Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5/5 Stars)

Genre: Romantasy / Urban Fantasy 

Available On: Amazon

There are few genres I love more than a fantasy with thieves, magic, and morally grey love interests — so when I heard about The Wren in the Holly Library by K.A. Linde, I couldn’t grab it fast enough. Add a post-apocalyptic New York City filled with monsters, magic, and an ancient treaty hanging by a thread? It sounded like my ideal read.

And while it was a fun, imaginative escape with some great moments, it wasn’t quite the knockout I’d hoped for. Here’s a full, honest review if you’re debating whether to pick it up.

Plot Summary: The Wren in the Holly Library

Thirteen years ago, the monsters broke free.

When the magical veil between worlds was shattered, New York City fell under siege. Vampires, werewolves, fae, warlocks — all the creatures of nightmares — now walk the streets, and the fragile Monster Treaty is the only thing keeping humanity from complete annihilation.

Kierse, a thief and survivor of the chaos, has carved out a precarious existence in this broken city. Living by her wits and sheer audacity, she takes the jobs no one else will. So when she’s tasked with stealing a mysterious ring hidden deep inside the Holly Library — a place guarded by the most powerful magical beings in New York — she knows it’s a suicide mission.

Naturally, she takes the job anyway.

But the heist goes wrong in every imaginable way, and Kierse ends up face-to-face with Graves, a powerful warlock who should by all rights kill her for trespassing. Instead, he offers her a bargain: help him pull off an even riskier job, and he’ll let her live.

Thrown together by necessity, Kierse and Graves must navigate a crumbling world of old rivalries, monster politics, and dangerous magic. As tensions simmer between them — and old secrets begin to surface — Kierse realizes the true stakes of their mission: the Monster Treaty is weaker than anyone admits, and if they fail, New York won’t survive the fallout.

But trusting a warlock who could crush her with a thought might be the biggest gamble Kierse has ever made — and the most dangerous mistake of her life.

The Worldbuilding Was Gritty and Unique

One of the biggest strengths of The Wren in the Holly Library is the world itself. Linde drops you into a version of New York that’s eerie, broken, and utterly fascinating. Thirteen years after a magical cataclysm, humans live precariously under a fragile Monster Treaty that keeps vampires, werewolves, warlocks (and worse) from devouring the city whole. The vibe is very urban fantasy meets dystopian wasteland, and it absolutely works.

The magic system — where powers are unique to each wielder — was a fantastic twist, though at times I found myself wishing it had been fleshed out a little more deeply. The Holly Library, in particular, was such an intriguing setting that I wanted more time there. Instead, we quickly pivot into a larger heist narrative that doesn’t always fully capitalise on the library’s potential. Still, credit where it’s due: the atmosphere was vivid and felt different from a lot of other urban fantasy offerings.

The Romance Had Promise… But Needed More Development

If you’re a fan of the ‘grumpy warlock meets desperate thief’ trope, you’ll enjoy Kierse and Graves’ dynamic — at least in theory. Graves, the brooding warlock with secrets of his own, had major potential as a swoon-worthy love interest. And Kierse, a scrappy, street-smart survivor, had a lot going for her as a heroine.

Unfortunately, the relationship between them felt a bit rushed. There’s an enemies-to-allies-to-something-more arc trying to happen here, but the emotional connection didn’t quite feel earned. I wanted a slower burn, more vulnerability from Graves, and more internal conflict from Kierse as she weighed her trust issues against her growing attraction.

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad — the tension was there, the banter had its moments — but I just had the sense that we rushed through the good bit to get to the next bit. And that left the next bit a little lacking (for me at least!). 

Pacing Problems and Missed Emotional Beats

This book starts strong: a daring theft, a wrong move, a life-or-death bargain. It’s exactly the kind of opening you want from a fantasy heist. But after that, the pacing gets a little messy.

The middle sags under the weight of a lot of set-up for future plotlines. The stakes are clearly high (if Kierse fails, the Monster Treaty could collapse and New York would become monster chow), but sometimes that urgency gets lost under too much exposition or repetitive planning scenes.

The ending picks up steam again — and some twists genuinely surprised me — but I couldn’t shake the feeling that with tighter editing, this could have been an absolutely killer novel from start to finish instead of just good.

Where It Shined: Kierse’s Journey

One thing I really appreciated was Kierse’s arc. She’s tough because she has to be, selfish in ways that make sense, and slowly forced to question the narrative she’s been telling herself about loyalty, survival, and trust. Her growth feels organic and satisfying — and even though some other character arcs needed more depth (cough Graves cough), Kierse was the heart of the story.

How Spicy is The Wren in the Holly Library?

Spice Rating: 🌶️

The spice is pretty mild here. Expect some (though not as much as I wanted!) slow-burn tension, a few almost-kisses, and one or two moments that hint at deeper attraction — but nothing explicit. If you’re looking for heavy romance or steamy scenes, this won’t hit the mark at all. Think simmering attraction rather than full-on fireworks.

That said, I don’t count this as a bad thing for this specific book. Honestly, it suits the tone of the story: survival comes first, emotions (and hormones) second. It’s oddly refreshing in some ways, but knowing how much the modern romantasy reader can live for spice, it might be a bit of a disappointment in that regard if you’re not aware going in to expect none!

What Romance Tropes Are In The Wren in the Holly Library?

Trope Count: 💚💚💚💚

Forced Alliance: Kierse and Graves are thrown together by circumstance, not choice. Always a good foundation for tension!

Grumpy/Sunshine: Graves is the brooding, dangerous type, while Kierse brings the scrappy, chaotic energy.

Enemies to ???: Their initial animosity slowly evolves into reluctant teamwork, with just enough hints of attraction to make you ache for more. It’s kind of enemies to lovers, but I didn’t really get the enemies vibes initially, and it’s a little unclear if they’re full on lovers by the end. 

Found Family: There’s a brewing theme of Kierse slowly building bonds with other characters — a promising thread that hopefully gets expanded in later books.

I think perhaps this is where the book misses the mark for me. It’s tried to incorporate some of my favourite tropes, but none of them quite work as well as you want them to (or at least, as well as I wanted them to). I’d have preferred they were absent than frustratingly done, to be honest. If you’re not going to give us real animosity between them (even if not outright enemies), you’re wasting an opportunity. 

I love a good found family but what we have here is the potential for one. The grumpy/sunshine element is probably the one that shines most (pun intended) as both Kierse and Graves are very well drawn as characters and one clearly broody, the other considerably more energetic and positive. Technically they are forced to become allies. But again, it didn’t really feel like they were forced quite so much as the trope usually requires. It’s more reluctance than forced proximity. 

Final Verdict on The Wren in the Holly Library

If you love gritty urban fantasy, high-stakes heists, and the idea of a romance brewing between a reckless thief and a dangerously powerful warlock, The Wren in the Holly Library is definitely worth your time. It’s not a perfect book — the pacing drags, and the romance needed more spark — but it’s a solid start to what could become a truly gripping series.

K.A. Linde has built a world I genuinely want to revisit, and despite my quibbles, I’ll be picking up the next book to see what happens next.