Hi Guys,
Paper and Fire is the second book in Rachel Caine’s The Great Library series. I was really excited to get this book because I loved the first book Ink and Bone. I’ll still finish the series, but unfortunately this one didn’t live up the hype.
Paper and Fire continues to follow Jess Brightwell and his friends, who have survived the Library’s terrible induction and now must navigate it’s increasingly dangerous politics.
Working for the Library once seemed like a dream come true for Jess, until he learns of their dark secrets. A black archive filled with words no one will see, scholars disappearing for asking questions, his best friend taken and the girl he loves locked in a tower with no hope of escape.
Jess and his friends search for truth and find themselves on the Library’s most wanted list. Can they save their friends? Can they find the truth? And most importantly, can they stay alive?
Ug, this is a series that had such potential and book two just fell flat. There was such a disconnect between the first book and the second book. Things that didn’t line up, plots we were told to expect in book one that were ignored in book two, and personalities completely altered from book one.
It was by no means a bad read; there was action, adventure, a little romance and intrigue, but the book just felt like a different read from the intricate web that was woven in book one. This book was all about finding and saving Thomas, to the exclusion of almost all else. The first book was juggling several plot lines at once beautifully and it worked. We didn’t get that until the end of book two and I missed it.
What I did like about the book, was the interactions between Jess and his twin. This was another example of personalities SO altered from the first book, but this time it worked. I am excited to see how this dynamic progresses in book three when the brothers will be forced to lean on one another.
Overall, I felt like there could have been more to this story. I was a decent read but it could have been great if only there was more.
That’s all for now!
-M-