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Ash and Quill

(The Great Library #3)

Rachel Caine (Goodreads Author)

4.11 · Rating details · 4,920 ratings · 759 reviews

Words can kill.

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 bar ...more

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Hardcover, 338 pages

Published July 11th 2017 by Berkley

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4.11 ·

Rating details

· 4,920 ratings · 759 reviews

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Aug 23, 2017 C.G. Drews rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star, young-adult, read-2017, ya-male-narrators, magical-fantasy, steampunk, dystopian

I'M SO DEAD WITH APPRECIATION RIGHT NOW. THIS IS THE BEST ONE YET. I've just levelled up to Rabid Fan Of This Series Forever™ so please and thank you I'm just going to sit here nursing my pain and the intense wounds I've received from that brutal cliffhanger. They've just taken everything to a whole new level of mind-games-and-plot-twists and just ahhhh AHHH AAAAAAAAAAAH. I'm impressed and in love.

I have to admit the plot shone in this one! I'm still so freaking pleased there's no sequel blues a ...more

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Mar 21, 2017 Mohammed Arabey rated it really liked it

Well, i was pissed of changing it from a Trilogy to 5 books series, like an End of the beautiful Trilogy Era… now 5 is apparently the new 3.
But this part was much better..

From the Rebels in America, to the smugglers in England...and finally back again to Alexandria in a magnificent turn of events.
A big Game of Chess to take down a Tyranny ruling the whole world.. Holding the real Power ; Knowledge… Turning repels to Ashes…
And the friends fighting their way to live, fighting to free the Knowledge ...more

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Jul 17, 2017 Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘ rated it it was ok

Shelves: this-is-your-second-chance, 2017-reads, fantasy, dnf, young-adult

DNF. I'm not sure what did it : the constant repetitions of stuff I've known for more then 2 books now, or the incessant blabbering of characters who keep telling me things rather than showing me, but I'm calling it quits. While Rachel Caine's writing stays quite compelling, it's lacking emotion and I have to accept that I'll never care about any of these characters... Everything is so utterly neat. Bummer.

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Mar 15, 2017 Danielle (Love at First Page) rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites-young-adult, dystopia, genre-young-adult, lgbtq, crush-worthy-boys, fantasy-scifi-paranormal, read-in-2017, those-are-not-tears, swoon, own-physical-book

4-4.5 stars

THE GREAT LIBRARY continues to be one of my favorite series - what reader doesn't love books about books?! And, if it was even possible, I love its group of characters even more now. They are so endearing together, and I just need them to stay that way - together! The cliffhanger is particularly evil here; the wait for the 4th (and second to last) book will not be easy. With relentless high stakes, a love for books, characters you will adore, and a sprinkle of swoons, I highly, highly ...more

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May 28, 2017 may ➹ rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-reads, pov-3rd, pov-male, library, poc, fantasy, dystopian, hardcover, lgbtqiap, 4-star

First of all: THERE IS A HIJABI CHARACTER IN THIS YA FANTASY SERIES, and if you didn’t hit the want-to-read button immediately after hearing that, then you hit the need-to-read button.

Second of all: Ash and Quill is the third book of an EXTREMELY UNDERRATED fantasy series. I love it SO MUCH, and it literally is one of the most casually diverse books I’ve ever read??? What are you doing. Please go read it.

The characters in this book are so amazing and basically my favorite part. There’s a whole b First of all: THERE IS A HIJABI CHARACTER IN THIS YA FANTASY SERIES, and if you didn’t hit the want-to-read button immediately after hearing that, then you hit the need-to-read button.

Second of all: Ash and Quill is the third book of an EXTREMELY UNDERRATED fantasy series. I love it SO MUCH, and it literally is one of the most casually diverse books I’ve ever read??? What are you doing. Please go read it.

The characters in this book are so amazing and basically my favorite part. There’s a whole big cast of them but there’s so much diversity fjdsklfjslda.

🌹 JESS is the main character & narrator, and he’s actually kind of bland compared to the other characters. But he’s still an extremely likeable character so there’s not really a problem??

🌷 MORGAN is the love interest and the Chosen One Who Wants To Save Everyone But Also Is Extremely Selfish At Times. (I didn’t like her very much in this one.)

🌹 KHALILA is one of the most bada*s female characters I’ve come across, and??? SHE’S A HIJABI. I’m not Muslim, but I know how important it is for my Muslim friends to see hijabis in fantasy!! There’s one scene in this book that I absolutely LOVE her for?? It doesn’t affect the plot at all, but I’ll put it in spoilers just in case (but it’s really not a spoiler): (view spoiler)

🌷 DARIO is like the forever frenemy of Jess, and while I had trouble really gaining a liking for him in the first book, and then liking him again after the second book, I do think he’s a very well fleshed out character. He’s also from Spain!!

🌹 GLAIN is the strictest, I-show-no-emotion-because-I-probably-don’t-have-any-emotions soldier fighter girl from Wales ever??? But she’s so LIKEABLE.

(Don’t click on this unless you’ve read the second book!!) (view spoiler)

Also Wolfe and Santi are everyone’s gay dads, it’s confirmed, please go find them and hug them immediately and tell them to get married immediately & live a good, gay life together.

I don’t remember what happened in this book because I read it so long ago, but according to my notes, it felt a little slow, and there were some repetitive plot points?? BUT. The worldbuilding was so much better (now that lots of things had already been established), and I loved the tense atmosphere of the whole novel. It really makes you ~~want to fight~~ pumped for what’s going to happen!!!

Also!! This book has one of the most unique genre-moods I’ve read in YA?? I call it fantasy, but it also has SO MANY historical vibes to it (which I surprisingly loved… me, your local I-hate-historical-fiction girl), and then it also feels so dystopian?? I LOVE IT. IT’S SO GOOD.

And just like in the first two books, this ends on a cliffhanger that hurt even my cold, dead heart.

Basically: PLEASE PICK UP THESE SERIES. The first book can be a little slow or info-dumpy (I mean I loved it) for some people, but it’s just such !! an !! underrated !! series!!!! ...more

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Aug 11, 2017 Phrynne rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4000-books

For me this was the best book in the series so far. It was action packed, well paced and always interesting. Also a very speedy read because I never felt the need to put it down.
At last I am beginning to be interested in the characters as well which makes all the difference to my feelings about the book. Jess and Morgan's relationship is developing, Brendan and Darius are a little less annoying and Thomas is becoming quite remarkable. Some of the dialogue is pretty funny too.
The book finishes w ...more

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May 05, 2017 Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc-book-read, kindle-books

How in the world did I not know this WASN'T a trilogy? Gah!
This was so good. Full review to come closer to release date.

*Edited to add review*
This series continues to blow me away and cause me to read late into the night. Every time I start it I just know that I am in for something different and so well written that the hours reading it will just fly by and yet, by the end, it is never enough. I am always left wanting more and wondering how in the world Caine does it.

How did she come up with thi ...more

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Jul 11, 2016 Alyssa rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-releases

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine
Book Three of the Great Library series
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: July 11, 2017
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

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 ...more

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Jul 08, 2017 Carrie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

Ash and Quill is the third book of the Great Library series by Rachel Caine. In the first book, Ink and Bone, we are introduced to a world in which The Great Library is in every city and controls the books of the world. Using alchemy to distribute the books those working for the library track down anyone with any in their possession and confiscate the materials. Ownership of books is expressly forbidden and anyone violating this law could even be sentenced to death.

Jess Brightwell's family has Ash and Quill is the third book of the Great Library series by Rachel Caine. In the first book, Ink and Bone, we are introduced to a world in which The Great Library is in every city and controls the books of the world. Using alchemy to distribute the books those working for the library track down anyone with any in their possession and confiscate the materials. Ownership of books is expressly forbidden and anyone violating this law could even be sentenced to death.

Jess Brightwell's family has been involved in the black market for books. He's been raised to be a runner, delivering the books to those willing to pay the price and risk ownership. Jess has been sent to the library by his father to become a spy from the inside. He gets involved in the training only to find himself mixed up in the secrets of the library.

Now in Ash and Quill the story continues onward with Jess and his crew having fled London and finding themselves imprisoned in Philadelphia, a city led by those who would rather burn books than submit to the library. They've now have a secret among them though in the ability to create a machine that can print books and hopefully break the Library's rule over them.

While I am still loving reading this series now into the third installment I've found that it's actually going to be a five book series and still feel as I did with the second that Ash and Quill feels the middle of the story and not quite as exciting as the first book did so I hesitated giving it five stars. This is still a great series overall though and will continue to look forward to reading the next two books as they come out.

I also don't want to be spoilery with my review being right in the middle of the series so I'll just say that yes I would definitely recommend this series to the young adult fantasy lovers out there. Plenty of action and adventure in this world that Rachel Caine has created and I'm sure by the end Jess and company will be earning the highest rating when I get all the answers to the story I've been eagerly awaiting with each addition coming out.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
...more

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Jun 03, 2018 Robin (Bridge Four) rated it liked it

Shelves: book-boyfriend-material, bb-b-2018, o-captain-my-captain, uf-pnr, 2018-reads, buddy-read, ya

3.5 When all the world is a lock, boy, you don’t make a key. You become a key. Stars

Paper and Fire suffered a little form middle book syndrome but Ash and Quill was better and a step in the right direction.

We start off in a Burner home base and while I was hoping that maybe there were some fanatics out there burning them selves to death and the core of the group would be more solid I was not disappointed by the expansion of the world to include the Burner city home base in Philadelphia.

It was 3.5 When all the world is a lock, boy, you don’t make a key. You become a key. Stars

Paper and Fire suffered a little form middle book syndrome but Ash and Quill was better and a step in the right direction.

We start off in a Burner home base and while I was hoping that maybe there were some fanatics out there burning them selves to death and the core of the group would be more solid I was not disappointed by the expansion of the world to include the Burner city home base in Philadelphia.

It was interesting to see how in this alternate history the city went from the heart of the revolution to a Burner home base under a siege that has lasted 100 years. More interesting that it seems like whatever the movement is today it is not the same as it was when Ben Franklin was a member.

Still Jess and company are all together and it is nice to see them working as a team, or at least as much as they can to find a way out of the city. I really felt for the people of the city who were not really part of the Burners but stuck in the city just the same trying to make a living and caught in the crosshairs.

Overall the pacing and complete story in this is much better than the prior book. I love Khalila strength in this and she came through as a more solid three dimensional character.

“Only cowards are so afraid of a scrap of cloth,” she said, clear enough to carry to the stands. There was a shimmer in her eyes: anger, not tears. “We may not agree with the Archivist; we may want to see him gone and better Scholars take his place. But we still stand for knowledge. You stand for nothing.”

Also Thomas with his humor and occasional outburst due to stresses of the past made him more three dimensional as well. I like Jess but sometimes he is still just not enough to carry the entire story and I really think that this could possibly benefit from being told from multiple PoVs. For instance I really want into Morgan’s head as she is going around doing her part and what she thinks of her power. I’m not scared of Morgan but I am scared a little for her. Still I’m glad that Glain is there to remind Jess when he is being a twit.

“Stop thinking like a lovestruck idiot; she’s a weapon. She can build us a channel to communicate with your brother. Let her do the job she needs to do, all right?”
He turned toward her. Hands out of his pockets, body set as if he expected her to attack. He saw her shift to match it. It was probably unconscious. Probably. “I’m not willing to break her to serve the rest of us. We do that, we’re no better than the Archivist.”
Glain’s expression didn’t shift. It was calm and set and confident. “Flavia chose to pick up the knife.”
“Flavia stood on the corpses of everyone who died first trying to protect her. So think about that a moment.” His tone had gone so hard, cold, and final that he scarcely believed it was his.
“Flavia was a child,” Glain said. “And you don’t have a moral right to treat Morgan as one!”

Still most of the action is reserved for the final quarter of the book and that is when everything seems to happen. Dang for that ending, I’m so sad for my favorite couple of the book right now and hope that everything gets fixed soon. There is one romantic pairing that really stands out and I love those two together. The tender moments we see between them are great and again I appreciate that it is the more unconventional couple that is the strongest in this series.

So I’m glad the next book is out soon because I don’t want to have to wait long to see how it all resolves. ...more

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Aug 26, 2017 Wanda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: dystopian, libraries-museums-archives, female-authors, speculative-fiction, when-words-collide, young-adult, read-in-2017

Rachel Caine has certainly got my number with this series. Book three is right up there with book one, making me long for the next book. The Library of Alexandria is still dark, controlling, and overbearing. Our cast of characters is still fleeing their clutches, but wishing that they could change the Library, take it back to what it was supposed to be—a beacon for humanity.

Jess Brightwell comes into his own in this installment. Dario pushes him to think about what he wants to change and to be r ...more

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Aug 06, 2017 Suzanne rated it really liked it

This series has been a whirlwind. To be honest when I read book one, my response was that it was only alright. I read book two on a whim because I wasn't even sure I was going to continue the series and I am so glad I did because as the series continues the story just keeps getting better and better! This series left with a good cliffhanger for book four so now it is just playing the waiting game. UGH.

If you read book one and don't warm up to the characters do not worry because you will in book ...more

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Aug 12, 2017 Carlos rated it really liked it

Thanks to the folks at Netgalley who gave me an ARC of this book, (I just now found time to finally read it ) Wow this was a trip. I have really enjoyed the evolution of all the characters in this series , it has been very satisfying but then again that's what happens when people experience and survive fighting for their life . I'm also glad that this was not the end of the series , we are getting more books ...and the way this one ended, I am certain the next one will be filled with action as o ...more

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Feb 02, 2018 Helena of Sparta ✰ (on semi-hiatus) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, hardback, greco-roman, favourites, best-of-2017

“No one with a book is ever alone, even in the darkest moments.”

What. The. Actual. Hell. Just. Happened?!!! Ugh! Rachel Caine and her blasted cliffhangers! In every bloody book! That brutal ending just DESTROYED me!!! And somehow each instalment is better than the last?!!! HOW??? What is this sorcery???! Every single one of these books are addicting, and thus far, I’ve read each instalment in one sitting like a crazy person!!!

First of all, this series has the BEST cast of characters. With eac ...more

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Aug 15, 2017 Justine rated it really liked it

Shelves: favourites-2017, 2017-read

4.5 stars

This book is probably the best, but also the darkest, of the series so far. The characters have really come into themselves, particularly Jess, who continues to mature, and the always amazing Thomas. Santi and Wolfe are as heart wrenching as ever together.

Basically these books are a love letter about freedom of speech and knowledge, a love of books and free access to them, in the form of an action story. They aren't "message" books per se, but they certainly hit home for anyone who be ...more

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Jul 07, 2018 Lauren Stoolfire rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, lgbtq

Ash and Quill (The Great Library #3) by Rachel Caine is officially one of the best books I've had the pleasure of reading this year. I don't know how the author does it but this series just keeps getting better. I shouldn't be surprised anymore, but each book outdoes itself. I think I need more stars to show just how much I appreciate this series. I have no idea why I put it off for as long as I did, but I expect it must be nerves at what is surely coming for this wonderful cast of characters. I ...more

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Aug 01, 2017 Andrea rated it really liked it

Shelves: reread, 2018-read, 2017-read

I seriously love this whole series so much!! Sometimes the plot is slow and the chapters are super long, but I love these characters and what they're trying to accomplish. I love what Caine has done with reimagining the Great Library of Alexandria. Honestly what the Library has become is terrifying, but I can see how their original mission was twisted into this convoluted truth.

I enjoyed seeing the inside of the Burner movement. It really drove home the point that Burners are humans too. They a ...more

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Jul 21, 2017 K. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: own-it-hard-copy, fantasy, 2017, 5-star, dystopian, omg-that-cover, audience-young-adult, setting-usa, setting-uk, war

Trigger warnings: violence, war, blood, graphic(ish) description of injuries, death, fire, serious injury to a friend.

21/8/2018
Everything I said last time stands. This is fantastic from start to finish. I'm gonna go read book 4 now okay bye. The end.

21/7/2017
There are honestly no words for how much I adore this series. The concept is great. The characters are great. They're all full of complexity and there's plenty of diversity that never seems like it's there to tick boxes. They're a weird lit ...more

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Feb 21, 2017 Yodamom marked it as to-read

Shelves: killing-my-tbr

Started on 8/2017 dropping till more books are published

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Jun 08, 2018 Steven rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, fantasy, read-in-2018, historical-fiction

HOLY CRAP. Thank goodness I have an ARC of book four to pick right up or I'd be SO left in a book slump. What an ending, Rachel Caine!

Can't wait to see how this all plays out!

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Jul 30, 2017 Ronda rated it it was amazing

So Ms Caine does it again and presents us with another exciting episode in The Great Library series. Again we see our favourite characters coming together under extreme circumstances to fight off their imprisonment and work towards the greater good - or to fend off the evil of The Library!

I love how the characters have become more with each book, both Jess and Thomas are my favourites, although I do love the others. Wolfe and Santi have both grown on me over the books but they are all a part ...more

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Jul 15, 2017 Kevin rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, biblio-mystery, favorite-reads-2017, audiobook, books-about-books

4 1/2 stars
Oh man, I thought (view spoiler)

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Jul 03, 2017 Shelley rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-release, arc-netgalley, young-adult-fantasy

*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Young Adult, Fantasy
*Rating* 4.0

*My Thoughts*

Ash and Quill is the third installment in author Rachel Caine's The Great Library series. Ash and Quill picks up immediately where Paper and Fire left off. As a sort of summary for the series thus far, The Great Library of Alexandria exists in this alternative reality. But, that isn't necessarily a good thing. The Library claims it exists to "contain the knowledge of the world in the name of the greater good." But, possession ...more

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Jul 29, 2018 Atlas rated it really liked it

* * * *
4 / 5

~review to come~

http://atlasrisingbooks.wordpress.com

Loved it! What a cracker of an ending :)))

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Nov 19, 2016 Cindy ✩☽ Savage Queen ♔ marked it as to-read

I have not even read the first book yet, but my goodness I just have to say this entire series has the most beautiful covers ever. I fall in love each time I see them. And you know what else it has? Consistency! Each cover is absolutely gorgeous, while still retaining a semblance of similarity. Thank you Berkley Publishing for doing series covers correctly!

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Aug 10, 2017 Mogsy (MMOGC) rated it liked it

Shelves: review-copy, young-adult, alternate-history, fantasy, dystopia

3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/08/21/...

To be clear, I still love this series, but I’d be lying if I said my enthusiasm for it hasn’t cooled somewhat. As enjoyable as these last two installments were, I’m just not seeing the same caliber of storytelling that we got in the first book. How much of this is due to the fact The Great Library recently became a three-book series to a five-book one, I don’t know, but I suspect that not-insignificant change may have pl 3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/08/21/...

To be clear, I still love this series, but I’d be lying if I said my enthusiasm for it hasn’t cooled somewhat. As enjoyable as these last two installments were, I’m just not seeing the same caliber of storytelling that we got in the first book. How much of this is due to the fact The Great Library recently became a three-book series to a five-book one, I don’t know, but I suspect that not-insignificant change may have played a role. The story is still moving forward, but seemingly with more filler than usual in this one.

As the third novel in the sequence, Ash and Quill picks up immediately from the end of Paper and Fire, so if you haven’t started this series yet, keep in mind there may be possible spoilers for the first two books in this review. After fleeing from London and narrowly escaping the Archivist’s forces, Jess Brightwell and his fellow exiles find themselves in Philadelphia, a city run by the rebels known as the Burners. Believing them to be the agents of the Great Library though, the Burners capture Jess and his group and threaten to kill them all unless Thomas, the genius inventor of the group, agrees to build the rebels a working printing press. A deal is struck in order to buy time for our protagonist to figure out how to save his friends, but with the chaos descending upon the city, Jess knows that they can’t stay in the Americas and must quickly find their way back across the ocean in search of more allies.

First, the good: I like how each book is bringing more to the table in terms of character development, adding layers to established personalities and relationships. This is where Ash and Quill really shines. While the story is punctuate with occasional bursts of action, I generally preferred the quieter moments where we got to see the characters interact and find out more about their origins and family life. Who knew Dario came from such an illustrious family, for example? Like Jess, I still don’t really trust the guy, but we’re starting to see more of Dario’s deeper, more considerate side break through the cockiness, especially in his scenes with Khalila. As one of the few adult characters, Wolf continues to be my favorite, and I really appreciated this book giving his relationship with Santi some extra attention. Jess also gets some time to reflect upon his role as a brother and a son, deciding once and for all what to do about his future place in the family business, and I’m looking forward to seeing how this conflict will resolve.

Now, for the things that weren’t so good (and I’d like to warn everyone in advance that this is going to sound more negative than I intend), I honestly thought this book wasted a lot of time. Many scenes were padded with what I felt was unnecessary description, and there was constant repetition when it comes to Jess’ internal thoughts and dialogue. I was also slightly disappointed that we didn’t get to see more of Philadelphia. Such a bummer when we finally get to follow the characters to a different city—an exotic place, in their eyes—and they end up spending most of their time there as prisoners listening to their Burner captors rant and rave. I feel there was a missed opportunity here to show a more multifaceted picture of a place that was in full revolt against the Great Library, but instead we barely got to scratch the surface.

Ironically, I’m also enjoying all the romances and relationships in this series except the one between Jess and Morgan. Granted, they’ve had a rough time of it from the start, with one or both of them either being on the run or in prison at any given time, but I really think the ship has sailed to really make me feel any chemistry or care about them as a couple. They feel all wrong for each other, especially with the darker truth behind Morgan’s powers emerging, so any attempt to bring her and Jess closer together just feels very awkward to me at this point.

Again, I know I’m sounding very critical of this novel, but I assure you that I had fun and enjoyed it—just not as much as Ink and Bone and perhaps merely a teensy tiny little bit less than Paper and Fire. Would I still recommend this series though? You bet. The overall story arc is exciting, and like the previous book, this one also ends on a cliffhanger that had me wailing, “Nooooo, things just can’t end like this, not yet, not yet!” Parts of this might have been slow, but when things do get tense, Rachel Caine sure knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat. Her talent as a writer is what keeps me clamoring for more, and I can’t wait to see where she’ll take us with the next book. ...more

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Jul 10, 2017 Sophie (Blame Chocolate) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Full review at Blame Chocolate.

Ash and Quill was a great read, from start to finish. The pacing is incredible and there’s always a lot going on so it never gets boring. The characters are amazingly clever and competent, though not in an unbelievable kind of way. There’s been an amazing progression since book one and they’re all grown up. The girl power in this was especially enjoyable.

If you love books, History and strong friendships, you’ll love this series. There’s some clever humor to cut the ...more

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Nov 02, 2017 Melindam rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-and-or-libraries, steampunk, fantasy-by-female-authors

Rachel Caine managed to take my breath away with this book - third time in a row...
RTC.

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Jul 03, 2018 Darinda rated it really liked it

Jess Brightwell and his friends have fled London and are now in Philadelphia. They are prisoners in a place where people would rather burn books than submit to the Great Library. In a world where books are banned, the Great Library is the organization responsible for controlling the world's knowledge.

Ash and Quill is the third book in The Great Library series by Rachel Caine. I've read the previous two books in the series, and definitely recommend reading them before this one. This book does en ...more

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Feb 01, 2018 Lisa rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult, 2017-release, fantasy, review-copy

Review from Tenacious Reader: http://www.tenaciousreader.com/2018/0...

When I read the first book in this series, I had no expectations, just thought it sounded like a great concept and so picked it up. It pretty much blew me away. I loved the entire concept of the the Library being evil, controlling (and often destroying) knowledge. It set a ridiculously high bar for the series, but even though next in the series (Paper and Fire) did not have quite that same level of magical reading experience, Review from Tenacious Reader: http://www.tenaciousreader.com/2018/0...

When I read the first book in this series, I had no expectations, just thought it sounded like a great concept and so picked it up. It pretty much blew me away. I loved the entire concept of the the Library being evil, controlling (and often destroying) knowledge. It set a ridiculously high bar for the series, but even though next in the series (Paper and Fire) did not have quite that same level of magical reading experience, there was still plenty of room to be really good. I’m not exactly sure what happened with this book, but I feel like I lost all of the things that made me love the series. Yes, the Library is still evil, but at this point, I need more. I really wish this had been a trilogy and contained some closure at this point. I feel like if more had happened, perhaps I would have more excited by this book. But it is another middle book where I wish the story made more progress.

Jess and his crew escaped at the end of the previous book, and now find themselves in Philadelphia, land of the Burners. Jess was raised in a family of book smugglers, and learned a great appreciation for printed book if possessing them was illegal. Now, he and his knowledge appreciating friends from The Library are trapped with people who would rather burn books than turn them over to the Library. It provides some interesting conflict. Also of interest is their development of a printing press, and the possibilities that presents. There is also exploration that gives deeper understanding of some of the relationships in the book, notably Wolf and Santi, Jess and his brother. Dario also gets a bit more depth or complexity.

I think with this book, the telling rather than showing really slowed my excitement. Pair that with recapping the same information over and over, and I just had trouble maintaining any level of excitement. So while I loved the first book, now in the third book of the series, I still feel like Jess is the only character I have any connection to. And even worse, I feel like that connection faltered in this book. That’s not a good thing! That means my strongest connection with this series is wavering, and losing ground. Quickly. I am on the fence if I will continue with the next book in this series, honestly, I will wait for some other reviews to come in before I decide for sure, particularly reviews from other readers that have experienced more issues in the last two books. That said, I know there are some readers that will still love this one, especially readers that had no problems with Paper and Fire.

For those interested, there is a cliffhanger with this book, which shouldnt be a surprise, the last one did that as well. But I find myself caring less, and honestly, I’m not entirely sure if I will give the next book a chance. ...more

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About Rachel Caine

Rachel Caine

15,056 followers

Rachel Caine is a pen name of Roxanne Longstreet Conrad.

She has also published as:
Roxanne Longstreet
Roxanne Conrad
Julie Fortune
Ian Hammell

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Other books in the series

The Great Library (5 books)

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Quotes from Ash and Quill

“Delighted," Jess said. "I think all houses should be stuffed with books. It makes them--"
"Homes?" the doctor finished. "You are quite the heretic, for someone in a Library uniform."
"Guilty.” — 10 likes

“I'm all right, Nic," Wolfe said, and finally looked at him. "We walked through the dungeons under Rome, survived Philadelphia, and this perfumed cage won't bring us to our knees. We're all stronger than that."
"All right," Santi said. "But don't ask me to stop standing next to you. Because you know I will, however much you shout about it.” — 5 likes

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