You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
passionatereader78's review against another edition
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
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Blood
laurenleigh's review against another edition
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
Graphic: Blood and Medical content
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Violence, and Death of parent
palmkd's review against another edition
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
Graphic: Gun violence, Self harm, Blood, and Classism
metrazol's review against another edition
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.
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
Moderate: Blood
brewdy_reader's review against another edition
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
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
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, and Violence
booksbeyondthebinary's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Moderate: Body horror, Death, and Gun violence
Minor: Vomit and Injury/Injury detail
maryreadstoomuch27's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Blood
Minor: Death and Gun violence
terrirankl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood and Murder
rorikae's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
"Ink Blood Sister Scribe" by Emma Törzs is a good urban fantasy for readers who love books and libraries. The story follows two estranged sisters, Esther and Joanna, whose family watches over a collection of magical books. To protect the books and her sister from a mysterious force, Esther must move every year, which has led to a life with few deep connections. But this year, Esther is enjoying her life and budding relationship with Pearl so she decides to stay longer than the one year mark. When this decision backfires, Esther begins to learn the truth of her family's history and the danger that threatens them.
I really enjoy the magic that Törzs has created as well as everything related to the library. I cared for the sisters but I do think that I will quickly forget them. There is a big part of this story (and a main character) that isn't mentioned in the synopsis and I'm not quite sure why. I found them to be the more interesting part and I felt like they had more character development. I will be interested to see if Törzs writes any companion novels since the world she sets up feels far vaster than the story in this standalone. This feels like it might have been better set up as a series with this book as the first installment and a future installment that would further explore the world outside of the main characters' lives.
I really enjoy the magic that Törzs has created as well as everything related to the library. I cared for the sisters but I do think that I will quickly forget them. There is a big part of this story (and a main character) that isn't mentioned in the synopsis and I'm not quite sure why. I found them to be the more interesting part and I felt like they had more character development. I will be interested to see if Törzs writes any companion novels since the world she sets up feels far vaster than the story in this standalone. This feels like it might have been better set up as a series with this book as the first installment and a future installment that would further explore the world outside of the main characters' lives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, and Grief
Minor: Medical content and Death of parent
apierlessbridge's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Blood