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A review by shanaqui
Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It took me a while to read Emma Törzs' Ink, Blood, Sister, Scribe, and I couldn't quite tell you why. Enchanted books, magic, sisterly love -- on paper it's all pretty compelling. I was definitely intrigued by the magic of the books, and by Nicholas' abilities, but I think in the end it just felt a bit slow. It feels like it takes forever to assemble the main cast, and some of the big reveals were wholly unsurprising by the time they came. Maybe a bit more pace would've made them feel a bit more momentous.
It doesn't help that Nicholas and Johanna are fairly static characters, to whom things just happen -- and even Esther, who at least goes places and does things, didn't really leave me with a sense of urgency about what was happening. Not that everything has to have a sense of urgency, but the slowness kind of detracts from the deadly peril.
It felt a bit like "compulsory heterosexuality" when Johanna and Collins started up a romance, as well. The book didn't need that.
That said, there are things that felt really well done: Nicholas' complicated feelings about his uncle, for example; Johanna's love/anger all in one, directed at Esther (and at Cecily); Esther's relationship with Pearl...
All in all, I'm not sorry I spent the time on it, but it didn't live up to my hopes, either.
It doesn't help that Nicholas and Johanna are fairly static characters, to whom things just happen -- and even Esther, who at least goes places and does things, didn't really leave me with a sense of urgency about what was happening. Not that everything has to have a sense of urgency, but the slowness kind of detracts from the deadly peril.
It felt a bit like "compulsory heterosexuality" when Johanna and Collins started up a romance, as well. The book didn't need that.
That said, there are things that felt really well done: Nicholas' complicated feelings about his uncle, for example; Johanna's love/anger all in one, directed at Esther (and at Cecily); Esther's relationship with Pearl...
All in all, I'm not sorry I spent the time on it, but it didn't live up to my hopes, either.