REVIEW: Ink & Bone and Paper & Fire, by Rachel Caine

In this series, aptly named “The Great Library,” Caine builds a world based on an alternate history in which the Great Library at Alexandria never burned. In this dystopian world, all books (and therefore all knowledge) are controlled by a central Library. The books follow Jess Brightwell, the son of a book smuggler, as he works to destroy the corrupt institution from the inside out. Along the way, readers meet characters with every kind of motivation imaginable. The narrative is slowed a bit at times due to intensive world-building, but readers are rewarded with robotic lion guards, a tower in which all magically gifted people are held, and a military force complete with infighting, complex internal culture, and secrets. With plenty of action, this series should please fans of dystopian fiction, fantasy, and the magic of books.

-Suzanne Krohn, Griffin Free Volunteer