Book Review: Ink and Bone

Author: Rachel Caine

Publication Date: July 7, 2015

Publisher: NAL

Series: The Great Library # 1

In an exhilarating new series, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time.…
 
Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden.
 
Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library’s service.
 
When he inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life—and soon both heretics and books will burn.…

“The truth was what the library wanted it to be.”

“Always remember the words of Descartes: The reading of all good books is like conversion with the finest men of the past centuries.” 

“The first purpose of a librarian is to preserve and defend our books. Sometimes, that means dying for them - or making someone else die for them.”

“You have ink in your blood, boy, and no help for it. Books will never be just a business to you.”

Rachel Caine made my Caribbean vacation all the more enjoyable because I got to read this book on the white sandy beaches. This series is going to be one of my favorites after reading and finishing this first book. I have so many questions about where the characters are going to go from here and what is going to happen next. I was enraptured from the first page and was completely fascinated by the idea that books are more precious than human lives. The world that Caine creates in Alexandria, Egypt, among other places around the world, is easy to picture and imagine. I immediately joined “Team Jess”, our main character, and could tell that he was brave despite all the political anarchy he faced in his life. He grew up with a family of book smugglers and understands the precious feel and smell of a book. His character was so readily developed and of course all book lovers will find it easy to supp0rt and rally behind him.

The war that is taking place in this war is written about and dealt with very carefully by Caine; there are some deaths and violence but I was happy to see that Rachel dealt with all of these sensitive issues in a way that still allows for younger audiences to enjoy this series as well. It would be a shame for anyone to miss out on a series this great. There is so much going on in Jess’s world and there are so many new terms that you must learn and understand in order to follow the world building that you cannot afford to miss one page, but trust me when I tell you that you won’t want to miss one word. The book left off in a wonderful place. I will miss the series in the meantime and I cannot wait to see where Rachel Caine will take us from here!

***A free copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at NAL in exchange for my honest review***