Ink - Very Early Book Review

Ink (The Paper Gods #1)
by Amanda Sun

What is it about:
--I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.

Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.

A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.

And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.--

On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.

Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

What did I think of it:
This is a very cool read.

I loved the Japanese setting. I'm a big fan of Anime series like Azumanga Daioh, so I was really excited to read a YA book set in Japan. It gave the book a fresh feel and I loved reading about the customs and the way of life in Shizuoka.

Katie is a fun heroine, I did shake my head over some of her actions, but mostly she's likeable and resourceful. Her friends were fun as well, and my only complaint about them would be that they didn't get much screen time.

And then there is Tomohiro of course. He's mysterious and dangerous. At first I thought Katie was crazy for trying to discover his secrets, but he started to grow on me and soon I could understand why Katie was trying to get to know him.

The story itself is intriguing and full of mystery, danger and betrayal. Katie gets a lot of trouble thrown her way and she will have to figure out what is going on and who she can trust to survive.

All in all this is a surprisingly fresh and unique YA read and I very much enjoyed reading it. I will most certainly keep an eye out for book two. The trouble however with getting my hands on an Advance Reader Copy is that I'll have to wait a long time for the next book.

Why should you read it:
It's a fun and intriguing YA read set in Japan



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Expected publication: June 25th 2013 by Harlequin Teen