Strictly speaking, I think this book would be described as fantasy, although it is definitely structured as a thriller with the same tension, plot structure and misdirection you might find in a contemporary thriller.

This is a book about magic and the lengths people will go to in order to control it. Joanna and Esther are half- sisters. Joanna is leading an isolated life inside the family home in Vermont, looking after the family’s priceless collection of magic books. A magic spell protects the house from being seen and every night it must be reset, so Joanna can never leave the house for long.

Esther hasn’t communicated with Joanna for a long time. Since she left the family home she has never stayed in one place longer than a year. It’s a stricture her father made sure she understood before he told her she had to leave and she has followed it rigorously since then. But now she is working in a research station in Antarctica where she has fallen for Pearl and her love affair has made her reckless, so she has stayed longer than she should.

That’s brought home to her with a vengeance when she discovers magic at play in the station and knows that whoever has been searching for her has now found her.

Joanna believes she looks after the biggest magical library in the world. What she doesn’t know is that in a grand mansion in London, a sickly man named Nicholas is also living a protected life under the very watchful eye of his uncle, Richard.

Nicholas is sickly because he is special. He is the only Scribe – the only one who has the power to write magical spells, but to do so he must use his own blood.

With Esther’s failure to leave Antarctica, everything changes for these three people and suddenly everything they thought they knew is changed forever.

Emma Törzs is excellent at providing depth of character and offering realistic scene settings. This is no alternative world building, rather magic is concealed behind spells and everything seems perfectly normal. But magic has also destroyed them. It has pulled Esther and Joanna apart; it has separated Joanna from her mother and it is slowly killing Nicholas.

Each of these central characters is profoundly lonely. Joanna has to stay put in her cottage in order to set her nightly wards spell, so she goes nowhere and makes no friends. Esther has to uproot herself every year and so all her relationships are by definition fleeting. Nicholas lives in a grand mansion surrounded by precious books, but he has no friends and his uncle keeps him under close protection.

Is this what magic really means? When Esther, Joanna and Nicholas finally come together, they will realise that the sacrifices they have made have denied them so much and their true power lies in their determination to survive.

Verdict: An escape into fantasy can be a blissful release from the real world, but while living in a world of books and spells may seem ideal; in the end living your life to the max is what really matters. Emma Tozer has written a clever and immersive book set in the world’s most rarefied libraries. A great Y/A book with splendid characters and a terrific plot, I really got lost in this beautifully written

Ink Blood Sister Scribe is a terrific book from debut author Emma Törzs that is at once fantasy, mystery, dark academia and character study rolled into one.

The book follows two estranged sisters, Esther and Joanna. Both are haunted by their dead father's collection of magical books, which eventually lead to his death. Some of these books are harmless, some decidedly not, but all are written in blood. Esther, the older sister, is one the run, moving once every year. Most recently, she entered a research facility in Antarctica, where she fell in love with a woman, and despite her rule, Esther decides to stay, damn the consequences. The other sister, Joanna, is stuck in her childhood home, isolated and devoted to caring for her father's books. Then there is Nicholas, a rich young Englishman working in service of The Library, an institution that sells those magical books. To his knowledge, he is the last person alive who can write magical books - in his own blood. For this ability, people are trying to kill him.

Everything about this book was pure artistry. From the plot, the characters, to the prose, everything flowed together so seemlessly, I was astonished to realize the book was only 400 pages long. While the mystery aspect was incredibly engaging, the characters were at the heart of the book for me. The way the author portrayed complicated family relationships and loneliness had me close to tears at times. I felt this most deeply with Joanna who's hidden away in Vermont's countryside to preserve her father's legacy, turning to books and animals to keep her loneliness at bay. Also longing for connection was Nicholas, who's health has been fragile since childhood from being bled, and wants nothing more than to meet people and be out in the world. Meanwhile, Esther seems like she has it all together, leaving people and entire lives behind at the drop of a hat, but secretly, she longs for a deeper connection and the childhood home she lost.

Apart from those heavy themes, the book also had lighter moments, especially whenever Nicholas' surly bodyguard Collins was on the page. His banter with Nicholas was top notch and had me laughing out loud several times. All the character relationships were an absolute delight, both platonic and romantic. If you aren't sold on the book yet, there is also a Pomeranian called Sir Kiwi.

Ink Blood Sister Scribe was also laced through with a love for literature and academia which I appreciated. What I wouldn't give to have a beautiful magic library in a country estate in England. Without the blood draining, obviously. The prose in this was so beautiful I found myself going back several pages and rereading certain passages because they were so evocative. Törsz is clearly a highly-skilled writer that you should keep an eye out for. All in all, the characters and the themes wormed their way into my heart and Ink Blood Sister Scribe is now easily one of my favorite books of all time. 5/5 stars.

Wow, what a debut. Magical libraries you say? Of course I was going to read it and was immediately hooked. Each character was unique, quirky and fully formed. My favourite was the well-dressed British aristocratic Scribe Nicholas and his amusing interactions with his bodyguard Collins and Sir Kiwi the female Pomeranian.
The world building was superb and the book works perfectly either as a standalone or as the first in a series. I hope it continues with more opportunities to get to know our characters and their evolution as well as learning more about the history of the library and its influence on the use of magic for good as well as evil.

Many thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.

This is a book that alternates initially between 3 different perspectives, Esther an electrician currently living in Antarctica, her sister Joanna, hiding away in Vermont behind 'wards' which protect a library of magical books, and Nicholas, seemingly the only person still able to write these magical books. Initially this felt a little disconcerting, but about half way through it became clear how the three storylines mashed together. From this point on, the book became more of a thriller as it became clear that these three 'the goodies' were threatened by 'the baddies' (can't say any more without revealing spoilers. I couldn't wait to finish the book and to find out the heading. So a bit of a slow start but ultimately an intriguing and fascinating book.

A captivating tale of magic, mystery, and the lengths we’ll go to to protect the people we love.

Esther hasn’t been home in years, ever since she left in the night to escape her mother’s fate. Joanna can never leave, after the death of her father, she alone is left to protect the magic books he spent his life collecting. Nicholas lives in London at the largest library of magical books in the world, he’s the last known scribe - the only person whose blood holds the power to write the books of magic the library relies on.
As their paths cross and intertwine, their fates will become irrevocably linked and their lives will become more treacherous than they could ever have imagined.

The way that the story threads were interwoven was beautiful. I loved how all of the characters individual stories came together to reveal the larger tapestry of the plot, and how what we discovered with each character led into what we needed to know about others. There were times that we knew more than certain characters, but not in a way that was frustrating as the reader.

The plot was fast paced with lulls which allowed us to learn more about the world and magic system in a natural and satisfying way. And the magic system was fascinating! I absolutely cannot wait to see what more we discover about how the magic works as the series continues.

Overall, I absolutely loved Ink Blood Sister Scribe and I can’t wait for the next book.

[ARC provided by NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review Ink Blood Sister Scribe.]

Rating: 5/5

Ink Blood Sister Scribe is an incredible debut packed with dark magic and dangerous books. The author expertly combines urban fantasy with dark academia in this thrilling tale that will have you eagerly turning each page as you uncover new puzzle pieces that contribute to the overall mystery of this story. There’s so much to be discovered in this book and I believe there’s something for everyone within these pages.

The book begins by introducing us to two estranged sisters, Joanna and Esther, who share a deadly secret. Joanna lives in a secluded woodland area in Vermont and is the sole protector of her family’s collection of very rare books. Although these aren’t ordinary books, and can serve a variety of purposes such as turning water into wine or give the reader the ability to walk through walls. In this position she cannot leave her home as she must reset the wards every evening so that the deadly library will remain undiscoverable by those who wish to abuse its power. Esther, on the other hand, is not rooted to one spot, and instead must stay constantly on the move. After their father warned her that her presence at home would only endanger their family further, she has been travelling all over the world in an effort to remain hidden. When the book begins we meet her in Antarctica at a research station where she has fallen in love with a woman named Pearl, and when the yearly deadline for her to move on passes and strange things start to happen, she is once again reminded of the danger that follows her.

Esther and Joanna each have their own POV within the book but there is also a third. Nicholas lives in London and although there are similarities in their shared experiences, his life is a stark contrast from the two sisters. His world is opulent and lavish, and although he has almost everything he could possibly want at his fingertips, he, like Joanna, is restricted to his home, an estate that contains one of the world’s largest magical libraries. Nicholas is kept under the watchful eye of his uncle, Richard, who has raised him to reach his full potential as the last Scribe, someone with the ability to create magic through the ritualistic process of transforming his own blood into ink which can then be used to make magical books.

The beginning of this book starts with the core three characters far away from each other in their own bubbles of isolation. This theme is very important and manifests differently for each character. With Joanna, she is confined to her home by duty and although she can leave during the day, she must always return to reset the wards and by doing so, no one else can find or even remember where the home is. Esther cannot settle in one place and struggles with forming long-lasting relationships. Although she can surround herself with others, she must keep them firmly at a distance. And finally there’s Nicholas who has no choice but to follow the strict rules of his uncle. As he is the last Scribe, he has a target on his back whenever he leaves the safety of his home, and therefore can only form bonds with people that have been approved by his Uncle.

I found that each POV matched the characters perfectly. In Joanna’s secluded home she longs for human connection but will settle for the woodland creatures that surround her. I found her to be a little like Snow White at times and her world seemed much more like a fairy-tale than the others. Esther, on the other hand, led the more adventurous side of this story through her need to travel combined with the dangerous situations she has found herself in. And then there’s Nicholas who lives in a very academic world that is boosted by the backdrop of London, giving his chapters a darker, more sinister feel at times. The author does an amazing job of seamlessly connecting these characters and throughout the story, as their own journeys begin to bleed into each other, their voices are strong and recognisable in a way that transcends their surroundings.

Ink Blood Sister Scribe is first and foremost, a book about magic, but it also deals with a wide range of themes such as family, loyalty, generational secrets and colonialism. There’s a lot going on but it doesn’t ever feel overwhelming. Each character, through their own varied experiences provides their own insights into the mystery they’ve found themselves in and I loved the message that, although ignorance can be bliss, there truly is power in knowledge and we must protect that knowledge so that it is never abused.

I recommend this to readers who understand that there is a special kind of magic between the pages of books. I could go and on with this review but I’ll finish by saying that if you’ve ever found yourself in awe at the spellbinding capabilities of literature, then this is a book that you have to read. I can’t wait to see what else this author will write, and I can’t wait to find more magic in those words.

Headlines:
Estranged sisters
Mirror magic
Family legacy

Ink Blood Sister Scribe was a cleverly crafted fantasy set in the contemporary but in a world where magic was real and books held danger. Libraries were a rarety and mirrors could be magical. I'm not gonna lie, mirror magic freaks me out somewhat and this element was kind of creepy to me but I don't think it will be to others.

These sisters, Esther and Joanna were estranged from the point Esther was forced to leave home and live life on the run at 18. In terms of their parents, I couldn't decide if they were good guys or bad guys and it took the whole story to really work out the family promises, magic and (unfortunate) legacy that evolved. There was third POV that was really interested and when these three stories finally intertwined in person, it was engrossing.

If you asked me now to explain the magic system, I'm still a bit shaky on some of the details but I found myself just going along for the ride because it was well written and the characters were fully developed. The sisters were a likeable pair and I didn't feel a lean towards one rather than the other.

I'm really interested to read more from this author and as far as I am aware, this is a standalone; it certainly felt like it at the end.

Thank you to DelRey UK for the eARC.

Loved, loved, loved this book!

In my view, this felt like a softer, slower read than a lot of fantasy stories, and honestly, it works brilliantly for this book. It was achingly intimate and at the core of this book is a story of what it means to be a family and what it means to have the sins of the past (and the people who come before us) follow us into the present — what we do in those situations, the choices we make.

The worldbuilding in this book was phenomenal. I especially loved the concept of book magic and mirror magic, which is a facet I don't think we get to see a lot of in fantasy books. In addition, the concept of libraries and magic infused in libraries — it gave the book a dark academia bent with a speculative twist. But I would be remiss if I didn't talk about what really drew me to this story — the relationship between Esther and Joanna. I'm a sucker for complicated relationships between family members, and even more, between sisters. It was fun seeing the separating arcs of both characters, the thoughts they had about one another, and then, the moment when their stories finally came together and they were reunited.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book!

Ok, this was fabulous! Exciting, magical, funny but also tense, suspensful and deeply moving. This book literally has it all for fans of magical realism.

Without giving anything away (because there are multiple fantastic twists and turns), the plot follows Ester and Joanna, two sisters living totally separate lives. For reasons not yet known to the reader, the sisters don't have any communication except postcards. Ester is living on a base in Antarctica while Joanna tends to and cares for her family's collection of magical books in the basement of childhood home in Vermont. When Ester is faced with the deadly consquence of a choice, she realised that it't not just her own life at stake and readers are plunged into a fast-paced thriller-esque journey across the globe.

There are some truly brilliant characters in this novel and, for me, that'what really made this a 5* read for me. I LOVED Nicholas and Collins, Sir Kiwi and even Richard (who was such an unsettling presence throughout, though of course we don't know why at first). I couldn't put this one down and I had such a great time reading it!

Thank you so much to @netgalley @centurybooksuk @delreyuk for this e-ARC in exchange for my unbiased review!
#InkBloodSisterScribe

oh YES. exactly what the doctor ordered. a hefty enough book that just flies by. absolutely beautiful

i enjoyed the dark academia evil library vampire vibes of this book this is a genre i do enjoy and love books that centre books or bookshops or libraries and i liked the themes but i spent a lot of it wondering what exactly was the plot and though i liked the ideas it was building i wasnt sure i had a character i really liked on balance i did like it but did live me a little puzzled

Joanna is the sole protector of a collection of rare, magical books. It’s a lonely life, but her father lived and died for these books, so she is determined to carry on protecting them as per his wishes. Her estranged sister, Esther, lives on the run, never staying in one place for longer than a year to evade the people who killed her mother. But when Esther stays in her current location for a few days longer than she should, it soon becomes clear that someone has found her, and they are coming for her. Between the two of them, Joanna and Esther must uncover the truth their parents kept hidden from them, or both their lives will be in grave danger.

Ink Blood Sister Scribe is one of the best fiction books-about-books I’ve read so far. The plot is multilayered and quite complex, but each thread was easy to follow and tied together really well. Each aspect was also equally important and enjoyable, so I didn’t particularly find myself skimming over any chapters to get to the good bits – all of it was the good bits.

I did like some characters more than others (Esther and Collins) but they were all likeable enough in their way and contributed to the overall dynamic. I did feel that the slight romantic aspect was not needed, but I can’t blame the author for trying.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It’s well written and a lot of fun. I was upset when it ended.

Ink Blood Sister Scribe weaves seemlessly a fantasy world with all the suspense of a thriller, as we follow two estranged sisters crossing oceans and magical portals in order to seek the truth behind a centuries old secret.

It is a transformative and spellbinding read that constantly kept me guessing through all the twists and revelations!

It's got magic, books, complicated family dynamics and secrets all tied together in a plot that plays out slowly, keeping you desperate to see how it all ties together, while never wanting it to end.

A captivating and fully immersive book about magical books that makes you long to reside amongst its pages.

An instant new favourite. I don't often go for witchy elements, so I was surprised how quickly this sucked me in and then completely swept away by all three characters, their imminent convergence, and the unravelling mystery. Captivating, human, magical, mysterious intimate and gorgeously written, with a thoughtful love for words and the real ways they can negotiate power (and with a bonus sapphic)

I enjoyed the slow build to this one, as we are introduced to a new world and intriguing magical system. And how can anyone not love a magical library, truly spellbinding.

A really enjoyable fantasy. I found the magic system really intriguing and the writing captivating, but it did take a little while to get going.

Ink Blood Sister Scribe is a book about two sisters surrounded by a life of magic-one has magic and one is immune to it. I enjoyed this book as I liked the idea of books being magical objects and potentially dangerous, and although I found the story a little bit difficult to follow at times, the multiple POVs made it really interesting to read as the characters’ stories overlapped and the mysteries started to unravel. The start felt a little bit slow but it really picked up a few chapters in and I enjoyed reading it. I’d recommend this to anyone interested in magic and spells, as it’s a great book.

I've fallen out of love of fantasy and magical fiction after reading nothing else for many years. However this story is full of magic books and secret libraries so how could my passion for this genre not be renewed? There is also a cat

The first part of the book is a slow build as the characters are introduced and the magical system is explored but I was completely captivated. I found the magic in this story interesting if a little bit disturbing. Spell books are only written by scribes using their own blood. Eeeek! However once the spellbooks are written anyone can read them. There are secret libraries where the spellbooks are protected and kept hidden as some books are dangerous and should never be opened.

Once this story gets going it really takes off and there is plenty of action. The threads of the characters all weave together flawlessly and you begin to see how everyone is connected.

It's hard to believe that Ink Blood Sister Scribe is a debut by Emma Torzs as she has totally smashed it with this novel. I can definitely see this adapted for TV and I really hope there maybe a sequel.

I really struggled with this, I didn't find it engaging enough. The writing is good on the whole although sometimes it struck me as a little 'juvenile' for want of a better word. I found the story didn't really come together till nearly half way through and by then I was getting impatient.

I didn't finish this book sadly. I really loved the sound of this book, I loved the chapters leading upto chapter 5. Unfortunately chapter 5 just bored me and I didn't see any relevance to it at all. I really wanted to love this book. For me I wouldn't normally read this genre so maybe that's probably where and why I couldn't finish it sorry.
Thank you to Netgalley and Century publishing for an advanced copy. Good luck Emma with the release!