A book about books, what's not to love!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and highly recommend it. A massive thanks to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for na honest review.

My review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I found the use of magic on this book to be quite unusual, and I really liked the idea!

This is a really enjoyable adventure fantasy book. There is lots of tension flowing through the story, and it gets built up at the right moments!

I enjoyed the characters, and found them to be interesting and well rounded.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Cornerstone.

A good fantasy adventure book about books. Not my normal kind of read however I still enjoyed it. At the start I found myself a little lost but once I got into it I thought it was really good. Would make a great fantasy tv show. The style of writing grew on me as did the characters. A magical adventure which was refreshing to someone who reads a lot of crime thrillers

Törzs Ink Blood Sister Scribe is a magical book, written about magical books.

No, seriously, there must've been something in the ink on the pages (or through my Kindle screen) because I was hooked in to this book. And when I wasn't with this book, the book was with me . . . constantly playing on my mind, commanding me to go back and read it.

I really loved the magic system in this book. I loved the talk of spells and herbs, and all the different things the books could command. I loved the discussion on knowledge, who was the right to it, and the means of accessibility. I liked how this book spoke of corruption and elitism, while it had a focus on the arts (literature) it spoke to a wider issue of those in power exploiting others.

The cast of characters were wonderful and blended so well together. I loved Esther and Joanna and how different, yet so similar they are to each other. I loved their sisterhood, with all it's complications - no, in fact, I loved them (and this book) for how this book explored that relationship with depth. Esther and Joanna had a lot of anger for each other, a lot of jealously, but a lot of love. I liked how Törzs explored all of these aspects, no shying away from any of them - it is human.

I really loved Nicholas, and like Esther, I felt rage on his behalf and just wanted to give him a hug and a thousand iron supplements. I liked how he was forced to confront his own privilege, and come to a reckoning with himself about his past and his future.

Collins was a layered character! I loved learning more about his backstory. I loved his banter with Esther, the way he looked after Nicholas, and I loved seeing his relationship blossom with Joanna.

The only 'negative' thing I'd have to say about this book is that I wish we did have more worldbuilding, and I'm not really a fan of open endings which this is - although, I do concede, it does make sense for the book. It's just not really my personal preference. I'd love a novella just seeing Joanna/Nicholas/Esther/Collins write new books/document books and talk about all the different types of spells.

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törz

3.5 STARS

A book about books will never go far wrong in my mind and this is no exception. An enjoyable reality meets fantasy tale with just the right mix of both. I enjoyed Joanna's journey and discovery. A solid read.

After seeing so many great reviews, I couldn’t wait to start this book.

However, it just wasn’t for me. Fantasy isn’t my favourite genre and I can’t see me recommending this to other readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This book started out slow with few explanations to what was happening. Around 30% it got more exciting! The book consists of 3 different POVs that doesn’t interact with each other at first. Watching them slowly merge into each other was amazing.

The characters in the book was very likable and Nicholas soon became my favorite!

The plot was very interesting and captivating, and I really would recommend this.

Amazon Summary
Some books should never be opened.

A spellbinding, edge-of your seat thriller, Ink Blood Sister Scribe follows a family tasked with guarding a trove of magical but deadly books, and the shadowy organisation that will do anything to get them back...even murder.

For generations, the Kalotay family has guarded a collection of rare and dangerous books. Books that let a person walk through walls, or borrow someone else's face; books of magic.

Now, Joanna Kalotay lives alone in the woods of Vermont, their library's sole protector, while her estranged older half-sister, Esther moves between countries and jobs, constantly changing, never staying anywhere for longer than a year, desperate to avoid the dangerous magic that killed her own mother. She is currently working as an electrician on a research base in Antarctica where she has found love. Maybe, finally, she feels free.

But when someone on-base begins using magic, Esther realizes that she can't outrun her family's legacy. The long-separated sisters must work together to unravel the secrets their parents kept hidden, secrets that span centuries and continents, and even other libraries...

My Review
I really enjoyed Ink Blood Sister Scribe and love the special edition i bought from Waterstones.

I loved the world building including a great magic system, the characters are fantastic and the plot had me hooked (I love a mystery). the ending happened sooner that i wanted but overall i really enjoyed it.

I am completely in love with this book, and I desperately wanted to find myself within its pages.

Ink, Blood, Sister, Scribe kept me on the edge of my seat the entire way through. I found it to be imaginative, intriguing, and the plot very well thought-out. I was able to easily like all of the main characters (except one, if you read the book you'll know who I mean). At no point during this book did I know what was going to happen next, but I sure had fun trying to figure it out. I would love to see a follow-up to this story!

The perfect mix between fantasy and mystery. What a wonderful story this author has created!

Thank you to NetGalley and Randomhouse for a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 4.5/5

I loved Ink Blood Sister Scribe. It’s a beautifully written, modern fantasy with a believable magic system that is seamlessly integrated with our world. I was swept away by the language and the nature imagery (particularly of Vermont).

The characters are complex and unique but I instantly felt a connection with them, which can be difficult to achieve. I enjoyed their arcs and how their stories came together. Nothing felt clichéd. The story balanced magic with important themes of found family, loneliness and grief really well.

It contained everything I love about fantasy: magical libraries, english manor houses and nature! I already can't wait to reread it.

It would have been an easy 5 stars only for some slow pacing at times however, the language and imagery made up for it.

Highly recommended!

Ink Blood Sister Scribe is a story of magic, mystery, power, and betrayal by debut novelist Emma Törzs

“Wherever you are, you must leave on November 2 and keep moving for twenty-four hours, or the people who killed your mother will come for you, too.”

Twenty-eight year old Esther Kalotay has been adhering to the edict set by her father for the last decade, but having found love in the middle of Antarctica, she decides to take a risk and remain past the deadline. It’s not long before she realises she’s made a terrible mistake.

“We’re here to protect the books, to give them a home, to respect them—not to interrogate them.”

Abandoned by her older half sister who is off travelling the world, and with her mother unable to cross the property boundary, Joanna Kalotay lives alone in rural Vermont, the sole remaining guardian of the magic-filled books her late father spent a lifetime collecting.

“For once, he wanted somebody to look at him and see what he could do. And to see, maybe, what it cost him.”

As the last known living Scribe and heir to The Library, the largest collection of magical books in the world, 24 year old Nicholas Maxwell lives a cosseted life. He appreciates the protection of his Uncle Richard, who has raised him after his parents tragic death, but he longs for more freedom.

I have to be honest, it took longer than I liked for Ink Blood Sister Scribe to hook me, there was something disjointed about the introduction to the characters and their world. It took me a while to make sense of the magic, particularly with how it affected the sisters, and there are still some elements of the system that seems to be contradictory.

The characters of Esther, Joanna and Nicholas are distinctly drawn, and I liked all three. Esther is the boldest, forced into independence she has had to learn how to take care of herself, but is tired of always being alone. Joanna’s world is very small and lonely, and I felt sympathy for her. Nicholas, who arguably has the most drama to contend with as he learns the truth about his family’s legacy, has the clearest character growth arc.

The pace picks up markedly in the second half of the book as the story seems to find its rhythm, helped I think by the union of the three main characters, and higher stakes. The foreshadowing was a touch heavy handed so there were few surprises in the plot overall, but there were some tense scenes, and the finale was exciting.

For me, the concept of Ink Blood Sister Scribe was really strong but unfortunately I found the execution lacking, so I’m left with mixed feelings about this one.

This was a solid urban fantasy book. And it had some great rep (bi-rep and Jewish-rep).
This story is a love letter to books in a lot of ways and those kinds of stories arey favourite. I would definitely give it a go if you're a fan of The Starless Sea.

Brief overview: two sisters living very different lives. One is confined to her home guarding her family’s collection of magic books and another who is ‘on the run’, uprooting her life every 12 months to keep herself, her family and their books safe 📖

Ok wowwww. I really fell in love with this book. It’s the first book about magic I’ve read which might be the reason it took me a good 30-40% to get into. Once I had all the back story, the book really picked up pace from the half way mark and I felt totally immersed in the magical world 🪄

I really loved *most* of the characters. Esther most of all 🫶🏼

I definitely didn’t do the book justice with my overview but I didn’t want to spoil anything. If you’re into magic, fantasy & sisterly bonds -read it. And if you haven’t dipped your toes in this genre before- give it a try!

A fascinating book about books! Despite the slow pacing, I loved the perspectives of our two main sisters, and found the worldbuilding and magic very compelling. I'm eager to get a physical copy to read Ink Blood Sister Scribe all over again!

An intriguing read that took a while to get going but once the two main characters had collided everything fell into place. I loved the idea of The Library and the actual weaving of the spells costing something of yourself in more ways than one! I wish it was expanded on slightly more!

3.5 stars rounded up.
This book was perfectly enjoyable, albeit quite long-winded for the first 150 or so pages.
It was fine, but definitely not one of my favourite books of the year.

As a huge book lover (obviously), I always enjoy reading books that are about books, but this one just didn't quite work for me, unfortunately. I found the beginning quite confusing, but once Esther and Joanna established their own perspectives, I did find myself enjoying their chapters. However, I wasn't nearly as invested in Nicholas's story as I was in theirs, although I can appreciate why his perspective was included. Much like the beginning, I got quite confused towards the end of the book too, as it felt as though Torzs was trying to bring all the characters together in a way that felt more convoluted than anything. I do wish that the relationship between Esther and Joanna as sisters was explored in more depth, as opposed to bringing in concepts like vampires only to not explore them fully. This had a lot of potential, but just didn't fully follow through for me.

3.5/5 stars

Thank you so so much to netgalley and the publisher for accepting my request to read and revie this book!

I was so excited fot this book tht even with owning the netgalley ebook I went and boght TWO different copies of this book....

And maybe my hype was a little too high.

This book was far from bad, in fact my all accounts it was a very good book. But it was also a little standard and therefore I can only really seem to think of things to critique nad not to praise.

I found the pacing of this too slow, for starters. I found the characters laso lacked depth. I felt like the whole book was leading to a certainn moment at the end that kind of never came to fruition. It just felt like I was along on the ride and it ended but I never felt fully invested.

I did enjoy the twists and how things came together at the end, I also found Esther and Pearl so stinking cute.

I will look out for more by this author for sure

*DNF

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the free copy in exchange of an honest review.
I premise immediately that I'll try it again another time, but for now this book and, most of all, the author's style seems not my cup of cake.
I've tried several time to keep going but it really bored me and I wasn't paying attention. The pacing was slow with not enough info to really be into the story and my confusion only fuel the problem with the writing style.

A real pity.

DNF at around 33%. This was one of my more anticipated books of 2023 - books about books are catnip to a certain type of reader, of which I am definitely one. Unfortunately, the book struggled to hold my interest. I think the hardest part for me was that I never warmed to the characters; they are all isolated from each other and seem to lack personal agency beyond following the demands of the plot, making it difficult to get invested in their journey. The book magic also made little sense in terms of how it was connected to the greater world: what about regular books in this world? Or the relationship with non-magical people? I’m disappointed this book didn’t work for me but definitely seem to be in the minority given all the great reviews!