Set against the stark beauty of Scotland’s Western Hebrides, The Burning Library begins with the discovery of Eleanor Bruton’s body on a cold, windswept shore. To her family, Eleanor was an unremarkable woman; quiet, helpful at church, fond of flowers but she carried a dark secret: a scrap of medieval embroidery linked to a centuries-old battle between two rival female societies, The Order of St. Katherine and The Fellowship of the Larks. As modern scholars, detectives, and academics including Dr. Anya Brown and Detective Clio Spicer become entangled in this shadowy history, the race to uncover the truth about “The Book of Wonders” turns deadly.

Phew. There’s a lot going on in this one. It’s got big Da Vinci Code energy: secret societies, lost manuscripts, and centuries of power struggles hidden behind academia. I liked the overall concept and thought Anya and her boyfriend were refreshingly sensible for main characters (no cliché “running into danger” moments). The writing is solid and clearly well-researched, but I found it difficult to keep track of all the clues and secondary characters; there was just ALOT to process and keep straight which made it hard to focus on the storyline. It also lacked any clear understanding around who The Katherines and The Larks are. I would have liked to know more about their origins, motivations, and what “The Book of Wonders” truly meant. Having that would have helped me to feel more invested in the overall story.

That said, the semi–dark academia vibes were spot-on, and Macmillan’s prose carries a sophisticated tension that kept me turning the pages. Ultimately, The Burning Library is a richly imagined story that just tries to do a little too much but still manages to intrigue until the end. Definitely great for lovers of historical conspiracies, academic thrillers, and secret societies with strong feminist undertones.

AMAZON | GOODREADS | BOOKSHOP | ★★★

The Burning Library comes out November 18, 2025. Huge thank you to William Morrow for my copy in exchange for an honest review. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.