Thursday 8 December 2016

Paper and Fire // a crazily captivating sequel


Title: Paper and Fire (The Great Library #2)
Author: Rachel Caine
Genre: Fantasy
Warnings: violence, death, torture
Rating: 5 stars
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You can find my review of Ink and Bone (book 1) here.

THIS. WAS. EVERYTHING. I described Ink and Bone as everything I could ever want in a book, and Paper and Fire is everything I could have asked for from a sequel.

I was seriously worried that the magnificence of the concept would wear off and I'd just be left with a story that couldn't hold on it's own. But that didn't happen at all! Instead the series continues with a world that is still just as captivating and even more corrupt, with towering hierarchical systems more complex than I could have ever imagined.

Seeing the plot continue to unfold was marvellous and I found myself gripping on every word. The characters helped so much with that, and the dynamic between them only gets better from book 1. Even though I don't care in the least for Jess or Morgan, I never found either character to take away from my enjoyment of the book. Plus it's really the other characters that take the spotlight, and they are actually perfect. They're messed up, complicated and tortured souls, but impossible not to love (no matter their faults).

With more diverse characters than you could imagine and some intense themes of censorship and losing everything you once believed in, Paper and Fire has secured The Great Library as one of my favourite series. I literally don't know if I can wait to see what book 3 has in store.


Diversity Note: The 7 core characters include characters from England, Wales, Germany, Spain and Italy, a Middle Eastern Muslim girl (who wears a hijab), and a M/M relationship. (Note that the book is told entirely from the perspective of the English character.)

A copy of this book was provided to me via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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