351 pages
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Other
Publisher: NAL
Source: The library.
Purchase: Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon
My Rating:
Goodreads Summary: In an exhilarating new series, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time.…
Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden.
Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library’s service.
When he inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life—and soon both heretics and books will burn.…
My Review
If I were to only pick one word to describe this book it would have to be impressive. It may not be perfect, and it may not have hit epic status with me, but the book was pretty darn impressive.
What I Liked
- The male POV. We don't get a lot of those and I loved that this book is all about Jess, a boy who loves books with an imperfect family and a clever mind. I liked this kid.
- The books. The fact that this book is centered around books and the information they provide makes me like it since I do happen to be a big fan off books myself. How books are treated, very interesting. It was crazy, sad, and surprising.
- The technology was impressive. I found this world that Rachel Caine conjured up to be impressive and unique.
- When I finally started feeling the intensity of what was going on. There seems to be a lot going on in this book and the stakes were high, but I wasn't feeling that way at first, but then I was, and it was glorious.
- There is a competition of sorts. You all know I love competition/challenges/mind games in my books. This has an abundance of those elements.
What I Didn't Like
- The confusion. Even though this book and its elements were impressive, it was kind of confusing for a big chunk of the book. At least it was for me. Others probably won't have that issue. This was frustrating.
- This was just a me thing, but it didn't hit epic status for me and I was kind of disappointed about that.
- There were several characters in this competition to work at The Library and it was hard connecting with any of them as much as I would have liked. Even some of the more prominent ones.
The Bottom Line: Give it a shot.
I'm seeing this book everywhere on Goodreads and with your review, Ink and Bone is now on my tbr. :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteanna | annaish
You are very welcome! I hope you like it.
DeleteYay! I'm so glad you gave this one a try! I agree with you...there is a lot going on and it easy to get confused. However, I'm loving all of your positive points as well. The male POV and the books were huge hits for me too! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I ended up reading it! I thought the male POV was pretty well done, and even when I got confused I still enjoyed the story. :D
Deleteomg I am the SAME. I loved this book and it's incredible and plus that cover...*strokes cover* BUT. Confusion. I suffered from a lot of confusion. Like I still don't understand how it's all sort of Victorian times but they have books like iPads or something?? Idek. That was weird. So the world building did lack a little for me...but I loved EVERYTHING ELSE. And Jess' love of books was golden. :')
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by @ Paper Fury!
I am so glad to hear that I am not the only one that got confused!
DeleteI'm excited to try this, especially now that you mentioned the male's pov and of course all the books, too! I'm glad you enjoyed Ink and Bone even though it wasn't reaching that epic feeling you were wanting.
ReplyDeleteLovely review, Kay!! :)
It is a good read for book lovers! I did still enjoy it a great deal. Enjoy!
DeleteAsh and I might buddy read this one at some point (hopefully soon!) I didn't realize there was a competition in this book so I just got infinitely more excited even knowing it might not hit epic status.
ReplyDeleteOh, I think you will enjoy many aspects of this book even if it doesn't blow you away. I hope you and Ashley find time to read it so I can see what you both think!
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