This one wasn't QUITE as good as the previous 2, but it was close! The others' greatness stems from their plot pacing. They're extremely gripping and impossible to put down. This one was still paced extremely well, but it eased up a little on the intensity. This one had better ebbs and flows compared to the previous ones, because it actually had ebbs instead of what felt like 20 second breathers before starting the next set of reps. Lol. This one shines for a different reason, though. This one shines because of its unflinching portrayal of trauma. Most series send their characters through horrific, traumatic events and, at most, they cry a bit and then they're fine. Not so with Rachel Caine's writing. These characters have been through hell already, and then they experience true Hell in this book. And it shows. And then, after they're escape, some have to make more impossible choices that will further not only their own trauma, but their friends' traumas as well.

Lots of things that happened in the last book come to fruition in this and things just keep getting complicated. The Library has complex politics and the backstabbing is powerful. Our heros are finding more about what they can do in this world and how they can fight the system. This is a very interesting concept and world and I'm very curious as to what's going to happen next.

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.

I really enjoyed this story! I have wanted to read this book ever since I first started seeing a lot of great reviews for it. I then started noticing that people not only loved this book but they were loving the other books in the series. That sealed the deal and I knew that I would have to work this book in very soon. I ended up reading almost the entire book in a single day. I am starting to understand why everyone seems to love Rachel Caine's work as much as they do.

One of the things that I really loved about this book was the world building. What a vividly detailed world to spend some time in! As the book progressed and we discovered more about how things worked, I was amazed. The descriptions of the technology were so well done but I don't think I am going to be signing up to be transported in that world anytime soon. The politics and inner workings of the library were intriguing. 

The cast of characters in this book were wonderful. We see things from Jess's point of view and I liked his character from the very start. He proved that he was brave and able to think very quickly. The other candidates for joining the library were all so different but each added something to the story. I liked some of these characters quite a bit from the very start, like Thomas. I needed a little more time to get to know some of the other characters a bit more before I really liked them but by the end of the story, they had all won my heart. 

I highly recommend this book to others. This book has really left me eager to see what is going to happen to everyone in the next book. I will definitely be reading more from Rachel Caine in the very near future.

I received an advance reader copy of this book from Penguin Publishing Group via Blogging for Books.

http://witandsin.blogspot.com/2017/07/review-paper-and-fire-by-rachel-caine.html

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.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Boy, the action sure did begin...and was nonstop… 

You really get a good idea of how dangerous the Library is to not only the general public, but those who work for it as well. This is a system that doesn't hesitate to maim and kill anyone that they view as a threat. And they/It uses anyone it wants without any regard for their lives….because they can. People, lives, and countries are all expendable...the only thing the people that run this system care about are the books, and the knowledge and power these books give them. Whole people dying of starvation…doesn’t register as something they should try and address.

The story raises an interesting question about neutrality. No one can really be neutral when it comes to war or injustice. Neutrality serves the status quo, and if the status quo harms.... then you have to take a side. You have to choose.

 The Library is "neutral" and places itself outside of the affairs of the world....so two countries murdering each other, committing genocide...oh well...that's their business. The Library and its people are just there to save the books. Your baby...well...sorry...they have to leave it here to die. In a case like this, neutrality supports evil.

 This book started slow...but I rather like it. It is not a breezy, easy read...but it is full of a lot of things that make you think.