The problem with a knife block and set of knives is that often quality takes second place to quantity. Some people will think that a knife block and knives is a great deal because there are so many knives! (I was shopping at a discount store the other day and saw a 15 piece "bathroom set" for $2. I was curious about what it would include for such a low price, and it turned out to be one very thin shower curtain and 14 flimsy plastic hooks. That's an example of lots of pieces but very little quality but the big bold letters screamed 15 pieces!)
But what matters with knives is the quality. It's better to have one excellent knife than a block of 8 or 20 cheap knives. A cook's best tools are clean hands and a good sharp knife.
Unfortunately a knife block and knife set for around a hundred dollars is most likely to be of inferior quality. That matters because you'll end up replacing the knives quickly, they won't do their jobs well, and you run the risk of cuts or injuries due to inferior quality knives.
You want a knife that feels heavy, that feels good in your hand. You want a knife where the metal part extends solidly into the handle, not one just riveted on, or where the metal only goes into the handle by an inch or so. And you want a honing steel (the long thing that looks like a light saber) and you'll want to use it. It's quite simple, and there are many videos online that demonstrate how to sharpen a knife. Alton Brown has a good one.
Don't buy ceramic knives. They look great in the store demos, but they are very limited - great if all you do is slice tomatoes, but not for much else.
So, here are two great articles (don't worry, they're not sales links or click bait - they're good, brief informational articles about buying a knife and which ones are most essential) that might help you choose a knife that will last.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/25/essential-kitche...
http://www.wikihow.com/Select-Quality-Kitchen-Knives