An exciting new voice in fantasy writing. A beautiful story about love, books and finding your place in the world. Loved it. (Although whoever thinks Hamlet killed his uncle in Act 3 needs a rethink!)

The premise of this book really drew me in. I love books about books and this delivers on that with books being at the forefront throughout. The magic system was super cool. I thought it was well done because the magic was rich and well explained, which gave the whole book the depth a fantasy book like this one requires.

I liked all of the characters and felt they were really fleshed out with their own goals and motives and they really stuck to their characterisation throughout rather than conveniently switching it up towards the end to save the day.

The issue I had with this book was the pacing. It felt super slow to the point where for the majority of the book it felt like nothing was happening and we were just waiting for things to pick up. The climax was also very short lived and resolved almost immediately,

Firstly thank you NetGalley for providing me an eArc for review!

I was instantly intrigued by the cover and title of Ink Blood Sister Scribe before reading anything at all in the synopsis. It drew me in, but it was the premise of the story itself that made me know I just had to read it.

Magical books? Sisters estranged by secrecy? Mysterious libraries and suspicious people running them? I'm here for that!

The first half of the book is a slow reveal. It introduces our three main characters, two sisters apart for 10 years, Joanna and Esther, and Nicholas, a young man with a gift. We get to see the lives they've lived through their current situations and also through flashes of memories. On the surface they all seem so different, but they're each, individually, living lives of such isolation and structure that they mirror each other in so many ways. Whilst a few key things did happen, it was a drawn out process and at times I struggled to fully engage.

The second half was when all the pieces of the puzzle came together, and by that point I honestly did not want to put the book down. Walls come crashing down, secrets are revealed, plots within plots begin to unfold, and you're never quite sure who you can trust or what the endgame might actually be. I came to really like each individual character and I would love to know more about certain people and how they came to be the way they did.

This is a wrapped up novel in that it definitely could be a standalone, but there are threads to be pulled and stories left to unravel so I'm really hopeful that Emma Törzs will bring us another book in this fascinating world!

What a fabulous book. The fact that this is a debut novel gives me absolute hope for further brilliant reads. Anyone who is a fan of the All Souls Trilogy, Harry Potter or any other magic based stories will love this! It is hard to write a review without spoilers and the best review I can give is to read the book as it is amazing. I am hoping for great things in the future from Emma Törzs!

Joanna Kalotay lives in Vermont. Her father Abe has recently died leaving her the only person remaining in the family home.
Ester is Joanna’s elder sister, Joanna misses Ester living with her.
A book about Blood, Magic and Spells.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.

Great world building … check; strong, well developed characters… check; an absorbing, well written plot … check; Books, books, books … check, check, check!

End of.

This is a gem of a book, what an achievement for a debut novelist. Thanks very much to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A book about magical books and it is superb. A new author, her first book and I can't wait to read more. A slow burner but then it was just mesmerising. This book has everything, magical books,spells written in human blood. Full of intrigue and so much more. I did not want this book to end. A well deserved five stars and a new light for all readers of this genre.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

A truly wonderful book, very reminiscent of Babel or The Book Eaters, or in a way, like Sea of Tranquillity, in the way the pieces all line up in the end.
My only regret is that it's clear it's a pretty self-contained story, and I'm not altogether sure whether we'll get a sequel or a prequel. But don't let that stop you from enjoying this, especially in the world of amazing 1 season shows on HBO, and other excellent fantasy standalones.

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs follows 3 people; Esther at a research station in the Antarctic who every year has to move to avoid people trying to capture her family through her or so she thinks. Her step sister, Joanna, still in their old home in US tasked with looking after a family collection of magical books. She can't leave the home and has to ensure the magical wards are set every night to keep people out including her stepmother. Then there is Nicholas who writes spells for the "family business" in the UK using his own blood which is literally killing him. For his own good Nicholas is virtually under house arrest by his uncle to prevent him being kidnapped or killed for this ability or to destroy this ability.

The three characters are linked by the magic and the books they hold and come together to solve the mystery of the books and the magical powers they have.

I found the start of the book slow and was not sure if it was going to grip me enough to want to go on. Once Nicholas came on the scene however for me the pace of the book and the intricacy of the story increased and I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. The characters were well rounded and well described even the nasty ones.

A definite must read for those interested in magic and books.

Thank you to Netgalley for a pre publication copy.

I was drawn to "Ink Blood Sister Scribe" by Emma Törzs as it is about books, and those who protect books. I did have to put it down a few times when the fantasy element became a bit too much for me (not my favourite genre) but as the story progressed and the various narrative threads came together, the story became really interesting. I can see that it is set up so that the story could continue and I am sure that this series will have a great following.

I absolutely loved this book, there were so many levels of interest and twists and turns. I plan to read it again, it is a delight. I would highly recommend it to all.

There was a lot to love about this book, from the interesting magic system to the fascinating and multi-layered exploration of magical colonialism and capitalism - who gets to collect the books and how. However, I did not connect with the characters as much as I wanted to.

This debut fantasy thriller has absolutely enchanted me! From the intriguing premise to the wonderful magic system, the endearing characters to the stunning writing, I adored every single thing about Ink Blood Sister Scribe. This has become one of my top three favourite books of all time – that’s how much I loved it! I can’t wait for everyone else to become bewitched by this stunning debut.

One of the best books I've read this year. Absolutely grabs you right from the start, unique and well thought through magic system, that is exactly as gory as it should be. Just so unique and beautiful all around. The characters are really well developed. And on a somewhat random note it made me really want a Pomeranian.

A fabulous debut novel with some very interesting magic, mystery and wonderful prose.

The story revolves around books. Not just any books though, for these books contain magic. I really liked the take on how these magical books worked (I won't spoil it here), and how only certain people can read or even write them. I also appreciated how it leant into 'all magic comes with a price' and the various ways in which that notion applied to each character.

The characters themselves, Joanna, Esther and Nicholas were all very different, their POV's very individual and all equally interesting. Joanna is a homebody, content to be surrounded by only her books for company, though plagued with a paranoia induced by her aloneness. Esther is the opposite, a headstrong adventurer who is always on the move. And Nicholas, kept hidden behind the walls of The Library for his own safety, rarely allowed any interaction with anyone save his tiny handful of family.

I love the atmosphere Törzs created with her writing. there was an undercurrent of danger, of threat to the characters through the whole book. It built slowly at first, and then very quickly bubbled to the surface in a way that made it very difficult to put the book down. The writing itself was excellent, and I am very impressed that this is a debut novel!

This .was a different kind of read for me as sometimes I have a hard time with fantasy type books but I’m happy to say I really enjoyed this one it was extremely well written with that extra something.
I think the main reason this was such a good read was because apart from all the magic, which was fabulous, it was also a damn good thriller to boot. I’m not going to say much more about the storyline as I don’t want to give anything away but it really is a book that I’m sure both fantasy lovers and thriller lovers will love. The read has a whole heap of good characters most of whom I really liked and the story flew by at a fair old pace, it also had some beautiful descriptions of the surroundings and it’s hard to believe this is a debut book so much praise to the author and many thanks to her for such a great read.
My thanks also toNetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone, Century for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The way Emma has described even the most everyday things in this book; the colour of the sky, the sound of the trees, the aroma of magic. It reads like poetry. It's gorgeous. There's a fine line writing like that, as it's easy to stray into the corny cliches but she's found the right balance.

The first section is more about the characters, letting us get to know them, getting invested in them, their pasts, presents and future, their likes and dislikes, their relationships, their motives. Then it's more about the books and the magic they hold. And then we get into the real thriller action parts, where at times it gets more magical, but at the same time, more human. Hopefully that will make sense if you read it.

It is very involved. It has lots of layers. This means you need to concentrate. Take it from someone who is easily distracted. This deserves your full attention, for its complexity but also for its brilliance. You'll find characters and stories that interlink, some very subtly, some more obvious.

There's three main characters, sisters Esther and Joanna, and the mysterious Nicholas. They're all fabulously written. Completely separate people but clearly linked. They're all very distinctive and just brilliantly created. I have seen a review that says they didn't think the characters were well developed but I completely disagree. I think who they are at the end is vastly different to how they were at the beginning, but they never lose my love and attention. There's a number of secondary characters - too many to go into too much detail on - but they all work off of our main trio perfectly, building up their stories and giving us reasons to like and/or dislike them.

For something so fantastical and magical and unbelievable, it felt very real and tangible, like, of course this happens. And I think that's because of the world building. She's linked the fantasy to the real so well that it means everything seems real. She's not completely bombarded the reader with facts about the world, because that would feel jarring. She's worked little bits in here and there that it feels so normal, and you can build up this picture of the world in your mind and completely see the action in this setting.

It is a complete rollercoaster ride of emotions. There's thrills and spills, twists and turns, loves and losses, heroes and villains, truth and lies. Everything about it is so gorgeous. It's a movie just waiting to happen. Really exceptional. AND it's a debut! Phenomenal.

It was more heartfelt that I thought it would be. I thought it would 'just' be a fantasy book about magical books. But it's so much deeper than that, that you end up feeling quite moved by it all. Family is a big theme in this book and its proof that blood relations don't always equal family. In this we have blood relatives, step-families, guardians, orphans, friends etc. And it shows that your friends can be your family more than your actual relations, and I think that's a beautiful addition.

It doesn't necessarily require a sequel, but I'd love to continue their story. I'm not quire ready to leave yet.

Ink Blood Sister Scribe is an accomplished debut.

The exploration of magic through magic books and an organisation is a fresh take on what has gone before and I read it with enjoyment.

Initially, I found it difficult to get my head around. For example, during plot development, one sister says sister and step mother, while the other says sister and mother. This made me pause and flick back to ponder whether it was a mistake or something I'd missed.

A further point I noticed is that Esther's first memory is at 2.5 years old, which isn't scientificially sound - it's thought to be around 4/5 years of age.

Despite this, I'm interested to see whether the author makes this a series of books.

I was granted access to this book via publisher and netgalley.

This book revolves around the known theme that fantasy readers usually love: magic is not free and comesisth costs. It revolves around magical books and a family that has bee broken apart due to secrets and devotion to these books. It has 3 POVs, one of them that is not clear when you read the synopsis and it shows the perspective of someone that is not affected by magic, but can write magic.

I adored the premisse and the magic system. Anything that involves magic books and whimsical libraries will draw any reader attention and this did not fail in that front. The magic mirrors, the high stakes mixed with family relationships was well intertwined and kept me interested.

This book, however, falls short in plot pacing and character development. The actions either don't come or come all the once, the beginning is convoluted in information and some sub-plots feel unnecessary and distracting, where others needed more attention ( for instance, the eay Esther and Joanna's dad died fell flat for me).

I felt that Esther was the more fleshed out character of he story but neither of the 3 POVS had enough growth or characterisation. Nicholas, for instance, felt like number 5 from The Umbrella Academy caricature.

I didn't felt my heart racing with the stakes and wasn't fully invested in the tense moments, until 70% in. Saying this, I enjoyed this book and would be curious to further books from the author.
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Woah, I really enjoyed this one!!! It has been a while since a fantasy book has gotten me this invested! It started slow but then it picked up and found it hard to put down. Loved the concept, the magic system and the world-building. Very intriguing as well. The title does summarise what is it about. I hope there is a sequel!