diff --git a/booklore-api/src/main/java/com/adityachandel/booklore/service/reader/CbxReaderService.java b/booklore-api/src/main/java/com/adityachandel/booklore/service/reader/CbxReaderService.java
index ff8e9cce8..98ece43af 100644
--- a/booklore-api/src/main/java/com/adityachandel/booklore/service/reader/CbxReaderService.java
+++ b/booklore-api/src/main/java/com/adityachandel/booklore/service/reader/CbxReaderService.java
@@ -57,7 +57,14 @@ public class CbxReaderService {
         try {
             long maxCacheSizeBytes = mbToBytes(appSettingService.getAppSettings().getCbxCacheSizeInMb());
             long estimatedSize = estimateArchiveSize(cbzPath);
-            if (estimatedSize > maxCacheSizeBytes) {
+
+            if (estimatedSize == -1) {
+                long fileSize = Files.size(cbzPath);
+                if (fileSize > maxCacheSizeBytes) {
+                    log.warn("Cache skipped: Physical file size {} exceeds max cache size {} (Estimation failed)", fileSize, maxCacheSizeBytes);
+                    throw ApiError.CACHE_TOO_LARGE.createException();
+                }
+            } else if (estimatedSize > maxCacheSizeBytes) {
                 log.warn("Cache skipped: Estimated archive size {} exceeds max cache size {}", estimatedSize, maxCacheSizeBytes);
                 throw ApiError.CACHE_TOO_LARGE.createException();
             }
@@ -78,7 +85,7 @@ public class CbxReaderService {
             }
         } catch (IOException e) {
             log.error("Failed to cache CBZ for book {}", bookId, e);
-            return List.of();
+            throw ApiError.FILE_READ_ERROR.createException("Failed to read archive: " + e.getMessage());
         }
 
         try (var stream = Files.list(cacheDir)) {
@@ -360,7 +367,7 @@ public class CbxReaderService {
         } catch (Exception e) {
             log.warn("Failed to estimate archive size for {}", cbxPath, e);
         }
-        return Long.MAX_VALUE;
+        return -1;
     }
 
     private long estimateCbzArchiveSize(Path cbxPath) throws IOException {
@@ -384,7 +391,7 @@ public class CbxReaderService {
         }
 
         log.warn("Unable to estimate archive size for {} with any supported encoding", cbxPath);
-        return Long.MAX_VALUE;
+        return -1;
     }
 
     private long estimateCbzWithEncoding(Path cbxPath, Charset charset, boolean useFastPath) throws IOException {
@@ -405,7 +412,7 @@ public class CbxReaderService {
                     total += (size >= 0) ? size : entry.getCompressedSize();
                 }
             }
-            return total > 0 ? total : Long.MAX_VALUE;
+            return total > 0 ? total : -1;
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/booklore-api/src/test/java/com/adityachandel/booklore/service/reader/CbxReaderServiceTest.java b/booklore-api/src/test/java/com/adityachandel/booklore/service/reader/CbxReaderServiceTest.java
index 61da7c925..fc936e828 100644
--- a/booklore-api/src/test/java/com/adityachandel/booklore/service/reader/CbxReaderServiceTest.java
+++ b/booklore-api/src/test/java/com/adityachandel/booklore/service/reader/CbxReaderServiceTest.java
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 package com.adityachandel.booklore.service.reader;
 
+import com.adityachandel.booklore.exception.APIException;
 import com.adityachandel.booklore.model.dto.settings.AppSettings;
+import com.adityachandel.booklore.exception.ApiError;
 import com.adityachandel.booklore.model.entity.BookEntity;
 import com.adityachandel.booklore.model.entity.LibraryPathEntity;
 import com.adityachandel.booklore.repository.BookRepository;
@@ -167,6 +169,22 @@ class CbxReaderServiceTest {
             "Page count should be exactly 130 (actual comic pages only)");
     }
 
+    @Test
+    void getAvailablePages_whenArchiveIsCorrupt_shouldThrowFileReadError() throws IOException {
+        Path corruptCbz = tempDir.resolve("corrupt.cbz");
+        Files.writeString(corruptCbz, "This is not a zip file");
+
+        testBook.setFileName(corruptCbz.getFileName().toString());
+        testBook.getLibraryPath().setPath(tempDir.toString());
+        
+        APIException exception = assertThrows(APIException.class, () -> service.getAvailablePages(bookId));
+        
+        assertNotEquals(ApiError.CACHE_TOO_LARGE.getMessage(), exception.getMessage(), 
+             "Should not throw CACHE_TOO_LARGE for a corrupt file");
+        assertTrue(exception.getMessage().startsWith("Error reading files from path"),
+            "Should throw FILE_READ_ERROR (message starts with 'Error reading files from path'), actual: '" + exception.getMessage() + "'");
+    }
+
     private void createTestCbzWithMacOsFiles(File cbzFile) throws IOException {
         try (ZipOutputStream zos = new ZipOutputStream(new FileOutputStream(cbzFile))) {
             for (int i = 1; i <= 130; i++) {