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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
๐๐ข๐จ๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ช๐ด๐ฎ โข ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ด ๐๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ด โฃโฃโฃ
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
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Gore, 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: Death of parent, Blood, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Gun violence, Death, and Body horror
Minor: Vomit and Injury/Injury detail
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 Tรถrzs 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 Tรถrzs 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 Tรถrzs 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 Tรถrzs 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 Tรถrzs 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, Gaslighting, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, and Grief
Minor: Medical content and Death of parent
luckystard's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-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
3.0
I had to struggle through more than 50% of the book to get to the interesting part. I didnโt like constant povs jumping back and forth. Also Nicholas is there essentially like a lote dump character which is meh
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Blood
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Cursing, Death of parent, and Gun violence
missgarceau's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Alcohol, Body horror, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Murder, Violence, Grief, Classism, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Sexual content, Confinement, Death, and Abandonment
geekmom's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
I was skeptical at first but this book sucked me in and was a brilliant and fun story.
Also, very happy to see that this book didnโt suffer from the โNorth American writer who gets the language wrong when writing books set in / featuring characters from other English-speaking countriesโ problem Iโve come across so often recently. Thank you, Emma Tรถrzs (and editors) for allowing me to maintain my sense of immersion in this particular and important way.
Also, very happy to see that this book didnโt suffer from the โNorth American writer who gets the language wrong when writing books set in / featuring characters from other English-speaking countriesโ problem Iโve come across so often recently. Thank you, Emma Tรถrzs (and editors) for allowing me to maintain my sense of immersion in this particular and important way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Kidnapping, and Torture
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
heidi_grey's review against another edition
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Abandonment and Kidnapping
Minor: Confinement and Death
lexistwick's review against another edition
adventurous
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
4.5
I loved this book! I haven't read fantasy in a long time, and this was a wonderful re-entry into a world of magic and mystery. It reminded me of Octavia Butler's Wild Seed and the Patternist series. The ending is queued up perfectly for even more story, which could begin a second after the first book ends - or an entire millennia. That's the joy of an expansive, world-creating story!
The writing was excellent, with particularly deft descriptions of the behaviors of cats and dogs and their relationships to their humans; witty, realistic dialogue; and a clear imagining of the somatic experience of an expanded magic-consciousness responsible for bringing mystical power to life.
It deals with themes of sisterhood, family belonging; colonization, assimilation, and the power and responsibilities associated with the capture and hoarding of knowledge. It takes place in a world where queer people exist, unlike so many books, so there isn't that exasperating moment when folks pair off into cishet pairings despite the electric chemistry elsewhere.
It also tackles the complexity of motherhood and does NOT tie up all the difficult questions of duty and abandonment at the end - just like in life. I appreciated that, and I yearn for more!
The writing was excellent, with particularly deft descriptions of the behaviors of cats and dogs and their relationships to their humans; witty, realistic dialogue; and a clear imagining of the somatic experience of an expanded magic-consciousness responsible for bringing mystical power to life.
It deals with themes of sisterhood, family belonging; colonization, assimilation, and the power and responsibilities associated with the capture and hoarding of knowledge. It takes place in a world where queer people exist, unlike so many books, so there isn't that exasperating moment when folks pair off into cishet pairings despite the electric chemistry elsewhere.
It also tackles the complexity of motherhood and does NOT tie up all the difficult questions of duty and abandonment at the end - just like in life. I appreciated that, and I yearn for more!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Stalking
joannchristine's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Blood, Death of parent, and Physical abuse
tigger89's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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? No
4.5
This was a fantastic modern fantasy. I enjoyed the twists, even the ones I saw coming. I thought that the way the books worked was intriguing, especially how the knowledge had to be rediscovered by some of the characters. Once it gets going, the story moves along at a fast pace, leaving me desperate to know what happens next.
This book does contain blood magic. I've given it a good, hard look, and I think it avoids coming too close to invoking blood libel, for the following reasons. First, the magic doesn't have to involve the unwilling taking of someone's blood for the benefit of another. While it can take that form, in the form presented as good the blood is freely given and the magic is viewed as a positive thing of beauty. Second, while there are powerful people who take the magic for their own profit, they are not Jewish-coded in any way I noticed. And third, Jewish tradition is explicitly present elsewhere in the story and used as a source of positive strength. Obviously this is something each reader will have to decide their own comfort level on, that's just the reasoning I followed for my own feelings.
The only thing I didn't like was the romance. I didn't mind Esther's romance, though. I thought that was fine, and just messy enough to make me feel like she earned it. What really ground my gears was Joanna's romance. It's okay for characters to be single. She didn't need a man, and furthermore I never got any kind of vibe that he was particularly right for her. It felt like it was shoehorned in because the author thought she needed to end up with someone in order to be happy, and he was the most convenient guy.
Now, the most important part of the review: does the dog and/or cat die?There's a pet dog and a pet cat owned by different characters. Both are completely fine. This book is certified adorable for pet lovers!
This book does contain blood magic. I've given it a good, hard look, and I think it avoids coming too close to invoking blood libel, for the following reasons. First, the magic doesn't have to involve the unwilling taking of someone's blood for the benefit of another. While it can take that form, in the form presented as good the blood is freely given and the magic is viewed as a positive thing of beauty. Second, while there are powerful people who take the magic for their own profit, they are not Jewish-coded in any way I noticed. And third, Jewish tradition is explicitly present elsewhere in the story and used as a source of positive strength. Obviously this is something each reader will have to decide their own comfort level on, that's just the reasoning I followed for my own feelings.
The only thing I didn't like was the romance. I didn't mind Esther's romance, though. I thought that was fine, and just messy enough to make me feel like she earned it. What really ground my gears was Joanna's romance. It's okay for characters to be single. She didn't need a man, and furthermore I never got any kind of vibe that he was particularly right for her. It felt like it was shoehorned in because the author thought she needed to end up with someone in order to be happy, and he was the most convenient guy.
Now, the most important part of the review: does the dog and/or cat die?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Confinement
Moderate: Chronic illness, Medical content, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Kidnapping