Book Review: Ink Blood Sister Scribe

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs was on all sorts of best fantasy lists for 2023. I picked it up in the hopes it might be a good comp for my book, although it ended up not being what I expected at all. 

As the title suggests, the book is about two sisters, Esther and Joanna. They were raised among a collection of magical books, which can enact spells if read by Joanna, but not Esther. Joanna inherited the job of protecting the books, while Esther became a nomad and starts the book in working in Antarctica. However, Esther begins to notice strange events around the research site, which she suspects is magic. Someone else must have magical books, and it seems they want the sisters' collection as well. And will do anything to get it.

This book had interesting settings, such as Antarctica, and even the more mundane locales had a clear sense of place and atmosphere. I liked the tension in the sisters' relationship, which felt organic.

Unfortunately, this book really struggled to keep my attention. I suspect it was a pacing issue; it felt like everything too far too long to get going.


Overall, this book is for you if you want a sister-focused fantasy, a sapphic subplot, or a book-based magic system. It may not be for you if you prefer faster paced stories, more epic-scale fantasy, or if you're not in the headspace to read a book where the characters' father recently died.

Have you read Ink Blood Sister Scribe? What did you think? Let's discuss in the comments!