The ingredients for a great urban fantasy are here but they are... well, undercooked.

The worldbuilding is the book's biggest strength, and the way the author envisions magic working makes the historical linguist in me happy: there are scribes who are able to write magic books, but they need to use their own blood as ink, and this ink needs to be made in the right conditions, with suitable rituals, and enhanced with herbs. Furthermore, the language of the magic book needs to be just right in order for the spell to work as intended. It's more of an art than a science, and the author has done a good amount of research into making books and the relevant history, which makes it all feel believable. (Although I have to admit I skimmed over some of the more gratuitous scenes describing blood being drawn and messed around with because that's icky to me personally.)

What mostly let the story down for me are the characters. The book is told from the pespective of multiple different narrators, and while they are interesting on the surface, in the end their voices were not distinctive enough, and they started to all blend together. There were also multiple moments where the characters reactions to the events did not feel authentic to me or just out of place, and that took me out of the story. The plot worked fine, and I was eager to keep reading to find out what happens next, but the conclusion left me feeling somewhat deflated.

A great debut novel about books, magic and the secrets hidden in families. A little slow to start, it picked up pace in the second half and raced towards a thrilling conclusion.

Esther is living on a remote research facility in Alaska. You find out that she has to leave her whole life behind every 12 months on the same date. However, this year she has decided to risk the danger and stay where she is for love. Her sister Joanna on the other hand is living in the family home as a recluse and is never allowed to leave the protection surrounding the building. We then have Nicholas who is living a life of extreme privilege and wealth, but has every aspect of his life controlled by his family and has no freedom. They are all connected by books powered by blood magic.

This could very easily have been dragged out into a long winded and complicated trilogy so I'm very glad it's all wrapped up neatly into one book. There is lots of action and suspense. The magic element is very believable and well explained. It also explores complicated family relationships and the sense of duty.
It's a great introduction to this kind of genre without being all wizards and magic wands.

A smashing dark academia debut. You will want this one in your hands asap. In a world where magic is real and books are limited the task of two different sisters to save their families legacy will leave you left in their world and gasping for more.

I enjoyed this book which is a great example of the magical realism genre .There is a whole complex world invented by the author where certain families have the ability to write down magical spells in books which others then have the ability to read and perform
The beginning is set in an Antarctic research station ,it seemed a little separated from the rest of the novel and I was intrigued to read that the story was originally started whilst the author was experiencing a similar experience .
The story is complex and comes out gradually as the book progressed.It is easy to read and at times quite exciting
I have read quite similar novels previously but felt this was one of the better ones I’d read in this style.
As often in this style of writing the characters themselves and their character development does take a back seat as the need to describe the world in which the boom is set takes preference .As someone who really enjoys character development I felt this was one of the shortcomings of the novel
I felt the book art said too little about the story and wouldn’t have made me reach for the novel in a book shop
I read an early copy on NetGalley Uk the book is published in the Uk by Random House Uk Counerstones on 6 th July 2023
This review will be published on NetGalley Goodreads and word press Bionic Sarah’s Books

This has to be one of the best books I've read this year.bi love reading books with a good story, great characters and a good mix of fantasy and magic. This book definitely ticks all the boxes for me. The only thing which could make it better would be to learn that the author has decided to write another book featuring these brilliant characters. If so, you can be sure I'll be first in the queue to buy it

You'll need a long breath for this one, reader! It is a thick book with a very apt title and it won't let go of you until you've dove halfway through its' pages and uncovered its secrets. Like a vampire, it will dig its claws into you and start sucking. The good thing is, you'll enjoy it. Especially the first half of the book. After that, it admittedly has its' lengths. I also fear that it is nothing for people that can't stand the sight of blood. As much a spoiler as a well-intended warning.

Thanks to Emma Törz and NetGalley for the advance copy!

I really enjoyed this book, after a few recently that I’ve struggled to finish this was a breath of fresh air. I liked the combination of fantasy, thriller, romance, and family issues as this isn’t something I’ve seen much of.
The story was a little slow and drawn out at first, but it was intriguing enough to keep me going. I do think the build-up is mostly necessary to set the various scenes/back stories as there is a lot going on. The magic is well explained although some aspects are mysterious as they are revealed as the characters learn more about the world and themselves.
All the separate parts of the story came together well and didn’t feel forced. Some of the ending was predictable from a bit earlier on but there were enough different viewpoints and interesting details of the magic that it was still interesting right to the end in my opinion.
Thank you to Century and NetGalley for the ARC.

I'm in love with the grand mythology and the way it's filtered through a tight set of characters who have intimate connections with it. The relationships are nuanced and layered with secrets and burdens. While some twists were expected but welcomed, others just flew right by me (to my joyous agony) but deepened the relationships and heightened the stakes! I enjoyed reading every chapter from each of the three POV characters, thus nothing ever bored me. Also, it's just really fun to read how another book about books is different from others and this one surely stands on its own.

Thanks to Netgalley and Century/Random House UK for providing me with the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is for people who love magical theory. Based in a world where magic books are written in blood and only a few can read them. Where the archaic and the modern clash delightfully, and where libraries are everything.

It was a slow burn for me at first, but soon I was hooked. I’m loathe to give plot points because so much is a spoiler, but I will say you have a truly brilliant cast comprising two sisters, one seemingly on the run, a rich boy - with a truly ridiculous dog, a bodyguard, an uncle, and a whole cast of disappointing parents. Some decent side characters too (shout out to Pearl). Oh and there’s massive magical mansion library.

There’s twists and turns, a decently creepy villain, and some beautiful writing. Some unusual settings too, and a decent amount of diversity. It’s pacy through the middle section - almost like a thriller, but it’s a romance too (and obviously fantasy / magic).

For me the best thing is the magical theory. The science of it is well-drawn, fascinating, and fairly holistic. A good read, enjoyed thoroughly, would recommend.

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for allowing this.

This book gets top marks for unusual magic system, creepy atmosphere and secret societies.

This novel is centres around books that contain spells. They are written in blood and only certain people are sensitive to the magic and can hear the books. These are extremely valuable and coveted. People will often commit unspeakable acts to acquire or maintain books for their collections. This was a fascinating magic system and felt quite dark. There is a clear cost to creating these books, and the books themselves can be extremely dangerous. While spell books aren’t a new idea, the way the author presented the creation and use of these books felt quite different and innovative.

There’s a current of menace that never goes away throughout this book. All of our characters seem to be under threat even when they themselves don’t seem to realise it. There’s a real sense of danger that added an exciting tension to the book. While most of the creepy and unnerving atmosphere is subtly built, there are moments of violence and horror that were disturbing. This book wasn’t gratuitous but there are occasions that were quite grim.

I did feel the book took quite a while to get going. About half way through the book it suddenly became riveting and I didn’t want to put it down. Prior to that point there was a lot of set up and backstory so it felt a bit slower. The book follows the point of view of three separate characters so when you’re doing set up and backstory for all of them it does take up a fair amount of time: it was all necessary for the story ultimately and it was worth the investment for how it all came together in the second half of the book. I did find that because we jump from perspective a lot, I had trouble really engaging with any of the central characters.

Overall this was an exciting read, particularly during the second half. I enjoyed the atmosphere, the tension and the constant sense of threat. Really interesting approach to magic. Lots of family secrets and mysteries to uncover too, and none of them in a way that felt like they were for shock value and didn’t add to the book. Very well written.

I loved this book and for any fantasy nerd or book lover it is a perfect read.
The right amount of humanity and evil masterminds, adventure, and strong female protagonists.
A age turner to the end!

Ink Blood Sister Scribe starts with Esther at a research station in the Antarctic. She has found love in the shape of an Australian, Pearl, who has been there for a year with her. However new people are now arriving and Esther moves on every year on the 2nd of November discarding her old life. Meanwhile her younger step sister, Joanna, is still in their old home in Vermont. She is the only one living there now and she is tasked with looking after the collection of magical books that her family has. This role leaves no time for her to do much else as the wards need to be set on the house each day.

Joanna does wonder about how magic books got written. She has tried experimenting with herbs and blood (her own sometimes) but has never had any success. Herbs and blood seem to be the main ingredients of the ink used. Joanna is tied to the books and the family house while Esther has to move on every year - this doesn't like a great way to live for either of them. The 3rd voice in this book is Nicholas's. It seems as though he is writing magical books for the "family business" and profit in the UK. The book follows these three voices and threads as the story develops.

Maybe the first half (roughly) isn't that pacey however by the end of that half I felt I had some idea about some parts of the story. Indeed I did spot some likely outcomes and aspects of this in advance. This is not a complaint however for me this does feel like a YA read in some ways I think. In the second half the pace increases and I certainly would not have stopped reading this book. I guess it's obvious that the story's three threads will become one at some stage.

Esther and Joanna were good characters for me and their storylines were well developed. I found them both interesting and convincing. However Nicholas was never very convincing to me - he felt more like a caricature of a posh boy. His storyline seemed rather naive and possibly contrived. In terms of the magic content I thought this was generally good. In particular the mirror magic was very good and well used.

I did find echoes of previous books I'd read in this. However this didn't have the depth or tensions of some that have stuck with me for years now. I did enjoy reading this but I felt I wanted more from it in terms of depth and maybe a little less that was obvious. Even if I was not blown away this was a decent read and I'd recommend it if it appeals to you. 3.5/5

Well written with a compelling storyline, well developed characters and great worldbuilding. I really enjoyed it,

What a magical story.
It took me a little while to get into the book whilst the scene and magic was set. But after that I totally loved it.
It is the story of 2 sisters, Esther and Joanna, one having to move every year and the other alone at home protecting the books. And so much more, including spell writing and the use of spells.
It was well written, I loved the characters, the many twists and turns and the ending.
I can’t wait to read more.

Absolutely loved this! A highly intriguing concept that was well-executed with several compelling reveals/twists, extremely pacy and easy to whiz through as I was so keen to know what would happen next. Brilliant.

Loved this magic system. The cast of characters was diverse and beautifully flawed
I would say bare with it, it's very slow at first and doesn't feel like the story takes off till half way through really. But despite that it is an intriguing plot and a good take on the classic magic book trope - with a magic system that felt plausible and enjoyable and I didn't guess many of the twists and turns either but they all made sense once explained
Could have done with a tad more of this, but I loved it. Could do well as a series or a standalone I feel

I found this to be an easy read but I just didn't connect with any of the characters and struggled to find the magic system believable.

A fantastic new book.A wonderful world of magic within books and libraries. Mystery, twists and romance and thown in togther in an engaging mix. I loved it.

I loved pretty much everything about this book except the title! There was a good mix of old fashioned magic in a modern day world. The characters were believable and I didn't see the twist close to the end. I think there's a follow up to this story somewhere down the line.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the preview of this book.