The main male character of this book, Basil, is a lowly assistant librarian in a Great Library. He is an elf dedicated to preserving the books, and protecting this magical institution from the many monsters that attack and try to eat the magical tomes, relics, and librarians. With Midsummer's Night coming up, the attacks are expected to be very difficult. There are a few other assistant librarians; Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, and Helena, who Basil should be able to depend on for help, but they are dealing with some complicated relationship troubles that mirror the relationships in Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. Basil's king, Theseus, gives Basil an extremely difficult task to add to Basil's duties, and poor Basil is desperate for a wife to assist him in the upcoming days. And not just for help in the Library, he wants a companion for his lonely life. Unfortunately, Basil doesn't come from a wealthy family, has little standing as a mere Assistant Librarian, so has little prospects for marriage. His only hope is to kidnap a human from the other side of the veil.
Enter the main female character, Meg, a human whose own prospects in marriage and life are bleak. She is days away from being sold into sexual slavery by the holder of the lien on her family's farm, and the only thing she can think of to protect herself and the younger siblings she has been trying to raise after the death of her parents is to find a wealthy Elf to steal her away. Slipping away to the nearby faerie circle, Meg falls asleep, only to be awoken by Basil.
With many nods to Shakespeare's play, the misunderstandings between the serious librarian Basil and the illiterate, hardworking peasant farmer, Meg, are worked through and together for the duo try to find a way to save the Library, Meg's family, and the entire Faerie realm while learning how to be a couple. Basil was steadfast and kind, even when realizing Meg couldn't read. He helped her find a way to contribute in the mending of old books, which she enjoyed and the other librarians were often too busy to get to. Meg was very down to earth and ended up being a great companion for Basil. One of my favorite moments was when some of the monsters that stormed the Library were quite fierce, but as a farmer, Meg was quite skilled at eradicating vermin!
The story was well written, and the growth of Basil and Meg, as well as the sweet romance (no spice!) blossoming between the two were a lovely experience. It was a quick, light read, with some very funny moments, especially with the talking pony that lives with Basil. If you are looking for something with low angst and high positivity, this is definitely for you.
I give this book 4.5 out of 5 quills. The link to Amazon is below, and it is free on Kindle Unlimited.
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