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natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
With decadently rich prose and an intriguing mix of magic and mystery, Emma Törzs’ Ink Blood Sister Scribe explores loyalty, sisterhood, betrayal and obsession —in this gorgeously interwoven tale about two estranged sisters, their family’s magical book collection and the shady organisation willing to do anything to possess them.
I absolutely loved this and really enjoyed how suspenseful, immersive and lush the world building was. The detailed and exquisitely rendered introduction we get into the day-to-day lives (and backstories) of all three of our protagonists was really well written—I was particularly intrigued by the depth and nuance we explore in Esther and Joanne’s sisterly bond.
Especially in how their childhood has shaped their adult lives (namely their ambitions, motivations and approach to relationships) as well as the complicated feelings surrounding their long-time estrangement.
I also found Nicholas’ upbringing quite fascinating and really enjoyed the juxtaposition between his own sheltered upbringing and that of Esther and Joanne’s, which, despite the similarities highlights just how severely lonely and starved of affection he is. Seeing how easily Nicholas risks his own well being to gain approval was genuinely quite heartbreaking—and his earnest attempts at friendship, with both his surly bodyguard and Esther made me want to give him a big hug.
Given the magical realist thriller-esque tone, the pace was slightly slower than I had anticipated, however, the slow-burn build up definitely helped to keep the multilayered and interwoven mystery dripping with tension and drowning in a sea of exquisitely crafted emotion. Trust me—the twists, turns and revelations uncovered will have you on the edge of your seat.
Not to mention the comedy gold we get in the Sunshine x Grump dynamics between Nicholas and his bodyguard Collins, or the utter adorableness of female Pomeranian Sir Kiwi (whose bond with Collins is soo sweet.)
Overall, an evocative and utterly spellbinding literary fantasy that’s full of vibrant, compelling characters you’ll be hard pressed not to root for. So, if you love books full of magic (and magical books) then you definitely don’t want to miss this!
Also, a massive thank you to Century UK for the fabulous proof.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gun violence, and Murder
Minor: Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Vomit
blewballoon's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Self harm
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, Death, Gaslighting, and Murder
Minor: Emotional abuse, Vomit, Abandonment, Chronic illness, and Medical content
beforeviolets's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Thank you to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Now, I think this mayhaps have been a "right book, right time" kind of thing, but wow I fell in love with this. I found myself absorbed in this book's pages and struggling to pull myself away even to sleep or eat. And upon closing the book, I found myself disappointed to leave the world behind. That certainly is not an occurrence with everything I read. Lately, reading has felt like meandering through a thick forest, trudging along different paths, but Ink Blood Sister Scribe felt like finally finding the perfect little spot to settle down in, like Celia in the forest of Arden: "I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it."
In a magical world not unlike our own, we follow three characters:
Joanna, a young woman protecting and caring for her late father's personal library of magical books. Though in her attempt to protect the books from the outside world, she's holed herself in. And despite her expertise on her own collection, she can't seem to figure out where these books come from. Especially the book that killed her father.
Esther, Joanna's older sister who has been on the run for 10 years, after her father commanded her to move to a new location every November. Estranged from her family, and in a constant state of motion, she has no ties. But in Antarctica, she's decided to stay another season. She's happy and comfortable and has a girlfriend she's really starting to feel something for. What could possibly go wrong?
Nicholas, who is absolutely sick of his life. He's been giving his blood, sweat, and tears (quite literally) to the Library since he was a child, creating new magical books. But as the world's last and only Scribe, he's resigned to his fate. At least his uncle–the head of the Library–and his girlfriend care about him, and at least he lives in a mansion out of a fairytale. At least he's safe.
But when all three of these characters discover the secrets that define their lives, they're thrown together on an unexpected and emotional journey.
Emma Törzs has crafted a brilliant little sandbox. This story was filled with the type of magic often reserved for children. One of mystery and whimsy and one that feels graspable and close to the heart. This feels like a world I could dream in, and it made me want to play pretend again. Any fellow fantasy-loving adults wanna meet up and play Magical Library with me? We can pull up weeds and mix them together as the herbs for spells and use Kool-Aid and leaves as we pretend to write magical books with our blood. And we could even set up a little frame and pretend it's a magic mirror.
It's incredible that any fantasy book, especially an adult anti-colonialist fabulism tale, could make me filled with such childhood joy and imagination. This is a huge testament to the author's accomplishments.
This book's Jewishness also took me by surprise. In fact, I had no idea it had any Jewish characters, and was so pleasantly surprised to see the casual representation for most of the story, but even more so to see the characters' connection to Judaism emotionally move the story in a moment of need. It meant a whole lot to me. In general, I was really a fan of this book's diversity. Two of the three main characters were queer (likely bisexual), and one of the characters was half-Mexican, and another was disabled, using a prosthetic eye.
I must say, this is not a story of twists and turns, but one of nooks and crannies. Rather than dramatic surprises and mind-blowing reveals, it felt more as though the plot of this story was a picture slowly coming into focus. All of the "twists" were less shocking and more like a puzzle piece clicking into place. Some of them were easily spotted, but never felt predictable in a way that dragged. And I've always said that I'd rather read a well-laid and obvious twist than a shocking one that feels out of nowhere. I don't need to be caught off guard, I just need to be caught up in a story. And I was certainly swept off my feet by this one.
(Though a note for the editor: there's no airport in Brattleboro, and NYC is a 3.5-5.5 hour drive from Vermont, not 8 hours.)
I'm so grateful to have found this story at this point in my life, when I needed to be convinced that just a sprinkle of imagination reveals so much magic in the mundane. I can't wait to dive back into these pages someday, and I can't wait to see what Törzs does next.
CW: violence, gun violence, blood, self-harm (for magic), dead body, death of parents (past), grief, alcohol consumption, fire, emesis, abusive guardian, character death, kidnapping (past, recounted), torture (past, recounted), hospitalization (past, recounted), antisemitism (brief mention)
Now, I think this mayhaps have been a "right book, right time" kind of thing, but wow I fell in love with this. I found myself absorbed in this book's pages and struggling to pull myself away even to sleep or eat. And upon closing the book, I found myself disappointed to leave the world behind. That certainly is not an occurrence with everything I read. Lately, reading has felt like meandering through a thick forest, trudging along different paths, but Ink Blood Sister Scribe felt like finally finding the perfect little spot to settle down in, like Celia in the forest of Arden: "I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it."
In a magical world not unlike our own, we follow three characters:
Joanna, a young woman protecting and caring for her late father's personal library of magical books. Though in her attempt to protect the books from the outside world, she's holed herself in. And despite her expertise on her own collection, she can't seem to figure out where these books come from. Especially the book that killed her father.
Esther, Joanna's older sister who has been on the run for 10 years, after her father commanded her to move to a new location every November. Estranged from her family, and in a constant state of motion, she has no ties. But in Antarctica, she's decided to stay another season. She's happy and comfortable and has a girlfriend she's really starting to feel something for. What could possibly go wrong?
Nicholas, who is absolutely sick of his life. He's been giving his blood, sweat, and tears (quite literally) to the Library since he was a child, creating new magical books. But as the world's last and only Scribe, he's resigned to his fate. At least his uncle–the head of the Library–and his girlfriend care about him, and at least he lives in a mansion out of a fairytale. At least he's safe.
But when all three of these characters discover the secrets that define their lives, they're thrown together on an unexpected and emotional journey.
Emma Törzs has crafted a brilliant little sandbox. This story was filled with the type of magic often reserved for children. One of mystery and whimsy and one that feels graspable and close to the heart. This feels like a world I could dream in, and it made me want to play pretend again. Any fellow fantasy-loving adults wanna meet up and play Magical Library with me? We can pull up weeds and mix them together as the herbs for spells and use Kool-Aid and leaves as we pretend to write magical books with our blood. And we could even set up a little frame and pretend it's a magic mirror.
It's incredible that any fantasy book, especially an adult anti-colonialist fabulism tale, could make me filled with such childhood joy and imagination. This is a huge testament to the author's accomplishments.
This book's Jewishness also took me by surprise. In fact, I had no idea it had any Jewish characters, and was so pleasantly surprised to see the casual representation for most of the story, but even more so to see the characters' connection to Judaism emotionally move the story in a moment of need. It meant a whole lot to me. In general, I was really a fan of this book's diversity. Two of the three main characters were queer (likely bisexual), and one of the characters was half-Mexican, and another was disabled, using a prosthetic eye.
I must say, this is not a story of twists and turns, but one of nooks and crannies. Rather than dramatic surprises and mind-blowing reveals, it felt more as though the plot of this story was a picture slowly coming into focus. All of the "twists" were less shocking and more like a puzzle piece clicking into place. Some of them were easily spotted, but never felt predictable in a way that dragged. And I've always said that I'd rather read a well-laid and obvious twist than a shocking one that feels out of nowhere. I don't need to be caught off guard, I just need to be caught up in a story. And I was certainly swept off my feet by this one.
(Though a note for the editor: there's no airport in Brattleboro, and NYC is a 3.5-5.5 hour drive from Vermont, not 8 hours.)
I'm so grateful to have found this story at this point in my life, when I needed to be convinced that just a sprinkle of imagination reveals so much magic in the mundane. I can't wait to dive back into these pages someday, and I can't wait to see what Törzs does next.
CW: violence, gun violence, blood, self-harm (for magic), dead body, death of parents (past), grief, alcohol consumption, fire, emesis, abusive guardian, character death, kidnapping (past, recounted), torture (past, recounted), hospitalization (past, recounted), antisemitism (brief mention)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Self harm, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Torture, Body horror, Alcohol, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Antisemitism
sarahyjackson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
I loved everything about this book: the characters, the magic system, the world, the commentary on institutions/belonging.
</spoilerish> Stefon take: this book has everything…a female Pomeranian named Sir Kiwi, magic books, sister dynamics, bee bullets, romance novel discourse, ill timed sartorial longings…<\spoilerish>
</spoilerish> Stefon take: this book has everything…a female Pomeranian named Sir Kiwi, magic books, sister dynamics, bee bullets, romance novel discourse, ill timed sartorial longings…<\spoilerish>
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Body horror and Vomit
Minor: Classism
cameronreads's review against another edition
3.5
I really enjoyed the concept here; magical books will always be a buzzword for me and I think they were done really interestingly here. I liked the plot as well, for the most part I liked the plot twists and figuring things out with the characters, although the final reveal felt a little info-dumpy. I think there was something just a little off about the pacing, with the beginning feeling a bit slow. The first 100 pages or so spent a lot of time on flashbacks and explanations, but it did make the book less confusing. There were definitely characters I liked better than others; I really enjoyed Nicholas and Esther but think Joanna’s character could have been developed a bit more. I also wanted to see a bit more out of the sister relationship. I did really like the vibes and atmosphere of this book though, and it was a lot of fun. The writing was also well done, especially for a debut. There was just something stopping me from being 100% attached or feeling that typical ‘on the edge of your seat’ feeling, but I’m not sure what. Still, I definitely enjoyed this, and am looking forward to seeing more from this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Death
Moderate: Body horror, Kidnapping, and Death of parent
Minor: Confinement, Alcohol, Torture, and Vomit
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