Ash and Quill

May 15, 2017
Smuggler's son Jess Brightwell and his band of troublemaking Scholars face danger again in this third installment (Paper and Fire, 2016, etc.).After surviving the destruction of two cities, Jess and company are now prisoners of fanatical Burners in besieged Philadelphia. Once promising Scholars and soldiers, the group members--Jess, Obscurist Morgan Hault, escaped prisoner Thomas Schreiber, ex-Garda Glain Wathen, disgraced noble Dario Santiago, clever Scholar Khalila Seif, and former teachers Christopher Wolfe and Niccolo Santi--have become fugitives from the Great Library, whose corrupt leaders suppress knowledge and persecute innovators. Told from Everyman Jess' cynical perspective and punctuated by "Ephemera" (confiscated or covert correspondence), this installment marks the beginning of a revolution, as idealistic intelligentsia lose innocence and hone lethal skills when they witness the Library's atrocities and the Burners' suicidal zealotry. The globe-trotting freedom fighters remain racially homogenous--aside from Muslim Khalila, most appear to be white--and secondary characters such as the Native Americans they encounter are exotically enigmatic. Allies if not friends, group members find the hardships deepen their relationships, and romantic couples--including a lovingly portrayed same-sex pair--consider terrible sacrifices. Caine's semi-steampunk world blends fantasy and science fiction but also covers typical dystopian territory, albeit at a fairly literary level, with her trademark witty banter, dark humor, and abundant action sequences. A strong ensemble adventure, grim, gritty, and genuinely enjoyable. (Fantasy. 14-adult)

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2017

Gr 8 Up-Out of the frying pan and into the fire, Jess Brightwell and his friends are forced to flee to Philadelphia, where they're imprisoned by the fanatical Burners. The ace up their sleeve is the same one they would have used with Jess's father if they hadn't been captured. Thomas's printing press would destroy the library's hold over the populace, and the Burners' leader seems ready to negotiate for ownership of this illegal technology. But Jess knows he and his friends' lives will be forfeit once the press has been built. The seven friends formulate a plan of escape to coincide with the press's completion, unaware that the Archivist Magister has discovered their location. An attack is launched on the Burners' stronghold just before Jess and company can run off. Help comes from unlikely sources, and Jess is inconveniently indebted to his family and their black market contacts even as he realizes that he and his companions are still dispensable pawns in someone else's game. Amid the luxurious trappings of his father's castle, Jess is once again negotiating a fatal bargain and plotting escape. Caine skillfully demonstrates that right and wrong are always shrouded in shades of gray. This volume maintains the series's signature high-level intensity with characters who continue to grow and evolve along with the narrative. VERDICT Purchase where fans are clamoring for the next entry.-Cary Frostick, formerly at Mary Riley Styles Public Library, Falls Church, VA

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.