The Librarian Who Collected Forbidden Magic

For over a thousand years, every nation has obeyed one law. Never read a forbidden book. The books are sealed beneath the Grand Library of Arcanis, protected by generations of librarians known as the Keepers of Silence. According to history, anyone who opens one of these books goes mad, becomes possessed, or disappears forever. Twenty-year-old Evelyn Ashcroft has spent her entire life organizing ordinary books, dreaming of becoming a true librarian rather than a forgotten assistant working in the library's endless lower archives. One night, an earthquake breaks open a hidden chamber beneath the library. Inside waits a single black book with no title. When Evelyn touches it, the book does not curse her. It speaks. "Finally... someone can hear us." The voice belongs to a mage who died nearly two thousand years ago. As Evelyn opens the book, fragments of his memories flood her mind. She learns spells no one has cast for centuries, remembers cities erased from history, and witnesses the fall of civilizations that officially never existed. Instead of going insane, she becomes the first person capable of safely inheriting the memories sealed inside forbidden books. But every forbidden book contains more than knowledge. Some imprison monsters. Some preserve the consciousness of legendary archmages. Some hide the names of forgotten gods. And some were never meant to be opened by anyone. Now the Keepers of Silence believe Evelyn is the greatest threat the world has seen in centuries. Meanwhile, ancient beings imprisoned within the deepest shelves begin to awaken. The books have finally found their reader.