I didn't know what to expect from the title and reviews. However, the story profoundly moved me in many ways. A book of wonder and set in an unknown time where books steal people's stories and leave them hollow. How imaginative of the author! Books are seen as the 'enemy' and bookbinders steal people's stories and leave them hollow and unknowing afterwards, particularly after a trauma they want, or their families want, to forget. I will never look at a book in the same way again. Highly recommend as a really interesting, different and moving read.

I fell in love with this book, firstly because it’s one of the most beautiful I’ve seen, (beautiful slipcover, even more beautiful hard cover, marbled end papers, purple sprayed edges - it feels like it was designed with me in mind!), but once I started reading it I was completely captivated by the story. Beautifully written, unique and enthralling, it tells the tale of a world where memories can be taken away and bound into books. Love, loss, memory and destiny and intertwined through this incredible book which I highly recommend. A definite contender for my book of the year along with Where the Crawdads Sing.

I feel like everyone has certain books that become special to them. There's the books that get you into reading; the ones that help you fall in love with it; and the ones that totally, completely surprise you. For me, The Binding is all three. I first read it right after it came out (well, I consumed it really. The book never stood a chance, I flew through this in just over a day) and was immediately in awe of the writing and the sheer unique beauty of the premise. The Binding is a fantastic case of a book achieving everything that it set out to do, and tells a story that I keep coming back to. After having read it about five years ago now I find that elements of this book still stick with me, and is one of the first titles I reach for if I need to pull myself out of a reading slump. Simply enchanting.

The Binding is a glorious book, both inside and out. An absolute triumph of historical fantasy. The cover is truly gorgeous, and the dustjacket complements it so well :) But what really counts is the words inside. And Bridget Collins has created a world that you'll find yourself completely immersed in. Her descriptions of the landscape, the sounds, the sights, the smells are so rich and vivid, that you almost feel like you're there with the characters. And what characters! They're well rounded, believable, and you'll journey through their ups and downs right alongside them. In this world, books contain the real memories of people, and once the memories have been bound, the person forgets that part of their life. And when Emmett receives a letter from a mysterious binder named Seredith, our story begins. Told from both Emmett's and Lucian's points of view, the tale unfurls into a thoroughly gripping romance, amidst a backdrop of secrecy and suspicion, violence and intrigue, you'll be lost for hours. It'll make you cry, it'll make you smile, but most of all, it'll make you super glad you spent time in the world of The Binding.

The Binding was one of my favourites reads this year. The book was absolutely beautiful, both the contents and this gorgeous hardcover edition. This book had me hooked from the first page, and quite literally clutching my chest by the last. In a world that has echoes of Victorian England, books and reading are taboo and binding is a rare skill that few possess. When Emmett Farmer is called to be a binder's apprentice, we start to unravel the dark and complex world of book binding - and Emmett's past. Bridget Collins has written a magical tale of love, loss, family, memories, secrets and revelations. This is not a book I will forget - at least not without a binding.