As a librarian and general book lover, it's hard not to love this series. This book is dark and action-packed and we really get to see all of the characters start to come into their own. Thomas will forever be my favorite because there's such depth under that quiet, genius exterior.

Paper and Fire suffered a little form middle book syndrome but Ash and Quill was better and a step in the right direction.

We start off in a Burner home base and while I was hoping that maybe there were some fanatics out there burning them selves to death and the core of the group would be more solid I was not disappointed by the expansion of the world to include the Burner city home base in Philadelphia.

It was interesting to see how in this alternate history the city went from the heart of the revolution to a Burner home base under a siege that has lasted 100 years. More interesting that it seems like whatever the movement is today it is not the same as it was when Ben Franklin was a member.

Still Jess and company are all together and it is nice to see them working as a team, or at least as much as they can to find a way out of the city. I really felt for the people of the city who were not really part of the Burners but stuck in the city just the same trying to make a living and caught in the crosshairs.

Overall the pacing and complete story in this is much better than the prior book. I love Khalila strength in this and she came through as a more solid three dimensional character.

*** “Only cowards are so afraid of a scrap of cloth,” she said, clear enough to carry to the stands. There was a shimmer in her eyes: anger, not tears. “We may not agree with the Archivist; we may want to see him gone and better Scholars take his place. But we still stand for knowledge. You stand for nothing.” ***

Also Thomas with his humor and occasional outburst due to stresses of the past made him more three dimensional as well. I like Jess but sometimes he is still just not enough to carry the entire story and I really think that this could possibly benefit from being told from multiple PoVs. For instance I really want into Morgan’s head as she is going around doing her part and what she thinks of her power. I’m not scared of Morgan but I am scared a little for her. Still I’m glad that Glain is there to remind Jess when he is being a twit.

*** “Stop thinking like a lovestruck idiot; she’s a weapon. She can build us a channel to communicate with your brother. Let her do the job she needs to do, all right?”
He turned toward her. Hands out of his pockets, body set as if he expected her to attack. He saw her shift to match it. It was probably unconscious. Probably. “I’m not willing to break her to serve the rest of us. We do that, we’re no better than the Archivist.”
Glain’s expression didn’t shift. It was calm and set and confident. “Flavia chose to pick up the knife.”
“Flavia stood on the corpses of everyone who died first trying to protect her. So think about that a moment.” His tone had gone so hard, cold, and final that he scarcely believed it was his.
“Flavia was a child,” Glain said. “And you don’t have a moral right to treat Morgan as one!” ***

Still most of the action is reserved for the final quarter of the book and that is when everything seems to happen. Dang for that ending, I’m so sad for my favorite couple of the book right now and hope that everything gets fixed soon. There is one romantic pairing that really stands out and I love those two together. The tender moments we see between them are great and again I appreciate that it is the more unconventional couple that is the strongest in this series.

So I’m glad the next book is out soon because I don’t want to have to wait long to see how it all resolves.

An excellent addition to the series, with gripping storytelling and powerful portrayals of characters. highly recommend it!

Ash and Quill is another lovely installment of the The Great Library series! I love bookish books, so this series feeds that part of me. I love the growth that our beloved characters have done since the first book, and I think this might be my favorite in the series (so far) for that very reason. So much action and stuff going on! Beware the ending! You'll be on the edge of your seat!

This book came and punched me in the face and it was awesome! Ash and Quill certainly didn't give any quarter when it came to dealing emotional damage to us - I can attest to the fact that my heart was pounding in the second half of the book, my nerves screaming at me to read faster to find out what happens next. Since the previous book, Jess and his found family have been trying to stay out of the Archivist's reach, but in a world of few allies, and even less of them trustworthy, they have to constantly try to stay a few paces ahead of their pursuers. At the end of the last book, they had been captured by the London Burners and sent to the HQ of the movement in Philadelphia, with barely the plans of printing press and their positions to shield them.

Most of the book finds them in hostile territory, in one way or another. Philadelphia has the fanatical Burners who hate them on sight, just for being from the Great Library, fugitive or not. With injured members, and only the promise of the press holding off the aggression, their place in a walled city that is under siege from High Garda is not exactly the best place for this family to recuperate. And Morgan's Obscurist abilities put her in more danger than just slavery - the toll of the quintessence is starting to show on her, and Jess doesn't want her to use it, but they don't have many options. Jess and Dario sort of make up in that they both know that they have to be the ones to plan a strategy out of the place. Thomas is in a darker place since his hard-won freedom, and a bit of a wild card.

The best part of the book is the endless deceptions and clever twists coming their way; there are also a lot of mind-games being played. Since they all are in hostile territory, gaining the upper hand, knowing when to co-operate and how much to give in becomes a dangerous game for them, and the author builds the tension so well. So much of the book is building suspense and mounting horror, and we can see the larger picture of how it could be resolved, the only thing being how they are going to achieve it. One particular touch I liked was in a scene closer to the ending, between Jess and Morgan, which called back to a similar scene in book 1, because the parallels and the character growth from that earlier scene? Wonderful! Of course, there is much more development between the characters otherwise, too, with Dario and Khalila, Glain and Jess, Jess and Branden, and much more. Also Wolfe called them 'our children' to Santi *cue happy tears*!!! This was one hell of a sequel and I'm so glad I already have the next one, because I can't imagine waiting after THAT ending!

I actually thought this series was starting to get just a little stale with the last book. Don't get me wrong, it was still good, just not as good as the others. But I apologize for ever thinking that. THIS ONE WAS AMAZING! I absolutely loved it. It was so freaking fast paced and exciting. There were so many twists and turns and suspenseful. The ending was CRAZY AMAZING. There was such an adrenaline rush. And the world building was fantastic. I absolutely loved this crazy roller coaster ride of a book.

After teh second book, it took me a while to read this one. Thanksfully, it was much better. i am really enjoying the story.

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

"The unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone and Paper and Fire unite to save the Great Library of Alexandria from itself in this electrifying adventure in the New York Times bestselling series.

Hoarding all the knowledge of the world, the Great Library jealously guards its secrets. But now a group of rebels poses a dangerous threat to its tyranny...."

Jess Brightwell and his band of exiles have fled London, only to find themselves imprisoned in Philadelphia, a city led by those who would rather burn books than submit. But Jess and his friends have a bargaining chip: the knowledge to build a machine that will break the Library’s rule.

Their time is running out. To survive, they’ll have to choose to live or die as one, to take the fight to their enemies—and to save the very soul of the Great Library...."

One of my plans for summer is to read all the books so far in this series.

I've had a Net Galley copy of Ash and Quill, the third book in the YA Great Library series by Rachel Caine for some time, and now I've been approved by the publisher for the fourth book, Smoke and Iron. I really apologize. I should have gotten to it sooner. I'm trying to read more Net Galleys this year.

This alternate history dystopian series is fascinating to me conceptually. I've reviewed Ink and Bone and Paper and Fire on this blog at the locations I've hyperlinked.

The focus of Ash and Quill is the implementation of a pivotal forbidden technology in Philadelphia which is a Burner city opposed to the Great Library. The Burners of this alternate America are trying to evade control by the authoritarians in charge of the Great Library, but leaders of movements that oppose established institutions may also want to consolidate their own power. We have seen this in our timeline over and over. The comedian W.C. Fields famously stated a mordant preference for being in Philadelphia. I assure you that there are no circumstances in which he'd rather be in this Philadelphia.

I've seen Khalila, the Islamic hijabi character, mentioned approvingly in reviews. Khalila is one of the small group of rebels who are the heroes of this series. She is one of my favorites too, but I wondered why she is portrayed as standing for prayer at one point in Ash and Quill. I've usually seen Muslim prayer in the prostration position with the forehead touching the ground. As a result of a search for this review, I now know that there is a sequence of Islamic prayer postures that apparently usually begins with a calming and centering period of standing. See this article on islamreligion.com . So I learned a bit more about Islam due to having read this book.

I enjoyed savoring a few morsels of Burner history. Benjamin Franklin was a Burner in the Great Library timeline. For those who know Benjamin Franklin's history as an inventor in our universe, there is a moment of supreme irony in this book that I appreciated. The inclusion of Benjamin Franklin caused me to wonder about other historical figures in the context of the Great Library and Burners. I'd like to see how they fared in Rachel Caine's universe.


Ash and Quill does end on a dramatic cliffhanger, but fortunately I have an ARC of the sequel ready to go on my e-reader. So our heroes needn't be left dangling for long. I hope to review Smoke and Iron relatively soon.

When I read the first book in this series, I had no expectations, just thought it sounded like a great concept and so picked it up. It pretty much blew me away. I loved the entire concept of the the Library being evil, controlling (and often destroying) knowledge. It set a ridiculously high bar for the series, but even though next in the series (Paper and Fire) did not have quite that same level of magical reading experience, there was still plenty of room to be really good. I’m not exactly sure what happened with this book, but I feel like I lost all of the things that made me love the series. Yes, the Library is still evil, but at this point, I need more. I really wish this had been a trilogy and contained some closure at this point. I feel like if more had happened, perhaps I would have more excited by this book. But it is another middle book where I wish the story made more progress.

Jess and his crew escaped at the end of the previous book, and now find themselves in Philadelphia, land of the Burners. Jess was raised in a family of book smugglers, and learned a great appreciation for printed book if possessing them was illegal. Now, he and his knowledge appreciating friends from The Library are trapped with people who would rather burn books than turn them over to the Library. It provides some interesting conflict. Also of interest is their development of a printing press, and the possibilities that presents. There is also exploration that gives deeper understanding of some of the relationships in the book, notably Wolf and Santi, Jess and his brother. Dario also gets a bit more depth or complexity.

I think with this book, the telling rather than showing really slowed my excitement. Pair that with recapping the same information over and over, and I just had trouble maintaining any level of excitement. So while I loved the first book, now in the third book of the series, I still feel like Jess is the only character I have any connection to. And even worse, I feel like that connection faltered in this book. That’s not a good thing! That means my strongest connection with this series is wavering, and losing ground. Quickly. I am on the fence if I will continue with the next book in this series, honestly, I will wait for some other reviews to come in before I decide for sure, particularly reviews from other readers that have experienced more issues in the last two books. That said, I know there are some readers that will still love this one, especially readers that had no problems with Paper and Fire.

For those interested, there is a cliffhanger with this book, which shouldnt be a surprise, the last one did that as well. But I find myself caring less, and honestly, I’m not entirely sure if I will give the next book a chance.

Okay, I’m sorry but WHAT?!?!?!?!? WHY IS THERE NOT A RELEASE DATE FOR BOOK FOUR YET?!?!? WHY? It should be ABSOLUTELY ILLEGAL to withhold said information from us.

I NEED BOOK FOUR.

Yes, I am throwing a tiny bit of a temper tantrum, but once you read Ash and Quill I know that you will totally understand and excuse me for it. Because seriously. This book is INSANE and the ending is BAHLAJDSHAFJLSKDHGIOASHGLKSADHGKLHGLKSDHGKLAHNGLKSDHLKGHASKLDGHASLKD and I just really realllllllllly have to have the next book in my hands already, okay?

ash and quill

Honestly, I just don’t know how the heck I’m supposed to survive TWO MORE BOOKS in this serie

s since every book thus far has increasingly torn my hearts into shreds and then stomped on the pieces maniacally.

Needless to say, I really enjoyed this one. It’s probably my favorite book of the series thus far (though the ending of Paper and Fire was stunning, in my opinion, almost takes the cake). It’s a thrilling ride from the first page, as Jess and his friends find themselves hopping from one dangerous situation to the next pretty much constantly.

A few characters get significantly more development in this book. We see more of Thomas doing what he does best, as well as exhibiting some of the scars being held captive in The Library’s prisons left him with. We also get more Dario, trying to make up for the mistakes he made in Paper and Fire by doing what needs to be done. And we get a good deal more of Morgan learning the extent of her powers and abilities. But, I was most excited to see more of Jess’ twin brother, Brendan, who really steps it up and becomes a pretty major player about halfway through the story. His character arc probably adds the most to the saga, and it is incredibly interesting to watch Jess and him work together. Brendan is full of surprises, and I like that.

I would have loved more of Wolfe and Santi, because I just adore them both and their relationship is GOALS, but we do at least get one major scene between the two of them that is absolutely tender and precious and so so perfect, so I am at least satisfied with that.

What I really want to talk-gush-flail-scream-wail about is the ending, but I can’t really do that without SPOILERS so I’m just going to say that I am absolutely terrified for everyone and I cannot stand not knowing what happens next and I am dying to already have the next book in my hands.

Ash and Quill keeps The Great Library series running strong, and it will keep you on the edge of your seat until the bitter, heart-breaking end.

Rating: 5+/5 stars

“Ash & Quill” eBook was published in 2017 and was written by Rachel Caine (http://www.rachelcaine.com/). Ms. Caine (aka Roxanne Longstreet and Roxanne Conrad) has published more than 45 novels.

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set in an Alternate History where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived and now hordes, and controls all knowledge. The primary character is Jess Brightwell, a young man who has grown up being able to enjoy and treasure books. He has been in that unique position as his family are smugglers, and the black market trade in books is their specialty.

Brightwell and his group of friends and allies have fled from London and find themselves in the besieged American village of Philadelphia. They are taken prisoner by the Burners, rebels who would rather see books burn than turned over to the Great Library. Still sought by the Great Library, Brightwell and friends must find a way to escape Philadelphia, elude the Great Library army that surrounds the city and take the battle back to Alexandria.

I really enjoyed the 7.5 hours I spent reading this 351 page alternate history. The story incorporates technology of fantasy/science fiction, as well as having a steampunk feel. This is the third book of the series and I did have some problem with backstory. It would have read better if I had read the other two novels in the series first. I do really like the characters and the concept of the Great Library of Alexandria being the center of power. The chosen cover art is OK. I give this novel a 4.4 (rounded down to a 4) out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Slow at the beginning but after the first few chapters things really take off. I found myself eagerly anticipating what would happen next and really loved Jess. I actually loved the cliff-hanger ending so I'm eagerly waiting for the next book.

I won’t lie, I was super disappointed when I got to the end of this book only to realize there had to be more installments since nothing was close to resolved. Then I looked it up and there 2 more books planned for this series. This is seriously disheartening as the book was incredibly good but I was hoping for a massive payout in the form a fantastic ending. This is probably just frustration born of the fact that I expected an ending and resolution. So for the rest of this review I will focus on what was really good about the book.

I loved the way that Philadelphia was shown in the book. It was absolutely amazing, and was wonderfully described. I could really feel the dank and dismal attitude of the people who lived there. It also created a sense of tension that I don’t think could have been duplicated any other way. Also the characters really started to show themselves in Philadelphia. It’s not that they didn’t before but that Philadelphia was a strain on them unlike others they had faced. We got to see the darkness that lives in Thomas and Morgan and my heart broke a little bit for both of them.

Also as much as I’ve discussed my disappointment in two more books, that ending and the choices 3 of them make were absolutely shaking. I definitely did not see that coming given everything that had occurred. I ended the book with my mouth wide open and wanting to scream “NOOOOOOOO”. I don’t know where they go from here, and I don’t have a sense of what the next step is. Caine weaved together a beautiful story, and I was hooked from the moment I started it. Her visualizations of this dystopian world are clear and allow me to truly picture where these characters are at any given time. Also the characters themselves are worthy of all the attention. They are growing up, and learning to make the hard decisions. I can’t wait to see what happens in the 4th book! I would give it 4 out of 5 stars.

I am absolutely IN LOVE with this series! The worst part about this book was that I thought it was the last one in the series, and it isn't, and that is a WICKED cliffhanger, but I ADORE the world that Caine has created, and I fully plan on buying this book for my personal library. I can't wait for the next installment!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Berkley Publishing Group, for giving me a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was really excited to read this book! I was lucky enough to have read the first two through NetGalley as well and I LOVED them! Unfortunately, that was a year ago and I read too much to really remember everything that happened.

This book picks up right where the second book ended. Which, if you’re reading these books one right after another, then that’s really exciting! But, that was not my case. And the book didn’t really back track at all to jog my memory about what happened. I think this is why it took me so long to read this book because I had a vague memory of what happened, but events in this book were happening to quickly for me to feel like I fully understood what was happening.

It took about a third of the book for me to get so into it that I looked on Goodreads to see if there were supposed to be any others, and turns out there’s supposed to be 2 more after this. So, while I’m eternally grateful to NetGalley and Berkley, I think I’m just going to have to purchase these ones and then binge them when the last book comes out.

I’m really not a fan of not being reminded of what happens in previous books. But I still really enjoyed this one!

ASH AND QUILL starts off with a bang of action, right where things left off in the last installment. Jess and crew are prisoners of the burners and it's not an easy place to be. The concept of book burning is so horrific and the danger they are in as being part of the library even though they are trying to rebel... is intense. I was on the edge of my seat, reading the pages as fast as I could to see what happened next.

That being said, after the initial bang of the opening things did seem to slow down a bit. Don't get me wrong, their situation never lightens, and the challenges are astounding. And yet...it just felt like a middle book or sophomoric slump at times. Perhaps it's due to a lack of a feeling of forward momentum in the war against the library until the very end. As I said, there's an incredible amount of danger and intensity at all times, but the lack of the forward momentum in the overall series plot weighed things down a bit. Hopefully after the insane ending of this book, things will take back off with a fury in the next installment.

Surprisingly despite all that is going around them, and all the intense danger/action moments there's also plenty of character development, which I really enjoyed. For such a large cast of characters, each and every one is completely and fully three dimensional. You really care for each and every one of them.

All in all ASH AND QUILL was an enjoyable installment in The Great Library series, and after that ending, I'm desperate to get my hands on the next one!

Ash & Quill is the third book in what has recently been revealed by author Rachel Caine to be a five-book series. If you haven’t read the first book “Ink and Bone,” I suggest two things: #1 – read my review, and #2 – definitely read the book.



In Ash & Quill, we are immediately thrown into dire circumstances with our favorite characters. They’ve landed in Philadelphia within the walls of the longest-surviving Burner community. Jess and his friends share a common enemy with the Burners, but that doesn’t make them welcome guests in Philadelphia. In what seems to be a common occurrence for them, Jess and his friends are instantly evaluated for how they can be used. The leader of the burners recognizes them as tools for his resistance against The Library. I worried over each character from the very first page of this story. Caine has you constantly questioning if all of them could possibly survive another day.

“It is a terrible arrogance to think that there are any of humankind who are better or worse, or worth or not.” – The Black Archives
The Great Library holds onto the belief that they need to control what knowledge and information can be shared with the rest of the world. The “black archives” are gone, except for a few books that they managed to save. Within the black archives were many versions of a printing press, as engineered by people who were immediately silenced by The Library. Thomas and Jess are the first team to successfully see such a machine built. The printing press, and the plans for producing more, will be the key to keeping their friends alive and give them a chance to escape America. Unfortunately, their escape from the Burners comes at the cost of lives, and while none of them can accept that, they are forced to quickly move forward regardless.

It is on the journey back to London from America that Jess Brightwell begins plotting, secretly from his friends. Everyone in their group expects to build another press and use it/the design plans to take on The Library, but Jess has anticipated the moves of others. Not just the moves of his enemies, but of his family and friends. Because of that, Jess sacrifices love and trust byshock gif betraying his friends whom he holds closer than his own family. I was practically chanting “Tell them, tell them, stop lying, tell them!” through the last few chapters. As readers, we don’t know the details of Jess’ plan (betrayal) until it unravels in the final chapter. Let me tell you, I was very shocked at how it played out.

We won’t know if Jess’ sacrifice was worth it until the next book. We don’t even know if everyone survived the night! The book ends with only a few of the characters in place. Seriously, the “not knowing” is driving me crazy!

Rachel Caine is a brilliant author, so it is no surprise that she has created such brilliant characters. Each of them are well developed and deeply connected to each other which leaves the reader deeply connected to their whole troupe. Kudos to Caine for her care and attention to the diversity of the people in this series. From the beautiful grace of Khalila Seif, to the arrogant aristocrat Dario Santiago, to the gentle giant Thomas Schreiber; These kids are of all colors, sizes, preference, and none of it is forced in the writing. It is just a normal part of who they are and I love that.

If you love books, which you must because you’re reading book reviews, you MUST read this series. It’s a book about books! Ash & Quill comes out July 11, 2017. You have enough time to start or re-read the series – get going!

I thought it was good, but also just more of the same. I'm not sure I care enough about these characters to keep reading the series - I was under the impression this was the last one, but it definitely isn't.