Book Review: Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

Title: Ink and Bone

Author: Rachel Caine

Series/Standalones: The Great Library (Book #1)

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Pages: 355

Publisher: NAL

Year Published: 2015

Format: Hardcover Copy (Own It)

First Line: "'Hold still and stop fighting me,' his father said, and slapped him hard enough to leave a mark."

"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 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 his friend 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 Rating: 4/5

I have a lot of feelings about this first book. I really enjoyed it, I think that the characters were phenomenal and all had an interesting narrative. The world itself was interesting and complex. The battle scenes were thrilling. That being said I think it's mostly to set up the world for future books and at times it really seemed to drag. I did enjoy the political intrigue and the thrilling aspects that were brought to the story from that. The best way I can think to describe my feelings was when there were times where this just felt like a pilot season of a television show, showing consumers what the world is about. Overall I really liked it but didn't love it. Do plan to continue with the series though in the future as they are all available at my local library.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny