Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Paper and Fire (The Great Library Book 2)

Top positive review

Come for the concept stay for the characters

Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2016

Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine is the second in The Great Library series and is the sequel to Ink and Bone, which was one of my favourite reads from last year. I realised I never did a full review of it. Bad Evelynne. Paper and Fire was also one of my most anticipated reads for 2016 and it did not disappoint. For those of you not familiar with this series, it is a contemporary alternate reality/fantasy in which the Great Library of Alexandria survived and now has a monopoly on the distribution of books in electronic medium and controls all hard copy books, too. Naturally, this gives it the ability to control the flow of knowledge and as such it has gained almost immeasurable power. Our protagonist, Jess Brightwell, comes from a family of book smugglers and has infiltrated the Library with the intent of continuing the family trade. The people he meets there open his eyes to the extent of the Library’s corruption and change his perspective.

The sequel, Paper and Fire, opens shortly after the events of Ink and Bone and deals with the aftermath of the Library’s successful “divide and conquer” campaign against Jess and his friends. The book can be summed up by “let’s get the gang all back together.” Jess must reunite his friends and make alliances with people who do not necessarily share his values.

What I liked

The characters. For me the characters are the real highlight of this series. Not only Jess, but his friends and allies too are all wonderfully developed. Each of them has his or her story, motivations, hangups and fears. They all act in unique ways based on their values and experiences, and it’s great to see how they develop throughout the series,

Scholar Wolfe and his relationship with Santi remain one of my favourite parings. Incidentally at EnterTheLibrary.com the author has published a few short stories, one of which is Wolfe and Santi’s first meeting – a wonderful meet-cute. We also get to meet some new characters, including Wolfe’s mother and get to see a snippet of life in the Iron Tower which was fascinating.

The world. The world is simply amazing. It’s fascinating to see the changes that the lack of freedom of information has caused in the world. The automatons protecting the Library are also very very cool.

The pacing. Caine kept the story moving along at a great pace – there was never a point at which I lost interest. I kept wanting to listen to the next chapter.

That kick ass ending. The book does end on kind of a cliffhanger and it has made me very excited for book three. I really look forward to it.

I gave Paper and Fire four and a half stars out of five.

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ViolettePen

Frustrating at times, but a likable sequel that builds on Ink & Bones's world

Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2016

Actual Rating: 3.5 out of 5

If Rachel Caine's Ink and Bone introduced a steampunk future where the Great Library of Alexandria controlled the global distribution of published material, then Paper and Fire yanks out the first bricks for the Library's fall. Jess and his former co-Postulants are now in their new assignments, guarding the Library's goods as scholars-in-training or (in Jess's case) in the army. When Jess discovers that a captured friend he'd feared dead may be alive, he rallies his allies and launches a rescue mission. But tracking down a Library prisoner is no easy task. And as Jess's band makes plans that could break the institution's grip on knowledge-sharing, they quickly realize they're running out of places to hide - and out of time.

Paper and Fire featured plenty of what I had enjoyed about Ink and Bone. Character diversity, international locales, the dangers in serving or rebelling against the Library - it made a fascinating premise before, and it works again here. Caine expands on her world-building, taking readers inside the Library militia, prison system, and the Black Archives, where the most forbidden books are stored in secret. Also, Christopher Wolfe is an intriguing twist on the mentor archetype. Mysterious and at times caustic, he's vocal about his views on the Library's abuse of power and his suppor for his students' ideas - because despite his tormented past, he remains a revolutionary at heart.

At the same time, Paper and Fire suffers from the same issues I had with its predecessor, and then some. The chapters are quite long, and Jess and Morgan's romance still makes no sense to me. And the climax - gosh, was it chaotic and confusing. Plus, the official blurb pretty much spoils how it ends, so nothing about it surprised me. So, yes, I'm disappointed that Paper and Fire unraveled a bit after a strong start. But it was still a good read, and I'm curious to see how it all ends with Ash and Quill next summer.

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ViolettePen

Frustrating at times, but a likable sequel that builds on Ink & Bones's world

Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2016

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10 people found this helpful

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Canadian eReader

Come for the concept stay for the characters

Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2016

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Jen Wells

Not as good as the first book

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2019

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I just didn't like the basics of this book. I'm not sure why because the characters are old friends and I got to meet new ones. I'm not sure if it could have been written without the amount of senseless violence. I know that the Black Archives were supposed to be a rumor yet burning all the books, except for the ones they could carry, hurt me to my soul. I know that it's a book yet for someone that loves to read it feels horrible. I'm still not sure if Dario betrayed his friends or was really just cornered. I think that the hardest part was finding Thomas. He was such an amazing character in the first book that seeing him broken down hurt me. I'm not sure why the author chose to write the absolute cruelty of all of them without feeling sick over it. I do understand that books sometimes shock the writers by ending differently than they thought. I hope that the next book is more comprehensible than this one. It left me with more questions than answers.

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LoLaJ

I loved the sequel even more than the first one!

Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2016

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Paper and Fire is book two in the Great Library series, and it was excellent. In fact, I would go so far as to say this book is going to be one of my favorites of the year, which is hard feat to accomplish with a middle-of-the-series release. While I enjoyed Ink and Bone last year, I was completely glued to its follow up. Thrilling from beginning to end, the pace is much faster, the twists sharper, and the stakes even higher than the first installment. The the alt-history with some magic (aka alchemy in this book) setting also continues to fascinate and frighten me with its richness and complexities. But it is the relationships between the characters that stood out to me the most.

Jess Brightwell has not had an easy time of it, and he's currently trying to survive his first year in the Library's army, a posting he's lucky to have, although it's not exactly what he wants to be doing. Jess has faired a lot better than some of his friends, and worse than others, but I love how clear it is from the start how close they all still are. One of my favorite aspects of this series is the 'family' Jess has formed with his fellow students from last year, including Wolf and Santi, whom are another favorite part of this series and not to be missed. (Go HERE to read a short prequel story about their meeting)

Safety in this world is a fragile thing, and any missteps can spell disaster. Jess's facade of peace deteriorates very quickly, and all of a sudden he and his friends are on the run together. As they travel to new locations and face increasingly dangerous situations, they learn even more about the Library that rules their world, and its power hungry Archivist. All while fighting to rescue and keep each other alive. My heart broke for each of them at different times, but I love, love the fierce bonds between these characters, as well as the ways they support each other, and each use their various talents throughout the book.

This book features several couples and no love triangles. Jess and Morgan's relationship continues to be fraught (as she's trapped in the Iron Tower) even as it slowly deepens, and I loved seeing them face challenges together. Wolf and Santi are my absolute favorite couple in this series. But friendships between the characters are equally - if not more - important. I appreciated, so much, seeing how Jess's relationship is a little bit different with each of his friends. Though less reliable, I'm always fascinated by Jess's interactions with his family, especially his twin brother Brendan.

The story ends with a bit of a cliffhanger/hook (leading the characters in a new direction), and of course I'm desperate to find out more about where they go next! If you have not started this series yet, it's time to do that now.

Love Triangle Factor: None (several couples, no triangles)
Cliffhanger Scale: Medium - more of a hook/anticipation for the next book.

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Gabrielle McCann

Steampunk meets alchemy

Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2020

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I enjoyed this book, but not as much as the first in the series. The series is set in an alternate world, and I can't quite figure out the time period. There are steampunk elements, which make me think of the past but there are also alchemical and magical elements which seem more futuristic. The world is ruled by the Great Library of Alexandria. Jess Brightwell and his friends have just finished their training and been allocated to their roles within the Library. Jess discovers that his friend Thomas did not die in an accident as they were told by the Library. He asks his friends whether they would be with him in a mission to rescue Thomas - but this would mean going against the Library and leaving their lives, families, and friends behind. This story is mainly set in Alexandria and Rome, and the next book in the series seems like it will introduce a new city - Philadelphia.

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Quitterstrip

Even book worms treasure power

Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2017

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This happens to be a cumulative review of the first 3 books in the series.

An alternate reality where the Library of Alexandria survives?!?! It’s every book lover’s dream- sign me up!!!!!

Actually, that’s exactly what I did. I originally put in a request through Netgalley to view “Ash and Quill”. I quickly learned that “Ash and Quill” was book number 3 in “The Great Library” series and I would need to be (better) acquainted with the characters AND story line. Luck must have been on my side because I also had the opportunity to review “Ink and Bone” (book number 1 in “The Great Library” series”. I was destined to read this series- so I took it upon myself to purchase book 2 to bring them all together.

What exactly does this world look like with preserved knowledge? Pretty similar to today, just a larger emphasis on knowledge running the world. Even in this bookworm’s world, someone is always hungry for power. People are still put into groups, and it seems each group has it’s own caste system. And yet again as we spiral down to the underprivileged, groups and caste systems dissipate and it’s an absolute free-for-all for survival.

The Library, which is essentially the government, primarily focus on:

“Knowledge is Power”

However, knowledge is not meant for all. It’s true that the highest positions within the Library are privy to every and all information. It is up to the positions of power to filter out (or in) what they deem necessary. If it’s an original work that could bring about rebellion, the inventor is labeled a heretic, his/her original text is sent to the black archives, and the library is saved. If it’s an original work that benefits the present and future, the Obscurists (think of them ALMOST as magicians) will copy the original work into blanks. Blanks could be a hit or miss. Information may be omitted or added to depending on the idea the Library is trying to convey.

“Knowledge is Power”

It is in in that simple motto where groups start to break down.

Smugglers: wish to preserve original books: it is their trade: money to be made.
Burners: political statement: will burn any book to break the Library’s hold on originals
Obscurists: the group in the library that “mirror’s” original books
Scholars: protect any and all books, no matter the costs
Readers are introduced to Jess Brightwell- who at the time is 10 years old. The Brightwell family runs a book smuggling operation- not just any books; originals. Just because you are a young member of the family, does not mean you are exempt from smuggling duty. Jess knows for certain he does not want a future career within the family business. One prominent memory for Jess was a run were a customer dubbed an “ink licker” ate an original book, for:

“. . .there’s no act of possession more complete than consuming the unique. . .”

Jess may have been born into a book smuggling business, but ,

“. . .[he] was born with ink in his blood. . .”

making him consciously aware that he would do anything to protect a book.

Tired of paying for a son who refuses to take over the family business, Callum (ever the opportunist) decides to use his son for bigger and better things; placement in the Library, and a chance to make return investment on years of tutelage.

Jess passes the placement test, sending him to Alexandria with a train full of hopeful postulants. Whilst on the train ride, we learn of the other characters who will frequent the books:

Thomas: from Germany. Has a large build, and hopes to get placed in engineering.
Khalila: from the Middle East, very pretty, the first person to EVER score 100% on the exams.
Glain: Welsh, solid dislike for Jess since he’s English and they’re in a war; very plain, brash.
Dario: spanish, arrogant- used to getting what he wants.
Morgan: late arrival; on the run from the library, safest place is right under their nose for the time being.
Scholar Wolfe: intimidating; black robes, shoulder length hair, not the average teacher. Forced into teaching as a punishment (although the reader will not know that until much later).
Santi: member of the High Garda, assigned to Scholar Wolfe
So for the most part this is our rag tag team for the series. Naturally there are other minor characters introduced throughout, but these here are your main focus.

Scholar Wolfe is expected to whittle down his applicants to 6; through lessons, practical life lessons, hand on tasks, as well as common sense training. The Library deems them fit to go on a mission to Oxford for the retrieval of Originals at the sister library. The problem? They are walking right in the middle of the English/Welsh war.

Even in this alternate reality, history repeats itself. Usually, repeated ideas are the most dangerous, and most likely to draw (unwanted) attention from the Library; which is exactly what Thomas has done. Thomas has invented a machine that renders Obscurists obsolete, as well as challenging the powerful hold the library has on it’s information flow. What innocent Thomas is unaware of, is his invention has actually been “invented” before. . .centuries, decades, and years prior. Each invention discovered, each inventor silenced and/or tortured, and all evidence of either of the two ever existing wiped clean.

Luckily, our crew of miscreants has someone seasoned in the Library’s conduct; Scholar Wolfe. It is through Wolfe’s intuition that leads Jess to realize Thomas has been taken. It is through a hypnotic trance that Wolfe is able to tell the group where Thomas may be kept, and it is Wolfe’s ability to help everyone steer clear from the Library as much as possible.

Throughout the 3 books it’s Battle—–>Rescue—–>Rest—–>Repeat. Not only do we have human obstacles our group must face, but also automated (specifically engineered for the Library) and chemical.

Unbeknownst to me, I originally thought this was only a 3 book series. Upon looking up information on Goodreads, I learned that it is actually a 5 book series (YAY!!!!). In my personal opinion, this series (all around) is an amazing read. I typically love alternate realities, but lately it seems that they have been overdone. By breathing life back into the Library of Alexandria, it gives a historical spin on what “could have” been our future. The story line flows- for the most part, I did not hit a boring spot that I had to put down and take a break. Caine has developed this world beautifully- everything is well thought out, described, and intoxicating. The depth of the characters makes you easily fall in love with them- and I HIGHLY suggest at starting with book 1, do not skip books.

It is also my opinion that this series be developed either into a video game (yes you read that right!) or a TV series. Yes, I loved it that much, and I really think it would do well! So, here at Quitterstrip, I cannot wait to continue with this series.

All 3 books get a solid 4 star rating

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The Irregular Reader

A Fantastic Follow Up to Ink and Bone

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2017

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This is the second book in The Great Library Series, and so there are inevitable spoilers for the first book below.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Now that the requisite spoiler alert is out of the way, let’s get down to business.

Jess finds himself as a lowly grunt in the Library’s Garda. Forced to abandon his dream of becoming a Library scholar, and very aware of the dark underside of the Library’s rule, Jess uses his smuggling past to try to find more information of the imprisoned Morgan and murdered Thomas. When Jess uncovers a bombshell: Thomas is alive and held captive by the Library at a secret prison, Jess must reunite his old friends (and frenemies) in a desperate rescue attempt. Little does he know that this act of rebellion will spark a violent chain of events which could threaten the world as he knows it.

Paper and Fire is a good sequel to Ink and Bone. The characters seem to have grown up quite a bit since we first met them, and the danger from the Library and its minions seems more devious and omnipresent than ever. We are given more information about the inner workings of the Library, and learn more about its past. I always enjoy the second book in the series, we’ve gotten over the awkward introduction phase and the characters can really stretch their legs. Caine lets Jess and his friends grow, but avoids the simple and comfortable and keeps things on a more realistic and complicated plane.

If you enjoyed the first book in the series, you will almost certainly like this one. If you haven’t read Ink and Bone yet, then you really shouldn’t be reading this review, should you? But either way, fans of the Harry Potter or Hunger Games series will enjoy these books, which manage to be both about teenagers and very adult at the same time.

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Missing a Little of the Magic of the First Book.

Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2018

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Paper and Fire wasn’t quite what I wanted it to be…no hear me out. There was action, action, action and talking, talking, talking but no plot movement or story progression. Sure I like the characters but not enough that I didn’t want to see the arcs moving forward.

Part of the magic of Ink and Bone was all the kids together completing for a career. It is them against the world and the competition is fierce but so too are the friendships forged. It always felt like the story was moving forward.

Paper and Fire starts at a disadvantage with all of the characters separated out now in their chosen paths for the library there is something missing. Morgan is locked in a tower, Thomas is (I’m not saying), Wolfe and Santi are off page somewhere away from Jess, same with Dario and Khalila and even Glain as the girl who is stuck with Jess is offering little to the overall story. So what we have is Jess…

See Jess pining for a girl he barely knows,
“Are you asking to escort me, like some girl you’re romancing? Jess. Don’t waste your time. I’m extremely unavailable.”
“Tragic,” he shot back. “Be serious. You know I’ve got—”
“Morgan,” she finished for him, when he stopped. “Yes. You do enjoy a challenge. Now she’s a princess locked in a tower. That makes you want her even more, doesn’t it? I think you’ve read too many tales of knighthood, Jess.”

See Jess trying to avoid most of the kids in his new training class, See Jess think about Wolfe and Thomas and what he should do about ‘it’. It just felt like there really wasn’t anything happening in the story. Then he goes and tells all of his friends one by one a story and they all want to help, but it takes a lot of page time to make it happen. A lot of page time. Still the crew eventually gets back together for a mission of sorts and that is when I start to really enjoy the story again.

Most everything important in this happens in the last 25% of the book. The rest felt a little like filler sometimes. Sure the idea of the black archives is cool and a few random people that I had no attachment to what-so-ever end up dead plus there is some cool stuff with the automatons but all the important stuff happened when the book was almost finished. However I was so excited to get a look into the Iron Tower that I let a lot of the slow story of the beginning go.
We have been told that paper in a binding, ink on a page, is worth more than the life of any man, woman, or child. We have been pressed into the service of this false idol we call Knowledge for far too long; we have forgotten how to be free of it, how to think for ourselves and believe we, in ourselves, are worth the breath we take, the land we walk.

Still that last 25% did a lot of the book and getting the characters to where they will need to be for the story to go farther in the next book. I have really high hopes since the characters are not exactly where I thought they would end up but they are in a very interesting place and it was an area of the world that I really wanted to build on.

I’m hoping that the next book of the series really opens this world up. It is in a good starting position so let’s see what Rachel Caine can do with it.

Honorable Mention - I love Wolfe and Santi. I love their relationship, their history and their devotion to each other. I like the Caine took a chance on two men in a story who are clearly all man and made them a couple. They are wonderful together and their portrayal is fantastic. Santi especially in his devotion and caring of Wolfe is incredibly special
“I told you, leave it alone. This isn’t some adventure; it’s a bloody war. They pay me to be a tactician, and I can tell you this: we can’t win. We don’t have the numbers or the weapons or the knowledge. We’re defeated before we start, and, yes, I will look after the one I love before all else, and devil take the rest of you if it comes to that!”

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alliecatsx

Paper and Fire tells a great story of eight people who have grown to care ...

Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2017

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Moves a little slow at first, especially compared to Ink and Bone (I'd give it 4.5 stars if I could), but this series is an underrated treasure. Featuring a diverse cast of main characters (among them a Muslim girl, a female soldier, a hispanic boy, and two gay men, none of whom are stereotyped or defined by the fact that they are minorities, but these things about them aren't ignored either), Paper and Fire tells a great story of eight people who have grown to care for each other and are willing to do anything to protect one another in a dystopian world run by selfish tyrants who have taken it upon themselves to hoard the sum total of human knowledge for their own personal gain, and share very little of it with the world.
There are also three adorable ships among the group that enhance but do not dominate the series, and there is no pointless love triangle that takes away from the plot, something that sets The Great Library apart from every single other YA post-apocalyptic series I've read.

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Anna

Fascinating concept combined with complex characters

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2016

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Paper and Fire is the sequel to Rachel Caine’s Ink and Bone, in the Great Library series. I loved the first book and Paper and Fire was on my list of most anticipated books of 2016.

A brief summary of the world in which the story takes place: an alternate reality where The Great Library of Alexandra was never destroyed, instead it grew to gain total control over the flow of information through an absolute grasp over the distribution of books. Any new idea that threatens the Library’s hold over information is brutally wiped out, resulting in a vastly different world that works on steam rather than electricity and where books are transferred by magic rather than printed.

I was instantly captivated by the world building in the first book – I loved the idea of a world that combined technology and magic, where steam operated automatons served as guardians of the Library. Paper and Fire does an excellent job of further fleshing out the detail of the world.

The diversity in the characters is notable. The main character is Jess, whose family has been involved in the illegal trade of books, working directly against the Library. Jess is smart, brave, compassionate and above all else, a fiercely loyal friend – definitely someone to root for. The supporting characters are hugely diverse, coming from many different parts of the world, and driven by many different motivations. For me, it is definitely the characters that drive this wonderful book – they are complicated, flawed and ultimately wonderful – I cared about all their stories.

Paper and Fire was a stunning sequel and a thoroughly enjoyable read – highly recommended for fans of the fantasy genre who enjoy complex, diverse characters and detailed world building.

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Paper and Fire (The Great Library Book 2)

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