This book exceeded my expectations.

I loved the comparison between both sisters as they are both trapped in their own ways.

The magic system in the book interested me. I really enjoyed watching the world develop and found all of the characters lovable in their own way.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be keeping an eye out for more works by this author.

Thanks: Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5

The premise is Magic created through books and their writers. Part one of the book introduces the reader to the dramatis personae. It does this in such a complex manner that i found myself utterly confused for the most part, unable to separate the characters into their abilities, their families and their intent. There were many times I felt like giving up but somehow struggled through.

Things became clearer as the book moved on and the pace stepped up a little moving the narrative into a clearer area. Overall I suppose the narrative is very cleverly crafted, some of its faults being due to having to "build" the world the author creates in the reader's mind. The characters are very individual . It is hard to say if I was attracted to one more than the others - most had both goos and bad elements - but perhaps I most identified with Esther.

Ink Blood Sister Scribe felt a bit lacklustre and i struggled to maintain interest in the story and its characters.

What a fab book. Not what I was expecting at all and so much better. Loved Esther, Joanna, Nicholas and Collins - what great characters. Each had their own story going on and so cleverly intertwined.

There were twists when you weren’t expecting them, and things you thought were going to happen that didn’t. So good.

I’m still a bit confused about the cat though, was there more to this or was I expecting more?

Beautifully drawn relationships and more than a sprinkling of magic. Really enjoyed this book, even though it's not my usual fare.

Ink Blood Sister Scribe had me hooked from the first page. The world of the Kalotay sisters comes alive. Imagine diving into a story where every page sprinkles a bit of enchantment and heaps of family drama. You're practically in their shoes, solving mysteries and feeling the heavy legacy they carry. It's one of those books where you're lost in their world, and honestly, it's magical!

* Thank you for the ARC!

Such an intriguing premise and a promising start in the first half took a drastic turn in the second half and it felt like the stakes were gone, the character relationships became deeply cliché and uninteresting to read about (the male characters were very boring). There was a lack of consistency in the prose/dialogue/worldbuilding. I really wanted to love this but it all fell so flat.

This was an absolutely brilliant book. I was totally hooked into this, loved all the characters and couldn't stop reading. I can't wait for more from Emma Törzs.

Ink Blood Sister Scribe had a bit of a slow start, but I am glad I persevered because it was a worthwhile read. Really liked it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

In a land of words, where magic unfolds, this debut fantasy explores family ties and enchanted secrets. Two sisters, a lonely adventurer and a bookish homebody, and the last living scribe tell this tad bit predictable tale through three perspectives. The secrets, paranoia and mystery entwine in an eerie design as the familial relationships are explored with more focus than romantic ones.

This was a bit slow to start but I got really into it. Interesting take on magic. I would recommend.
Thanks to netgally for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Another stunning book I've read recently concerning magic and books...two of my favourite subjects....expertly written in an engaging style and with an addictive storyline...5 stars, many thanks to net galley for the opportunity to read and review.

A family where 1 sister is warded by magic to live alone and protect magic books. 1 sister constantly moving places never staying more than 1 year. The mystery of the library will go back generations, and everyone is in great danger from the magic used to change memories.
A slow start to the story while setting up the characters and situations. The pace really ramps up and the story becomes so much more intriguing.
Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This dark but full of fun adventure had me captivated from beginning to end. The creation of a magical world, where books are literally the spells and it takes blood to write one. While some of the concepts felt familiar, the plot was entirely original. Joanna finds her father dead after a book has literally drained him of all his blood. While her sister Esther receives messages through a mirror - while on a base in Antarctica!

The plot was never dull, a rollercoaster ride of adventure that I couldn't put down. The characters were quirky and unusual, and the world well considered and creative. It was unpredictable and magical and everything I could ask for in this genre. Even recommended it to my Harry Potter obsessed kid.

When a magical book kills both their parents, sisters Esther and Joanna are forced to live apart. Joanna stays home to protect herself and their magic book collection, but Esther is forced to change jobs and move location every year by a specific date without fail, otherwise the hunters will find not only her but her sister too. However, when Esther defies her father's warnings to move on, she immediately puts them both in danger, and they come for them. What transpires are their attempts to stay alive, and in doing so unravels all the family secrets.

Although it started off slow, it later picks up with a lot of action. Great world building, and once the secret character is introduced, certain characters become more sinister with horrifying antics, no-one knows who to trust. The author did a good job intertwining magic with mystery, fantasy, survival tactics and even elements of horror.

📖 REVIEW

Now this is my kind of magic!

Would you like to be a spell user or a spell creator?

You can only be one! I think I would definitely want to use the spells!

This book is told from multiple points of view. Nicholas is the last living scribe and held under constant protection by his uncle. Joanna is living alone, hidden in a house of rare books, continuing to protect them, even though one killed her father. Her half sister, Esther is estranged from the family and constantly has to move house every year. But when Esther falls in love and refuses to move anymore, she puts everyone she knows in danger.

This book drew me in and I didn’t want it to end. The author creates a vivid picture of each character’s situation and you watch how their lives become entwined with each other. The chemistry between each character slowly develops, showing how easy it becomes to trust a total stranger. I thought the whole plot was really clever and the continuous twists that came throughout, left me amazed by the author’s talent. In this book, you can trust no one!

This is magic with a difference. Spells can only be written in blood and there are very few people left with the ability to write them. I love books about magic and spells, but this felt like something new and unique to the genre.

This is one of my favourite reads this year.

A huge thank you to @penguinrandomhouse @cornerstone_press & @netgalley for the review copy.

Not my usual genre at all so felt a bit out of my comfort zone and therefore struggled to follow at times. But it was an enjoyable read and still manageable for me despite being different to my usual reads.

I really thought I would love this book but unfortunately it just didn’t work for me. The premise is so interesting but the execution fell short for me. It was so slow that nothing had happened and I was halfway through which made me bored. And even though there was a lot of information I still felt that the magic system wasn’t well explained. The characters also felt flat to me and so I wasn’t invested in what was happening to them.

Ink Blood Sister Scribe follows Esther & Joanna, 2 half sisters racing to unravel the secrets of their childhood home, a magical library.

The first half of this book was pretty slow & it really did take me a while to get into, but then the second half was just non stop action & all the foundations laid down initially really paid off. Getting the background of the 3 main characters set the tone for the rest of the book & raised the stakes considerably. So in hindsight I am glad the first half was slow, but could have still done with a bit more. The second half of the book was fast paced & had plenty of twists & turns to keep you guessing. I initially expected this to be in more of a dark academia genre, but really I think it ends up as more of a fantasy thriller? Either way, it packs a punch & makes it hard to put down!

I absolutely loved the idea of the books being the magic & how the magic in the world worked, it’s so unique & gives limitless possibilities while still retaining that restrictive element that’s required for it to seem believable.

I definitely related most to Esther, even though we have nothing in common, she felt the most authentic & real to me. Both Joanna & Nicholas were great characters too, Törzs has created a wonderful cast & I really don’t think I would change much about them. But obviously the star of the show is Sir Kiwi, Nicholas’ dog!

Overall it was a really great book, but there was just a little something missing for me, I’m not 100% sure what to be honest, maybe it was the style of writing that felt a little young for an adult book or just the first half being a bit slow, I don’t know, but definitely recommend picking this up!

Thank you to Random House UK and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.

Really enjoyed this book ! Great fantasy with the right amount of urban fantasy without me getting bored and featured books- very enjoyable