Joanna Kalotay lives alone in the woods of Vermont, the sole protector of a collection of rare books; books that will allow someone to walk through walls or turn water into wine. Books of magic.
Her estranged older sister Esther moves between countries and jobs, constantly changing, never staying anywhere longer than a year, desperate to avoid the deadly magic that killed her mother. Currently working on a research base in Antarctica, she has found love and perhaps a sort of happiness.
But when she finds spots of blood on the mirrors in the research base, she knows someone is coming for her, and that Joanna and her collection are in danger.
If they are to survive, she and Joanna must unravel the secrets their parents kept hidden from them - secrets that span centuries and continents, and could cost them their lives ...
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Esther couldn't get over the blue of the sunlit sky.- 1
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(Penguin, 27 June 2023, e-book, 400 pages, ARC from the publisher via NetGalley)
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I thought Ink Blood Sister Scribe was terrific, a mesmerising blend of fantasy, horror, and a little drop of thriller - three of my favourite genre's. The first half of the book moves between Esther's story as she settles into some kind of stable life and love, ignoring the warning's from her childhood at her peril and the story of Nicholas, a scribe who can use his blood to write magical books. I wanted two know how these two threads were connected. The way the story moves back and forth between both of them works really well. The moment when Esther and Nicholas meet is well written, and I had no clue what their connection was. This is a gripping, highly original book.
