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Sword and Pen
(The Great Library #5)
by
With the future of the Great Library in doubt, the unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone must decide if it's worth saving in this thrilling adventure in the New York Times bestselling series.
The corrupt leadership of the Great Library has fallen. But with the Archivist plotting his return to power, and the Library under siege from outside empires and kingdoms, its fut ...more
The corrupt leadership of the Great Library has fallen. But with the Archivist plotting his return to power, and the Library under siege from outside empires and kingdoms, its fut ...more
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Paperback, 368 pages
Published
May 12th 2020
by Berkley Books
(first published September 3rd 2019)
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Start your review of Sword and Pen (The Great Library, #5)
I received this complimentary ARC from the publisher, courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
"Is it worth it? What we're doing?"
"It has to be," she said. "If the Great Library comes to pieces, what's left? Warring kingdoms fighting over bones, dragging apart Archives, hoarding and hiding knowledge? Do you want to live in that world?"
"No," he said, and took a deep breath. "But I'm afraid we may inherit it anyway."
WOW. What a finale! I may not be pleased with everything that went ...more
"Is it worth it? What we're doing?"
"It has to be," she said. "If the Great Library comes to pieces, what's left? Warring kingdoms fighting over bones, dragging apart Archives, hoarding and hiding knowledge? Do you want to live in that world?"
"No," he said, and took a deep breath. "But I'm afraid we may inherit it anyway."
WOW. What a finale! I may not be pleased with everything that went ...more
FIVE MEMORABLE GAZILLION STARS and I’m singing from Doors “This is the end my beautiful friend” with tearful eyes.
Starting to this book like joining an hard-core boot camp class because I was literally having panic attacks that one of my favorite characters could die or something terrible happened to them so I kept procrastinating my starting date over and over. But I didn’t let my fears control my brain so last night I opened the book, in one hand flipped the pages, with the other I held my hea ...more
Starting to this book like joining an hard-core boot camp class because I was literally having panic attacks that one of my favorite characters could die or something terrible happened to them so I kept procrastinating my starting date over and over. But I didn’t let my fears control my brain so last night I opened the book, in one hand flipped the pages, with the other I held my hea ...more
This was stressful, brilliant, powerful and absolutely DESTROYING. I actually had to take a moment to breathe after I finished because, like Jess, I spent most of the book gasping and dying between paragraphs that were obviously designed to spear me right through the feels. This books was so so intense and it delivered everything I needed in a finale. Including making me not know if a single character I liked would get through. I was tHAT stressed!! I was so stressed!!!!
other things I did:
(a) pr ...more
other things I did:
(a) pr ...more
It is so very hard to review the last book in a very much beloved series. This series has been amazing and stand out since the very first book and it has continued to astonish and blow me away with each new installment.
This last installment might very well be my most favorite one of them all.
Entertaining, action packed, thrilling, fast paced and full of all the great stuff and characters that have made this series so outstanding from the very beginning, Sword and Pen blew me away.
It made me cr ...more
This last installment might very well be my most favorite one of them all.
Entertaining, action packed, thrilling, fast paced and full of all the great stuff and characters that have made this series so outstanding from the very beginning, Sword and Pen blew me away.
It made me cr ...more
Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I'm so sad that this series is over. What a fun and fantastic world that Rachel Caine has created! She's got a handful of deep characters that I've grown to care for, and now, they'll have to live on through rereads I guess.
Sword and Pen is the final book in the Great Library series, and it goes out with a bang! Character growth, plot twists, major events, Indiana Jones-esque tombs, and evil villain ...more
I'm so sad that this series is over. What a fun and fantastic world that Rachel Caine has created! She's got a handful of deep characters that I've grown to care for, and now, they'll have to live on through rereads I guess.
Sword and Pen is the final book in the Great Library series, and it goes out with a bang! Character growth, plot twists, major events, Indiana Jones-esque tombs, and evil villain ...more
Jan 21, 2020
Alaina
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2020-arcs,
fiction,
young-adult,
dystopia,
sci-fi,
2020-ng,
fantasy,
historical-fiction,
jan-2020
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
OMG THIS SERIES! Sword and Pen did not disappoint folks! Ugh, it was so good and I'm so happy that I took my sweet time with this series. Even if I read the ARC way after it was published. Eh.. eh. Oops?
Honestly, I loved how this didn't go as I planned at all. Complete mind fuck but I enjoyed the ride. Definitely would've wanted some things to go differently but in the end, Rachel Caine continuously surprises me.
Loved each ...more
OMG THIS SERIES! Sword and Pen did not disappoint folks! Ugh, it was so good and I'm so happy that I took my sweet time with this series. Even if I read the ARC way after it was published. Eh.. eh. Oops?
Honestly, I loved how this didn't go as I planned at all. Complete mind fuck but I enjoyed the ride. Definitely would've wanted some things to go differently but in the end, Rachel Caine continuously surprises me.
Loved each ...more
My heart is both so full and so empty after finishing the final book in this absolutely BRILLIANT series. So full because I love this series to pieces and it was such a perfect ending to the series. So empty because I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself now that I’ve finished this series and have no more books to look forward to! I really couldn’t have imagined a better ending to these books and although a couple moments left me gutted and heart broken, I wouldn’t have had it any other w
...more
As I've said for the other books, I just loved this series. This was a good end to the series and this one is now my favorite of Rachel's. She has many series out there and is a wonderful writer and person! My other favorite is her Morganville vampire series.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Great conclusion to the Great Library series. Starts fast and does not linger one bit, and before you know it, the journey of the series concludes wonderfully. There were so many complex aspects of the continuing story and character developments throughout this series, and honestly Rachel Caine never dropped the ball during this series. Kudos to her and an amazing job well done!!!
Great conclusion to the Great Library series. Starts fast and does not linger one bit, and before you know it, the journey of the series concludes wonderfully. There were so many complex aspects of the continuing story and character developments throughout this series, and honestly Rachel Caine never dropped the ball during this series. Kudos to her and an amazing job well done!!!
Don’t you love when you become invested in the characters and story? When you cry over loss, worry about outcomes and curse villains names? If you do than the Great Library series is for you.
In this world the written word and knowledge are controlled for the greater good. Books are illegal and and smugglers profit. It’s the story of a small group of Librarians who overcoming the controlling faction to better the world. They believe knowledge and books should be shared. Along the way there will b ...more
In this world the written word and knowledge are controlled for the greater good. Books are illegal and and smugglers profit. It’s the story of a small group of Librarians who overcoming the controlling faction to better the world. They believe knowledge and books should be shared. Along the way there will b ...more
Sep 03, 2019
Darinda
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
netgalley,
ya-fantasy
The fifth and final book in The Great Library series by Rachel Caine. This fantasy series involves an imaginative world where owning books is banned and information from books is controlled by the Great Library.
The world-building in this series is fantastic. The assorted cast of characters have really grown as the series has progressed. The characters have worked hard to bring down the corruption in the Great Library, but the future of the Library is unknown as multiple sides vie for control. Si ...more
The world-building in this series is fantastic. The assorted cast of characters have really grown as the series has progressed. The characters have worked hard to bring down the corruption in the Great Library, but the future of the Library is unknown as multiple sides vie for control. Si ...more
One of the best series I've ever read ever. Rachel Caine, you are a fantastic genius. Thank you for not giving up on this idea.
I have to add: It is nearly always a TERRIBLE idea to begin a series with the final book. I say this because I saw updates from someone who picked this up without having read the first four and had no idea who anyone was or what was going on. This is NOT one of those series where you can start wherever you like all willy-nilly and such. PLEASE start with Ink and Bone. PL ...more
I have to add: It is nearly always a TERRIBLE idea to begin a series with the final book. I say this because I saw updates from someone who picked this up without having read the first four and had no idea who anyone was or what was going on. This is NOT one of those series where you can start wherever you like all willy-nilly and such. PLEASE start with Ink and Bone. PL ...more
The fifth and final installment in The Great Library series, Sword and Pen is an excellent conclusion to this story.
“There was peace in this place. Maybe there was peace everywhere, if she’d slow down to look.”
I was a little concerned about a third of the way into this book, as it was feeling long and wasn’t gripping me as much as I wanted it to. But it was just me; in the end Caine delivered a book just as entertaining as the previous ones. Sword and Pen combined a well woven plot with characte ...more
“There was peace in this place. Maybe there was peace everywhere, if she’d slow down to look.”
I was a little concerned about a third of the way into this book, as it was feeling long and wasn’t gripping me as much as I wanted it to. But it was just me; in the end Caine delivered a book just as entertaining as the previous ones. Sword and Pen combined a well woven plot with characte ...more
Jun 09, 2019
Bea
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
beas-book-nook,
arc,
kindle,
reviews,
action-mystery-thriller,
ya,
fantasy,
steampunk,
read-in-2019
Blog tour review, excerpt and giveaways 9/4/19.
GO BUY THIS BOOK!
Wait. First buy and read the first four books, then buy and read this book. It really doesn't work well as a stand alone especially as it's the last in the series. I'm sad the series is ending and delighted that
Caine ended the series on a high note. I'm not referring to the events of the story but the writing. It was tightly plotted, full of emotion, politics, action, a little romance, found family and musings on who should control ...more
GO BUY THIS BOOK!
Wait. First buy and read the first four books, then buy and read this book. It really doesn't work well as a stand alone especially as it's the last in the series. I'm sad the series is ending and delighted that
Caine ended the series on a high note. I'm not referring to the events of the story but the writing. It was tightly plotted, full of emotion, politics, action, a little romance, found family and musings on who should control ...more
Fabulous! This is going out with a bang, rather than a whimper! I am not sure what it says about me that I adore dark fantasy, with plenty of battles, plots, backstabby treacherousness, and ingenious weapons. And don’t forget the Great Library! Having worked my whole career in libraries, they are near and dear to my heart.
This volume reduced me to emotional tatters by its end. I shed plenty of tears and just sat staring into space for a while after I finished it. What a ride!
Ms. Caine, you have ...more
This volume reduced me to emotional tatters by its end. I shed plenty of tears and just sat staring into space for a while after I finished it. What a ride!
Ms. Caine, you have ...more
Nov 03, 2019
Maja Ingrid
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
ya,
urban-fantasy
A satisfying conclusion to the series!
While I've felt there was a sliiight decline beginning with book 4, the series is still solid through and through. I think one of my dislike was that, with book 4, it started getting multi-pov. Don't get me wrong. I love the other characters as well but I had grown stuck on Jess and was bit territorial with charing my page-time with him with others.
Also with this decline was that, stuff didn't have the same emotional impact on me. Book 1-3 had me crying and ...more
While I've felt there was a sliiight decline beginning with book 4, the series is still solid through and through. I think one of my dislike was that, with book 4, it started getting multi-pov. Don't get me wrong. I love the other characters as well but I had grown stuck on Jess and was bit territorial with charing my page-time with him with others.
Also with this decline was that, stuff didn't have the same emotional impact on me. Book 1-3 had me crying and ...more
Book #5 and finale to a terrific and recommended series by Rachel Caine. Creative world, interesting characters, and a theme for readers of all ages: who is entitled to knowledge? With the death of an important character, the evil Archivist has been banished, but forces are amassing around Alexandria and the Great Library: several nation’s fleets are just outside the harbor, the Russians are camped outside the northeast gate, and the Archivist in exile has spies everywhere. Everyone on the team
...more
*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Young Adult, Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5-4
*Thoughts*
Sword and Pen is the Fifth and final installment in author Rachel Caine's The Great Library series. As a sort of summary, The Great Library of Alexandria exists in a alternative world. It exists to "contain the knowledge of the world in the name of the greater good." This is a world where possessing real honest to goodness books is a serious crime, but there are those who have found a way to do so even at the threat of death b ...more
*Genre* Young Adult, Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5-4
*Thoughts*
Sword and Pen is the Fifth and final installment in author Rachel Caine's The Great Library series. As a sort of summary, The Great Library of Alexandria exists in a alternative world. It exists to "contain the knowledge of the world in the name of the greater good." This is a world where possessing real honest to goodness books is a serious crime, but there are those who have found a way to do so even at the threat of death b ...more
It is both sad and exciting to come to the end of The Great Library series. I have loved each and every one and will continue to recommend it to YA lovers of fantasy, action-adventure and books/libraries in general. With its unique weaponry and mechanical marvels such as tablets that are far more capable than anything currently available and almost sentient statuary that can both kill and protect, this might also be a series for those who enjoy sci-fi, as well. In this final book, readers will s
...more
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange from an honest review.
With the future of the Great Library in doubt, the unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone must decide if it's worth saving in this thrilling adventure in the New York Times bestselling series. The corrupt leadership of the Great Library has fallen. But with the Archivist plotting his return to power, and the Library under siege from outside empires and kingdoms, its future is uncertain. Jess Brightwell and his friends must co ...more
With the future of the Great Library in doubt, the unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone must decide if it's worth saving in this thrilling adventure in the New York Times bestselling series. The corrupt leadership of the Great Library has fallen. But with the Archivist plotting his return to power, and the Library under siege from outside empires and kingdoms, its future is uncertain. Jess Brightwell and his friends must co ...more
4.75/5 stars!
Okay. I'm going to be completely honest here. I think-in my anticipation of finishing this brilliant series before the start of the semester this previous week-I may have flown a little too quickly through this grand finale. It was just so good that couldn't put it down, but I knew that I would never have the spare time to go back and finish it once I got loaded down with coursework.
With that being said, I'm going to wait to write a full review of this glorious finale until I ha ...more
Okay. I'm going to be completely honest here. I think-in my anticipation of finishing this brilliant series before the start of the semester this previous week-I may have flown a little too quickly through this grand finale. It was just so good that couldn't put it down, but I knew that I would never have the spare time to go back and finish it once I got loaded down with coursework.
With that being said, I'm going to wait to write a full review of this glorious finale until I ha ...more
3.5/5
We've reached the finale. Jess and friends are out to save the Great Library at all costs. Everyone seems to want it to disappear. After Brandon's death in Smoke and Iron, this book has the reader on the edge with anticipation. We know that anything can happen... and it does. You can hardly take a breath while with Wolfe, Thomas, and others. Greek fire galore especially makes things difficult when you fear they're all gonna die from it. Some of my favorite scenes were with Thomas in the tom ...more
We've reached the finale. Jess and friends are out to save the Great Library at all costs. Everyone seems to want it to disappear. After Brandon's death in Smoke and Iron, this book has the reader on the edge with anticipation. We know that anything can happen... and it does. You can hardly take a breath while with Wolfe, Thomas, and others. Greek fire galore especially makes things difficult when you fear they're all gonna die from it. Some of my favorite scenes were with Thomas in the tom ...more
This series definitely did not need to be five books. I think three would have been more than sufficient to tell the story.
This finale was underwhelming and the pacing was bizarre. A “war” of a few days doesn’t carry much weight in my eyes. The ending for some of the characters felt rather lazy and rushed.
This finale was underwhelming and the pacing was bizarre. A “war” of a few days doesn’t carry much weight in my eyes. The ending for some of the characters felt rather lazy and rushed.
I AM NOT OKAY THIS BOOK IS A MASTERPIECE I HAVE SO MANY FEELING IT HUUUURTS BUT OMFG IT WAS THE PERFECT CONCLUSION AHHHHHHHDJHDHHRYJFFFYGJFD !!!!!
Nov 05, 2019
Anne ✨
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
young-adult,
fantasy
Overall I enjoyed this series, and am happy I kept up with it to the end. There was plenty to like with engaging characters, fast-moving plot, and a cool backdrop with creative world-building. Some books were better than others, but I was engaged enough to want to keep seeing where the story would go.
book 1 ****
book 2 ***
book 3 ****
book 4 ***
book 5 *** 1/2
-- Characters: MC's were a band of teens who team up to take on the controlling forces of the Great Library. I connected with these characters ...more
book 1 ****
book 2 ***
book 3 ****
book 4 ***
book 5 *** 1/2
-- Characters: MC's were a band of teens who team up to take on the controlling forces of the Great Library. I connected with these characters ...more
Oct 16, 2019
Amelia
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
family,
sci-fi,
action,
world-building,
dystopia,
war,
friendship,
team-work,
2019
Wow...I can't believe it's over.
It's been a long and wonderful ride. Honestly, I think this is the only 5 book series that I've read and probably the only I'll ever read because nothing can top this and I usually don't have the necessary patience to finish a series this long XD
This series has the best character development + found family + beautiful romances and friendships + constant quality throughout + lots of action and plot twists. I also have to add one more thing that I especially liked ...more
It's been a long and wonderful ride. Honestly, I think this is the only 5 book series that I've read and probably the only I'll ever read because nothing can top this and I usually don't have the necessary patience to finish a series this long XD
This series has the best character development + found family + beautiful romances and friendships + constant quality throughout + lots of action and plot twists. I also have to add one more thing that I especially liked ...more
Trigger warnings: death, war, death of a sibling (in the past), (view spoiler)
I was super apprehensive about reading this book, purely because I wasn't ready to be done with this world and these characters. The world is absolutely wonderful from start to finish. I love the characters an unnatural amount. And the writing is fantastic.
This one does feel a little bit like it's wrapping everything up in a tidy p ...more
I was super apprehensive about reading this book, purely because I wasn't ready to be done with this world and these characters. The world is absolutely wonderful from start to finish. I love the characters an unnatural amount. And the writing is fantastic.
This one does feel a little bit like it's wrapping everything up in a tidy p ...more
He couldn’t imagine a world without the Great Library. Without books. Without knowledge at his fingertips when he needed it.
It struck him suddenly that every book he read now would be a gift.
This was almost everything I needed from the last book in this marvelous series!
4.5 stars
do not DARE fucking SPEAK TO ME. DONT even LOOK AT ME right now im serious dont BREATHE in my direction do you understand. i will cry my heart out and then maybe we will talk
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from Goodreads. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Now we have reached the end of The Great Library series. I have enjoyed them all. The series should be read in order as the political and personal happenings would be tough to follow out of order. The characters develop over time and these young adults find their way, fight for their ideals and strive to make the ...more
Review copy was received from Goodreads. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Now we have reached the end of The Great Library series. I have enjoyed them all. The series should be read in order as the political and personal happenings would be tough to follow out of order. The characters develop over time and these young adults find their way, fight for their ideals and strive to make the ...more
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Rachel Caine is a pen name of Roxanne Longstreet Conrad.
She has also published as:
Roxanne Longstreet
Roxanne Conrad
Julie Fortune
Ian Hammell
Her Facebook page:
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She has also published as:
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Roxanne Conrad
Julie Fortune
Ian Hammell
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The Great Library
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“And if you want to fight an old man who wants to drag the Great Library into the past, appoint a young woman who looks to the future.”
—
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“Tota est scientia,” he said. “Knowledge is all. It either is, or it isn’t; you can’t say some knowledge is evil because it’s inconvenient for you. And anyone who claims differently has no understanding at all of what the Great Library represents.”
—
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