Ash and Quill

Book Title: Ash and Quill

Author: Rachel Caine

Series: The Great Library #3

Date Started: July 29th 2018

Date Completed: July 30th 2018

Genres: Adventure, Historical, Romance

Quality Rating: Three Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Five Stars

Final Rating: Four stars

Review:

For a history nerd and a book nerd, these books are just a dream. You can tell that Caine is enjoying it just as much as you are, and without making it feel like the reader isn't allowed in on the fun. It might not be high literature but damn if it isn't entertaining to the last word.

With every book in this series we see more of the world the characters live in, more of the reach of the Library, and more of what people are capable of. In an alternate history story this is so important because it gives the reader context for why things are different from what we know; sometimes in these kinds of stories it's hard to fully understand why people do what they do because the line between our reality and this fictional one are so blurred that you forget the differences. The Great Library series has continued to extend its worldbuilding outwards - to new cities, new countries, new communities - to give us this exploration. As the stakes rise for the characters, our understanding of its significance grows alongside it.

To put it simply, I get entirely sucked in by these books, and I have such a good time reading them. They may mostly consist of slightly melodramatic interactions between the ample cast about the growing severity of their situation, but those interactions are fun, and when you get to the action scenes or the climaxes, it's exciting. I argue it a lot, but I think enjoyment is just as valuable as hard 'quality' - and it's not like these books are badly written, at all. They're predictable at times, and dramatised, and there are some questionable behaviour dotted along, but as I write this review I find myself at no loss of things to praise as well.

Case in point: these books are well loved for their diversity, and rightly so. From the hugely diverse nationalities of the cast of protagonists, to the variety of religions, beliefs and schools of thought, and even the various countries scattered across the globe they visit, The Great Library series feels rich and real right from the start. It's a testament for how much diversity gives to a story without even being the main focus.

And The Great Library series is very realtionship driven. Each individual has their own strengths and flaws but it's how those qualities flow or conflict with everyone else that makes the story. As much as there is a story and world behind them, it's those kind of dynamics that create depth and meaning. And, more so, the fact that some of those dynamics aren't just lovers, or friends - they're rivals, and mentors, and estranged family. There's so much, it's just interesting to watch it play out.

The only reason I didn't read this entire book in one day was because I didn't want it to end. Immediately after finishing I went and bought the next one, and just managed to restrain myself from reading it there and then. We've still got to wait a whole year for the final book to come out, and from how high the stakes were left in this book I think I need to pace myself before the conclusion.