Loved This Concept
Blood, Ink & Fire by Ashley Mansour is a dystopia science fiction novel. I loved this concept which is basically a world where book and words no longer exist. I can't even imagine a world like this because I am such an avid reader and writer myself. A world such as this seems impossible.
Characters
In the novel we have a variety of characters ranging, but now I will talk about the main character Noelle. She is a fighter, but still is fearful due to a number of circumstances in her life. She overcomes a variety of odds, but is scared to face the unknown. The other characters within this novel, help to either Noelle to become a stronger woman or not. The romance especially between Noelle and another character was really fast paced. To me they went not like each other to being in love and for me at least I was surprised on how quick their love relationship developed. However, I do think the characters in this book all contribute to the story and there weren't any wasted characters.
Plot and Setting
In Blood, Ink and Fire there are a variety of places the main characters go to. Each place is like a different world, which is something I really enjoyed. The plot was a little slow for me and I felt as though things didn't pick up until about 60% of the book. I did really enjoy the overall premise of this book. I also did think there was a lot of description which made me read the book a lot slower. For me at least, I didn't have enough room to imagine the landscape, people and surrounds because a lot of it was described for me. I did immerse myself into the world and the story. As I flipped the pages I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.
A Unique Dystopia
First, I would like to say thank you to Ashley Mansour and Netgalley for giving me an arc of this book to review. Blood, Ink & Fire was such a great concept I think for book lovers, writers and everyone in general. It is a story of what happens when we replace words, stories, books and writing for only what we can see. I do think that television and movies are wonderful things, but I also think they should be balanced with books and literature. Overall, I did really enjoy this book and I recommend it. I have also heard there may be more in the series which I am excited to read.
Book Quotes I Loved
“To the boolos, books were like people. The stories inside them were real. The characters lived and breathed. Books were life. They were breath. To feel these things in the stories as keenly as if they were not just words on a page, but memories from your own life, to make you imagine things you never dreamed of, that was the power of a book. A power we must regain.” (Ashley Mansour, Blood, Ink & Fire; Chapter Thirteen)
“Remember the reader needs the book as much as the book needs the reader. Without you, I am nothing...” (Ashley Mansour, Blood, Ink & Fire; Chapter Thirty-Three)
“We can't control what happens to us. Only what we do about it.” (Ashley Mansour, Blood, Ink & Fire; Chapter Forty-Three)
