Kierse instructs Ethan and Gen to stay with Nate while she completes the job.

We also learn more about Kierse’s ex-girlfriend: she was kidnapped by the ‘Men of Valor’ due to a debt. Anyone else wondering if this might become important later in the story? 🤔

Oooo, I love the interlude—it definitely adds to the high-stakes feel by giving us insight into the people trying to eliminate Kierse. Why are they against Graves? What’s Lorcan’s history with him? I can’t wait to find out!We end today’s reading with Kierse arriving at Graves’ mansion, agreeing to the job for $10 million—paid to her friends if she’s harmed. Graves accepts but requires her to stay at his mansion, receive weapons and magic training, and cut contact with her friends for their safety. He also reveals that the object she is stealing is a spear. Eventually they both come to an agreement. 

Well, that was quite the exciting start! I am living for the action packed vibes we’re already getting. So much drama and intrigue! I can’t wait for tomorrow’s reading!

What are your thoughts so far?

Do you have any theories about Wren necklace and why Graves reacted to it the way he did?

Do you have any theories on what Kierse really is if she’s not human?

What kind of creature do you think Graves could be?

Why do you think Graves and The Druids have an agreement and seem to be enemies?

See you tomorrow for another day of reading!

Love,
Jodie