Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs

41 reviews

tigger89's review

emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

This was a fantastic modern fantasy. I enjoyed the twists, even the ones I saw coming. I thought that the way the books worked was intriguing, especially how the knowledge had to be rediscovered by some of the characters. Once it gets going, the story moves along at a fast pace, leaving me desperate to know what happens next.

This book does contain blood magic. I've given it a good, hard look, and I think it avoids coming too close to invoking blood libel, for the following reasons. First, the magic doesn't have to involve the unwilling taking of someone's blood for the benefit of another. While it can take that form, in the form presented as good the blood is freely given and the magic is viewed as a positive thing of beauty. Second, while there are powerful people who take the magic for their own profit, they are not Jewish-coded in any way I noticed. And third, Jewish tradition is explicitly present elsewhere in the story and used as a source of positive strength. Obviously this is something each reader will have to decide their own comfort level on, that's just the reasoning I followed for my own feelings.

The only thing I didn't like was the romance. I didn't mind Esther's romance, though. I thought that was fine, and just messy enough to make me feel like she earned it. What really ground my gears was Joanna's romance. It's okay for characters to be single. She didn't need a man, and furthermore I never got any kind of vibe that he was particularly right for her. It felt like it was shoehorned in because the author thought she needed to end up with someone in order to be happy, and he was the most convenient guy.

Now, the most important part of the review: does the dog and/or cat die?

There's a pet dog and a pet cat owned by different characters. Both are completely fine. This book is certified adorable for pet lovers!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, and Blood

Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Death of parent

tallulahlucy's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Slavery

manonh90's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

lizgriffinwords's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Suspenseful and voicy! Part action thriller, part magical realism, part dark academia! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Gun violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

trippyotter's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It's a good story, and I was immediately intrigued by the first chapter, but it's a slower pace, and I often wondered if there was going to be a sequel. 

But everything wraps up nicely in the last 50 or so pages. That being said, this would be a great starting point for a spin-off or the next gen. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

campisforever's review

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Well written overall. The magic system, however, toes—if not fully crosses—the line of a blood libel trope. I do not make that argument lightly. See below for short explanation. 

The magic of the books relies on the ritual harvesting (there’s no other word for it, as willing as some may be) of Scribes’ blood to make the ink, at the very least. The length of the book determines how much blood, and Scribes do die in the process of making books. More complex spells are composed of other ritually harvested parts, e.g., hair, sinew, skin. That the magic system relies on the ritual harvesting of the blood, lives, and bodies of a specific group of people (Scribes) in service of magic they themselves cannot enact or be affected by, toes the line of blood libel. That the book is focused on a specific, elite group  and one influential character being the ones doing the ritual harvesting… you see what I mean.

Read with care and caution. 

I do agree that Collins and Nicholas should have been endgame. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Gaslighting, and Classism

Moderate: Confinement

prynne31's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Very engrossing. Ending could be stronger. Also didn't like the

instalove between Collins and Joanna. It felt unnecessary, and he had better chemistry with Nicholas.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Medical content

Moderate: Gun violence, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Minor: Death, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

katieimre's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

blewballoon's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was great! I think this is my favorite Book of the Month read so far this year. I will say that there are a lot of twists and reveals that I figured out very early, but it didn't detract from my reading experience. It was fun to see the characters put together what I'd already figured out. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm and Blood

Moderate: Death, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting

Minor: Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Medical content, and Abandonment

takarakei's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

• library guardians 
• Magic books
• Complex family dynamics
• Multiple pov
• Mysterious
• Sprinkle of romance
• Bisexual MC
• Also a cute dog and cat

This was super mysterious especially at the beginning. I really enjoyed the magic and the intertwining povs. A hint of dark academia. Really interesting characters and complicated family dynamics. Funny at parts as well. There was a lot of build up to a main kind of conflict and that felt a bit too easily resolved. But the build up was fascinating and the ending was good after that too 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Death of parent

Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Violence, and Medical content

Minor: Slavery and Colonisation

Medical content: Needles/syringes