Table of Contents

The Bookshop Below DEALS

In a world of various magics, one bookseller will have to battle a team of usurpers – and her own past – in order to stop London`s magical bookshops from disappearing from existence. Georgia Summers` latest release, The Bookshop Below, takes readers on a journey of discovery and introduces a truly unique combination of magic and reading.

Huge thank you to RedHook (part of Hatchet Book Group) for providing a copy of The Bookshop Below for review. Minor spoilers ahead!

***The Bookshop Below*: Synopsis**

The Bookshop Below

by Georgia Summers

The Bookshop Below

Fantasy Books

by Georgia Summers

Published 11/18/2025

Pages 384

Publisher Redhook

ISBN: 9780316561839

Details & Buy Options

Cassandra Fairfax is running from her past. Once a protegé and aspiring bookseller at one of London`s most famous magical bookshops, she now spends her days hiding in plain sight under a pseudonym and a cloak of shame for her past actions.

When she receives a letter from her estranged former mentor, she`s certain that it must be some sort of trick, but she`s wrong. Chiron, the man she has not seen or spoken to in years, has, in fact, left her the deed to his shop after passing away under sudden and nefarious circumstances.

Faced with a future she`d told herself would never happen, Cassandra finds herself thrust into the cutthroat world of underhanded bookshop owners trying to undermine her claim to the business by any means necessary…including eliminating her from the equation altogether.

The bookshop is selective about its clients, and even more so about who can walk through it without fear of consequence.

If she wants to make it in this business, she`ll need all the help she can get. A rival bookshop owner and a spunky bookseller will become Cassandra`s closest allies as she fights to save the bookshops before their magics disappear, and comes to terms with her past illegal actions and their consequences.

London`s bookshops are losing their abilities, and once the magic dries up, there`s no coming back.

What Makes The Bookshop Below Work

This story was truly a fantastical one, rooted in urban fantasy but also touching on multiple other aspects of the genre. There was a lot to enjoy about The Bookshop Below, from the characters to the wholly unique version of magic portrayed in the book.

Strengths

The Bookshop Below`s biggest strength lies in its magic. Those with abilities perform what is called a reading and pull magic directly from the pages of the books in the shops, wielding the words and the power that they provide.

This was a fascinating manifestation and harnessing of power, and one of the more unique ones I’ve come across in a fantasy novel. I particularly appreciated Summers’ descriptions of the readings, which have an almost artistic quality to them when a person performs one.

The characters were also a big highlight. Cassandra is beautifully multifaceted; I adore a protagonist with layers who is morally grey, and she fits the bill perfectly. She has demons and trauma that she’s working through (some of which are of her own making), and it was refreshing to get to read a character who is working to right her wrongs while also having difficulty owning up to them.

The counterpoint to Cassandra’s reluctant heroine is Lowell Sharpe, the uptight, rigid – and admittedly very handsome – bookseller who wants nothing more than to usurp Cassandra’s claim to the shop and take Chiron’s business over himself.

What begins as a fraught relationship between two vastly different characters shifts to reluctant camaraderie, and eventually something more. If you’re a fan of slow-burning enemies-to-lovers and top-tier banter, The Bookshop Below is the perfect choice for your next fantasy read.

She’s still smiling when she closes the door behind her. As she leaves, her traitorous thoughts repeat the long, tantalizing seconds of Lowell’s fingers across her shoulder. And then the moment after; when the spell had broken. How strange, she muses, that there was a spell to break at all.

I also adored Byron, the quirky but loyal and steadfast bookseller who comes to work with Cassandra out of necessity, but quickly becomes a stalwart friend. Add a magically manifested cat to the mix, some truly abhorrent and vicious booksellers, and you’ve got an incredible cast of characters to make up a thrilling and immersive fantasy tale.

Weaknesses

Ironically, one of the best aspects of The Bookshop Below is also one of its more confusing ones. I found the concept of the reading difficult to grasp in the earlier chapters. Whether the descriptions didn’t paint a clear picture or it was simply a new concept of magic, I’m not sure, but it was an odd concept to grasp in the earlier portions of the story.

That said, once the halfway mark was hit, the idea became clearer and clearer, and I found myself completely immersed in the concept of reading manifesting into literal magic.

Final Thoughts

This story is the perfect mix of fantasy, mystery and romance. It exists in a wholly original world, has an intriguing mystery woven throughout the tale, and has immensely relatable characters to boot. The Bookshop Below brings forth the idea of reading being literal magic, making it the perfect choice for fantasy lovers and readers in general.

I’d recommend putting it on your TBR if you’re looking for a great escape for this late fall season. I can’t wait to see what sorts of fantastical tales Georgia Summers delivers next!

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