I absolutely loved the entire Great Library series. Will always adore the adventures of Jess and the rest of the group. While sad to see it end, I'm happy to have had the chance to read it!

Thank you!

FIVE MEMORABLE GAZILLION STARS and I’m singing from Doors “This is the end my beautiful friend” with tearful eyes.

Starting to this book like joining an hard-core boot camp class because I was literally having panic attacks that one of my favorite characters could die or something terrible happened to them so I kept procrastinating my starting date over and over. But I didn’t let my fears control my brain so last night I opened the book, in one hand flipped the pages, with the other I held my heart and prayed to the author had shown some mercy to her characters by giving them fair closure .

Firstly I have to admit it is hard to read last installments for me because in a long time you got emotionally connected with characters and felt for them as if they were your real friends and you resonated with so many parts of the story.
Endings are stressful because everything could be messed up at the end so you felt like betrayed because you spent all your years finishing one book and waited for the other’s release date! It’s quiet time investment!
But if the final isn’t satisfying enough you felt like somebody played with your feelings, destroyed your dreams. (Books were mostly okay but I couldn’t get rid of traumatic experiences since I’d watched the end of Lost, Dexter, GOT. It coasted us too many trips to Best Buy for buying new televisions)
This series was fast paced, terrifying page-turners with its amazing and lovable (totally not slap or punch worthy because I liked them all) characters.

Of course the final installment gave me creeps, nail-less hands, up in the air hair model (welcome back to 80’s punk style) because there was still too much violence, sacrifices, deaths, casualties! I wanted to close my eyes and drop the book screaming “No! No! No!” but eventually I resumed reading because I had to know how it ended.

I don’t want to spill the beans and being a target of boos and rotten tomatoes and eggs but I could say only word about ending: SATISFYING! It is an entertaining and heart felting, beautiful closure.
And other three words: I am Batman (sorry when I went to restroom break, Michael Keaton might have used my keyboard! Of course I am not. I hate DC characters 

Let’s say good bye to fantastic diverse characters, full of action, memorable thrilling parts! So I’m so blessed to read those installments. My eyes filled with tears as like a teacher sees her children finally graduated! So it’s time for digging to new series.

Rachel Caine knows how to create riveting, intriguing series that captivates you from the beginning. So I’m excitedly waiting for what’s gonna be next! She is one of my favorite, gifted authors.

I also enjoy her thrillers but please I wish she doesn’t write a new sequel for Stillhouse Lake series, in my opinion three books is enough. Let’s see something brand new!

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Books for sharing this amazing adventure and conclusion of crazy train ride for me in exchange my honest review.

And just like that it's over. The Great Library has been one of my favorite series in the past several years and I'm constantly telling people about it as I feel it does not get the attention it deserves. Rachel Caine did a great job concluding the story while still leaving the future open. At the very end I felt like some things wrapped up a little to quickly/neatly, but it didn't dampen my enjoyment of the story. All of the characters' arcs were well done and I felt fit them perfectly. They all continued to grow but also stayed true to their core selves, I especially liked Jess'. Please everyone give this series a try if you haven't already, and now you don't even have to suffer through the wait for the next books!

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Rachel Caine for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Is it worth it? What we're doing?"
"It has to be," she said. "If the Great Library comes to pieces, what's left? Warring kingdoms fighting over bones, dragging apart Archives, hoarding and hiding knowledge? Do you want to live in that world?"
"No," he said, and took a deep breath. "But I'm afraid we may inherit it anyway."

WOW. What a finale! I may not be pleased with everything that went down because I prefer my endings more happily ever after, rather than bittersweet, but this was a phenomenal finale to a fantastic series. Why it's so underrated is a mystery to me!

Considering this is book #5, it makes it difficult to review, because how do I talk about everything that I want to without spoiling EVERYTHING?! I don't know, but I shall do my best, nonetheless! xD

I'm not going to lie...I spent the majority of this book hyperventilating about Jess. The poor bloke kept nearly dying every couple of pages, and I'm surprised that I didn't need to go the hospital for incessant anxiety attacks. Leave poor Jess alone! My favourite scenes with him though, were the ones with Wolfe and Santi as well, who truly considered him as their adopted son. What wonderful gay dads. These three characters are my absolute favourites in the series. <3

Furthermore, Thomas was being his genius self, creating inventions and solving puzzles. Dario gets to go on his own crafty missions. Khalila really cements herself into Library politics. Glain is the badarse soldier that we all know her to be. And we also get to see the full extent of Morgan's powers!

As is the norm for this series, the plot was action-packed (with INSANE and unexpected twists and turns!), with the stakes so high that one misstep could lead to the end of the world as they knew it. There were many battles with high costs, as everyone in this group seemed to be in competition to see who could make the most valiant sacrifices. I've never come across a found family with such low senses of self-preservation, haha. Everyone thought that they were invincible and completely ignored their health, which was SO STRESSFUL for me!

This series is a very timely discussion about who gets to dictate the spread of knowledge. Should dangerous information be contained? Is it everyone's right to have equal access to it? What happens when knowledge is power and those who are in power abuse it? Ultimately, it's about hope and fighting for what you believe in. But it's also about friends and family...how they are all you need to see the light in the dark.

This book series is so close to my heart, and as a bibliophile myself, I really related to Jess and his love of books. This really was a series dedicated to book lovers. This is a very important series in today's society where censorship and surveillance are not uncommon.

I cannot wait for Rachel Caine's next venture. No matter what it is, I'm certain that it shall be a good one!

Man, this was such a fantastic book! After the ending of the last book, I didn't know how they were going to strike that balance of keeping their so called allies from coming in and tearing them apart and actually keeping those people as allies. It was touch and go in a lot of moments, but was so great to read!

Jess grieved for his brother, which lead to some not so great decisions. Especially when they're fighting for the existence of the library. But there were some really cool moments, like when Poseidon rose, or the tomb!

One thing that I loved about this book was that we were in so many different people's heads. Like, the first book we were only in Jess's head. And it seems with each book, we were in more and more POV's, as this book seemed to have the most of all the books. Yeah!

There were two main threats. The various kingdoms who wanted to take over the library, and the Archivist. That meant there was one enemy outside the gates, and one within, which yeah, fighting enemies on two sides isn't a good position to be in!

This book was an excellent end to this series, I really enjoyed it, though I'm sad to say goodbye, it was a fantastic ending!

SWORD AND PEN is the fifth and concluding book in <i>The Great Library</i> series. Rachel Caine picks up the story line right after the startling and quite emotional events of SMOKE AND IRON. The war for the Library is underway, even as the old Archivist has been deposed from his role. Now, the Library, with a new Archivist, is struggling to show the rest of the world that they still wield the power to stand alone without others controlling them. Meanwhile the old Archivist seeks to destroy the Library completely. Can Jess Brightwell and his friends survive the coming chaos and save <i>The Great Library</i>?

Rachel Caine alternates points of view throughout SWORD AND PEN, allowing us to see the characters grow and change as war knocks on their front door. I love how we are seeing the characters fully mature, accepting themselves for who they are despite, or maybe even because of, their various imperfections. Khalila has long been a favorite of mine and I can finally say that Dario proves himself worthy of her.

Rachel Caine doesn’t hesitate to wrench our emotions, as time and again in SWORD AND PEN I found myself on the verge of tears. No character is safe as the war requires sacrifices from everyone involved. I laughed, I cried, I put SWORD AND PEN away angrily, fearing the worst, only to immediately snatch it back up as the story line is as irresistible as it is gut wrenching.

SWORD AND PEN should be read in the context of the series as a whole, as the events and relationships have been building over the course of the series. Rachel Caine has crafted a phenomenal steampunk story featuring automatons, diabolically clever puzzles, and a library filled with forbidden knowledge kept hidden from the general population for years. Saying goodbye to <i>The Great Library</i> series is going to be hard, as Rachel Caine’s intricate world building coupled with her superb character development make this series a must-read for all fantasy fans.

*review is in the editing queue at Fresh Fiction*

The final book of The Great Library series begins with the Archivist out of power however still very dangerous. He and his loyal soldiers are plotting to retake the Great Library. Jess and his friends not only have to go after the Archivist but also defend the Great Library from the outside nations who have their ships nearby.

Just like the other books in the series, the group is scattered about handling multiple of issues at one time. It is also full of action from the very beginning to the satisfying conclusion. I will miss these characters!

Sword and Pen, the fifth and final book in the The Great Library, is one of the best finales to a series I've read. Everything that occurred in the first four books culminates in the fight for control of the Great Library and the fate of Scholar Wolfe and his battle-worn friends. This book was one heck of a ride that was impossible to put down. I won't post much here because it would be chock full of spoilers. All I'll say is the ending was unexpected but true to the characters. I couldn't put it down! This ranks as one of my favorite series and I know I'll be rereading it many times in the future.

The fifth and final book in The Great Library series by Rachel Caine. This fantasy series involves an imaginative world where owning books is banned and information from books is controlled by the Great Library.

The world-building in this series is fantastic. The assorted cast of characters have really grown as the series has progressed. The characters have worked hard to bring down the corruption in the Great Library, but the future of the Library is unknown as multiple sides vie for control. Since this is the final book, everything comes to an end and the characters get closure.

A series that readers can easily get lost in. Diverse characters, plenty of action, and intriguing story. Recommended to fans of YA fantasy and dystopian series. Creative, adventurous, and engaging.

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but I thought that books 2-4 were a bit slow. Book 5, however, did not disappoint. It was a stunning and (at times) surprising conclusion to the series. Here is what I liked:

(1) Character development--All of the protagonists are complex, flawed people. Throughout the series they each make mistakes and, often, pay the consequences for those mistakes. The same is true in this final installment in the series.

(2) The ending--While not every character ended where I expected, I am very satisfied with how the book ended. That is all I can say #nospoilers.

(3) The pace--I never felt that this book got slow, .unlike others in the series.

What I didn't love:

(1) While I liked the ending, I felt that some of the changed relationships (#nospoilers) were a bit out of the blue. That is all I will say.

Congrats Ms. Caine on a series well done! Thanks Netgalley & the publisher for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

GO BUY THIS BOOK!

Wait. First buy and read the first four books, then buy and read this book. It really doesn't work well as a stand alone especially as it's the last in the series. I'm sad the series is ending and delighted that

Caine ended the series on a high note. I'm not referring to the events of the story but the writing. It was tightly plotted, full of emotion, politics, action, a little romance, found family and musings on who should control access to knowledge and the flow of information. Pretty relevant, yes? Anyway, Caine didn't miss a beat or slack off. "Sword and Pen" is fast paced, tightly plotted, full of surprises, and completely absorbing.

We say goodbye to at least one character, and see all of them change, mature, and grow. When I read the first book, I wasn't a fan of Scholar Wolfe. But over five books we've gotten to know him and understand him, and now he matters as much to me as any of the other main characters. Also, throughout the series Caine has done a wonderful job writing characters who are heterosexual, homosexual, and asexual, as well as writing characters from different parts of the world, although most are European. Nor does Caine shy away from showing the consequences of war. It was a hard read at times, with all the horror and challenges our fearless gang face but there's always hope.

One such challenge is when one of our MCs is injured and has trouble breathing as a result. It was, by far, the best depiction of living with respiratory illness that I've read in a genre book. I have severe chronic asthma and Caine's depiction of {redacted}'s breathing challenges resonated strongly with me. I felt seen and understood, and it wasn't even asthma she was writing about. Thank you, Ms. Caine. I greatly appreciate it.

"Sword and Pen" is a fantastic end to the series, and a fantastic story. It was absorbing and engaging and kept up way too late, not once but twice. Go, buy it, and prepare to get your heart ripped out.

First, thank you so much to Rachel Caine, Berkley Publishing Group, and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read Sword and Pen! I had read the other four books and couldn't wait to get my hands on this one to see what happened with my Library friends! I think I might have liked this one the best, but they have all been great! There is so much conflict, so many disasters and close calls - whew! I'm exhausted! Although it just made sense that some lives would be lost along the way, I still found the ending very complete and satisfying! Although I hope there will be a long lasting peace, I would still like to know what happens down the road, what each individual's path looks like in the future.

I've been looking forward to this book for AGESSS. I binged the first four books in the series just a few months ago, and I have so many mixed feelings because I'm so happy I got to read another book in this series, but also it's the last one!! Pardon me while I hide in the corner and figure out how I'm going to live my life now that this series is complete.

As this is a review for a final book in a series, I am going to try to be as ~ vague ~ as possible for spoiler reasons. Which means that this is probably going to turn into a list of things this book did fantastically rather than an actual full-on review.

Also a little disclaimer, I just finished this book last night and I’m having trouble formulating my thoughts because I am just reeling. Sword and Pen is a certified emotional roller coaster. So apologies if this comes out a little messy.

One thing I appreciated about this book was that the characters in this book actually address the traumatic things that happened/is happening in this book/previous books! I feel that trauma is something that is normally ignored in a lot of action-packed fantasy/sci-fi books. Usually, something horrific happens to a character, and it’s just never addressed or dealt with, but Rachel Caine does a fantastic job of carrying over plot points and actually following through with them rather than putting the characters through needless trauma that's never fully mentioned or addressed later on.

The book was also able to focus on many different characters at a time with alternating POV, yet I was still able to tie everything together incredibly well. I personally have a lot of trouble with multiple characters and multiple POV because my memory is total garbage for names. I was actually scared when I started reading this that I wouldn’t recall all the characters since I’d read the series 8+ months ago, but within a chapter or two, everything came back to me.

For my last vague descriptor, I’m going to mention the same thing as both a positive and a negative. I thought that this was a fantastic last book to the series as it tied everything together so well, but for some parts of the book, I felt that it was tied together too well? I cannot and will not specify, and this can honestly be a personal thing because I can never be 100% pleased with anything, but it’s probably just because I don’t like endings.


That’s it for my mini vague review, I loved this book to death and for whoever has read The Great Library series, please read this book immediately and hmu because I need someone to discuss it with without fear of spoilers. And if you haven’t read The Great Library series, get on it immediately!

SO SAD THIS SERIES IS OVER.

Oh, what a ride. I was giddy with joy that I received an ARC because I wanted to know how the fate of the library would at last, unfold.

This book started out with a bang. I immediately dove into the action as Jess was recovering from the ending of the last book (trying to keep large spoilers out) and trying to kill himself yet again at the beginning of this one. Does he ever stay away from danger? NOPE. I absolutely adore Jess and thought he was the perfect MC. Bold, brash, deceiving yet loyal, he was someone I begged to have a happy ending.

Speaking of those I was stoked to see get a happy ending (italicized because frankly, this book didn’t end with rainbows and unicorns, but it was still a good ending)…WOFLE & SANTI. Oh how I love these men. They are the sweetest, strongest couple and I can’t get enough of watching them interact. I was sad I didn’t see them together as much in this story, but the snippets I got, YES. LOVE. Love them, love them forever.

My four star rating is centered around the disjointed feeling I got while reading it. These main characters are spread out over the city and rarely interact until the end. This vast difference in location and plot lines made it feel like separate pieces rather than a whole story. I was stoked when everyone gathered towards the end to finish what they started. I love this group of friends and how much they love each other. I love that we got multiple POVs from so many different characters.

That ending was *just right*. Bitter sweet, but I wasn’t left reeling because I saw that this is where the story needed to go to really end. There was even an epilogue that put a few questions I had in mind at peace. I think everything was well covered and put together. I closed the book feeling satisfied that these characters were at a close in this story.

I love they whole creation of this series. The concept is unique to books I’ve had the chance to read and that was what initially drew me to them. I was captivated by this diverse group who came together to better their world. Knowledge is for everyone to have a chance to obtain.

Overall audience notes:

Young adult fantasy + dystopian
Language: very little
Romance: a kiss
Violence: poisonous gas, explosions with greek fire (a substance that burns anything it touches), ship wrecks, animal attacks (by robotic versions of dragons and sphinx), guns, knives, battle scenes, magic

Sword and Pen is the Fifth and final installment in author Rachel Caine's The Great Library series. As a sort of summary, The Great Library of Alexandria exists in a alternative world. It exists to "contain the knowledge of the world in the name of the greater good." This is a world where possessing real honest to goodness books is a serious crime, but there are those who have found a way to do so even at the threat of death by the Great Library.

This final story revolves around every possible character that readers have come to know from the first book forward. Jess Brightwell, Khalia Seif, Christopher Wolfe, Dario Santiago, Thomas Schreiber, Morgan Hault, Captain Nic Santi, and Glain Wather. Also, don't ignore the between chapters that provide some clues as to what is happening and what has happened to get us to this point in the series. The story picks up right where Smoke and Iron left off so don't forget to read that book before jumping into this one.

The Archivist is on the run and he has a bunch of followers standing alongside him preventing the Great Library from moving forward without him. If he falls, he plans on doing as much damage as possible. If that weren't enough, navies from several prominent nations, including Spain, Japan, and Russia, refuse to leave until a new agreement is made between the new Archivist and signor nations which really only want to get their hands on the wealth of knowledge that Great Library possesses.

This is a book that switches narratives between the above named characters regularly. For me, the one I felt for the most, and have from the very beginning, is Jess. Jess grew up running illegal books to those who can afford the luxury of owning original books, and is also spare heir to the Brightwell empire. Jess joins with Christopher & Dario hunting the deposed Archivist, the so called Pharaoh of Alexandria and really ends up suffering more than any other character in this book.

I have said this before, I shall say it again, every other character in this book has gotten exactly what they wanted throughout this series, except Jess. Jess is also the one character who doesn't really have any goals for his life. Jess never imagined getting this far so any day that he is still alive, is a blessing in disguise. Khalia, by design, or by accident, has become the one who gets everything she wants and more.

That's really all I'm going to say about things that happen to her. That could be said for Thomas as well. Thomas is brilliant. He doesn't need the library. He's proven that time and time again that if you leave him alone, he will find a way to come up with something brilliant, or save the day when the odds are stacked against him and the others. Hell, even the Archivist knows that Thomas is brilliant and therefore will do anything to get his hands on Thomas for his own nefarious plans.

Morgan's story has always been the most curious. She may be the most powerful character in this story, but her life is anything but perfect. Her story could be considered to be both tragic and expected, but in the end, she's far more interesting than you can imagine. Her feelings for Jess haven't changed all that much, but there isn't much of a path to success with everything they've been through. Will they end up together?

You could also ask the same question of Dario and Khalia who have been lovey dopey for the past several books. They are fated to be together even though they come from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Probably the most interesting and curious character is Scholar Christopher Wolfe who has been through hell and back but never lost his love for Captain Nic Santi.

Wolfe getting grey hairs because his kids are irresponsible about their health was pretty fun to read about. Calling Jess his son in front of Jess's father was bloody brilliant, and I adored the fact that Jess's mother didn't deny the accusation. I think that this was the perfect time to end the series and not try to drag it on further. The author got what she wanted from her characters, and there's really not much more she could do with them except allow one to die, which I am grateful she avoided that pitfall.

This book is the 5th and final installment in the Great Library Series by Rachel Caine. The Great Library is on the verge of collapse facing major threats to its survival. A group of friends are bound to stop at nothing to ensure the survival of the Great Library against the corrupt Archivist looking to take control.

Caine created this amazing world and amazing set of characters. I absolutely enjoyed every page of this book! I am so amazed by the high impact action of the stories and truly made this such an exciting read. Even though I have not read the previous four books, which by the way, is not going to be very long since I have already ordered all of it, I believe that this worked for me and still found it truly entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley Pub, and Author Rachel Caine for the opportunity to read this amazing ARC ebook for my objective and honest review.

This series has gotten better and better with each book and this final installment is no exception to that pattern. I remember reading Ink and Bone and feeling very ambivalent about it--it was a rough start, but there was enough in there that I was still interested in the series. It was honestly just a stroke of luck (or fate?) that I received an ARC of the second book on NetGalley, decided to give it a shot, and eventually fell in love with everything about the series.



I tend to struggle with writing reviews for books that are finales or far into a series beacuse I'm not sure how to go into detail without also giving away spoilers for everything leading up to it. Because of that, I'll try not to go into specifics, but please be forewarned that if you haven't read this series or caught up to this book, there will probably still be minor spoilers for previous books in this series. I'll have no spoilers for this book, though!



Sword and Pen picks up shortly after the events of the previous books with all of our favorite characters struggling to protect the future of the Great Library. Everyone has grown up and matured so much since the story started out in Ink and Bone and it's honestly been one of the most satisfying and enjoyable experiences that I've read in a while. Jess, Morgan, Dario, Khalila, Santi, Thomas, Glain, and Wolfe are all present and continue to shine in the best ways possible. I love their relationships with one another and how they work together despite having so many contrasting personalities and entirely unique perspectives on their world. I love the grudging hate-yet-respect-friendship between Dario and Jess, the complications in the relationship between Jess and Morgan--rather than the usual 'completely in love with no problems' scenario you see in most books--the gradual yet passionate blossoming love between Dario and Khalila, and of course the beautiful partnership of Wolf and Santi.



Khalila, Thomas, Wolfe, and Santi remain my favorite characters, though Dario is also one that's grown on me a lot over the last few books and I can't help but love him. Khalila is the most elegant, intelligent, eloquent, badass woman I've come across in fiction in a while and I absolutely love how she handles herself in these books and in every situation and continues to grow into her new roles and abilities. Jess continues to be a character that I can't say I've ever really liked, but I still have a respect for him that leaves me attached to him as a character and it's been an incredibly wild ride following him on this adventure.



The stakes are incredibly high at pretty much every moment of this book and it left me feeling highly anxious for everyone all the time--it's stressful! There is a great mix of high-intensity action scenes interspersed within scenes that more seriously explore some of the many incredible themes that are present in this series. I've also loved this rather abstract and highly complex magic system that exists, especially concerning Obscurists and the sort of powers that Morgan works with. The potential in these areas is unlimited and I would love to just spend time exploring more of it even after everything's that happened--and especially after one particular thing that happens in this book near the end.



Sword and Pen continues to dive deeper into the idea of ownership over knowledge and who should have access to what types of it and so on. These are the themes and ideas that I have most loved diving into and exploring with all of these characters that I love. There's also something special about how Caine incorporates messages of hope and optimism into some horrifying and entirely gloomy situations. There's violence and hatred and unblievably dangerous tensions at play, but there's also this overwhelming presence of hope that conveys the notion that nothing is ever lost and that words and ideas and a desire for truth and freedom will always be around somewhere.



Overalll, I've given this epic conclusion to an equally epic series five stars! I wish I could stay in this world and continue to learn more as our characters continue to grow, but I'm more than satisfied with the story we've been given. I am already wanting to go back and re-read this series from the beginning to remember how much it grows and evolves over time.

I LOVED this series!! I am beyond sorry to see it end, but what an ending...

The Great Library is on its last legs. Enemies are closing in on all sides. The team is facing unbelievable new provocations, threats, and opportunities. And merciful heavens, did they - and the story - rise to the challenge!

This has been an incredible series, with exemplary world-building and characterization. Caine has done a remarkable job with it, and I think it is by far her strongest, best work. In this final installment the action and tension are ramped up to an almost unbearable level, yet she manages to tap-dance among land mines, keeping her cast moving forward at levels that exceed previous expectations - and that's no small feat AT ALL.

The writing is strong, the plot brilliantly twisty (as are the characters' motives, actions, and relationships), and the action never lets up. It is difficult for an author to maintain tension across a number of series books (this is #5 - incidentally, to me, the perfect number in a complex series), particularly when it involves younger characters who have to grow into the situations that they face. Caine has done a marvelous job with that. Her characters have continued to develop in a believable, likable (or dislikeable - depending on the character) way throughout the series. I was surprised at how strongly I reacted to the action - and consequences - facing them in this final story, and it delighted me. I was also pleasantly surprised at her ability to keep the pace even throughout, particularly given the significant action/adventure elements that she laid out almost from the onset of the series. Things developed in a way that felt organic and entirely believable, despite their ramping up to almost unbearable levels. In this it reminded me of the Harry Potter books - things went from relatively light to incredibly dark, but they did it in a way that felt natural and evenly so at each development point.

This is a marvelous series and I will definitely come back to it again. There is SO MUCH going on here that I'm sure I missed some interactions and foreshadowing/final resolution moments from start to finish. I read each book in a furious race as it came out (again, redolent of the HP books), beyond eager to see where things would go. It meant that I no doubt missed some of the nuance, and one of my favorite things about series like this is the ability to go back and revisit them to catch any things I may have missed. If you haven't started this one, you definitely should - it's well worth the time you'll spend on the five-volume set!

Sword and Pen by Rachel Caine
Book #5: The Great Library Series
Source: Author, NetGalley, Berkley Books, and Purchase
Rating: 6 HUGELY GINORMOUS STARS (I only use a 5-star system!)

I am not sure any of the words that follow are going to be enough to adequately express my feelings regarding this book and this series as a whole. Sword and Pen is the culmination of The Great Library series and not only was it worth the wait, it was worth all the pain, anguish, moments of love, happiness, despair, and uncertainty. I could NOT have asked for more than I got from this book and certainly could NOT have asked for more from an author or series.

As Sword and Pen opens, the world is on the brink of collapse and the future of the Great Library is precarious, at best. The old corrupt Archivist is on the run with his faithful lackies and looking to regain control of the Great Library, allies are hard to come by, and even if it kills them Jess, Wolfe, Santi, Thomas, Glain, Dario, Morgan, and Khalila are more than determined than ever to see the world righted and the Great Library stand, once again, as the beacon of hope and knowledge it has been for thousands of years.

For the first time in the series, most of the members of the group are truly separated from one another as each has his/her own particular skill set that is being called upon relentlessly and endlessly. Though their paths cross frequently, each must accept the separation as a necessary evil meant to help the world and not just a few individuals. While each is certainly never far from the other’s minds, there is work to be done and the enemies, both known and unknown are set to strike at any moment. Khalilia is now highly position within the Great Library, Morgan is scarily working her magic in the Iron Tower, Thomas is in charge of the city’s defenses, Santi is in charge of and directing all military forces, Glain is happily back in uniform with the High Garda, Dario is skulking about as only he can, and Jess and Wolfe are on the trail of the betrayer. Every task, every decision, every action, and every moment of inaction is aimed at several goals: find and neutralize the old Archivist, turn away the enemies at the gate, and establish order in the city.

From moment to moment, each of the group is in mortal danger and well aware of the situation. They have survived to this moment and if they’re going to survive this final assault, it is going to take every ounce of courage, every ounce of knowledge, and every ounce of cunning they can muster. As luck would have it, each member of the group not only has a unique skill set, but the ability to think far, far, far outside the box. Khalilia is in fine form with her intellect and determination, Thomas is pure genius with his weapons and mechanically-oriented mind, Morgan is scary with her ever-increasing power, Santi is bound and determined no one will take the city under his watch, Dario is masterful in his deceptions, and Jess, Glain, and Wolfe are focused on the utter destruction of the old Archivist which takes them a long, winding, and dangerous journey. It isn’t until the final moments, the ultimate battle that the group, as a whole reunites to defeat their enemies.

The Bottom Line: The long and the short of it is this: there are few books and series I have read in my 40+ years of reading that have stood out so strongly in my heart and mind. I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again, this book and this series is all that is good and right in contemporary literature. This series is truly a saga and it is so strong on every level and in every aspect. From the plot, to the characters (most of whom are KIDS), to the richly imagined and brilliantly delivered settings, this book and series has something for everyone. Though fiction, this series truly reflects so much of human history and our struggle to know and control knowledge, to make free all knowledge or to suppress that which is deemed harmful to society. The Great Library series is a fictional representation of our world, our history, and if we don’t learn from the mistakes of our past, out future. I feel so very fortunate to have stumbled upon this series several years ago and ma thankful for the planning, editing, and reworking that had to go into this series to make it what it is, a truly exceptional bit of reading. Tota est scientia!

I’m so torn about this book but probably not for the reason you think! I am so sad that the series is over, but so happy I got to read every page of it.

I’m always nervous picking up a book in a series after a break in reading earlier books. I worry that I won’t like it as much as I liked earlier books or that I’ll be confused about what’s going on because I’ve forgotten too many things.

Rachel Caine handled both of these concerns like the expert she is in SWORD AND PEN. From the first page, I fell straight back in love with Jess and his friends and the amazing story world of Alexandria and the Great Library. I felt like reminders about who people were and what had been happening where SMOKE AND IRON (book 4) left off were organically woven into the narrative without stealing any attention away from the current tension.

The Great Library is one of my favorite series. It’s one of a very few series longer than three books that I’ve actually managed to stick with– and really, I couldn’t help it! I love the characters so much– Khalila and Dario, Thomas and Glain, Santi and Wolfe, I love them all. Each one is so different, so well-imagined that they feel real. As soon as I start reading a section, I know exactly whose POV I’m in, and I love when authors write like that.

SWORD AND PEN is every bit the conclusion I was hoping for in terms of its intensity. I won’t promise you’ll love every minute– there are some sad moments that really smack you in places that hurt. But it wouldn’t be such a powerful story without those, either. And for the most part, even those sad moments felt right to me.

The Great Library is one of those series you really need to read from the beginning, so don’t start with SWORD AND PEN. Check out my review of INK AND BONE and then fall in love with the whole series with me!