This book was amazing! So compelling.... And the characters made me want to crawl inside the book with them. ( )

This isn't supposed to be YA, but it is. ( )

A wholly original and novel (no pun intended) concept for a novel, executed to perfection.

Emmett Farmer, a normal, everyday farmers son, happily working the families land with aspirations no higher than to take over the farm from his father when the time comes. That is until recovering from a debilitating illness, he receives a letter that will change his future forevermore. He has been summoned by bookbinder Seredith, an old spinster, rumoured to be a witch, to take his place as her apprentice. With no other option but to leave his family and follow his destiny, he leaves everything he knows and loves to become a Bookbinder, even though he has no idea what that actually is or entails.

Just as he gets his strength back from his illness and settles under Seredith’s tutelage, Emmett’s life is shattered yet again, this time leading to a new teacher, moving him even further from his old life and a discovery that will change everything he thought he knew about who he was and his past with earth shattering consequences.

This book was a pure delight to read, blending a touch of folklore and myths with a dash of magic, suspense and true love into a completely original and spellbinding novel of epic proportions. This really will be a book that you will remember forever, firing your imagination, consuming you all the way through to the very last page. Not only is it a stunning book outside its purple page edging, the contents are even more dazzling. I am finding it hard to review without waxing lyrical too much because it really has blown me away with the plot lines, characters and writing! It has been in my tbr pile for months and now I wish I had read this one sooner. I can safely say this will be a book that I will be reading again and has cemented itself as an all time favourite!

The Binding was published on 7 Jan. 2019 and will be published in paperback on 6 Feb 2020. If you haven’t already done so grab a copy now and see for yourself why it is labelled as ‘The most captivating novel of 2019′ on Amazon! If like me you already own a copy and it is buried in your tbr pile, dig it out and dive straight in, I promise you, you won’t be disappointed!

A massive thank you to the author Bridget Collins, publishers HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest and independent review. ( )

DNF just couldn't get into it I may try again one day ( )

The blinding of memories prevents them from corrupting the present moment. However, this process leaves an inexplicable void.

Emmet Farmer was tremendously ill when he was offered an apprentice to become a book binder. He spends many long tedious months practicing tooling leather, gilding edges, and placing end papers. As Emmet gains strength the mystery of sealed book room grows. Customers come and go with hardly a thought, until Lucian Darnay.

The Binding’s very light fantasy allowed author Bridget Collins to focus on love, power, and grief. The crippling effects of depression are highlighted with a gothic style of writing. Readers can heighted their experience with the narrated version staring Carl Prekopp. His monotone gravelly voice imprisons the reader into the experiences of Emmet Farmer and Lucian Darnay. ( )