With the future of the Great Library in doubt, the unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone must decide if it's worth saving in this thrilling adventure in the New York Times bestselling series. The corrupt leadership of the Great Library has fallen. But with the Archivist plotting his return to power, and the Library under siege from outside empires and kingdoms, its future is uncertain. Jess Brightwell and his friends must come together as never before, to forge a new future for the Great Library . . . or see everything it stood for crumble.

Sword of Pen by Rachel Caine is an outstanding finale to The Great Library series, which quickly became an all time favorite series. I devoured each and every installment before this, but I just wasn't ready to say goodbye to so many favorite characters so I kept putting book five off. I shouldn't have been worried, though, because Rachel Caine expertly concludes this marvelous series. I couldn't have asked for anything better. The world she has created feels like it has a life of its own and the cast of characters have grown so much since we met them.

Once I started this novel I did not want to put it down because so much happens and its quite the roller coaster of emotions that one goes through. Primarily, though, I savored the time I got to spend with everyone one last time from Jess, Dario, Glain, Khalila, Morgan, Thomas, Wolfe, and Santi. I love everyone, but the real stand outs here are Jess (I was so worried for him), Khalila (she really comes into herself here), and Wolfe and Santi (both are awesome and I'm really happy that they've practically adopted Jess). It's not often that I can say a couple of adult characters are my favorites of a Young Adult series, but Wolfe and Santi have certainly earned it. To be honest, I feel like I earned a few gray hairs right there along with Wolfe.

Finally, I just want to mention that I appreciate how much heart this series has. It's so hopeful when it comes to the future even though there's been so much bloodshed and destruction. It ends in a way that gives us great closure for our core cast, but also keeps things open to give us the opportunity to imagine their further adventures. Overall, I can't recommend The Great Library series by Rachel Caine enough and Sword and Pen, the fifth and final installment, is absolutely outstanding. If you haven't jumped into this series yet, or have been putting off the finale, what are you waiting for? My expectations were sky high, but I couldn't have asked for a better ending.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing these characters again a few years down the road. They could be just going about their lives with nothing special going on and I expect I'd love it just as much. It would be nice to visit their world again in the future. What could really be fun - an adult fantasy spin-off told from Wolfe and Santi's alternating perspectives a little while down the line. I'm sure that that would be a treasure.

Well, its over. This series that I have long anticipated reading has reached its conclusion. And it was, amazing! I've grown to love the characters we first met in book 1. Rachel Caine has been a favourite author since high school and she did not disspapoint with this series. Her writing is phenomenal.
I'm sad to see the end of this but I feel complete regarding it. I would recommend this whole series to anyone who loves reading in a heart beat!

What an amazing ending to a great series!

It's so hard to review a book that is an ending to a series without giving away details. This book was probably my favorite out of the series. I loved that every chapter was a different character's point of view and I felt like Rachel Caine moved from character to character flawlessly.

I felt like we saw Jess evolve a bit more form the love sappy kid he has been in the previous books. It was nice to see him grow. Wolfe and Santi are my favorites. I love their relationship and some of the best chapters are with them. Thomas faces some situations on his own and I think he does wonderfully. It was nice to see him take some risks and grow more as a character. Dario's personality really shined in this book, and we also get to see him in a new light which I absolutely loved! I feel like Khalila's story line was pretty assumed for a while but I loved watching her mature as well. Glain shows she is the tough solider we all know her to be, but to be honest I really wish we had learned more about her and her past. She seems like the one character who we don't really get to know through out the series. We also finally see the extent of Morgan's powers and repercussions that come with them.

I will say the ending left me indecisive. On one hand it was an ending I didn't see coming, but on the other hand I was slightly disappointed in the Archivist's last moments in the story. I felt like it really didn't do this whole series justice, but it was still a good ending.

I received a review copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

What a great final book in this series! I was totally shocked by some of the events of that occurred (*cries*) but felt like it was so well done and really fit the story. I appreciated that as we got further and further into the series, we had more focus on the cast as a whole and not just Jess. I think Kahlila is definitely my favorite character, and I love where her arc ended up. I will definitely be revisiting this series again and again.

Sword and Pen, The Great Library #5, by Rachel Caine has outstanding cover art. This is one of those powerful books that the author does such a phenominal job at creating everything that you feel all the feels and you experience everything yourself. Great conclusion to the series.

This series did not disappoint! I can't believe its finally over, but I'm really glad the author ended it the way they did. A lot of series suffer because a lot of authors don't take it in the direction you want it to go in, and while not everything concluded how I wanted I enjoyed the ride.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

OMG THIS SERIES! Sword and Pen did not disappoint folks! Ugh, it was so good and I'm so happy that I took my sweet time with this series. Even if I read the ARC way after it was published. Eh.. eh. Oops?

Honestly, I loved how this didn't go as I planned at all. Complete mind fuck but I enjoyed the ride. Definitely would've wanted some things to go differently but in the end, Rachel Caine continuously surprises me.

Loved each and every character.. even if Jess was trying to break my heart numerous times. Loved the story even more throughout each book. Most definitely will re-read this over and over again.

A compelling finale that ties up all loose ends and leaves you with a feeling of completion, but also a need to read the entire series again!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review

This has been one of my favorite series and I was so excited to get an e ARC of this book. It did not disappoint, amazing as usual. Loved it

Oh my heart! I can’t with this book 😭😭😭 Sword and Pen by Rachel Caine is the final book in her series The Great Library. Y’all I’ve loved this series from the start and I have to say the finale lived up to all of my expectations. I might have aged 10 years while reading it though. SO stressful! If you are a fan of the series, I highly recommend it. If you are coming across this review and haven’t heard of the series, be forewarned there are minor spoilers for the previous books (though I’ll do my best to avoid them). Picking up right where Smoke and Iron left off, Sword and Pen is a breathtaking final stand for the scholars against the injustices of the prior regime.

The group dynamic has changed from the start of the series, and the progression for each of the scholars is believable with what each of them has gone through. Jess, who normally takes the lead, is grieving and lost at the start of the book. He’s drifting and his friends are taking turns caring for him. Khalila and Thomas are working with the new archivist. Dario is using his connections in Spain to stop an impending war. Glain is taking over a squadron of soldiers, and Wolfe and Santi while not as prominent in this book still stand out.

The main goal of this book is for the scholars to find the Archivist and stop him from trying to regain control of the Library. This doesn’t sound like a lot, however it is nonstop action from page one. There is little downtime in this plot. And the suspense….y’all I didn’t know if any of my favorites would make it to the end. I could not stop listening! Julian Elfer brings the characters to life, giving a unique voice to each so I had no trouble telling them apart. While I didn’t want it to end (and that ending shattered my heart), I’m happy with it. Rachel Caine ties all the loose ends together nicely, leaving no questions as to what will be happening in their world after the end.

Overall Sword and Pen is a phenomenal ending to a fantastic series. I’m sad and happy all at the same time. All of the characters come full-circle in their development, the plot comes to a conclusion, and the final words “The End” were perfect. If you’ve enjoyed this series, you will love the book. If you haven’t started it yet, I highly recommend it for anyone that enjoys steampunk and dystopia.

Fantastic addition to an already amazing series! I have so loved following Jess and his rag-tag band of freedom fighters. Colorful settings, well developed characters, and a supremely captivating plot make this book (like the others in the series) immensely enjoyable!

Another exciting book in the series. Such a complicated political structure. Well developed and good characterization.

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**

Title Sword and Pen (The Great Library #5)

Author Rachel Caine

Description from Amazon

The corrupt leadership of the Great Library has fallen. But with the Archivist plotting his return to power, and the Library under siege from outside empires and kingdoms, its future is uncertain. Jess Brightwell and his friends must come together as never before, to forge a new future for the Great Library…or see everything it stood for crumble.

Initial Thoughts

Book number 240 of 2019. What a crazy ride this has been. The Great Library series was a series that was on my TBR for a while and applying for (and receiving) a copy of the last book finally gave me the excuse I needed to tackle all five books.

I had mixed feelings going into this last installment. To be totally honest, I enjoyed books one and two but three fell a bit flat. Things ramped up a bit in four so I did have high hopes for five, but, I was also sad because the series was ending.

Some Things I Liked

Diverging storylines. I liked that in this book (as well as book four), we got to see the characters act independently and they had their own POV chapters. I liked seeing each character act on their own as well as the letters and journal entries between the chapters.
Jess moving a bit toward the background. As much as I love Jess as a character, I was pleased to see my other favorites getting their chance in the limelight. Jess was more of a secondary character in this installment and we got to see everyone else shine a bit more this time.
Alternate history. Once again, I applaud the development of the world using alternate history. I often think about what the world would be like if one small thing was different and this world evokes so much of that notion. What if books weren’t available to everyone? What if game-changing inventions were stifled because they would be too profound? I loved the thought-provoking nature of this series.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

The ending. I didn’t dislike it necessarily, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. I think I would have been a bit happier with a bit more in the epilogue. Tell me what everyone is doing now – don’t leave it to my imagination!

Series Value

This was a strong series and a strong final installment. Do I think the entire series might have been equally strong as say, four books instead of five? Yes. Was this still a good series? Also, yes. I enjoyed it, I read it all in about a month and I’m glad I did.

Final Thoughts

I’m glad this was my last book of 2019. Like this book to The Great Library Series, this was a strong finish to my year.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommendations for Further Reading

Scythe by Neal Shusterman – if you like thought-provoking, semi-sci-fi / semi-dystopian worlds, with a smidge of romance, you need to read this series.
Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson – if you liked the library concept, check out this fantasy stand-alone.
Fireborne by Rosaria Munda – if you liked the way the story was broken up with journal entires and letters in each chapter, give this new release by Rosaria Munda a try. Once again, this book asks big questions about human nature and the way society should be structured.

Such an exciting and bitter-sweet ending to this fabulous series! I actually started out not caring about the book, but the ending of Ink and Bone made me want to know more, and I quickly fell in love after that! This book proves that my trust was well placed, and I'm so excited I was part of this unforgettable adventure!

A library in trouble and a group of people determined to keep it, and everything it stands for, living. What more could a thrill-seeking reader want?

I thoroughly enjoyed this amazing book. Caine is getting more and more imaginative with each thought she puts in her stories! This book takes your imagination and heart on a ride and doesn’t stop.

I have been reading this series for years now and now that it's over what am I going to do now that it's over? I'm so going to miss this world, these characters, Oh these characters, they are so freaking amazing, I fell in love with them from the first book and with each new book I was more and more in love with them, the world building just got better and every time I was reading it, I just wanted to be in there with them. Alright, let's get to this last adventure with our little crew...



Since our last book, the Great Library has fallen, but the corrupted Archivist is still very well alive and he is plotting and it's up to our dear friends to find him and bring him to justice. But not all of them will be in that crew, because some are need to protect the city from upcoming threats and others are need to protect the new Archivist. They are separated but at the same time looking out for each other and that's what it makes them the perfect team to make the Great Library whole again.



The jobs are not easy, Brightwell is dealing with death in life and OMG, my heart was in my throat the whole entire book. But the twists and turns in this book, I really wasn't expecting them, every time I thought I knew what was coming something else came along and man, I really wasn't ready for ANY of them.

The new future of the Great Library is everything for these friends and they will do ANYTHING to accomplish it and so be ready my friends because everything is possible.

The ending was cruel and unexpected, my heart is broken, is happy, is sad, is twisted, is everything and more. I still have sooooo many emotions and still don't know how I truly feel about that ending, but with Rachel Caine I should have known that she would have done something like that. Am I happy, yes I am. It wrap everything up, but I'm still going to miss this gang a lot.

If you haven't started this series, you are missing so much out; books, friendships, romance, adventure and lots of action, everything you need in books.

What rating did I give? 5 out of 5 stars of course :)

I got a free copy of this book from NetGalley...

Another amazing instalment, and the final one, in this amazing series. Just as fast paced as the rest of the books, Jess and the gang's adventures will stick with readers for ever. Adding to the reread pile!

What a way to end an absolutely gorgeous series!! I'm so impressed with the world building throughout. Everything feels completely logical and like the setting would be less without it. From the codices to the blanks to the automata, it's all intentional and planned.

That being said, the setting doesn't hold a candle to the characters. We have a Muslim character whose faith is just another aspect of her incredible personality, not the driving point of her storyline. She's strong, supportive, calm in times of crisis, and puts Dario in his place. Khalila is a gift. We also have Wolfe and Santi, two gay men who, likewise, have that as a character aspect and not their entire reason for being. I adore balanced diverse characters as, in my opinion, is kind of the end goal of diversity in literature: effortless inclusivity. The other characters are also fantastic, but I wanted to draw particular attention to those three.

I don't know if this would be appealing to all teens. It really requires a specific mindset and appreciation. But this is possibly one of the best YA books with adult appeal I've ever seen. It's complex enough to keep attention and character driven enough to capture readers who care more about the who than the where or what. It's just fun.

I am a sucker for library-related books, so I picked this up immediately when I noticed it involved an alternate history where the Library of Alexandria was never burned down. Cool!

And *sad trombone noises* this is book #5 in a series! Whoops. This was not readily apparent from the NetGalley description. I read about a third of it and really enjoyed it, though as additional characters were added and I discovered this as the last volume in the series, it became clear that I really ought to read the earlier volumes first.

I'm rating this as four stars since the book was good enough to keep my interest despite my lack of background!