Rating: 3.5/5 
 ***Minor spoilers*** 
 In this alternate universe, the Library of Alexandria was never destroyed. Instead, the Library now controls all the knowledge all over the world. Across the world, there are daughter libraries called Serapeums, which are run by librarians and Scholars who dedicate their life to the library. Nobody is allowed to have an original copy of any book except the library. Instead, when people want to read, they are given a "blank" which essentially broadcasts a book the Library allows you to read. Jess comes from a family of book smugglers - since nobody is allowed original copies, books are a huge black market item. Since Jess isn't interested in running the family business, his father has paid for him to undergo Library training so he can be a spy on the inside. However, he must succeed and get into the Library service, or his father will not allow him to return home. Consequently, he must become one of the top six students of of approximately 30 in order to receive a placement. 
 I enjoyed this book more than I expected. I was quickly drawn in by the concept of the Great Library. It was fascinating thinking about a world where the Library didn't help spread knowledge, it hindered. There was a lot of cool technology (and some fantastical elements) in this universe that were interesting and explained pretty well. One of my favourite things about this book was the world building in general, and how this really feels like Earth could've gone this way as a possibility. Caine put a lot of work into creating the different elements of this book, such as the war between the English and Welsh (which plays a role later on) as well as the Burners, who yearn to be able to have their own books and draw attention to themselves by burning original copies. My other favourite thing would have to be the little bits of letters that we get to see at the beginning of each chapter. They're usually addressed between people with positions of power in the library regarding different characters, or they're pieces of history that help us understand the present. 
 While I loved the world building, I don't think the characters were particularly a strong suit. Jess was likeable but there wasn't anything special about him that drew me to him. The other characters were good but we don't see very much of them until later on in the book, and even then, Jess doesn't have meaningful conversation very often with them, if at all. Morgan, one of the possible candidates, was definitely an interesting character but I had the same problem with her that I had with the others. Also, I found that the book started to drag a little bit as I neared the end. I didn't lose interest but I definitely noticed that things were beginning to move a bit slower. 
 Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It had some weak points, but I think the world building and all the things it makes you ponder over make up for them. This book got me thinking beyond the world in the novel, and I really appreciate when an author can do that. I'll definitely be reading the next book when I'm able. I'd definitely recommend it to any book lover out there, because it really gives you a different perspective on books as a whole.