Reviews with content warning for Blood - Ink Blood Sister Scribe

It was very slow to get into for me, but around the halfway point it really picked up. I enjoyed the author’s writing and descriptions. I also enjoyed the relationships built by the main characters.

Content Warnings

melchncookies's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-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

3.5

There were some twists I should have seen coming but didn’t. It was really nice to let my brain just be consumed with the read rather than figuring out the angles. I definitely recommend going in with an escapist mindset and letting the fun and horror wash over you.

Content Warnings

passionatereader78's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious reflective tense medium-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? Yes

4.0

This is well written. I enjoyed this book! It makes you want to stick to ebooks and audiobooks. I loved the settings and the flow of the book. Esther hasn't been home since she turned 18. Her father told her she has to stay on the move so the bad guys won't find her. Now she's in her 30s and is ready to plant roots. On the other side of the world her sister Joanna has isolated herself from the rest of the world. They both are protecting the family secret. In the meantime Nicholas is in England draining his blood to explore the same secret. The secret of Blood and Magic.

Content Warnings

laurenleigh's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Very cool premise about books containing magic! And the characters were delightful. I loved the mirror magic conceit too. I would likely be interested to read more in the world if there’s a sequel, but I do have some major hang ups around blood that made the reading experience challenging at times. Honestly I can’t write more about it because it makes me feel sick, but I’m a baby about this. If you don’t feel squeamish and you like magic/fantasy/books about books, you’ll love this!

Content Warnings

palmkd's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This story is about many things, perhaps you'd think Ink would be the biggest as it's listed first but really that's Blood. Then it's possibly a tie between Ink, Sister and Scribe.

This is a captivating fever dream type tale where books are magic but only if the book was written with a special ink. The kind imbued with blood.

Joanna and Esther, sisters, were raised in a house that admired and protected the books, but when Esther turned 18 everything started to be weird and the secrets started piling up.

This book has major dark academia vibes as it explores the bounds of family and secrets and what people are willing to do for power and magic.

It was a very easy story to get lost in and devour in just a few settings. It's one of those where I feel it's best to not know too much going in. Know that it is dark, there's a lot of blood and lack of self care, and there's magic blended in with the regular world.

Content Warnings

metrazol's review against another edition

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tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Okay, it starts as an interesting literary magical fantasy book nerd story. Then... it just goes where you expect. There's no surprise after the first quarter, it's just railroad to normalville.

But some things bug me. A container shop in 1940? No. Containerization was a product of the Vietnam war. Blown veins from blood draws? Not how that works. A drink cart in first class? NEVER! All drinks are served from a tray. Ridiculous. Did enjoy it.

Content Warnings

brewdy_reader's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

𝘔𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘮 • 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 ⁣⁣⁣
3 𝘗𝘖𝘝 • 𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 • 𝘓𝘎𝘉𝘛𝘘⁣

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 🙌🏽

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 Törzs in the future!

TW: parental death and death in general, needles, blood, violence, assault, gore (mild).

#booksaboutbooks #emmatörzs #inkbloodsisterscribe #fantasybooks #magicalrealism #lgbtqbooks #queerbooks #bookstagram #bookreviews #bookreviewer #bookreview #bookrecs #witchybooks

Content Warnings

booksbeyondthebinary's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

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