I really enjoyed this book! Love any book about a library!! I enjoyed this book a lot and like this author. Highly recommend

The Birdcage Library is a gothic, atmospheric tale complete with treasure hunt and engaging characters. Everything I love!

The story unfolds across two timelines: Hester Vogel’s chilling diary entries from 1882 and Emily Blackwood’s investigation in 1932.

Hester’s words hint at dark secrets and danger, while Emily’s search for both the treasure and the truth takes place in a remote Scottish castle with a few ghosts of its own. Right from the start, there’s an eerie feeling that something big is lurking beneath the surface.

I found both timelines and perspectives worked really well but I was especially drawn to Hester’s story. It felt haunting and almost claustrophobic as she writes about her growing isolation and sense of confinement. It really captures how trapped women often felt in that era, and I found myself rooting for her in every entry.

Meanwhile, Emily’s more modern quest has her unearthing clues from Hester’s past, and I enjoyed how the story slotted into place. However, there was a subplot in Emily's timeline that felt a bit pointless. I don't want to give any spoilers so I'll just say it wasn’t fully developed and didn’t add much to the main storyline.

The story is quite slow paced but I don't mind that. It added a creeping suspense that fit perfectly with the castle setting. I did guess the twist before the big reveal, but I still felt it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the story.

Overall, The Birdcage Library is a beautifully written story with layers of suspense and mystery. I'd definitely read more books by Freya Berry.

The title and beautiful cover instantly caught my attention, who doesn't love book-themed titles? The dual POV worked well and I felt that we got to know Hester and Emily in depth. The gothic, haunting feel was prominent from the start and I loved the treasure hunt idea. Filled with mystery this is a book that will capture its readers.

Thank you NetGalley for approving me to read this book! A highly enjoyable read that is nice started I couldn’t put down.

A very atmospheric and gothic story. Unfortunately it was too slow paced for me to stay fully engaged with so I don't feel I gave it my full attention. That said, the story itself was very good.

This was a really engaging historical mystery! There's a little bit of everything across the 2 timelines and some really fascinating characters, especially Emily who is at the centre of the stories.

Emily and her father have lived in Australia for 7 years, he's blind so she's been caring for him. Which is far removed from her previous life going on adventures. She's offered a job in a Scottish castle and the mystery sets her on her way to join forces with the castle owner, Heinrich Vogel, into discovering more about the pasts, mostly from the clues left behind in a book and this is a really fascinating part of the story. Like a little treasure map has been left and they've got to solve it all.

We're also introduced to Hester and her story which takes us to 19th century New York and a whole different world away, and the writing really does take you back to encounter the history perfectly as it happens.

I loved both timelines and think the mystery parts of the book were pitched perfectly. The characters were easy to connect with as they had different aspects to them and it was a really engrossing story from start to finish!

“The Birdcage Library” is a riveting gothic historical mystery that intertwines the lives of two women across time, set against the backdrop of a remote Scottish castle and the bustling streets of Gilded Age New York.

“The Birdcage Library” begins in 1932 with Emily Blackwood, an adventuress and botanist, who is commissioned by Heinrich Vogel, a reclusive former exotic animal dealer, to find a long-lost treasure believed to be concealed within the walls of his Scottish castle. However, Emily’s quest leads her to the diary of Hester Vogel, who met a tragic end after falling from the Brooklyn Bridge fifty years prior. The diary points Emily to “The Birdcage Library,” an old book filled with cryptic clues that propel her on a dangerous path to uncover the truth about Hester’s demise and the treasure’s real value.

The dual timelines are expertly woven, with the narrative shifting between Hester’s life in the 1880s, marked by the craze for exotic pets among New York’s elite, and Emily’s treasure hunt in the 1930s. The novel’s complex characters and thought-provoking themes combine to create a novel that is both entertaining and enlightening.

Two timelines - 1882 and 1932. A mystery within a mystery. Emily is an adventuress and nothing much seems to phase her. In ‘32 she accepts a job supposedly to catalogue a collection in a “bleak castle” which of course just has to be in Scotland despite there being plenty of castles in other places - tiresome. In theory this was just the sort of thing I enjoy but in practice didn’t turn out that way. Although I liked the way it was written there was just too much of it. Descriptions of everything slowed the tale down which made it a chore to wade through. Sometimes less really is more especially with such a wordy tome as this.

The intriguing cast of characters added so much depth and complexity to the plot, it made for a truly gripping read.
It felt like I was immersed in the plot of a TV Historical story.

Absolutely stunning, I ordered reading this and will definitely be adding the author’s previous book to my TBR.

Such an atmospheric setting, which really made the book

The title and premise drew me into this book and it didn’t disappoint me. I loved the intrigue surrounding the plot and I enjoyed putting all the pieces together to try and work out what was going on. It was difficult to follow at time because there was so much going on, but the ending was worth it.

A dark treasure hunt with a gripping story with layers of complexity. Freya creates a claustrophobic atmosphere like no one else. Atmosphere in spades: Scottish Castles, gilded age New York and Papuan jungle. One I’ll recommend to many!

I love being given the opportunity to update our school library which is a unique space for both senior students and staff to access high quality literature. This is definitely a must-buy. It kept me absolutely gripped from cover to cover and is exactly the kind of read that just flies off the shelves. It has exactly the right combination of credible characters and a compelling plot thatI just could not put down. This is a great read that I couldn't stop thinking about and it made for a hugely satisfying read. I'm definitely going to order a copy and think it will immediately become a popular addition to our fiction shelves. 10/10 would absolutely recommend.

Great read, so atmospheric.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my review.

𝑴𝒚𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 …

Freya Berry has done it again! #thebirdcagelibrary is a book that will pull you in and keep you hostage until the very last page.

This is atmospheric, haunting and beautifully written. I am a huge fan of this author and I can safely say, she gets better and better. Berry is a must read author.

The characters are interesting and well developed. The setting is gorgeous and Berry is really able to haunt the reader with the atmosphere of this one.

This is a book I devoured in one sitting. Berry is a brilliant author and pulled me into this one completely. This is clever and full of mystery.. I loved how the descriptions were rich and really made me feel as though I was there.

I loved Emily. Learning about her has been interesting. Berry brings the characters to life as well as the atmosphere.

Everything about this book is fantastic.

There is nothing to dislike about this book. This is another gem from a must read author.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

“Welcome, dear reader. You have found me, and I you. The diary you hold in your hands is a treasure map. It will lead you to what you ought to seek. Like all such maps, the trail is cryptic. The reason for this is simple. The man I love is trying to kill me.”

Gorgeously gothic, dark and forbidding, The Birdcage Library is an absolute masterpiece. Set in 1930s Scotland, Botanist and Adventuress Emily Blackwood is about to begin a new commission cataloguing the collection of creatures for sale. When she arrives at Castle Parras she finds a remote and ruined place inhabited by a peculiar nonagenarian and haunted by the memory of a woman who disappeared fifty years ago. After finding the pages of an old diary hidden in the walls, Emily sets out to solve the mystery in its pages. But alongside its secrets, a darkness lurks in the crevices of this old castle. Can she discover the truth before it entraps her?

Enthralling, eerie and suspenseful, this had everything I want in a Gothic mystery. This was one of our summer Squadpod Book Club picks so I’m late reading it, but it feels perfect for this time of year. Castle Parras is a cold, uninviting place but it lures you in, tempting you to try and be the one to make it give up its secrets. There’s a hint of malevolence and a nameless dread that hovers over the pages, making tendrils of fear creep up your spine as you read. With her exquisite storytelling and evocative imagery, Freya Berry takes you on a literary treasure hunt that wrenches you out of your own world and into the one she’s created as you try to solve the decades-old mystery. I was utterly captivated, not wanting to put the book down even to sleep as I desperately needed answers.

“The summer solstice, with its sliver of dark, seemed a strange time of year for a haunting. But perhaps it was not the creatures of night that were most terrifying - at least with those you knew that day would come. Worse, perhaps, were the monsters that rose while the sun was high.”

Emily and Hester were great protagonists. While they lived very different lives fifty years apart there were many similarities between them. Both women are strong yet vulnerable. They are plagued by inner torment, fear, and regret while also possessing a fierce resolve and determination. They are also both surrounded by mystery. For Hester, this is her disappearance, while for Emily it is her past and the secrets she’s keeping from the reader. While you are never completely sure if either woman is a reliable narrator, they are easy to like and I was cheering them on at every step. We can’t talk about the characters without mentioning Heinrich Vogel, Emily’s employer and Hester’s brother-in-law. The nonagenarian is a strange man who gets increasingly creepy as the story goes on. I didn’t trust him or his nephew, Yves, one bit, and was worried for Emily’s safety as she’s trapped in the castle with them.

“The best most of us can hope for is to find comfort in our cages.”

One of the themes running through this book is cages as Berry explores the ways in which they are a metaphor in our lives. She discusses how we can be caged by society, relationships, or even ourselves, vividly capturing how it feels to be trapped in an invisible prison, being desperate to escape but having no idea how to free yourself. She also weaves in literal cages in the form of the castle walls, birdcages and the boxes that hold the various creatures, both alive and dead, adding to the claustrophobic feeling radiating from the pages.

Darkly atmospheric, chilling and immersive, this clever and twisty puzzle gets all the stars. One of my favourite books so far this year, The Birdcage Library is a mesmerising gothic mystery that will haunt you long after reading.

An enjoyable read, found it to be a bit long and I guessed correctly some of the surprises but a good second novel from Berry and will continue reading her work.

I wanted to love this! The mystery was right up my street but for me, the pace was too slow for me to fully immerse myself in this story. The characters were not as engaging as I expected them to be.

This is a slow burn gotthic-esque novel, which I have only just found out, isn't for me.

Set across the 1880s and 1930s this dual timeline novel is a good read for Autumn. All the gothic feels and a slow burn mystery!

This is a great mystery read.

Emily has been requested to work at an old castle, documenting a collection of stuffed creatures. All sounds okay, but she soon realises everything isn't quite what it seems. When she discovers an old diary, she soon finds herself on a quest, and perhaps in danger...

A good page-turner, this has well written characters, and a good pull to the story to keep you wondering what's coming next.