Book Review: The Library of Fates

The Library of Fates will be released on Dec 2, 2025.

If you are looking for a book that takes you on a magical journey through the world of books and a library that helps you realize your potential or your fate, with a hint of romance and academia setting, then I think you will enjoy The Library of Fates by Margot Harrison. The novel has a dual timeline and two main characters, Eleanor and Daniel. The timeline moves between Eleanor and Daniel’s college days and the present day, when Daniel’s mom Odile has passed away, and a famous powerful book (steeped in dark magic) has gone missing.

The book opens when the librarian who ran The Library of Fates for years (Odile) has died in an unfortunate yet suspicious accident deep in the library stacks at Harvard University. In the Library of Fates, books are magically paired with students to help them find their path in life or their potential. Yet some students do not respond well to learning more about themselves or their futures, resulting in some mysterious deaths over the years. Daniel and Eleanor are closest to the action; Eleanor has inherited the role of magical librarian and can choose books that help people understand their potential.

The Past

During college, Daniel and Eleanor were part of an exclusive seminar about the Library of Fates and their group of friends confessed their deepest, darkest secrets to an ancient book; the energy and magic in the Library of Fates seems to draw from this book. Yet after Odile’s death, the book is missing. Did she hide or destroy it? Or did someone steal it to use the powerful magic the book possesses?

Years have passed since Eleaner last saw Daniel. It seems he doesn’t remember her, although they fell in love during college. As the book progresses, we find out more about why Daniel lost his memory and the history of the magical book, starting long ago in France. Eleanor and Daniel must team up to find the book before it is too late. The book has an adventurous scavenger hunt paired with romantic tension, as they have a second-chance romance and search Harvard’s campus and Paris for clues that will lead them to the book’s final location.

My Thoughts

While I have not read many fantasy books lately, I love books about magical libraries and enjoy dark academia. This book focused mostly on the adventure of discovering the book and its magical powers, but the romance between Daniel and Eleanor was interesting and satisfying. Eleanor also has a meaningful character journey as she develops her identity around her tragic past and her use of the magical powers in the Library of Fates. Fans of The Midnight Library will enjoy this book!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Graydon House and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.