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queen_perfection's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
darfj's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
karenholmes's review against another edition
5.0
I know I discovered this book a long time ago, and it was in my TBR, but I had forgotten about it until I saw it in another's friend Goodreads and then I HAD to read it. Just finished it and longing to buy the second book in the series.
A mixture of fantasy and science fiction because it's set in a future where magic is the way to share books, instead of print. The Great Library of Alexandria controls all the knowledge and shares it with an alchemy process to everyone connected to it through a type of tablet called Codex. Each earth inhabitant has one and it's where all the knowledge approved by the Library is shared.
Original books are forbidden and it's a crime to hide and trade them. Of course, there is a flourishing trade in books and not everyone uses them for the same purpose.
I am so willing to get again into this world.
A mixture of fantasy and science fiction because it's set in a future where magic is the way to share books, instead of print. The Great Library of Alexandria controls all the knowledge and shares it with an alchemy process to everyone connected to it through a type of tablet called Codex. Each earth inhabitant has one and it's where all the knowledge approved by the Library is shared.
Original books are forbidden and it's a crime to hide and trade them. Of course, there is a flourishing trade in books and not everyone uses them for the same purpose.
I am so willing to get again into this world.
martinlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Such a killer book! Highly entertaining, with lots and lots of plot- and character twists. For a librarian this is such a fun, and horrifying read!
cooperca's review against another edition
3.0
It took some time to warm up to this story, but once I became invested in these characters,- their struggles, their survival, and their stories - I couldn't put the book down.
I didn't feel the set up of the story's world was clear and I was somewhat confused about the role of the Great Library and what the Codex was used for. Once I figured it out, the story became more enjoyable. The idea of keeping ideas and permanent words to a select few was an interesting premise. Reading Jessie's story of being a student whose beliefs were challenged to the eventual betrayal of an institution he believed in is what will make me read the next in the series.
I didn't feel the set up of the story's world was clear and I was somewhat confused about the role of the Great Library and what the Codex was used for. Once I figured it out, the story became more enjoyable. The idea of keeping ideas and permanent words to a select few was an interesting premise. Reading Jessie's story of being a student whose beliefs were challenged to the eventual betrayal of an institution he believed in is what will make me read the next in the series.
bayerischer_buecherdrache's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ihateprozac's review against another edition
4.0
Ink and Bone tells the story of Jess, a teenage book smuggler living in a world where information is controlled by The Great Library of Alexandria. Instead of perishing in the ancient world as it did in our timeline, The Library of Alexandria survived to become a tyrannical institution taking the place of government. The Library owns all books and citizens have access to information only in the format, selection, frequency and duration that the Library deem it appropriate. Jess is sent to become a scholar of the Library and quickly learns that the Library is more complex and twisted than anybody could have anticipated.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t begin this review by gushing at length about how incredible this universe is! I read a looooot of fantasy and sci-fi, so it’s truly an amazing feeling when I stumble across a universe that takes me completely by surprise! The Great Library is set in a regressed near-future dystopian society with Roman Empire, alchemy, and steampunk leanings. I flew through the first few pages under the assumption that this was a historical fiction-fantasy set in the 15th century, only to discover the year was closer to 2045! While reading I constantly forgot this book wasn’t set in the past, prompted only by the presence of automatons and the Codex tablet tech.
I’ve always been upset by the destruction of the Library of Alexandria, so you know I was absolutely LIVING for this story. We get to see Alexandria in a school setting that lies at the intersection of the alchemical and the technological, we have a gifted “chosen one” protagonist and a surly instructor, we have a tyrannical regime that must be overthrown, we have a shiny golden train like the Hogwarts Express on steroids, we have warfare, we have a culturally and sexually diverse cast, and we have a craptonne of books! It literally takes my favourite elements of history and my favourite literary tropes and devices and combines them to form an incredibly unique and compelling story.
(Also can we take a moment to appreciate that the big ol’ gay ship I was hoping for appears to be canon, YAS)
My only criticism of this story is that I wasn’t super invested in Jess as a character - for me, he’s kind of like Harry Potter where I appreciate how he propels the story forward, but I invariably fell more in love with the supporting characters. I liked Jess and he certainly had some hilarious one-liners, but I felt more for Thomas, Glain, Khalila, Dario, Wolfe, and Santi. Jess and his love interest weren’t overly compelling and didn’t have much chemistry, and I’m more interested to see how their actions in this story serve as catalysts for events in the next novel.
Overall: This was a solid foundational book in a fascinating and incredibly unique universe. Caine blends steampunk and sci-fi, history and future, alchemy and technology so seamlessly, presenting a regressed society that I genuinely forgot wasn’t set in the past. I am so damn keen to continue exploring this world and what mysteries the nefarious Alexandrian Library holds!
I’d be remiss if I didn’t begin this review by gushing at length about how incredible this universe is! I read a looooot of fantasy and sci-fi, so it’s truly an amazing feeling when I stumble across a universe that takes me completely by surprise! The Great Library is set in a regressed near-future dystopian society with Roman Empire, alchemy, and steampunk leanings. I flew through the first few pages under the assumption that this was a historical fiction-fantasy set in the 15th century, only to discover the year was closer to 2045! While reading I constantly forgot this book wasn’t set in the past, prompted only by the presence of automatons and the Codex tablet tech.
I’ve always been upset by the destruction of the Library of Alexandria, so you know I was absolutely LIVING for this story. We get to see Alexandria in a school setting that lies at the intersection of the alchemical and the technological, we have a gifted “chosen one” protagonist and a surly instructor, we have a tyrannical regime that must be overthrown, we have a shiny golden train like the Hogwarts Express on steroids, we have warfare, we have a culturally and sexually diverse cast, and we have a craptonne of books! It literally takes my favourite elements of history and my favourite literary tropes and devices and combines them to form an incredibly unique and compelling story.
(Also can we take a moment to appreciate that the big ol’ gay ship I was hoping for appears to be canon, YAS)
My only criticism of this story is that I wasn’t super invested in Jess as a character - for me, he’s kind of like Harry Potter where I appreciate how he propels the story forward, but I invariably fell more in love with the supporting characters. I liked Jess and he certainly had some hilarious one-liners, but I felt more for Thomas, Glain, Khalila, Dario, Wolfe, and Santi. Jess and his love interest weren’t overly compelling and didn’t have much chemistry, and I’m more interested to see how their actions in this story serve as catalysts for events in the next novel.
Overall: This was a solid foundational book in a fascinating and incredibly unique universe. Caine blends steampunk and sci-fi, history and future, alchemy and technology so seamlessly, presenting a regressed society that I genuinely forgot wasn’t set in the past. I am so damn keen to continue exploring this world and what mysteries the nefarious Alexandrian Library holds!
ladyaylesworth's review against another edition
2.0
Although there's an interesting story here, there were many times while reading this that I thought of the character in Pizar's Inside Out shouting, "BOO! Pick a plot line!" at the screen. The characters were well-developed but none of them were likable, none were worth relating to. The story jumps all over, being more like 4 incomplete stories, and they jump all over the map as well. There is a lot of good STARTS here but nothing really made me happy I read the whole darn book.