lindaunconventionalbookworms's review
3.0
*I received a free ARC of Ink from Harlequin TEEN via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*
Full review to come soon.
This and other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
Ink follows Katie’s first few months in Japan, where she arrives after her mother’s death to live with her aunt Diane. Language difficulties, cultural differences and adjusting to life without her parents are part of Katie’s daily life now. Making new friends, fitting in in school being the only blond and non-Asian student while trying her best to keep up with the Japanese signs and learning everything she needs while longing for her grand-parents in Canada and still being very sad and angry about her mom’s death is a big part of her as well.
Full review to come soon.
This and other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
Ink follows Katie’s first few months in Japan, where she arrives after her mother’s death to live with her aunt Diane. Language difficulties, cultural differences and adjusting to life without her parents are part of Katie’s daily life now. Making new friends, fitting in in school being the only blond and non-Asian student while trying her best to keep up with the Japanese signs and learning everything she needs while longing for her grand-parents in Canada and still being very sad and angry about her mom’s death is a big part of her as well.
violet66's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kitsunebi_reads's review
5.0
Ink gets off to a slow start, but snowballs into this delicious story you can't get enough of. I felt every emotion has Katie and Tomohiro were feeling them. I will be counting the days until book 2 is released, praying I don't bite my nails to nubs before then.
sam_antics's review
2.0
DNF. I've tried to read this several times, but I just could not get into this one. I found it so boring and I just didn't care about any of the characters. Officially moving this book to the Did Not Finish shelf.
cancourtneyread's review
3.0
This book sounds epic!! And it's set in Japan. I'm so excited I need it RIGHT NOW!
Good...but not great like I was hoping for.
Good...but not great like I was hoping for.
ellenpenleysmith's review
3.0
If you followed my status's while I was reading this book then you've come to the same conclusion as me: conflicted.
I am so conflicted.
Like never before have I been as conflicted as I am here.
The story is about a girl named Katie who has had to move to Japan to live with her aunt after her parents die. She doesn't speak an ounce of Japanese and has pretty much been thrown in the deep end while she waits for her grandparents in Canada to get better so they can take her in.
Katie is what really let this down for me. She has got to be the most suspicious YA narrator I have ever met without any reason to be. She obsessed over Tomo and is a drama queen. Like, who climbs up a tree in a skirt to shout at a stranger in the school yard over nothing? Ah, Katie does.
And on the other hand, the relationship between Tomo and Katie was really nice. The two of them together were great and a joy to read. I found myself smiling and going 'aww' in some moments. Then they separated and Katie made me wish I could draw her and stab her to death.
The mythology in Ink is about the Paper Gods or "Kami" as they are referred to here. Basically, a Kami can draw things to life. I found this so interesting and unique, especially when the drawings take on a mind and not always a good one, however I found a flaw or two. Namely, the dimensions. Tomo draws a horse and when they horse jumps out of the drawing it is a life sized animal... Even though it was drawn on a A4 piece of paper. Which doesn't make much sense, because in that case you could draw an entire building as a sketch and it would come to life as a ten storey building.
Sun has a nice, flowing writing style once the story gets moving which also won me points. However, Katie was a real let down here and she's the main reason why this has 3 stars. If she was a little different, I don't think I'd hesitate to rate this higher.
I am so conflicted.
Like never before have I been as conflicted as I am here.
The story is about a girl named Katie who has had to move to Japan to live with her aunt after her parents die. She doesn't speak an ounce of Japanese and has pretty much been thrown in the deep end while she waits for her grandparents in Canada to get better so they can take her in.
Katie is what really let this down for me. She has got to be the most suspicious YA narrator I have ever met without any reason to be. She obsessed over Tomo and is a drama queen. Like, who climbs up a tree in a skirt to shout at a stranger in the school yard over nothing? Ah, Katie does.
And on the other hand, the relationship between Tomo and Katie was really nice. The two of them together were great and a joy to read. I found myself smiling and going 'aww' in some moments. Then they separated and Katie made me wish I could draw her and stab her to death.
The mythology in Ink is about the Paper Gods or "Kami" as they are referred to here. Basically, a Kami can draw things to life. I found this so interesting and unique, especially when the drawings take on a mind and not always a good one, however I found a flaw or two. Namely, the dimensions. Tomo draws a horse and when they horse jumps out of the drawing it is a life sized animal... Even though it was drawn on a A4 piece of paper. Which doesn't make much sense, because in that case you could draw an entire building as a sketch and it would come to life as a ten storey building.
Sun has a nice, flowing writing style once the story gets moving which also won me points. However, Katie was a real let down here and she's the main reason why this has 3 stars. If she was a little different, I don't think I'd hesitate to rate this higher.
somarostam's review
4.0
I have to admit, that first thing that popped into my mind when i saw this book, was the adorable cover then the synopsis. It was mainly the cover that intrigued me enough to read this. And I don't regret reading it.
Katie Greene has just transferred to a japan after a hear-breaking event. Adjusting to the all-new surroundings, and the even stranger routines is not easy, but it gets harder when she meets Yuu Tomohiro. He is bad boy, to say it simply. But when they're together: Pens explode. papers scatter. ink drips. and drawings move.
I LOVED learning about the Japanese culture. This is what I loved most about this book. I loved all the little details Amanda Sun has put into this book to make it race-free, but still so intriguing. I wanted to learn everything about these Japanese people! Since I am Asian, too, but we're so different from each other. Another thing I loved was the idea of the paper gods, I am not going to elaborate, but it was so new and unique that I finished this book in one setting.
What I didn't like, though, was the characters. I hate it when two not-so-stupid characters fight off their feelings for each other. It is so frustrating and stupid. I didn't like Katie's decision making, she never learned anything from her mistakes. I liked the characters well enough, but I saw no character growth in any of them. I hope the author will explore that in her sequel of this series.
This book was not the best. But it was unique and intriguing, I have to give it that. And I will be keeping my fingers crossed for the next book in the series. To see where Amanda Sun will take her bunch of characters!
fictionalkate's review
3.0
Japan is the last place on Earth that Katie Green wants to be. But after he mother dies and her grandfather is too sick to look after her, Katie is shipped off to go live with her aunt in Shizuoko. Struggling to cope with the language and culture change, Katie muddles along in the hope that her grandfather will get better and she can flee Japan and live in Canada. And then she sees the ink. Yuu Tomohiro, the school’s badboy and kendo legend, the guy who cruelly breaks up with his girlfriend and pretends to be someone he isn’t fascinates Katie. And there’s his drawings. The calligraphy that’s so lifelike, Katie would almost swear that it moves…
I’ve never read a book which incorporates Japanese Mythology like Amanda Sun did in Ink. The concept of the power of the pen – or the ink – is something new on the paranormal scene. The Kami are dangerous with their medium being writing – something people take for granted – and yet the spirit in the ink is powerful and non-discriminating. I did think that this book had a very strong start but sort of faded as things developed. I was immediately drawn in at the start but towards the end I wasn’t as captivated.
I loved the way Japanese culture was portrayed in Ink, The way the language and the customs were interspersed throughout the novel was great to read. I wasn’t surprised to learn that Amanda Sun had spent quite a lot of time in Japan. As someone who has never been to that part of the world, it felt authentic and real.
As for the characters – I found Katie to be slightly frustrating. Her behaviour was inconsistent and I thought she was slightly illogical. Her selfish nature took me out of the story at times and I much preferred the easy-going nature of her friends Tamaka and Yuki. Yuu Tomohiro was one of those characters that’s mysterious and gorgeous and as a result one I wanted to read more of. I liked his arrogant exterior but the more we got to know him, the more we got to see he had layers and interesting complexities.
This is a great novel with a unique type of paranormal element. The characters are interesting however I liked the supporting cast more than I did the main character. I’m excited to see where Amanda Sun takes her characters in the next book of the Paper Gods series.
I’ve never read a book which incorporates Japanese Mythology like Amanda Sun did in Ink. The concept of the power of the pen – or the ink – is something new on the paranormal scene. The Kami are dangerous with their medium being writing – something people take for granted – and yet the spirit in the ink is powerful and non-discriminating. I did think that this book had a very strong start but sort of faded as things developed. I was immediately drawn in at the start but towards the end I wasn’t as captivated.
I loved the way Japanese culture was portrayed in Ink, The way the language and the customs were interspersed throughout the novel was great to read. I wasn’t surprised to learn that Amanda Sun had spent quite a lot of time in Japan. As someone who has never been to that part of the world, it felt authentic and real.
As for the characters – I found Katie to be slightly frustrating. Her behaviour was inconsistent and I thought she was slightly illogical. Her selfish nature took me out of the story at times and I much preferred the easy-going nature of her friends Tamaka and Yuki. Yuu Tomohiro was one of those characters that’s mysterious and gorgeous and as a result one I wanted to read more of. I liked his arrogant exterior but the more we got to know him, the more we got to see he had layers and interesting complexities.
This is a great novel with a unique type of paranormal element. The characters are interesting however I liked the supporting cast more than I did the main character. I’m excited to see where Amanda Sun takes her characters in the next book of the Paper Gods series.
bookishclara's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0