Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs Book Review

Reading has always been one of my favourite hobbies, and it's something I love to do every day, but it's been a while since I last posted a book review to the blog. I often post what I'm reading and write mini reviews on my Insta stories, but I want to start sharing more of them here with you, too, so here I am. 

I recently read a brilliant debut fantasy and new release called Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs, so let's start with that one.

Book: Ink Blood Sister Scribe.

Author: Emma Törzs.

Genres: Fantasy, mystery, thriller, adventure, romance (f/f and f/m)

Edition: Waterstones Exclusive Signed Hardback.

Synopsis:

Ink Blood Sister Scribe is a unique and immersive dark fantasy about magic books that have the power to kill, and a secret organisation that will stop at nothing to find those who guard them- not even murder. 

It follows two estranged sisters- loner Joanna, who's dedicated her life to protecting her rare book collection, and Esther, who is hiding out on a research base in Antarctica, and must move every year on the same date to avoid being found. Except this year, she stays put for love, and just as she thinks she's safe, she discovers spots of blood on all the mirrors. It can only mean one thing: sinister magic is in use on the base. Her life is in danger and she doesn't know who she can trust, but when a note offering help is passed through a mirror, will she accept or listen to her instincts and run? And what will she send back?

Meanwhile, wealthy, sheltered Nicholas, a scribe who writes spell books with his own blood for his family's elite library, discovers shocking truths that will lead him and his bodyguard, Collins, to flee. The four must travel across continents to find one another and stay alive, learn the sinister secrets of the Library, and put a stop to the organisation once and for all- but can they do it before it's too late? 

Thoughts:

The unusual storyline of this book pulled me in from the start, and the magic, humour, and beautiful descriptive writing kept me reading. I was a little uninterested in Nicholas' POV to begin with, as he came across as spoilt and entitled, and his guardians were so unlikable, but the more I read, the more I found myself enjoying his story- and each of the three POVs. Esther's was full of action, suspense, and  delightful dark magic, and her rocky relationship with Pearl was far from boring; Joanna was intriguing as a lonely, awkward introvert shackled to her house by her books and wards, while struggling to trust her mother and befriend a cat; and Nicholas' was sad as his desires for freedom and friends ate away at him while he was coddled by his Uncle, and conditioned to write books and stay hidden away at the cost of his own declining health. Collins' character development from stoic bodyguard to mysterious-guy-who-can-hear-magic was also really interesting, and I loved the relationships he forged with Nicholas and Joanna. Also, there's a Pomeranian sidekick called Sir Kiwi. Who's female. The twists and turns were surprising and full of tension, and overall, it was such a fun, interesting read that kept me guessing until the end. It left me hoping that it might continue as a series, but I think it's just a stand-alone. Either way, it's the perfect cosy, atmospheric read for autumn for anyone who enjoys dark magic, mystery, and adventure, with a little found-family and forced proximity thrown in for good measure.

Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5.

Favourite Quotes:

♥ The other books hummed like summer bees. This book throbbed like unspent thunder and when she opened the cover the handwritten words swam in front of her eyes, rearranging themselves every time a letter nearly became clear. In progress; unreadable.

♥ If she left- when she left- Antarctica would be a memory, than a memory of memory, and eventually it would be just a story. Pearl would be just a story, a swirl of remembered feelings, someone she'd talk about at bars to strangers who would become friends and then strangers again.

♥ 'If magic really does exist, and you really can erase my memory, and I let you do it- you have to promise to come find me again once you're safe. You have to promise to tell me everything that happened, and tell me again about your parents, and the books. Fill in all the blanks. I don't want to forget forever. I want to know.' She took a shuddering breath. 'But I don't think I can handle knowing right now. Alone.'

♥ A year felt so long unless it was all you had.

♥ ...when the physical and emotional boundaries of one's life were small, when one had walked every inch of one's allotted space many times over, it was easy to forget ignorance and feel a sort of mastery, instead. This house, that path, those books, that mountain; Joanna was used to being the expert and used to the safety that came with expertise.

The beautiful edition shown in my photos is the Waterstones exclusive signed edition, and I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but it was actually the design which drew me in and made me want to investigate what the book was about. It has tangerine sprayed edges with bees, feathers, and stars stencilled on the side in black ink, and it's so pretty and autumnal. It, sadly, doesn't have a hidden cover, but it has marbled-burgundy-red end papers, gold foil on the dust jacket, and it's signed by the author inside. I love it! It sold out online before release day, so I'm glad I preordered it this spring, but if you can find it in store, it's well worth the purchase if you love pretty books.

What are you waiting for? Go read it!

Have you read Ink Blood Sister Scribe yet?

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Book Adaptations Reviews

Erstwilder x Pete Cromer Sea Life Collection

Of all the collections Erstwilder has done, the Pete Cromer collabs have been my favourites, so I was so excited when they reunited for their fifth collection together this August.

This time, Erstwilder has immortalised many of Cromer's Australian Sea Life designs in resin, and they might just be some of their best pieces yet. 

There are sharks and dolphins, penguins and pelicans, seals and seahorses, and all kinds of obscure sea creatures reimagined as brooches, necklaces, earrings, pins, and even keyrings. It's a large collection and everything is amazing, so I had the hardest time choosing which pieces to buy. Luckily, I had some birthday money burning a hole in my pocket, so I was able to buy four brooches (and got a free one!), but I'm still mourning half a dozen other favourites I had to leave behind.

Who wants to see what I got?

I'm going to start with one of my favourites from the collection- The Dutiful Dugong. In fact, I think it might just be one of my favourite brooches ever. It's just so ridiculously cute, and it's perfect down to the last detail. This little guy is made from a beautiful stormy-grey ripple resin with iridescent streaks of pistachio-green, rose-pink, and metallic cobalt running through it. His flippers are a marbled light blue that look like ocean waves, and he has the most amazing, iridescent grey and silver muzzle offset with rainbow glitter. And as it's a Pete Cromer design, he's finished off with a variety of colourful shapes, including a cute purple heart on his flippers. There's nothing I don't love about this brooch, and I'm so glad I managed to snag one before it sold out. I would've been so sad if I hadn't.

When I was trying to narrow down my very long list of favourites, I found I couldn't resist The Halcyon Humpback Whale brooch. It's a beautiful black and grey humpback whale breaching the waves, and he's far prettier than I was expecting. At first glance, its body looks like plain black and grey, but the black is a ripple resin streaked with grey, and the light grey is an incredible, shimmery iridescent resin with pink streaming through it- like an Aurora Borealis effect. It also has a little sparkly yellow teardrop on its flipper with a dot of pink at the end. The water is then crafted from ripple resins in cobalt blue and teal, broken up by some iridescent grey and white. It's quite a large brooch and a good statement piece, so it would be ideal for converting into a necklace with a brooch convertor, too. It's still available from Erstwilder, plus Lottie and Lu, and Lovely Boutique in the UK.

I already had a sea turtle brooch in my brooch zoo (or should that be brooch aquarium?), but I was unable to resist The Graceful Green Sea Turtle brooch. It has so much detail and texture, and it's sooo beautiful. It's head and flippers are made from a mix of ripple, iridescent, and plain glossy resins in three shades of green and patterned with little markings in a variety of blues and earthy colours, and its shell? Its shell has been so cleverly designed to give it depth and texture, and in the middle is a stunning tortoiseshell-like resin with yellow-gold, maple-leaf-red, and olive-green layered over dark smoky-grey. It's one of the coolest resins I've ever seen, and combined with the other details, it's definitely one of the best turtle designs I've come across, too. I can't stop wearing it.

Another favourite of mine from the Sea Life collection is definitely The Blissful Blobfish brooch. It shouldn't make me laugh considering the image of the blobfish we all know and love is how the fish looks after it's decompressed from the change of pressure when it's brought up from the deep sea, but this brooch does make me chuckle, anyway. It's sad little face is hilarious. And he's pink! His body is made from pearlescent resins in pretty rose pink and pink-so-pale-its-almost-white, and his fins and lips are a plain, glossy hot pink. He's then finished with little detailing in navy, grey, dark red, and white, which contrast nicely against the pretty pinks. Definitely the prettiest ugliest fish ever. I'm surprised Erstwilder currently still have some available.

I was also lucky enough to get the free gift with purchase, The Sacred Starfish, for purchasing two brooches from the same stockist. It's a simple, two-layer, five-limbed, red, gold, and white sea star with a shimmery light-gold background, gorgeous ripple resin markings in three shades of red, and a smaller iridescent white star layered on top decorated with plain matte wine-red markings. I think it's an unusual colour-choice for a starfish, and would've been cuter if the colours were softer and more typically ocean-like, such as coral, yellow, or blue. Don't get me wrong, it's really pretty, but I'm not sure I'll get much wear out of this one, so it's likely to go to my Mum who has already called dibs.

And that's my little Erstwilder x Pete Cromer Sea Life haul.

There is still a great selection of designs available direct from Erstwilder here, and a handful still in stock through UK stockists, so be sure to snap them up while you can.

Have you bought anything from the Sea Life collection yet? Which piece is your favourite?

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Erstwilder x Pete Cromer Collection One 

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