Eric Smith

Eric Smith takes you on a fast-paced fantasy adventure, perfect for anyone who has dreamed of being different . . . only to discover that destiny is more than skin deep. Sometimes your only chance to survive, and what you most fear . . . is to be INKED. Tattoos once were an act of rebellion. Now they decide your destiny the moment the magical Ink settles under your skin. And in a world where Ink controls your fate, Caenum can't escape soon enough. He is ready to run from his family, and his best friend Dreya, and the home he has known, just to have a chance at a choice. But when he upsets the very Scribe scheduled to give him his Ink on his eighteenth birthday, he unwittingly sets in motion a series of events that sends the corrupt, magic-fearing government, The Citadel, after him and those he loves. Now Caenum, Dreya, and their reluctant companion Kenzi must find their way to the Sanctuary, a secret town where those with the gift of magic are safe. Along the way, they learn the truth behind Ink, its dark origins, and why they are the only ones who can stop the Citadel. Praise for Inked "INKED is an action-packed read with a hero I could root for, magic I wanted to have, and a vivid fantasy world to back it all up. Smith's prose had me turning pages way past my bedtime." --Susan Dennard, New York Times bestselling author of Truthwitch "A fast-paced page-turner from Eric Smith filled with magic, mystery and mayhem." --Kristi Helvig, author of Burn Out "With a lively cast of characters and a captivating idea, INKED draws its readers into a world where magic lives on every page." --Kat Zhang, author of The Hybrid Chronicles series

Inked

Nessa Luna

Disclaimer: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This has not changed my opinion on the book in any way.

Last year I saw a tweet from the author about a blog tour for his book, Inked, that (on the day I post this) came out exactly one year ago! I decided to apply for the blog tour, because I had never been in a blog tour before, and I thought it would be a cool think to do. I had been interested in this book for a while now, but I just never went and picked it up because there were so many other books I wanted to read. So I am super happy to be one of the people chosen for the blog tour!

Inked tells the story of Caenum, who is not looking forward to his Inking at all. What if he doesn't like the Ink he's going to receive? He doesn't want his fate to be decided by a tattoo! So he plans to run away, but his grandmother and his best friend Dreya don't want him to leave. That is until they find someone in a field, with a power that no one has ever seen before. Caenum, Dreya and Kenzi must find a place that no one thinks exists in order for them to be safe.

I was really intrigued by this book, mainly because of the whole moving tattoo's idea. I once read a headcanon that in the world of Harry Potter, magical tattoo's could move and change with the seasons, so when I heard about this book I really hoped it would be like that. The tattoo's in Inked are similar to this, for example Dreya's tattoo does actually change with the seasons. During the winter season, the plants on her body actually wither and lose their leaves and stuff, which is really cool (okay maybe not for Dreya, but to me it sounded cool).

Caenum is our main character, and I'm honestly not too sure what to think about him. I like him, especially his relationship with Dreya and his determination to solve stuff without so much violence, but I don't know, there was something about him that annoyed me. Maybe the fact that he kept getting knocked out so much (I mean not his fault, but yeah it did happen a lot). Dreya could have been an amazing character, but I felt like she was pushed to the background more to give Ceanum and Kenzi more room to improve. I hope that in the sequel - I mean there is going to be a sequel right - that she gets more attention.

My main question mostly during this book was - where do these magical tattoos come from? what is the story behind them. I can say that even though the answer was a bit obvious when I thought about it, it did satisfy me a lot when I found out the cruel truth. I really liked the magic and the many different forms of magic. I believe it was mostly inspired by the four elements; water, air, fire and earth, and honestly elemental magic is something I love.

I did feel that there was something lacking, and I hate myself for not knowing exactly what, but I guess I just expected more, especially from the first half of the book. The latter part really picked up and I honestly enjoyed that part better than the first. The fight in the city was just my favourite part, as much as I hated to see those innocent people hurt. But honestly that's what I'm here for, the battles, the hurt, the deaths, the betrayal, that's my kind of thing!

So in the end, I really liked Inked and I will certainly be picking up the second book! If you're really intrigued by the whole magical moving tattoos like I was, and you love books with battles and magic; you should definitely pick up this book! The sequel, Rise of the Unprinted, will be released in May this year (at least, that's what Goodreads says)!

My opinion on this book in one gif:

Sheila Goicea

Ink was like that. Always suggesting and nudging, always spot on. Which is exactly why it scared me. I wanted to know myself first.
  

Caenum is about to turn eighteen---it is the birthday he has dreaded for years. When he turns eighteen, he will be inked. The Ink will decide who he is to become, not taking into account any thoughts that may counter what it tells him. Plotting to flee before the Scribes come to deliver his future, Caenum finds himself in a debacle when a run-in with a Scribe takes an unexpected turn. 

He finds himself fleeing his home with his life-long friend Dreya, and new acquaintance, Kenzi, who just so happens to be the very Scribe commissioned to ink Caenum. Escaping an attack on his town, they set out to find the Sanctuary, a place safe from the Citadel for wielders of magic. On the journey, loved ones are lost, friends are made, enemies are everywhere, and secrets revealed. 

--------------------------------------

My thoughts are a scrambled mess on this one. It's taken me a few hours of on and off writing to complete this review, and I'm hoping it will even be reflective of my thoughts. I don't have much to say, so let's get on with it. Note: I tried to keep this as spoiler-free as possible, but there may be hints throughout this review that I found necessary to discuss in order to properly review the book.


  Things that I liked:


#1 The overall idea was engaging in and of itself. Tattoos infused with a bit of magic to reveal your identity sounded pretty neat, albeit scary. Just as Ceanum feared the ink, I believe I would too if I felt that I hadn't discovered my own true nature before something told me what it was. What if I didn't like what I heard? Stripping the option of choice from anyone is scary. 

#2 This story started out running...literally. We open to the first page where Caenum is planning to run away before his inking day. His fear was compelling, and made me want to know more about what this process was all about.

#3 A few delightful twists were embedded here and there, making the story more complex than I originally thought.

Despite the unexpected turns, I felt that there still just wasn't enough to satiate my desire for a more completed story; which leads me to...


  Things that I didn't like:
 

#1 The world building.

I felt like I was reading the story, looking from the outside in. Rather than being invited into the story, something held me back. Whether it was just an overall lack of world building (I don't remember there even being a name of the world mentioned,) or misunderstanding as to the societal setup, I didn't feel as though I could be part of the story. It wasn't really something that I could deem as a possibility---which, if you ask me, is the number one goal of the fantasy genre: believing that something could be real.

  
    "The Citadel tries to force people into roles, into walks of life. Gives them assignments based on what they are born with."
  

We get small glimpses into the doctrine of the Citadel. However, little explanation is given as to how the entire system of this world came into being. I found myself often wondering where the backstory was. 

#2 (view spoiler)[Everyone had powers. (hide spoiler)] Part of the way through the book, I was excited because I thought we finally had a normal and ordinary main character. However, I was 
  wrong.
 This is more my personal preference. It didn't necessarily take away from the story, but I think I would have liked it better if someone had remained unaffected. 

#3 Character Breakdown:
 
Caenum was supposed to be turning eighteen. But his voice and thoughts were from someone of a much younger age. Especially when discussing his "friendship" with Dreya, and his unsuspecting musings regarding their relationship. 

#3.5 Ceanum's name. How is it pronounced? I found myself saying it "Che-a-num," as in Latin with the e-a next to each other. Since it's written in English, maybe it's supposed to be pronounced "See-num?" I'm honestly not sure.

The other two prominent characters, Dreya and Kenzi, had very little influence on me, whatsoever. I don't have anything to say on them, only that I wish their character development had been more prominent. 

#4 That this novel tried to be a bit dystopian: depicted in the first quote (above,) the book itself stated that the ink was always spot on when deciding what that person would be doing. If the ink was consistently accurate with a person's abilities and character, then wouldn't everyone be happy with their wares? Wouldn't the ink choose what was most suitable for each individual, ultimately leading to contentment? I simply didn't find there being enough justification for this world to exist in the way that it did.

#5 Adventure-less: When the trio left their hometown to seek out the Sanctuary was when the pace of the story dropped. An adventure should be exciting, exhilarating, and increase the pacing dramatically. The pace did eventually pick up towards the end (as to be expected.)

Much of the story for me was simply unremarkable. I wish that there was more development behind the structure of the world, the characters, and the antagonizing forces against those that were gifted.

I feel:


Vulgarity: Moderate, and more towards the end.
Sexual content: Only a small amount.
Violence: Some, but without gory detail. 

2 stars.

This review can also be viewed on my blog: She's Going Book Crazy

 Bruna Acioly Leão

2.5 stars

Sadly, this book just wasn't for me. 

I loved the idea and the magic, but the characters and the plot just didn't do it for me. Maybe I read it too slowly, because I'm so busy, but I felt like it dragged on and I got a little bored. The plot wasn't very engaging and the characters were too flat. I couldn't really get a feel for any of them. I don't think it is a terrible book: the writing was good, the action was solid and the worldbuilding, while underdeveloped, was really creative.I think people who like action books and fast plots, might enjoy this.

For me, since I couldn't connect to it emotionally, I just didn't see the point of any of it. Also, and this is a very personal thing, but once again, it is very rare for me to enjoy a book lacking so much in female characters, both quantity and quality of their evolvement. It's not the book's fault or something that I'm really criticizing it on (though, we should have more female characters, not everyone has to write them all the time). But it is something that diminishes my enjoyment. It's not a conscious thing, but it is something I've noticed on books I've read.

Inked

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