SOLVED. YA Fantasy: Magic school or magic library. Evil book is a monster grimoire. Read 2015-2016. Published after 2010? [s]

[Zachary]

I have one specific scene stuck in my head that I can’t match to a book: there’s a character (I think a young woman) studying to be a witch or a wizard. She finds an “evil” book that contains descriptions of monsters (it’s a grimoire). The book seems to “want” to be read because reading it will start to summon the monsters inside it. By the end of the novel the whole book itself turns into a monster and the young woman and her friend / mentor have to kill it. The book, in monster form, may also kill off one of the antagonists

Ring any bells? I’m not sure I have all the details exactly right, which has made searching hard!

[Kris]

Zachary, is this book for teens? How old are the main characters?

Around what year did you read this book?

[Zachary]

I think it was a YA book yes, I’ll add that to the post title.

I think I read this book in 2015 or 2016. I think it was written sometime after 2010

[Zachary]

I think the main characters are like in their early 20s

[Heather]

Is it possibly Karen Marie Moning’s Darkfever series? It has an evil book in it that attacks people.

[[deleted user]]

Uprooted has books that can turn into monsters when you read them (and one that does kill several people), although that's not the main antagonist or a major plot point.

[Audrey]

Sorcery of Thorns?

[Rainbowheart]

If the MCs were in their early 20s, it seems more likely that this was adult fiction.

[Jennifer]

That definitely sounds like Sorcery of Thorns.

But Alphabet of Thorn is a little similar, too.

[Zachary]

Wow!! Polly it was Uprooted. THANK YOU. I found my copy on kindle and here’s the specific scene I was remembering:

“ We had an apprentice go missing five years ago, the same day a hydra crawled up out of the palace sewers and attacked the castle: we thought it had eaten him.”

[Zachary]

It’s was the idea of the guy reading the book and turning into a hydra that stuck in my mind but I couldn’t remember the specifics.

How do I mark this thread as solved? Edit the title?

[Zachary]

These other books look good too, I’m gonna have some more reading to do!

[Kris]

Glad you found your book, Zachary. I marked your request as Solved by clicking the small "edit" link after the header/ topic title. This only works on the full Desktop website - not the Mobile website or app.

[Zachary]

Thank you!!