To save the Great Library, the unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone, Paper and Fire, and Ash and Quill put themselves in danger in the next thrilling adventure in the New York Times bestselling series.The opening moves of a deadly game have begun. Jess Brightwell has put himself in direct peril, with only his wits and skill to aid him in a game of cat and mouse with the Archivist Magister … of cat and mouse with the Archivist Magister of the Great Library. With the world catching fire, and words printed on paper the spark that lights rebellion, it falls to smugglers, thieves, and scholars to save a library thousands of years in the making…if they can stay alive long enough to outwit their enemies.
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This is the dystopian Series book lovers will enjoy!
Jess and his friends are in for the fight of their lives as plans go awry and allies are few and very far between. The library must be saved and preserved at all costs and they ate willing to make every sacrifice necessary to achieve their goals. The battles will be many and lives will be lost, friends will become enemies and light may just be found in the darkest corners. Together they will fight like never before as the penultimate book in the series comes to a close. It’s action pact, thrilling and perfect and I could not put it down!
I’m impressed with how easily I am able to jump right back into this world without having to refresh my memory of what was going on and what had happened in the previous book.
There is a plethora of things going on, and many of the people involved are not aware of the full plan. This creates a bit of chaos and animosity. But I think our “heroes” have everyone’s best interest at heart. Unfortunately, it ends up with loss of life. I didn’t cry in this book, but I did come close and I certainly felt the shock of each loss.
I believe in Khalila and the others and I think they could truly change things if they got more support, but as of the ending of this book, I’m not sure they have quite enough yet. I’m eager to see how this all turns out in book five.
Can’t wait for the final book in the series.
Smoke and Iron picks up right where the last novel left off, with the band of rebels separated in their hope to bring down the corrupted leader of the Great Library. So now more than one character is given more time to shine throughout the story. Before Jess was the main protagonist, and it was mostly his perspective that drove the story. However, now things have changed since the band has decided to disband. So now the readers have a deeper insight into the characters who had been in the background. Moreover, it is great because some of these characters, like Khalila, who has always had a strong personality, so to see her finally have a voice is refreshing. She takes charge, leads a rebellion not by force but by words and knowledge. She speaks about peace and about sharing knowledge, and that is what makes her such a compelling character. What’s more is the reader gets to see her action the reader gets to understand her mindset and her narrative as she explores another way other than violence to spur change.
Many of the characters finally get to shine which is essential in this novel concerning the group is expanded. However, the store cannot just follow Jess because the story is not just about Jess. The story is about change; it is about how knowledge is power and how it should be shared; it is about the love of books. That is a concept that expands past one person. To see Caine finally explore that aspect of the story by making the presentation grander and giving other characters more time to shine and a larger narrative, she expands the scope of the novel. Again it is about knowledge and power, but it is also about how knowledge should be freely shared and freely given there’s no privilege aspect in the novel which is very relative to today’s society and what is what makes the novel so relatable. These young adults are striving to form a world where knowledge is shared among everyone, not just a privilege to folks with the money with but to the underprivileged as well. That is not only a very relatable concept, but it is also a relevant one given today’s economic climate. That is another aspect of the novel that makes it so compelling, how its subverts reality and puts it into this alternative fiction fantasy concept without lessening the power and the impact of it.
That is also another reason why this book moves a little faster. It is as long as its predecessors, but the break in narratives keeps the pace of the story moving. Whereas in the previous books the reader somewhat struggled to remember what exactly happened in the previous novels because it dragged on. Here there’s no confusion. Caine summarizes the past events quite well without taking away from the current story. It is fluid and summarizes, capturing those essential climaxes of the previous novels but without dragging the story. That is not to say the predecessors were not good they just moved slowly.
Smoke and Iron at the end of the day is a novel that has a lot of political impact and much power to it. There is also so many twists and turns in plot development and Cliffhangers repeatedly throughout the throughout the novel that keep the reader at the edge of their seat. Those Cliffhangers they do not lose their power by the repetition because they happen to various characters at various points in the novel. So it has the pace has the power to keep the reader compelled and it is wrapping up the story very well. Probably the best part again is seeing the other characters in the novel flourish and develop.
I have been thoroughly impressed with Rachel Caine’s The Great Library series since it’s inception, and I’m so happy that we have more books to come. The world-building is complex and detailed, and just superb from beginning to end. I also love the diverse cast of characters from just about every walk of life – there is someone for everyone to identify with.
The last installment of the series, Ash and Quill, ended on a cliffhanger that had me yelling at my Kindle. So without giving away what happened. I will just say that our group of revolutionaries is now separated. Jess and Dario concocted a crazy and dangerous scheme, one that will take all of Jess’ cunning, bravery and skill. He also couldn’t let his guilt or worry for the others cloud his judgment, as he was in the viper pit with danger at every turn. I was riveted as he attempted to beard a lion in it’s den, and I couldn’t quite believe that he was pulling it off. Of course there was a lot of action and several close calls that had me holding my breath and flipping the page as fast as possible.
The Archivist is just as ruthless, evil and power-mad as ever. Though his corruption now has some within the library questioning his motives and methods, though no one seems to be as brave or willing to speak out as our young revolutionaries. Another villain has moved into the role of Obscurist, following the death of Wolfe’s mother. Gregory was very easy to hate – he came off as slimy and he delighted in his cruelty. I felt like he had the potential to surpass the Archivist in vile deeds if given the chance.
Jess was not the sole POV in this book, we swapped between the various main characters and were able to get a clear picture of what was happening with everyone else. Morgan had her own plan, and enlisted help from an endearing new character – Anissa. (I think she was new, I don’t remember her from previous books.) I enjoyed their alliance and machinations within the Iron Tower. But I was also very intrigued by Eksander, another new (and powerful) character, that I hope plays a larger role in future books.
Khalila really stepped up in this installment, as did Dario. When separated, Khalila stepped up to become a leader. She shows great promise as a politician – a fair, honest and diplomatic one. Dario has also grown and matured as a character, and I attribute that largely to his love for Khalila. Glain, Santi and Thomas didn’t have quite as much page time as the others, but continued to be strong supportive presences in the story. Thomas is our quiet inventive genius, who is still troubled by what he endured in previous books. Santi is our alpha male High Garda, who is so in love and worried for Wolfe that it blinds him at times. I love seeing Wolfe and Santi together, they have something truly special.
The tides are turning for the revolution and The Great Library, and I was not able to predict the final events of the story. I can’t wait for the next installment!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Berkley.
Although the fourth book in the series, this is not the final; Rachel Caine loves to leave readers in suspense!
If you’ve read the first three books, you already love the many characters and their intricate relationships to one another. Definitely the best series I’ve read this year, and all books are available in my classroom library.