Ash and Quill (The Great Library)

Ash and Quill by Rachel CaineBook #3: The Great Library SeriesSource: PurchaseMy Rating: 3½/5 starsJess Brightwell has always known trusting his father is a crap shoot at best. If the reward or payoff is better than his son’s life, the money wins every single time. The latest bit of betrayal has Jess and his friends locked in a primitive in jail in Philadelphia, the historic home of the Burners.Trapped in the midst of a starving, desperate group of people who have been battling the Great Library for decades, Jess and his friends may be in deeper than they ever have been. The Burners have no use for a group of book lovers and a very great need for a bargaining chip. Or chips in this case. As the situation stands, Philadelphia is on the verge of collapse and everyone from their leaders to the lowest member of society understands the reality of their situation. Handing over Jess and his group may buy them not only some time, but their lives. However, before the Burners turn over Jess and his friends, they’re going to get their hands on Thomas’ incredible printing press.Ever the realist, Jess understands the gravity of the situation in which he and his friends find themselves. Beyond that, Jess understands he and his friends have very little leverage and if they’re going to get out alive, they are going to have to play dirty, make deals with questionable parties, and pray they aren’t, once again betrayed. Getting out of Philadelphia isn’t easy and it certainly isn’t without tragedy, but it does happen which leads the group of fugitives, seemingly from the frying pan right into the fire. In this case, the fire is, once again, Jess’s father.In the second half of Ash and Quill, Jess and his friends, much depleted, demoralized, and somewhat desperate following their escape from Philadelphia, take refuge with Jess’s family. While some among the group see the stay as a respite in a safe haven, Jess sees the situation for exactly what it, another prison. Though Jess doesn’t know his father’s exact plan, he knows there is a plan (a plot if we’re being fair) and it won’t benefit anyone but Jess’s father. What happens in the days among his family is a rife with tension, plotting, and planning. Jess has no intention of hurting and/or betraying his friends, but as his father’s plans begin to unfold and become ever clearer, Jess realizes the only way to save everyone he truly cares for is to betray them. He can only hope, when the smoke clears, his friends will understand his actions and forgive his actions.The Bottom Line: At the end of the day, The Great Library series is still one of my all-time favorites, but this installment isn’t going to be one of my favorites. To be fair, Ash and Quill is exactly the type of book every series must have. It’s the mid-point of series which closes the book on the first half of the series and sets up the plot and action for the second half of the series. While the first part of this book was necessary to the continuation of the series, it wasn’t particularly interesting and read quite slowly. Once Jess and his friends break free from the Burners, they are again on the run and fighting for their lives. The action, drama, and intrigue absolutely pick up in the second half of this book and set the stage for the final one (or two?) books in the series. As always, nothing is as it seems and the last one (or two?) books in this series should be absolutely stunning in its (their?) action, drama, intrigue, revelations, and resolution. The world of the Great Library is on the precipice of huge change, world-altering change, I believe Jess and his friends are going to be at the forefront of the whole damn mess.

I'm never really certain about what to say when it comes to sequels. I don't want to soil anything, but, alas, I must reveal spoilers for the first two books to review this one.This one starts off immediately after the end of Paper and Fire. Jess and crew are stuck in the Burner city of Philadelphia. They are instantly taken prisoner and have to scheme their ways out of persecution.I was glad to see more of some of my favorite characters this time around. Not that they weren't there before, but Brendan and Dario had much smaller parts to play in the first two books, whereas they are both very important to this installment. Brendan is quite the schemer himself, just as much as Jess. And I loved really learning more about him. It was also good to see the two interact more.Then we have some of the old favorites, like Wolf and Santi, Khalila, Glain, Thomas, and of course Morgan. Thomas is beginning to get more and more cunning the more he hangs with Jess. And we get to see some more of his engineering prowess in action.I'll be straightforward. This series is full of action, adventure, plotting, betrayal, and people that love books. What could be better? As Jess and crew try to take on the Great Library of Alexandria, everything always falls apart. And the only thing that can save them all is their wits. Especially the wits of Jess and Brendan. Morgan and Jess's relationship blossoms even more, and Morgan sacrifices parts of herself to save everyone. The cliffhanger here is a doozy, and I cannot wait until the fourth installment is out as well.If you weren't hooked before, you will be now. If you weren't in love with Paper and Fire, I beg you--give Ash and Quill a shot. It brings back the fast pace of the first book while diving deeper and deeper into the characters the way the second book did. It never drags, and the romance is sweet but not a focus at all. If anything, Jess sacrifices Morgan for the greater good, because he knows he needs to, rather than doing the selfish thing and staying hidden and happy.OverallThis was probably my favorite so far in the series. If you have been considering reading this series, do it!

The book was published last year, but I kind of postponed the reading because it was supposed to be a trilogy, and it turned to be the middle of the 5 with sort of cliffhanger at the ending. When the 4th came out, I decided it was time to read. I enjoyed the book a lot, but it was a bit too depressive in tone, I suppose that was why it became the middle book. The plot started to get somewhere big, but the major changes are yet to come. In overall, I love Rachel Cane writing. She created an exciting and rich world building, and I loved how she expands it with every new installation. I rarely like YA Distopia, because they are rarely believable or differ from each other. The Great Library definitely has a unique premise. Also I love that while her characters are young, they closely work with adult leaders. Yes, they sometimes act on their own, but they don’t deny they need some guidance and advice. I mostly like Jess as a main character, thought I am rather tiered of his cliché of a romantic infatuation. It feels he is not in love with Morgan, but the concept of a “perfect” girl in “need of protection”. I can’t wait when he will admit Morgan isn’t perfect and can stand for herself. That will be the moment this “romance” will become interesting, for now it is the weakest sub plot so far.

A compelling and fascinating read that picked the pace back up from the somewhat slower second book. The world building continues to be first rate, the characters engaged me thoroughly and the dialogue well written and the narrative arc carries well.I love the world, I love the narrative and the characters and the motivations and the well, everything. There isn't a lot that I don't love about this series in fact: the relationships between characters grow and build throughout the book giving a real depth and wonderful immersive experience.I had assumed this was to be a trilogy and am exceptionally excited to find that I have another two books to wait for yet!

Ash and Quill picks up where book two finished, with Jess and the gang captured and transported to Philadelphia. It was interesting to get to know the Burners and there are some explosive moments in store!It is harder to review books from a series without spoilers, so I just want to say that this is another exciting read, full of action, intrigue, plotting, double-crossing and a touch of romance. I love the interaction between the characters, especially Jess and Morgan, and I just want them to save the world and have their happy ever after. Of course that's never going to happen until they take down the Great Library who have upped the stakes and will do anything, even commit mass murder to stop them.As with the other books in the series, this is a fast paced story that drags you along and keeps you interested to the last page.

Unputdownable. Edge of seat, heart stopping, mind blowing and sometimes heart breaking action and drama... our favourite group of rebels have gone from frying pan to fire and still landed themselves in more danger than ever before....and the ending is sooo tense! But at least it means one more book!

The Great Library series is one my favourite to date, it has kept me hooked since I read book 1.On the edge of my seat I read nonstop, after all they've been though to escape Alexandria and survive, to this! After reading each book I am always left wondering what it would be like to live in that world, it doesn't bare thinking about. How will this all end for the friends? Can forgiveness be found for the great betrayals? I must have more. I have to know what will happen to them all.

The first book was great in introducing original ideas for a fantasy world. The second book built the tension, and it looked as if we were heading for a climactic and satisfying ending in the third book. Alas, no. This book, Ash and Quill, rehashes the ideas in the previous two books, and ends on a cliffhanger with our heroes split up and held captive. This series could go on indefinitely.