Paper and Fire

Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine is the second book in The Great Library series. Paper and Fire picks up where Ink and Bone ended. Jess Brightwell and his friends find out that their friend, Thomas was not killed (as they were told). He is rotting in prison, and they are determined to help him. The group sets out to find his location and rescue him. It means that all of them will be forfeiting their positions within the Library. They are willing to risk their lives and positions to help Thomas. The Artifex Magnus is out to stop them and he will do whatever it takes. Will they succeed in rescuing Thomas and what price will they pay? Paper and Fire is a good book, but a little slow in places. It gets bogged down in details and descriptions (helped establish the world but also slowed down the pace). The writing is good (as with all of Rachel Caine’s books) and there is a lot of action (fighting scenes and running). I give Paper and Fire 4 out of 5 stars. I liked it, but did not love it. Paper and Fire ends with a cliffhanger. We have to wait for the next installment (which means we will have to wait a year) to find out what happens to Jess and his friends. Will they ever be free and can they change the Library? I am not sure if I will read the next book in the series. I probably will just to see how the series ends (if they can change the Library’s ways). I received a complimentary copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review. The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.