Only for those who have read the earlier books in the series, as the characters and world depend on prior knowledge. For those who have.... this is probably the ending you've been waiting for. There's a lot of action and tying up loose ends - Jess even gets some resolution with his family! Each of the main characters finds their true purpose in life, while the Great Library is both saved and changed as the old Archivist's rule is ended (in Book 4, Smoke and Iron).

eARC provided by publisher.

This is one of my favorite series. I have eagerly awaited the release of every book since finished book 1.

Rachel is a masterful storyteller. She wraps the story of The Great Library up nicely. I was in tears for the last 15% of the book. Not only were the events in the final pages of the book nerve-wracking, I was also mourning the ending of so many great adventures with characters whom I consider my great literary friends.

"In bocca al lupo."

A thrilling possible conclusion to the Great Library series. Caine's characters have continued to grow with each successive book, and with this we see familiar characters faced with life altering choices. Picking up immediately after the end of the last book, Sword and Pen will claim you from the first chapter. Jess and his classmates have made decisions in the past that they must follow through on now, and the world is watching and waiting to see what they are capable of. I can only hope that we see more of their stories in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-arc copy of #SwordAndPen.
An excellent end to an action packed series. Rachel Caine has created a series that will be very missed! If you haven't read this series you should be reading it.

WOW! What an ending to such a great series. So many surprises...just when I thought I had it all figured out, something would happen and I realized I had NOTHING figured out. A wild ride with all the feels!

Exceeded my expectations for the end of the series. Action packed, thoughtful and unique. A pleasure to read. The entire series is a must read. Sort of a spoiler: one of my favorite characters in the series dies. Normally I am not cool with an author killing off a main and favorite character but in this case, I liked the way the death not only drove the plot forward, it also sort of had a happy ending.

An epic conclusion to one of my favorite series. I would have read it faster, but I just didn't want it to end!

We pick up immediately where we left off at the end of book four: the Archivist is on the run, and our little rebel family has taken over the great library. Now comes the toughest part: securing their victory. Saving the library from those who would rather destroy it then see it grow.

Unlike the previous books, here we switch POV's constantly. Jess is no longer the center of the tale: the entire team (talk about #squadgoals) gets their chance at the spotlight, and it makes the book so fast paced it left me breathless. The archivist is fighting to regain control, the enemies are literally at the library gates, spies and traitors fill the ranks of even the most elite: it's a non-stop roller coaster.

I wish I could say more, but I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. Suffice to say I was thrilled to go an adventure with Jess and the crew one last time. I'm definitely going to miss this wonderful little family, and the world that Caine has created. It's so hard to believe it's over, but it was a wonderful send off.

I’ve been a huge fan of the Great Library series since the first book came out and was very excited to have the opportunity to read Sword and Pen early.

This was definitely a satisfying conclusion to the series, but I’m very sad to see it end. We got to read from the perspectives of all of the main characters in the series and I really liked getting to see what was happening with each one especially since the group was spread out over the city of Alexandria. I would have liked to hear more of Scholar Wolfe’s perspective since he’s my favorite character, but overall I was very happy with this book and will definitely be purchasing a copy when the book is released.

SPOILERS!!!
The final installment was a bit of a let down. Yes, every story line was resolved but how we got to the finish line was too neat and tidy. I was hoping for a final battle between Wolfe or Jess with the Archivest but he was brought down by someone within his own circle. Jess battled a sickness that should have killed him but was saved at the last minute by Thomas and a miracle cure. Morgan sacrificed herself for the greater good when she finally found freedom.
The first book in the series was amazing. Each installment, though, lost a little bit more of my attention and my excited faded to the point where I just wanted the story resolved. I enjoyed these characters, but I'm glad that I can put them away now.

If you asked me what my expectations were for this book, I'm not sure I could actually put them into words, but they were high. Like, sky high. I have been a huge fan of this series from the start. It has everything I love: books, libraries, Egypt, not-so-secret societies, magic, adventure, intrigue, and so much more. Each part of this story has been strong, and I am SO here for these characters. This series deserved an amazing end, and I believe it got it.

For some reason, this book read really quickly. It's no shorter than the others, but the pace is very fast, and our group is spread out across Alexandria, each carrying out their own tasks and assignments. So you have to keep reading to keep up with the characters. A lot happened, but it happened quickly. No dragging feet here.

The story really is an ensemble one - the focus is equally spread out amongst our core characters, which I really liked. They are all equally important when it comes to defeating the evil Archivist, and each of their individual strengths and talents comes into play. It was amazing to see the culmination of the first four books pay off huge in this final installment.

Overall, I think this was a fantastic end to the series. There are some surprises, some heartbreaks, and some really, really good storytelling. (And lots of Dario!)

I had mixed feelings going into this book, because I was anxious to see how the series ended, but also sad that it was going to be over. Compared to the other books, the pacing of this one felt a little off to me; it took a while to get going, but then the ending felt rushed. I think part of this was because the main characters were separated for most of the book, which moved the plot forward, but at the cost of the character development and interaction that made the other installments so good. Even so, I have loved this series and am grateful to have gotten to spend time with these characters; I am also hopeful that the hints from the epilogue that there will be more stories set in this world pan out. (And on a purely fangirl note, I was hugely relieved that both Wolfe and Santi survived. I would have been devastated if one or both of them had died.)