The Great Library controls all the knowledge of the world, deciding what is safe for the average person to know. Books are a precious and rare commodity, traded on the black market at increasingly higher rates. However, everything the Great Library has worked for is at stake, as a small band of rebellious scholars, three members of the High Garda, and an Obscurist are determined to change the way it operates. Unfortunately, Jess Brightwell and his friends now find themselves at the mercy of Willinger Beck, a leader of the Burner city of Philadelphia. Will Jess and his friends survive in a city that opposes everything their lives once stood for?

ASH AND QUILL picks right up where the prior book, PAPER AND FIRE, ended. If you haven't read the first two books in The Great Library series, I suggest you read them in the order of the series as you'll better appreciate the ongoing story arc. The world building and character development have already been established, even as Rachel Caine throws a few new wrinkles at us in ASH AND QUILL. Alliances appear to be shifting as trust is a fragile thing Rachel Caine's dark and mysterious world.

Rachel Caine's character development is masterful, as she shows us the heart and soul of the characters. ASH AND QUILL forces the characters to make some hard choices as life and death are on the line. The decisions aren't easy ones and Rachel Caine shows us clearly the anguish that grips the characters as they face moral dilemmas where every decision leads to some form of heartbreak or death. Jess continues to grow on me, even as Khalila Seif remains a solid favorite for me. However, Rachel Caine throws a surprise hero into the mix and, while I won't reveal spoilers, I'm very curious to see where the next installment will take us.

ASH AND QUILL is yet another stunningly good tale by the talented Rachel Caine. Rachel Caine has solidified my appreciation and enjoyment of the steampunk genre with The Great Library series. One caution, however, as the cliffhanger endings of this series will leave you desperately wanting the next book immediately. The Great Library series only gets better and better with each book and I can't wait to see what happens next!

Book Summary

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 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 bargaining chip: the knowledge to build a machine that will break the Library’s rule.

Their time is running out. To survive, they’ll have to choose to live or die as one, to take the fight to their enemies—and to save the very soul of the Great Library....