The final book of the Great Library Series just wasn't for me. These books give us an alternative reality dystopian where the Library of Alexandra never burned, still exists, and rules the world.

While I liked the first book in this series its felt stale and drawn out since. This book is mostly war and politics with characters that I should care about by now but just don't. I couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to accept children saving the world in this particular way, most of it convenience, the rest of it making generations of adults appear unbelievably stupid.

Its not bad, not problematic, the diversity is great, just not for me. Personal recommendation is to stop after book one but there is definitely worse out there if you want to keep going.

Great conclusion to this series. I like how, as events have become more complex, the narrative has shifted to include multiple perspectives. Jess and his friends are the heroes the Great Library deserves.

Wow - a great ending to a great series.
I highly recommend that all 5 novels are read. Each is wonderful in its own way and builds seamlessly on the previous content.

Happy Reading and enjoy.

I actually ended up listening to the audiobook of this book on Scribd (as well as the four previous books). I don't know why I requested this book when it's the fifth in a series but I'm honestly pretty excited to be able to check this off my Netgalley backlog.

I did enjoy reading this series but it's not my favorite ever. I think there was a little too much telling instead of showing at parts (like saying how clever a character is without seeing it). However, I really enjoyed the world the author built and I fell for the main characters. If you love the found family trope, this series might be worth checking out.

Also worth noting, I was very concerned in the first few books about the representation of the Arabic/Muslim character, Khalila. In the beginning of the series, the author seemed to think that being Arabic was interchangeable with having a Muslim faith. The POV character also referred to the other students by the country they were from but called Khalila "the Arab," like that's a country? I do think she got a lot better as the series continued but that's not really for me to say.

As a librarian I always have found this series to be interesting. I am not sure that everyone would like it as much as I do though.

Everything has led up to this moment--Jess Brightwell and his friends have defeated the corrupt leaders of the Great Library. But they aren't out of danger yet--other nations and powers are willing to fight for their chance at control, and establishing a new Archivist could be the most perilous battle of all.

It's incredibly difficult to write about the last book in a series without spoiling the other four, so I will stick to discussing the series as a whole. Rachel Caine wrote an excellent YA series with The Great Library. The world she created is fully realized, and the characters are easy to love. Readers will truly see how much each character has grown since we first met them in book 1, and there is a straight line from strangers to wary allies to a found family that each of them would die to protect. It is no small feat to write five books with edge-of-your-seat action and characters who truly grow and evolve throughout the series. The Great Library series is a excellent addition to any YA collection.


Sword and Pen
The Great Library #5
By Rachel Caine
Berkley September 2019
368 pages
Read via Netgalley

Sword and Pen by Rachel Caine



So, the corrupt Archivist and his leadership have been overthrown. What is left is a huge power gap just waiting to be filled. The Archivist is trying to claw his way back, other empires are trying to take over and the only thing that stands in their way is Jess and his crew.



Since this is book five of a series, it’s hard to give a full synopsis without throwing spoilers in. What I will say is that Rachel Caine SERIOUSLY played with my emotions in this one. I thought Jess was a goner so many times in this one. The rest of the cast of characters really came into their own in this final installment. It was PACKED with action. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, BOOM…. Another plot twist. This book solidified Jess, Wolfe, Santi, Thomas, Dario, Khalila, Glain and Morgan as the true family they made themselves to be. Even though the ending was a heartbreaker for me, it was truly perfect and kept to the true nature of these characters.



I’d give this one a 4 out of 5 stars.



Fabulous series by Rachel Caine! Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley publishing for providing a copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.

The corrupt leadership of the Great Library may have fallen, but we haven't seen the last of the Archivist. With the library under siege on all sides, Jess and his friends must work together or watch everything they've worked for crumble to dust.

I read and enjoyed all the others in this series, and I don't know if it was too long of a gap in between books, or if the writing just got slower, but I couldn't muster the same interest in this one. I couldn't get into it at all and put it down about a third of the way in.

After a few lackluster sequels, Sword and Pen by Rachel Caine delivers an worthwhile adventure back into the great library. Everything is still chaos and the Archivist isles dangerous than ever.

What a conclusion to an epic series! five books an how I wish there were more! If you like any sort of YA mega series, I recommend this to you. the book starts fast and doesn't slow down. I love all the characters and I'm already planning a reread.

Could this have been concluded in book 4? Probably. Was it still an excellent, stressful, emotional ending? Absolutely. A few qualms about how things end up but really, really good way to wrap up the Great Library series. I’ll miss it.

The Great Library series is possibly one of the most underrated books out there. I love the writing, the mystery, and the ending! While not being a happily ever after, it was still a fantastic way to end a series.

The underlining message of this book is so poignant and needed in our time more then anything. Who gets to dictate the spread of knowledge. Should it be withheld or should everyone be able to receive it?

The book itself was stressful, but it was so well done and I loved it. I will definitely return to the story and the characters.

I loved this series! It was so unique with a twist on the Great Library. I started this series without knowing much about it, but once I got started, I couldn't stop! I feel so lucky to have had the chance to read this early and know how the story ends. It is satisfying in more ways than one. I can't wait to get a physical copy of this book. Brilliant!

Sword and Pen is the perfect conclusion to The Great Library series. Rachel Caine has written an absolutely magnificent series that I’m looking forward to rereading many times in the years to come. I adored the characters that I met in these pages and watching them grow throughout their journeys together. In this book particularly, I loved seeing both where they all ended up and the family they became. If you’re looking for a fantastic YA fantasy, I would highly recommend picking this series up!

Okay so when I asked for this one I didn't notice that it was part of a series. I was new to Netgalley and I was just in LOVE with the cover. So with that in mind I have to go back and re read this ENTIRE series because this was a great book. I had a lot of WTH is going on or who is this and why do I feel like I should know them before I was like, aha... this is mid series.

I will say that I LOVED the world and the characters. So much. This is the type of series I think needs more hype and more love!

This series by Rachel Caine is one of my favorite and will especially be popular among lovers of books about books or alternative history. Thanks to the writing and main characters, this is also one of the few YA fantasy series that I believe will appeal equally to all genders as it does not focus too much on the romance aspect of the storytline.

I thought this was a good wrap up to the series! It got a little slow for me in the middle but then picked right back up. Overall, I would recommend the series!

Sword and Pen by Rachel Caine is a great conclusion to a fantastic series. I felt fulfilled and happy with the conclusion.

With the future of the Great Library in doubt, the unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone must decide if it's worth saving in this thrilling adventure in the New York Times bestselling series. The corrupt leadership of the Great Library has fallen. But with the Archivist plotting his return to power, and the Library under siege from outside empires and kingdoms, its future is uncertain. Jess Brightwell and his friends must come together as never before, to forge a new future for the Great Library . . . or see everything it stood for crumble.

Sword of Pen by Rachel Caine is an outstanding finale to The Great Library series, which quickly became an all time favorite series. I devoured each and every installment before this, but I just wasn't ready to say goodbye to so many favorite characters so I kept putting book five off. I shouldn't have been worried, though, because Rachel Caine expertly concludes this marvelous series. I couldn't have asked for anything better. The world she has created feels like it has a life of its own and the cast of characters have grown so much since we met them.

Once I started this novel I did not want to put it down because so much happens and its quite the roller coaster of emotions that one goes through. Primarily, though, I savored the time I got to spend with everyone one last time from Jess, Dario, Glain, Khalila, Morgan, Thomas, Wolfe, and Santi. I love everyone, but the real stand outs here are Jess (I was so worried for him), Khalila (she really comes into herself here), and Wolfe and Santi (both are awesome and I'm really happy that they've practically adopted Jess). It's not often that I can say a couple of adult characters are my favorites of a Young Adult series, but Wolfe and Santi have certainly earned it. To be honest, I feel like I earned a few gray hairs right there along with Wolfe.

Finally, I just want to mention that I appreciate how much heart this series has. It's so hopeful when it comes to the future even though there's been so much bloodshed and destruction. It ends in a way that gives us great closure for our core cast, but also keeps things open to give us the opportunity to imagine their further adventures. Overall, I can't recommend The Great Library series by Rachel Caine enough and Sword and Pen, the fifth and final installment, is absolutely outstanding. If you haven't jumped into this series yet, or have been putting off the finale, what are you waiting for? My expectations were sky high, but I couldn't have asked for a better ending.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing these characters again a few years down the road. They could be just going about their lives with nothing special going on and I expect I'd love it just as much. It would be nice to visit their world again in the future. What could really be fun - an adult fantasy spin-off told from Wolfe and Santi's alternating perspectives a little while down the line. I'm sure that that would be a treasure.