I really enjoyed this entire series. It was a great concept and kept my attention the entire time. The setting and concept of this series is so fascinating. And come on, it's a series about a library! What bookish person wouldn't want that?

Loving this series. I am so sad that I am so late to this and that it hasn't gotten as much hype (in my opinion) as it should! Rachel Caine is such a fabulous author!

With an iron fist, the Great Library controls the knowledge of the world, ruthlessly stamping out all rebellion and, in the name of the greater good, forbidding the personal ownership of books.

Jess Brightwell has survived his introduction to the sinister, seductive world of the Library, but serving in its army is nothing like he envisioned. His life and the lives of those he cares for have been altered forever. His best friend is lost, and Morgan, the girl he loves, is locked away in the Iron Tower, doomed to a life apart from everything she knows.

After embarking on a mission to save one of their own, Jess and his band of allies make one wrong move and suddenly find themselves hunted by the Library’s deadly automata and forced to flee Alexandria, all the way to London.

But Jess’s home isn’t safe anymore. The Welsh army is coming, London is burning, and soon, Jess must choose between his friends, his family, and the Library, which is willing to sacrifice anything and anyone in the search for ultimate control…- Goodreads

There is no doubt that the world building in this series is fantastic. I love the fact that the author digs deep into the history of not only the library but also the characters and the town. However, despite the fact that I love this part of the book, it does make for a slow read. This book was too long. Jess did a lot of whining and a lot of nothing happens. In between the gang looking for information, there was a lot of close calls to something about to happen but nothing actually happened. It was clear the author was stretching this book out and it makes me hesitate if I want to read the next book in the series (there are five total). 

Despite how long the book was, it is extremely well written and had a better flow than the first book. It was easy to get sucked into and I may not have overly liked Jess there was no doubting that he was good at what he did and was a loyal friend. 

Overall, 3 Pickles

I adore Rachel Caine's writing, so I was super excited to continue this series about the Great Library of Alexandria and the alluring taste of power through knowledge. 

Being a second book is never easy, and to be honest, I had trouble keeping up with the story after forgetting a lot of what happened with book 1, Ink and Bone. However, the action-packed plot keeps things moving so I went along with everything and eventually got back to the groove. I loved to see the continued world-building going on and learn more about the diverse cast of characters that Jess needs to save his home. 

One thing that was a let-down? I'm scratching my head at the 'romance,' which was light, but unnecessary to begin with. Morgan is one of Jess's friends in his band of allies, but I never really saw how they took a step towards romance rather than stay as good friends. Maybe I'm missing some tension. In general, the sequel itself wasn't as engaging as the first book, although Caine stays true to the world and characters. I'm excited to finish with the last book in the trilogy!

This is such a great series. Rachel Caine never seems to disappoint. Something about the characters and the adventure reminds me of Harry Potter, and that made me feel warm and cozy while reading this. I was unable to put this book down from beginning to end!

After reading a few chapters, I decided this book held no interest for me at this time nor was it a good fit for my blog.  I elected not to finish the book now, but it may well be a case of "the right book at the wrong time" syndrome and I might be willing to try it again in the future.  Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group / NAL and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to sample this title.

Will no longer be reading or reviewing this book due to lack of interest in the title, following a dislike of book one in the series, Ink and Bone.

Paper and Fire continues the story of Jess Brightwell, the smuggler turn Librarian postulant in Ink and Bone. Jess is now a lowly member of the High Garda, the guardians of the Great Library. Devastated by the loss of his best friend, Thomas, and his girl, Morgan, he tries to figure out what actually happened when Thomas was taken. Joined by his former group, Jess discovers there is more wrong with the Library than he first thought. I really enjoyed this story. Building on the world she created in the first book, Rachel Caine has created an alternate world that is compelling and terrifying. I look forward to reading the rest of this series.

"In Ink and Bone, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine introduced a world where knowledge is power, and power corrupts absolutely. Now, she continues the story of those who dare to defy the Great Library—and rewrite history...

With an iron fist, The Great Library controls the knowledge of the world, ruthlessly stamping out all rebellion, forbidding the personal ownership of books in the name of the greater good.

Jess Brightwell has survived his introduction to the sinister, seductive world of the Library, but serving in its army is nothing like he envisioned. His life and the lives of those he cares for have been altered forever. His best friend is lost, and Morgan, the girl he loves, is locked away in the Iron Tower and doomed to a life apart.

Embarking on a mission to save one of their own, Jess and his band of allies make one wrong move and suddenly find themselves hunted by the Library’s deadly automata and forced to flee Alexandria, all the way to London.

But Jess’s home isn't safe anymore. The Welsh army is coming, London is burning, and soon, Jess must choose between his friends, his family, or the Library willing to sacrifice anything and anyone in the search for ultimate control..."

I really don't like the word "fire" anywhere near the word "library."

A nice follow up to Ink and Bone--I like the idea of the Great Library, and how it's not all roses and sunshine. We get to spend more time with some good characters, and we meet a few new ones (though not as many as I might have liked, but the cast is large already). 

A solid story that keeps a good pace. Just a hint of romance, a hint of drama, lots of adventure and peril. 

Highly recommend for those who love books, stories, and learning.

Imagine a world where it is illegal to own a real book. You are allowed tablets, but can only access what the government aka the Great Library says you can access. In this world, the Library controls the knowledge and with this power they control everything. 

Jess now serves in the army of the Library even though his family are book smugglers. He’s lost his best friend Thomas and the girl he loves Morgan is locked away in the Iron Tower where the Library controls those that make the tablets function. 

Jess and his group of friends have decided to fight the Library and fight for those they call friends. Even though the fight may ultimately bring death to all the fight and sacrifice is worth it. 

An original story that is different from Caine’s previous Morganville series. A good read with in depth characters in a world that is totally different than our reality.

I like this series.  Its fun and entertaining.  I want to read the rest of this series.

Another great book by Rachel Caine! I just adore this series. I think the twists and turns and emotional intrigue get better and better each book. The things that may be clunky at first really grow on you in the next book, and you just can't help but LOVE this author's world. I want to live there. Outstanding, and highly recommended.

In Ink and Bone readers were introduced to a world where the Great Library of Alexandria was never destroyed. Now The Library is its own entity, spread all over the world. It sounds amazing…until you look beneath the surface. The Library controls the dissemination of knowledge, stifles innovation, and with brutal efficiency takes down anyone who seeks to escape its control. In Paper and Fire Jess and his friends have had their eyes opened; they see the rot within the Library. But there’s no such thing as an easy escape, even if one of their own wasn’t trapped in a gilded cage and another hidden in a secret prison. The clock’s ticking for Jess and all those he cares about: if they don’t find a way to break free of the Library’s hold their time will soon run out.

Paper and Fire takes us deeper into the incredible world of the Great Library that Rachel Caine introduced in Ink and Bone. Like Jess and his friends, I absolutely love what the Library could be, if greed and power hadn’t corrupted it at the highest echelons. The joy and love of learning is muted in Paper and Fire because the world has taken on a more sinister tone. Most of the book is centered around Jess, Glain, Dario, Khalila, Morgan, Santi, and Wolfe all doing their part to search for Thomas, their friend and a brilliant young inventor taken captive by the library for coming up with an idea for a printing press. With the wonder of discovery gone from the story, this book was a bit less exciting than its predecessor. I still really enjoyed it and the threats against our protagonists (especially the imminent threat to Morgan) made my gut clench at times, but the book suffers a bit from being a bridge book. We don’t learn much new about the characters either, and not even my mad love for Wolfe and Santi could blind me to the fact that there wasn’t much character growth to balance out the slow momentum of the plot. It’s a fairly slow read for most part and I’m honestly at a loss for what to say about story because it didn’t get truly interesting until the end. There’s nothing wrong with the book and I did enjoy it overall, but I wasn’t dazzled by it like I was Ink and Bone.

I cannot talk about the last part of the book without spoiling the story, but it’s where Paper and Fire shines the brightest. When everything comes together Ms. Caine’s writing is captivating. The action, adventure, and danger coalesce into a thrilling conclusion that had me eager to dive into the next Great Library novel. So while this book had some ups and downs for me, I still absolutely love the world Ms. Caine has created and I cannot wait to see what happens next in Ash and Quill.

Not thrilled with this series--it seems to be trying too hard to create something with the impact of Harry Potter. While the concept is interesting and has potential, the execution leaves much to be desired. The plot is unnecessarily complicated. There is some decent character development, but not enough to truly care about them. There is too much focus on moving from one dire situation to the next--action, escape, action, escape, to the point of being tedious. As a book lover, I really wanted to like this series, but it falls short. Nevertheless, I will recommend it to middle grade readers who love fantasy adventure and don't mind mediocre writing.

We pick up where Ink and Bone left off, but now Jess is a soldier for the Great Library, and the intrigue is only growing. Paper and Fire's plot is more heart-stopping and intense, and the world is even more rich as we now get to see the inside workings of the library that rules the world--and just how much propaganda and lies they spew to their subordinates. I love how much the library mirror's what the real Alexandrian Library could have been and how it's juxtaposed with how corrupt institutions (however necessary) can become corrupted if we don't pay attention. I was on the edge of my seat for every page worried for Jess and his friends that something would go wrong. Caine's writing is always fluid and easy to read. Her descriptions of setting and characterization make Jess and his friends real and sympathetic. She also knows how to weave emotion and suspense at ever turn. Moreover, this series is the perfect blend of the world we know and the speculative--outside of the fantastical, a world like this really could happen.

I am thoroughly enjoying this series and it is one of my favorites of all time. I hope Caine continues to write this series, because I'm excited to see what happens to Jess, and I hope they will free the world of the Library's hold over society. 

I highly recommend this series, and I can't wait to see what Caine does next!

A wonderful sequel that continues the adventures in this special magical world.  I can't wait to find out what happens next and I will be continuing to share this world with as many readers as possible!

Did not enjoy the first novel, and will not be continuing the series at this time.

Take a look at my review for Ink and Bone, which is the first installment of The Great Library series.

All I can do for this current review, is to update the first one.

The writing is still great, and the characters as well. But here, our characters have grown, and they now have more responsibility, and more laws dictating their actions. You can see that they now know how their world works, but they still fight for what they think is right.

Action is more abundant in this installment, as Jess is now a soldier, and a capable one at that. The places in which the action takes place are all well-described.

Really, there’s not much difference from the first book, and luckily, it didn’t suffer much from the Second-Book Syndrome.