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leexpenandpages's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
📝 SYNOPSIS:
After the death of their father, two sisters discover the world of magic is much bigger than he let on, and their blood—literal and figurative—is more valuable than they realized; meanwhile, the only known living Scribe of magical books learns that The Library houses more dark secrets than he'd thought.
🩸✒️📜✨️🪞👭👫🇬🇧🇺🇲
👍🏻 RECOMMENDATION:
💚 READ IT!
💬 FAVORITE QUOTES:
After the death of their father, two sisters discover the world of magic is much bigger than he let on, and their blood—literal and figurative—is more valuable than they realized; meanwhile, the only known living Scribe of magical books learns that The Library houses more dark secrets than he'd thought.
🩸✒️📜✨️🪞👭👫🇬🇧🇺🇲
👍🏻 RECOMMENDATION:
💚 READ IT!
💬 FAVORITE QUOTES:
In Gil's world, women found themselves in mirrors. They became hypnotized and stared into their own eyes until they recognized themselves, and once they did, the mirror ceased to be a trap and became instead a doorway. An escape route. A path.
Cold was easier to bear when you’d never been warm.
(SPOILER)Stepping through the mirror was like [...] swimming if the water was made of treacle and also of outer space, sweet and airless and tugging and infinite, and dark in a way that wasn't a binary to light but rather a different state entirely, complete unto itself.
👓 FORMAT:
🎧
📑 COMMENTS:
• Törzs's attention to craft is undeniable. If you're looking for a dark academic book, the aesthetic conjured by the prose will live rent-free in your beautiful mind, and the magic system will delight you!
• Pacing is slow. (The beautiful descriptions contribute to it, unfortunately.) It's especially hindersome in the first part. Plus, the POV changes often needlessly worsen it throughout the story. Significant cutting during revision would've greatly improved this book.
• The story is intricate, but all the details, some cleary important and some that seem innocuous, come together in the end. That being said, the details sometimes drove me toward boredom. Again, this book could've been shorter, and it would've been even more captivating.
• Characters come from around the world, and their diversity does not come across as tokenship. For instance, one character mourns the heritage she'd lost when she lost a parent, so she learns Spanish to reconnect with her ancestry.
• Even when the characters themselves are a little flat, the characters' relationships (including romantic, platonic, and familial) are natural and believable. These relationships affect the story in complex, meaningful ways.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Blood, Confinement, and Death of parent
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, and Alcohol
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I stumbled across this book because it was a Book of the Month pick for June 2023.
"Ink Blood Sister Scribe" is a magical debut fantasy story that explores the love of half-sisters and the love of books. The Kalotay family has been tasked with guarding a library full of magical books for generations. These books allow for people to do everything from walk through walls to more nefarious activities. Half-sisters Joanna and Esther grew up doing as their father asked of them and learning how they can contribute to protecting this library. Unfortunately, Esther must flee to Antartica to try to prevent herself from having the same ill-fated end as her mother. Only after their father turns up dead because of a book do Esther and Joanna finally decide it best to reunite and uncover a generation old secret that can help them tackle the villainous intentions of someone with close access to these books.
I did not have terribly high expectations from this book, as I never do with fantasy, but I was truly blown away by this story. The high-stakes adventure kicks off almost immediately and the reader is thrown into the world just as quickly. The magic system is easy to understand and follow and the world building is not sacrificed with the immediate introduction to the challenges the characters must face. I also really enjoyed that there are three different perspectives: Esther, Joanna, and Nicholas, a scribe. I think the jumping between perspectives allows for the reader to get into the story more quickly.
As much as I enjoyed Nicholas as a character, and I see the value of having a scribe's perspective to help the story move along quickly, his chapters were not my favorite. He came across as a very meek character and I did not feel like he had the tenacity to fight alongside the sisters to take down this medieval magic. I do think the story could have benefitted if his chapters were lessened and the reader would have gotten more from Esther and Joanna. Personally, I wanted more of Esther's and Peral's story. I do not think it would have enhanced the main story at all, but I just really enjoyed them together.
I think this is a great book for those who want an introduction to the fantasy genre or those who do not enjoy super high-level fantasy. This story reads more like a contemporary, with a lot of violence, and hints of magic, which is why I personally enjoyed it.
I will definitely be keeping Emma Torzs on my radar in the future!
"Ink Blood Sister Scribe" is a magical debut fantasy story that explores the love of half-sisters and the love of books. The Kalotay family has been tasked with guarding a library full of magical books for generations. These books allow for people to do everything from walk through walls to more nefarious activities. Half-sisters Joanna and Esther grew up doing as their father asked of them and learning how they can contribute to protecting this library. Unfortunately, Esther must flee to Antartica to try to prevent herself from having the same ill-fated end as her mother. Only after their father turns up dead because of a book do Esther and Joanna finally decide it best to reunite and uncover a generation old secret that can help them tackle the villainous intentions of someone with close access to these books.
I did not have terribly high expectations from this book, as I never do with fantasy, but I was truly blown away by this story. The high-stakes adventure kicks off almost immediately and the reader is thrown into the world just as quickly. The magic system is easy to understand and follow and the world building is not sacrificed with the immediate introduction to the challenges the characters must face. I also really enjoyed that there are three different perspectives: Esther, Joanna, and Nicholas, a scribe. I think the jumping between perspectives allows for the reader to get into the story more quickly.
As much as I enjoyed Nicholas as a character, and I see the value of having a scribe's perspective to help the story move along quickly, his chapters were not my favorite. He came across as a very meek character and I did not feel like he had the tenacity to fight alongside the sisters to take down this medieval magic. I do think the story could have benefitted if his chapters were lessened and the reader would have gotten more from Esther and Joanna. Personally, I wanted more of Esther's and Peral's story. I do not think it would have enhanced the main story at all, but I just really enjoyed them together.
I think this is a great book for those who want an introduction to the fantasy genre or those who do not enjoy super high-level fantasy. This story reads more like a contemporary, with a lot of violence, and hints of magic, which is why I personally enjoyed it.
I will definitely be keeping Emma Torzs on my radar in the future!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Blood
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