Book of the Month is a monthly book subscription box. Each month, five curators pick out their favorite new hardcover books, and you can choose which one you want to receive on the first of the month for $17.99/month. You can also add up to two additional books for only $9.99 each. (This box was named one of the best subscriptions for avid readers in the 2023 Subscription Box Awards.)
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My BOTM Pick for May: Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs— Hardcover Retail Value $30.00
Back of Book Summary:
For generations, the Kalotay family has guarded a collection of ancient and rare books. Books that let a person walk through walls or manipulate the elements—books of magic that half-sisters Joanna and Esther have been raised to revere and protect.
All magic comes with a price, though, and for years the sisters have been separated. Esther has fled to a remote base in Antarctica to escape the fate that killed her own mother, and Joanna’s isolated herself in their family home in Vermont, devoting her life to the study of these cherished volumes. But after their father dies suddenly while reading a book Joanna has never seen before, the sisters must reunite to preserve their family legacy. In the process, they’ll uncover a world of magic far bigger and more dangerous than they ever imagined, and all the secrets their parents kept hidden; secrets that span centuries, continents, and even other libraries . . .
In the great tradition of Ninth House, The Magicians, and Practical Magic, this is a suspenseful and richly atmospheric novel that draws readers into a vast world filled with mystery and magic, romance, and intrigue—and marks the debut of an extraordinary new voice in speculative fiction.
My Summary
This is one of those books that you pick up and don't put back down again until it's done. From the very first sentence, the book sucks you in and takes you deeper and deeper into the world of ancient and magical books. Sisters Joanna and Esther grew up around books that were constantly protected by their family and that could transform their world into almost whatever they desired. As they got older, the family found that daughter (Joanna) could "hear" the books and yet another didn't seem to be affected at all by their magic at all (Esther). As Joanna and Esther got older, they started to realize there were secrets about the books their parents had been keeping from them, but had no idea what these secrets were. It wasn't until after their father died by the hands of one of these books, that pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place.
Esther at the time was living in Antarctica on a research base and would move every November just as her father had asked her to. Joanna was still living at home and was in charge of taking care of the books. She was angry, however, at her sister for leaving her and even angrier still when she kept moving, but refused to come home. Neither of them understood the reasoning behind why their father asked them to do this and their father kept this secret until the day he died. After Esther decided not to move off the base in November, things started to move quickly which would eventually lead them on an expedition to find the answers as well as save their lives.
Ink Blood Sister Scribe is divided into three parts: Mirror Magic, The Scribe, and Bloodline. All three parts are full of twists and cliffhangers and will have you guessing about who is on whose side until the very end. And it will not end where you think it might!
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The Verdict
I honestly cannot recommend this book enough. It has become my favorite book that I have read so far through the Book of the Month subscription boxes. I have always believed that books have a magical essence to them, but with this book it really rings true...both literally and figuratively! If you want a book that has adventure, romance, thrills, and wonder then definitely give this one a try. I don't think you will be disappointed!
Value - Was This Box Worth It?
Yes! Yes! Yes! An amazing book at a fraction of what this would cost you at the bookstore. One of the great things with Book of the Month is that it allows you to try lots of different genres and learn about tons of different books that you may not otherwise have come across. This was one of those books for me as I usually don't peruse this genre, but I'm incredibly happy it was one of the June Book of the Month Club choices.
BOTM Club starts at $17.99, depending on your chosen subscription.
The Cost: $9.99 + free shipping (for your first month)
Value Breakdown: This box costs $9.99, but the book I chose retails hardcover for $30.00, which was a discount of about $20 for me. (Remember...this is first month only).
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To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this book if you sign up today? Yes! But you will need to order it as an add-on. This book came late due to a large amount of BOTM subscribers requesting it, so it won't be available for your pick by the time this review comes out.
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