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navayiota's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really, really enjoyed this story. The plot twists made complete sense and I felt proud of myself whenever I managed to see one coming, the characters are lovable, (I want to give all our protagonists a hug) and the descriptions of sensations were vivid and visceral. I loved every moment.
It was also a stunning portrayal of how people deal with trauma, especially trauma inflicted by one's primary caregivers. Excellent work!
Graphic: Child abuse, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Death of parent, Violence, Confinement, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, Blood, Physical abuse, Stalking, Death, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol, Chronic illness, Medical content, and Sexual content
Minor: Pregnancy
jane_bee28's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Physical abuse and Violence
silversparkles50's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Physical abuse
sassacass11's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Physical abuse and Murder
Minor: Death
aksmith92's review against another edition
- 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
The setup: The novel follows two sisters, Esther and Joanna, born and raised in a magical family - those who can read magic from books and cast certain spells. While Joanna can produce this magic when reading it, Ester seems untouched by the magic. When she reads the books, nothing happens. More perplexing, magic seems to have no impact on her. Esther and Joanna's family is complicated, and we are met with many fascinating tales about mothers, fathers, stepmothers, and overall familial ties.
In addition, we also travel alongside the tale of someone named Nicholas and his bodyguard, Collins. We know little about Nicholas and his ties to Esther and Joanna's story, but he lives in The Library, a heavily guarded magical library in London. Nicholas is a Scribe, meaning that he writes magical books.
Throughout the novel, we learn of the characters, the magic, and their connection through many ups and downs.
What I liked: I found this novel quite innovative and original. The theme of magical books has no doubt been done before, particularly in witchy settings, but I just thought this one was unique. Additionally, the writing style and prose were just lovely. I found it atmospheric but still grounded in modern times, which was an interesting touch. To me, this seemed to sway to the side of magical realism versus fantasy, but it is about magical books and spells, so I can see why it wouldn't necessarily be too close to real life. Either way, I just thought it worked so well. There were also a couple of twists and turns throughout this novel that I didn't see coming, which I always LOVE!
What didn't hit the mark: The beginning was slow, and while I loved the character development, once the connection was there between plots, I felt some things were a little rushed. That said, I gave this 4.5 stars, so it didn't impact my overall reading experience and love for the book.
I recommend this as a nice in between of magical realism, contemporary literature, and fantasy. It was super readable, yet poetic at times, and I loved the plot. I look forward to checking out this author's other works in the future!
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Child abuse, Body horror, Grief, Violence, Confinement, Blood, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Gore, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Medical content, and Medical trauma
melchncookies's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Classism, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Body horror, Blood, Death, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
brewdy_reader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
3 ๐๐๐ โข ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ต๐ข๐ด๐บ โข ๐๐๐๐๐โฃ
Give me a book about books and a well constructed magical system to sink my teeth into and I'm content. This book did both ๐๐ฝ
It kicks off with a mystery/thriller vibe as the two FMCs try to figure out how their father was killed by his magical books. There is a third POV, another magical book collector and scribe, and it takes a good half of the book before their storylines cross.
I kept waiting for the romance to kick in. While there is a hint of a romance, it's not enough to make this a romantasy.
There are major witchy vibes due to the spells, herbs, and casting, although no one in the book is actually a witch. Also, for a book without vampires, they certainly spilled a lot of blood and the MMC spends the entirety of the book anemic. This is not the book for you if you dislike needles and blood. So file that as a trigger warning.
This was a very strong debut novel and by the end I was vibing hard. It was the perfect reading for fall season. I'll definitely be happy to read more from Emma Tรถrzs in the future!
TW: parental death and death in general, needles, blood, violence, assault, gore (mild).
#booksaboutbooks #emmatรถrzs #inkbloodsisterscribe #fantasybooks #magicalrealism #lgbtqbooks #queerbooks #bookstagram #bookreviews #bookreviewer #bookreview #bookrecs #witchybooks
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Gore, and Violence
joannchristine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Minor: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Blood, Death of parent, and Physical abuse
bencaroline's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Confinement, Medical trauma, Blood, Death, Trafficking, and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Death of parent, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Torture, Abandonment, Antisemitism, Colonisation, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Self harm, and Stalking
Minor: Vomit, Genocide, Gun violence, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and War
Does the [dog] die?ashleechmiel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Moderate: Blood and Physical abuse