Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs – Review

Published: May 30, 2023

Publisher: William Morrow

Series: N/A

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 416 (Hardcover)

My Rating: 4 Stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
In this spellbinding debut novel, two estranged half-sisters tasked with guarding their family’s library of magical books must work together to unravel a deadly secret at the heart of their collection–a tale of familial loyalty and betrayal, and the pursuit of magic and power.

For generations, the Kalotay family has guarded a collection of ancient and rare books. Books that let a person walk through walls or manipulate the elements–books of magic that half-sisters Joanna and Esther have been raised to revere and protect.

All magic comes with a price, though, and for years the sisters have been separated. Esther has fled to a remote base in Antarctica to escape the fate that killed her own mother, and Joanna’s isolated herself in their family home in Vermont, devoting her life to the study of these cherished volumes. But after their father dies suddenly while reading a book Joanna has never seen before, the sisters must reunite to preserve their family legacy. In the process, they’ll uncover a world of magic far bigger and more dangerous than they ever imagined, and all the secrets their parents kept hidden; secrets that span centuries, continents, and even other libraries . . .

In the great tradition of Ninth House, The Magicians, and Practical Magic, this is a suspenseful and richly atmospheric novel that draws readers into a vast world filled with mystery and magic, romance, and intrigue–and marks the debut of an extraordinary new voice in speculative fiction.

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May is apparently the month for books about books and I am fully in support of this burgeoning trend. This time around we have a story of a Library full of spell books written at the cost of human blood and the guy in charge is using it for profit, which is rather the opposite of The Book that Wouldn’t Burn. Ink Blood Sister Scribe is also set in our modern world, so if you’d like a book with a more familiar setting, then do check this out!

Esther Kalotay left home at 18 and has been moving each year on November 2 in order to keep herself and her family safe. This year she’s in Antarctica and instead of packing up and hopping on a plane, she’s decided to stay with her lover Pearl. What’s the worst that could happen? Well, she’s certainly going to find out. Many thousands of miles away, Joanna Kalotay is going about her usual business of maintaining the books in her private collection and keeping up the wards surrounding her home. Joanna is young, but she puts her responsibilities above all else, including her own happiness even after her and Esther’s father Abe passed two years ago after bleeding on a particularly vicious spellbook. Across the pond in England we meet Nicholas, heir to the Library that threatens the Kalotay sisters and all those others who might possess certain books or certain gifts. Joanna has always been able to sense the magical books, hearing a buzzing hum like a hive of bees when in the presence of a spellbook. Esther, on the other hand, has always been unaffected by the books and their spells even to the point that she cannot read one aloud to use the spells herself. 

As we follow these three characters it quickly becomes apparent that somehow they are tied together, though exactly how remains unclear for quite awhile. I always enjoy a convergence, especially if it’s one I’ve been anticipating and this one was satisfying if a bit calmer than I’m used to in a book! 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book though it didn’t quite have the reeling emotional impact that would make this a 5 star read. The writing and dialog was on point, as was the whole concept of magical spell books written in blood. This is also a standalone, so the story was succinctly wrapped up with no loose plot threads AND it gave a thorough, hopeful epilogue that lasted for more than a single brief chapter. I’d highly recommend this for fellow nerds who can’t get enough of books about books!