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A review by malloryfitz
Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
5.0
Premise- (4/5) Alright, everyone, first things first: I think about the library of Alexandria on at least a weekly basis. My friends make fun of me for it all the time. As a classicist, the destruction of the library of Alexandria is devastating to me. So many books, so, so, so many ancient works gone forever. So a future where it was never destroyed? SIGN ME UP. Honestly, that was all that was needed to get me in this book, but sure, Jess sounded interesting too. And the ominous finish to the summary blurb definitely drew me in.
Characters- (4.5/5) I really liked Jess' unique background and I thought it was especially interesting to catch a glimpse of his life, but not much more before he went the the Library. And wow, did I love the side characters. Thomas was so sweet, I loved Kalila's brilliance, Dario's attitude made me roll my eyes and smile at the same time. Wolfe and Santi (and their relationship) were complex and I loved how their strengths complimented each other. Though in terms of actual personality, Morgan didn't quite endear herself to me, she was still a character with an interesting role. I suspect we'll be seeing more of Jess' family, including his twin, in the next book and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I would also like a stronger grip on individual antagonists in the next book, but I loved the characters we've met so far, and thought their interactions and relationships were (for the most part) very good too!
Plot- (4/5) This book had a lot of different...sections, for lack of a better word. We started with Jess' family life, but moved quickly to the Library and the postulant training. That was particularly interesting, especially with the brief glimpses we got into the sinister side of the Library that the postulants weren't seeing. Postulant training narrows down our character cast to the core group, and they're off to a war zone to rescue rare books. That part of the book was brutal. But war is brutal, and I thought Caine did a fairly good job of showing that. There were also a lot of intertwining and conflicting character subplots and motivations. Between Jess' smuggling background, *spoilers* Guillaume's mission as a Burner spy, and Morgan's secret identity as an Obscurist, everyone had their own motivation. There were predictable elements of the plot (I saw Thomas' plot twist coming almost as soon as it was hinted), but I thought they still worked. After a dangerous journey back to Alexandria, the postulants received their assignments, and I am intrigued to see where those will take them in book two. (Really hoping we won't lose characters because of different assignments!)
World- (4/5) This world was extremely interesting, and really made me think. As I said above, the destruction of the library of Alexandria is massively disappointing and tragic for me as a classicist. Generally, thinking of it having never been burned is, like, a fantastic daydream for me. If I could change time, I would've done it in a heartbeat. So it really rocked me to think that its survival could have been a bad thing. The Library philosophy which prohibits the large-scale printing of books and ownership of private copies, is deeply unsettling, especially considering their methods of enforcement. I could've used a little more explanation of certain concepts (also, I'm American, so a couple terms I may have just not recognized because I'm not British), but I found the world intriguing and really, really thought-provoking.
Writing- (3.5/5) Not a lot to say here. Caine's style didn't strike me as especially distinctive, but I thought she managed to fit a lot into one book. Sometimes, the pacing was a little slow, but that didn't bother me too much.
Overall- (4/5) I love, love, love the concept of this book! (Other classics nerds, if you've ever dreamed about the library of Alexandria, check this out!) Though it could have used more world-building, Ink and Bone had a unique concept, complicated characters, and a plot that kept me interested. Lots of action, lots of conflict, and a book that really made me think. I will definitely be looking for book two!
Update: Technically remains a 4 stars because my review hasn't changed but upon a reread I really do love this series so it's been bumped to a 5.
Characters- (4.5/5) I really liked Jess' unique background and I thought it was especially interesting to catch a glimpse of his life, but not much more before he went the the Library. And wow, did I love the side characters. Thomas was so sweet, I loved Kalila's brilliance, Dario's attitude made me roll my eyes and smile at the same time. Wolfe and Santi (and their relationship) were complex and I loved how their strengths complimented each other. Though in terms of actual personality, Morgan didn't quite endear herself to me, she was still a character with an interesting role. I suspect we'll be seeing more of Jess' family, including his twin, in the next book and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I would also like a stronger grip on individual antagonists in the next book, but I loved the characters we've met so far, and thought their interactions and relationships were (for the most part) very good too!
Plot- (4/5) This book had a lot of different...sections, for lack of a better word. We started with Jess' family life, but moved quickly to the Library and the postulant training. That was particularly interesting, especially with the brief glimpses we got into the sinister side of the Library that the postulants weren't seeing. Postulant training narrows down our character cast to the core group, and they're off to a war zone to rescue rare books. That part of the book was brutal. But war is brutal, and I thought Caine did a fairly good job of showing that. There were also a lot of intertwining and conflicting character subplots and motivations. Between Jess' smuggling background, *spoilers* Guillaume's mission as a Burner spy, and Morgan's secret identity as an Obscurist, everyone had their own motivation. There were predictable elements of the plot (I saw Thomas' plot twist coming almost as soon as it was hinted), but I thought they still worked. After a dangerous journey back to Alexandria, the postulants received their assignments, and I am intrigued to see where those will take them in book two. (Really hoping we won't lose characters because of different assignments!)
World- (4/5) This world was extremely interesting, and really made me think. As I said above, the destruction of the library of Alexandria is massively disappointing and tragic for me as a classicist. Generally, thinking of it having never been burned is, like, a fantastic daydream for me. If I could change time, I would've done it in a heartbeat. So it really rocked me to think that its survival could have been a bad thing. The Library philosophy which prohibits the large-scale printing of books and ownership of private copies, is deeply unsettling, especially considering their methods of enforcement. I could've used a little more explanation of certain concepts (also, I'm American, so a couple terms I may have just not recognized because I'm not British), but I found the world intriguing and really, really thought-provoking.
Writing- (3.5/5) Not a lot to say here. Caine's style didn't strike me as especially distinctive, but I thought she managed to fit a lot into one book. Sometimes, the pacing was a little slow, but that didn't bother me too much.
Overall- (4/5) I love, love, love the concept of this book! (Other classics nerds, if you've ever dreamed about the library of Alexandria, check this out!) Though it could have used more world-building, Ink and Bone had a unique concept, complicated characters, and a plot that kept me interested. Lots of action, lots of conflict, and a book that really made me think. I will definitely be looking for book two!
Update: Technically remains a 4 stars because my review hasn't changed but upon a reread I really do love this series so it's been bumped to a 5.