I tried reading this book a few times, it took me ages to get through the first chapter. I liked the premise of the story but the first chapter was slow. It felt more of a YA fantasy than an adult, the romance took up more time than the fantasy elements and it wasn't for me. When I finally pushed through and read the second chapter and more of the fantasy elements were introduced I started to get intrigued. However I felt bogged down by details of the history and world I just wanted to get into the story. I feel like if I was shown the past instead it would've been interesting. So after slogging through two and a half chapters I decided to leave this book unfinished.
It's not for me at the moment. If I try it again in future and change my mind I'll amend the review.

I enjoyed reading Inn Blood Sister Scribe, I found it slow to begin with but it picked up pace in the second half. I love to read anything dark or magical and this book didn't disappoint. I will be looking for more books by this author.

I absolutely fell in love with this book.

The plot is dark but still fun and enjoyable to read. I loved how the magic worked and how books were incorporated into the story. The Library sounds incredible (and scary!!)

Loved the mystery element and how it all unravelled.

The characters were ALL brilliant. I didn't hate anyone

My only criticism (but even then this is a 5 star read) is that everything tied up too neatly in the end. But I still loved!!!!

Loved it.

What a complex storyline, great interesting characters and loved how it all came together. I was hooked. I really enjoy a multiple pov, I feel you get to know the characters better. Fantastic concept and really enjoyed it.
Would certainly recommend.

One of my bookish resolution of 2024 is to try and get my eProof backlog under control. I do have a lot of books and audiobooks gifted to me very kindly by publishers and authors, and I would like to try and tackle this backlog.

One of the titles that have been on my backlog radar is Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs, It’s one of those titles that tickled my fancy for quite a while, but, for one reason or another, I’ve kept putting it off. But, with everything that has happened to my reading over the past few months, I decided to audiobook this from my local library and hope I will fly through it.

In this fantasy thriller debut, we follow estranged sisters Joanna and Esther. Joanna lives alone in Vermont, the sole protector of a collection of rare magical books. One of these books killed their father.

Esther moves every few months. Different country, different jobs, staying no longer than a year, desperate to avoid the magic that her father and stepmother warned her about. But she’s found love on a research base in Antarctica and she wants to stay… then she discovers blood on the mirrors and she knows someone on the base is using blood magic and they are coming after her and her sister’s collection.

Esther and Joanna are in danger. But from who and where? And how is this connected to a young man in London who’s uncle won’t let him out of his sight?

I am going to be honest. I probably shouldn’t read/audiobook this while I am in the reading funk, but if I didn’t audiobook this or one of my many audiobook TBR (both bought and gifted), I would be going down a podcast rabbit-hole and I fear for my partner’s mental health if he comes home from work and all I listened to was true crime podcasts…

But I went into this audiobook (narrated by Saskia Maarleveld) not knowing much about it or reading other people’s reaction. I am going to admit that, while I do like Saskia Maarleveld’s reading, I did fasten my listening to 1.25 speed as she does take long pauses and, after a while, it did begin to grate on me.

Now, the book. I am going to split this into two. The first half (between 25% to 50%) is slow in pacing for my taste. Now, I completely get why now that I have finished the book: it was giving us chance to sink into this dark magic world that is grounded in ours and allowed our characters time to breathe and us to get to know them. But you know me, I like my thrillers to hit that ground running.

However, once the world and characters are set up, the pacing picks up and it becomes unputdownable and became a fantasy thriller that gave me A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness vibes. It was dark and grown-up read.

Barring the slow start, this is a strong, solid debut and I can’t wait to see what this author is going to write next. I am a little annoyed that it’s taken this long to get round to this!

Firstly, a massive thank you to Random House UK and Cornerstone for kindly providing me with an early access copy.

Ink Blood Sister Scribe is an incredible debut with a perfect combination of an intriguing magic system, riveting multigenerational family secrets, gripping action, and beautifully descriptive world building. A solid recommendation to any Erin Morgenstern and Katherine Arden fans. The only gripe I had was that I don’t think it will stay with me as much as my favourite 5-star reads. I’m eager to pick up Emma Torzs’ future works.

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.