This was such a unique story. The magic system took me a beat to get into but I really liked it. I loved the writing- lyrical without being pretentious or tedious. And I have to hand it to the narrator- she had to do so many accents but I thought she did them all really well. This was a great way to end my reading year! 

"Ink Blood Sister Scribe" by Emma Törzs is a good urban fantasy for readers who love books and libraries. The story follows two estranged sisters, Esther and Joanna, whose family watches over a collection of magical books. To protect the books and her sister from a mysterious force, Esther must move every year, which has led to a life with few deep connections. But this year, Esther is enjoying her life and budding relationship with Pearl so she decides to stay longer than the one year mark. When this decision backfires, Esther begins to learn the truth of her family's history and the danger that threatens them. 
I really enjoy the magic that Törzs has created as well as everything related to the library. I cared for the sisters but I do think that I will quickly forget them. There is a big part of this story (and a main character) that isn't mentioned in the synopsis and I'm not quite sure why. I found them to be the more interesting part and I felt like they had more character development. I will be interested to see if Törzs writes any companion novels since the world she sets up feels far vaster than the story in this standalone. This feels like it might have been better set up as a series with this book as the first installment and a future installment that would further explore the world outside of the main characters' lives. 

Not ready to write much about this yet! But I really loved this book. Extremely fun.

Well written overall. The magic system, however, toes—if not fully crosses—the line of a blood libel trope. I do not make that argument lightly. See below for short explanation. 

The magic of the books relies on the ritual harvesting (there’s no other word for it, as willing as some may be) of Scribes’ blood to make the ink, at the very least. The length of the book determines how much blood, and Scribes do die in the process of making books. More complex spells are composed of other ritually harvested parts, e.g., hair, sinew, skin. That the magic system relies on the ritual harvesting of the blood, lives, and bodies of a specific group of people (Scribes) in service of magic they themselves cannot enact or be affected by, toes the line of blood libel. That the book is focused on a specific, elite group  and one influential character being the ones doing the ritual harvesting… you see what I mean.

Read with care and caution. 

I do agree that Collins and Nicholas should have been endgame. 

 

Come Home

Emma Torzs’ debut novel is a spellbinding story about forgiveness, family, and magical books. Where the librarians literally bleed for their craft. When Joanna Kalotay finds her father killed by one of these unbreakable books, she is left with a mystery that threatens the lives of her family. Her sister Esther and the bookbinder Nicholas must solve this mystery before it is too late.

The bases of Emma Torzs’ story are the very books themselves. Each book is bound with blood, to complete a single magical spell that a Scribe writes into reality. Each character has their own history of how they came across these mysterious books, and how they are made. Joanna lives a very secluded life, now haunted by her father’s memory. As her mother begs her to leave the home that protects these books, Joanna must decide if protecting them is worth her life. Her half-sister Esther has been running from a secret that killed her mother. Now that she has found love, running is not what she wants anymore. They are both living underneath a family secret that threatens to consume their future.

Also involved is Nicholas the last Scribe, a writer and bookbinder of the Library. Nicholas has lived a very sheltered life controlled by his persuasive uncle. With the help of his bodyguard, the secretive Collins, he must expose his uncle’s lies and escape the Library. Don’t forget Sir Kiwi, his adorable emotional support Pomeranian. With the help of Esther they uncover a lifetime of secrets and revelations.

Emma Torzs does a great job introducing each character, and giving them an understandable backstory as to why they are trapped within these secrets. Each character also has a complicated relationship with their parents, though many of these feelings are left unresolved. The ending was a bit predictable, due to the entirely planed out nature of the mission, but their new friendship was easy to root for. A magical read about the love of books, and the price of protecting them.

 

With decadently rich prose and an intriguing mix of magic and mystery, Emma Törzs’ Ink Blood Sister Scribe explores loyalty, sisterhood, betrayal and obsession —in this gorgeously interwoven tale about two estranged sisters, their family’s magical book collection and the shady organisation willing to do anything to possess them.

I absolutely loved this and really enjoyed how suspenseful, immersive and lush the world building was. The detailed and exquisitely rendered introduction we get into the day-to-day lives (and backstories) of all three of our protagonists was really well written—I was particularly intrigued by the depth and nuance we explore in Esther and Joanne’s sisterly bond.

Especially in how their childhood has shaped their adult lives (namely their ambitions, motivations and approach to relationships) as well as the complicated feelings surrounding their long-time estrangement. 

I also found Nicholas’ upbringing quite fascinating and really enjoyed the juxtaposition between his own sheltered upbringing and that of Esther and Joanne’s, which, despite the similarities highlights just how severely lonely and starved of affection he is. Seeing how easily Nicholas risks his own well being to gain approval was genuinely quite heartbreaking—and his earnest attempts at friendship, with both his surly bodyguard and Esther made me want to give him a big hug. 

Given the magical realist thriller-esque tone, the pace was slightly slower than I had anticipated, however, the slow-burn build up definitely helped to keep the multilayered and interwoven mystery dripping with tension and drowning in a sea of exquisitely crafted emotion. Trust me—the twists, turns and revelations uncovered will have you on the edge of your seat. 

Not to mention the comedy gold we get in the Sunshine x Grump dynamics between Nicholas and his bodyguard Collins, or the utter adorableness of female Pomeranian Sir Kiwi (whose bond with Collins is soo sweet.) 

Overall, an evocative and utterly spellbinding literary fantasy that’s full of vibrant, compelling characters you’ll be hard pressed not to root for. So, if you love books full of magic (and magical books) then you definitely don’t want to miss this! 

Also, a massive thank you to Century UK for the fabulous proof.