Review: The Forgotten Book by Mechthild Gläser

The Forgotten Book
by Mechthild Gläser

January 2, 2018

368 pages

Goodreads     Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

A Jane Austen-inspired YA tale about a sixteen-year-old girl who finds a magical book—and discovers that anything she writes inside it comes true.

Emma is used to things going her way. Her father is headmaster of her prestigious boarding school, her friends take her advice as gospel, and she's convinced that a relationship with her long-time crush is on the horizon.

As it turns out, Emma hasn't seen anything yet. When she finds an old book in an abandoned library, things really start going Emma's way: anything she writes in the book comes true.

But the power of the book is not without consequences, and Emma soon realizes that she isn't the only one who knows about it. Someone is determined to take it from her—and they'll stop at nothing to succeed.

A new boy in school—the arrogant, aloof, and irritatingly handsome Darcy de Winter—becomes Emma's unlikely ally as secrets are revealed and danger creeps ever closer.
 

Review

I had enjoyed Ms. Gläser's debut, The Book Jumper, but The Forgotten Book was even better! The writing was solid and the story was riveting. Who wouldn't love a book about a book making things come true?

The Forgotten Book was engaging with mysteries that paced the story. From the pages of the magical book we glimpse its past, present and future. All of which, pieced together, form a story of its own. Every journal entry, despite their jumping timelines, made me feel like I was that much closer to getting to the truth(s). There was no telling what was next but I knew it would be good.

I loved the originality of the story. The magical book has such a rich history. Learning about its origin and what events it has made true since then was both scary and exciting. The unpredictable nature of the magic made anticipation high. It was super fun to see how the book interpreted the words on its pages. I was flipping fast to see what would come next.

I really liked the cast of characters. Emma was smart and persistent but also a little careless at times. Her friends made up for it- Charlotte was cautious while Hannah was just plain hilarious. There's a small bit of romance which felt very abrupt at first (a confession that came out of nowhere) but later grew on me. In many ways Darcy was misunderstood so it was extra satisfying to see the two work out their differences and get together.

All in all, The Forgotten Book was a delightful read. The story was original, the mysteries held me rapt and the ending was beautifully wrapped up. For some storybook adventures definitely give author Mechthild Gläser's books a go!

*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinion are my own and not affected in any way.