Ink and Bone (The Great Library #1) by Rachel Caine

Ink and Bone (The Great Library #1)

by Rachel Caine
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Format: Hardcover | 351 pgs.

Published:  July 7th 2015 by NAL

Genre: YA lit, Fantasy

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"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 his friend 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…" -goodreads

Review:

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

A thrill from beginning to end, Ink and Bone follows Jess as he struggles with his secrets of his family's business and becoming who he's always feared, the enemy. With a worldly setting, a growing conspiratorial plot and a group of complicated yet diverse lovable characters, this book is a must for those looking for a refreshing Young Adult story.

"The truth was what the library wanted it to be." (pg. 335)

This book was such a great and unique adventure! Jess, an illegal book smuggler, gets accepted into the prestigious Great Library program in Alexandria, Egypt as the story follows him and his fellow elite postulants as they learn, fight, lie and risk their lives for a position in the guild. The setting is futuristic, however the ideas are ancient as the Library holds onto secrets of advancement of civilization. I wasn't very fond of the instalove that developed later in the story and how the plot swayed to accommodate it, but I loved the 1984 vibes of a vicious and controlling higher entity. As a whole, this book was such a thrill that I immediately started Paper and Fire (The Great Library #2). The perfect story for any book lover who's looking for a worldly adventure, Ink and Bone will captivate you to the end and beyond.

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