Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine

July 10th, 2017 Kimberly Review 58 Comments

10th Jul
Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine
Ash and Quill
by Rachel Caine
Series: The Great Library #3
Genres: Fantasy
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

The unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone and Paper and Fire unite to save the Great Library of Alexandria from itself in this electrifying adventure in the New York Times bestselling series.

Hoarding all the knowledge of the world, the Great Library jealously guards its secrets. But now a group of rebels poses a dangerous threat to its tyranny....

Jess Brightwell and his band of exiles have fled London, only to find themselves imprisoned in Philadelphia, a city led by those who would rather burn books than submit. But Jess and his friends have a bargaining chip: the knowledge to build a machine that will break the Library’s rule.

Their time is running out. To survive, they’ll have to choose to live or die as one, to take the fight to their enemies—and to save the very soul of the Great Library....

2017 fave ADDICTIVE Book Series Young Adult

Their time is running out. To survive, they’ll have to choose to live or die as one, to take the fight to their enemies—and to save the very soul of the Great Library….

ASH AND QUILL, by Rachel Caine the third book in the Great Library series had me clenching my Kindle as this motley crew of characters faced peril and betrayal in their quest to save the written word and the knowledge it holds.

After the suspenseful ending of PAPER AND FIRE, I was eager to jump back into the story. Because of the way this story is told, it is imperative that you read the series in order. Jess and his comrades barely escaped London and soon find themselves prisoners in a burner stronghold located in Philadelphia. Jess and Thomas soon come up with a plan to keep them alive by offering to build a machine that will undermine the Library. As they work on making the machine, the group formulates a plan to escape.

Caine had me flipping the pages as characters are injured, plans are made, and lives are put in peril. I love this group of characters, and Caine does an excellent job of highlighting each character’s strength, sharing their fears and making me a part of their quest. They have each other’s back and tender moments we witness remind me how courageous each of them is. All will sacrifice in the name of knowledge and their passion for books.

The world building is vivid from the terrifying Automations and brutal destruction to the intense action scenes. Philadephia burst to life showcasing just how intense the battle has become. We also spend time with Jess’s loving father. (insert sarcasm) Caine continues to share news of battles across the sphere through codex messages and library archives at the beginning of each chapter. She also gives us a clear picture of all sides right down to the High Garda and their struggles with following orders.

Their rescue leads them directly into the arms of another whose greed will betray them all, and the cliffhanger ending had me screaming, “Nooooooo!!!!” as I quickly searched to find out how long until the next release.

ASH AND QUILL, was dark and gritty at times. We witness violence and heartbreak as Jess does what he must to protect his friends. We see Morgan use her abilities and it set the hairs at the back of my nape on end. With everything that is happening we do get glimpses into how much each character has changed, share intimate moments and watch them struggle internally. I continue to image these characters as beloved ones from Harry Potter. I cannot help it. Snape, Neville, Draco, and more. I will let you decide for yourself whose face and mannerism I have matched with whom. Our boy Thomas surprised me with his cleverness and fearlessness. It was rather brilliant, and I am quite fond of him.

Do you love books? Fear living in a society where books and knowledge are kept from you? Like steampunk-type technology that can kill you? Want to journey along with a small group of extraordinary characters who are determined to save the world? Then ASH AND QUILL and the Great Library series should be your next read!

Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine was another nail-biting adventure in the Great Library Share on X
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

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58 Responses to “Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine”

  2. Julie Wright

    I have had this book on my radar for sooo long, I must get my finger out and get to read it, at least the whole series is already available if i want to binge on it 🙂

  4. AngelErin

    Excellent review! This is one of those series that I REALLY need to pick up soon. It sounds so great and I think I would love it. 😀

  5. Angie

    Oh, man. Consider my bubble burst! I thought for sure this was a trilogy, but I see there are more books planned. I was thinking I’d be able to read this one back to back and finish it. I guess not. LOL I’m glad you enjoyed this one so much!

    Great review. 🙂

  6. Katherine

    This series has been on my radar because how can I resist anything entitled the Great Library? I’m glad to hear that the 3rd book is still strong. This is a little out of my reading comfort zone so I wanted to make sure the series stayed amazing before I dove in. Sounds like I need to get to the library immediately!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I hope you do, and sometimes it is fun to step outside your genre comfort zone. This has magic, steampunk, mystery, suspense and more

  7. Suzanne

    This sounds amazing! This is a series that I’ve had on my TBR for a long time, but then I loaned the first book to my sister since I have so many other titles to read. Sounds like I need to hurry up and get it back. Great review!

  8. Lark

    The more reviews I read (especially this one), the more I want to read this series… but I seriously hate cliffhangers. Which may mean waiting a few more years. *sigh*

  9. Carole

    I am so excited to read this series! I just got my hands on the first book a couple of weeks ago and hope to squeeze it in soon.

  12. A Belle's Tales

    We have the first two on our shelf and this third one on the way! These covers are so beautiful, and we can’t wait to start this incredible-sounding series and meet these characters. So happy to hear that you enjoyed this third installment! Thank you for the great review 🙂

  13. Greg

    This is a series I’ve been thinking about for a while, and sounds like it’s pretty great! And cliffhangers like that are the worst lol. It’s always SUCH a long wait for the next one. I like the sound of the steampunk elements too. I’ll have to get these and binge ’em here at some point. Nice review Kimba!

  14. Melissa (Books and Things)

    I have had this one on my wishlist for too long (I mean the series, not just the book). I have yet to get to the first book. What is WRONG with me? 🙂 I do think I want to try to get to it this year. You have me salivating for this book and the series as a whole.

  15. Angela

    A sereis I haven’t tried yet, but I’ve heard great things. Thank’s for the review.

  16. Heidi

    I have been eyeing this series since it came out, and I think I even have ARCS of the first two books on my Kindle. I just need to buckle down and do some binge reading. This series sounds fantastic.

  23. Sarah

    Oh man do I need to read this series! Glad to hear 3 books in and its still awesome. The fact that you’ve compared the characters to the Harry Potter series… I’m sold!

  25. Nick

    Kim, I love that the author had you flipping the pages. I’m so excited to read this series because I know I’m going to love these characters and all that action. But I’m waiting for the whole series to be out so I can binge-read and not have to deal with cliffhangers!

  27. Nadene

    Intense, imaginative and explosive. Those words came to me while reading your review. I will be looking into this one. Great review.