Ending is cut off

I loved the continuation of book one, but am marking it down because it ends by cutting off in the middle of a scene!!!!!!!

5 people found this helpful

An Excellent Follow Up

Spoiler Warning for book one! This review may have spoilers for the first book, Ink and Bone, if you are interested in starting the series I recommend checking out my review of that book instead.

At the end of Ink and Bone, we find Jess and his friends more awake to the harsh reality of the Great Library. Jess has been a sheep amongst wolves since day one, but now things have gotten worse but he finds himself with unexpected allies.

Ink and Bone focus on the group training to become Librarians, but Paper and Fire we see them in the roles assigned to them and thrown into a situation where they are trying desperately to find a way to save one of their close friends. It’s a high stakes story where it definitely seems like a cat and mouse game played by the Library and Jess. It’s incredible to see a world where books play such a large part in the power balance, but it’s chilling to see how far people are willing to go to maintain the heavier side of that balance. It can be nightmare fuel for those of us who love books and basically worship the idea of being able to share all knowledge with each other. I do love the unlying theme of hope however when it comes to the Library and the fact that this doesn’t seem to be the typical ‘destroy the government and start over’ kind of story. Many of the characters still see the good of the Library and hope to change it from the inside outward, and while we don’t see much of that story angle other than the desire for it I do really hope we get to see some of that in later books.

Jess continues to be a fantastic lead to follow, and I enjoy seeing his wit and charm as he navigates something almost impossibly large. In the first book we see him struggle against growing too close with anyone in the group of postulates, but in this one we see those relationships form up even tighter and that he grows to consider them family. His relationship with Morgan, especially after the end of Ink and Bone, is an interesting one as he feels (and is) responsible for her current predicament and their struggles to find a place of trust. I love that their relationship isn’t perfect and has small little fractures that they have to figure out if they are willing to fix or shatter completely. We also get to see him form a friendship with Glain, who in the previous book seemed to isolate herself away from Jess and now they are forced to work closely together. She is a badass, pure and simple. She’s loyal and willing to face any danger to protect her friends and charges. I love that while she has a very strict sense of duty, she isn’t unwilling to open her eyes to the horrors of the Library.

If you are considering the audios for the series I whole-heartedly encourage you to check them out. Julian Eiffier is the narrator and he does such an excellent job of presenting the story. I think I much prefer the audio experience than simply reading it, so I will most likely grab book three as an audio as well.

This turned out to be an excellent continuation of the series, and I can’t wait to dive into the third installment. It has such a wonderful mix of historical and fantasy elements that it doesn’t feel too heavy on either, while still feeling fresh and unique. It’s definitely a series to check out if you already haven’t.

3 people found this helpful

Story Heats Up With Second Installment

As is the case with trilogies, the second book was not as good as the first, but still interesting. The library students from the first book are now serving separately at their assignments, but a twist brings them back together again with their old professor. The once seemingly bright world of the library is looking darker and darker. Looking forward to the conclusion.

2 people found this helpful

Love this creative world!

This is the second book in The Great Library series, there are five books planned for this series. I absolutely loved this book. This is such an interesting world with unique characters.

I listen to these on audiobook and they are very well done. Elfer does an amazing job with narration and I would highly recommend this series on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.

In this book Jess and crew have to join together to rescue Thomas and save Morgan from the Iron Tower. Along the way they hear strange rumors of something called The Black Archives. Jess believes the Black Archives could be the key to stopping the Great Library’s abusive power.

There was a ton of action in this book and lots of interesting intrigue. We learn more about the obscurists and what they can do and also get to venture into the Iron Tower. I have been loving this series: the story, the characters, and the world are all just perfect.

Overall I am loving this series and this was a great addition to it. I would recommend this series to those who enjoy historical fantasy with intriguing world-building and engaging characters. I can’t wait to read the third book, “Ash and Quill”.

1 person found this helpful

If action is the quintessence of story

Great for those who love constant, one-step-from-death action and who yawn in the face of dialog. Read the stars and see where I stand. Yes, the story does try to define quintessence, at least an alternate universe version.
I feel the premise of the story, the library's hegemony and the revolt of book-burners, is interesting, but the whole-earth?! Very Eurocentric story. I'll probably bail out here, although a wee part of me wonders about the resolution.

Good YA novel

This is a well-written young adult novel, but I am 76 years old and it didn’t really keep my interest. However I can definitely see that it would have an audience.

Different From Printed Book

I was very surprised when the book ended that the ending was so different from the printed book. I wonder why the audiobook was changed?

Disappointing

Same great characters as book one, but this story just lacked in the plot compared to book one. And besides, I hate cliff hangers.

Next

On to the next in the series. Anxious to see how Rachel wraps this saga to a finish. Orwellian

Wonderful stories!

A wonderful plot with edge of your seat, and gut wrenching twist and turns! A delightful read for all ages!