“The ink shimmered, shifted, stirring awake like blood beneath skin.”
From the very first line, I knew I was in for something special. The Thirty-Fifth Page is the kind of story that makes you pause, reread, and breathe it in—a lush, atmospheric novel where history and myth intertwine.
About the Book
Art conservator Miri Adler travels to Sarajevo in 1992, just as the city teeters on the brink of war, to study the legendary Sarajevo Haggadah, a manuscript that has survived centuries of upheaval.
When war erupts, Miri is separated from the book. Decades later, she is invited back to examine it again, and learns of something impossible: a mysterious new page, as if it has always been there.
What follows is a luminous tangle of history, myth, and memory, where every discovery feels both dangerous and inevitable.
BookHookUp Review: The Thirty-Fifth Pge
Badgley’s writing is gorgeously immersive. Her words don’t just describe Sarajevo, they resurrect it: its scars, its beauty, its ache. The city hums beneath every page.
Miri herself is a beautifully flawed heroine, curious, determined, and uncertain in all the best human ways. Her strength lies in her persistence, even when she’s unsure what she believes.
The Thirty-Fifth Page unfolds slowly, like a manuscript being revealed line by line. It’s not a breakneck thriller, but a story to sink into, layered with folklore, faith, and the soft brush of the supernatural. The magic feels organic, born from history itself.
It’s literary and atmospheric, but also deeply emotional, a story about how we inherit both wounds and wonder. Beautifully crafted, The Thirty-Fifth Page lingers like the echo of a prayer long after you close it.
Readers who love character-driven historical fiction rich with mystery and a touch of the supernatural will want to pick this one up. If People of the Book or The Shadow of the Wind are among your favorites, this story will absolutely speak to you.
***
As BookHookup, I am a longtime book reviewer. I received a free ARC of this book from Black Tide Book Tours and have not received compensation for reviewing or recommending it. Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.
About the Author
Lya Badgley was born in Yangon, Myanmar, to Montana parents—a political
scientist and an artist—who sparked her lifelong love of creativity and
critical thought. After moving to the Pacific Northwest in the 1980s,
she became part of Seattle’s arts and music scene. In the 1990s, she
returned to Southeast Asia as a videographer documenting interviews with
Burmese insurgents, then went on to lead Cornell University’s Archival
Project at Cambodia’s Tuol Sleng Museum, preserving evidence used to
prosecute war crimes. She later opened the 50th Street Bar & Grill
in Yangon—one of the first foreign-owned businesses of its kind at the
time.
Lya writes internationally set fiction that blends suspense
with cultural nuance, exploring women’s journeys through landscapes
shaped by historical legacy, grief, and transformation.
Her debut
novel, The Foreigner’s Confession (2022), set in Cambodia, was a
finalist for the Nancy Pearl Award for Best Fiction. Her second, The
Worth of a Ruby (2023), set in Myanmar, was also honored as a finalist
for multiple international awards. She now lives outside Seattle,
Washington in the United States, and is excited to release her third
novel, The Thirty-Fifth Page—a gothic-tinged literary suspense set in
Bosnia.
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I focus on clean fiction across genres—historical romance, suspense, crime, children’s, and more. When books include content that may not be suitable for all readers, I provide clear disclaimers so you can choose wisely.
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