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pravi's review
mysterious
slow-paced
3.75
It was good, but not great
I loved the fables in the story, and I loved seeing them from a different perspective in the second book. I loved the way they were interwoven with the story and gave more context on the plot, as well as how, in the second book, the stories were the same but different. These mini stories were probably my favorite bit.
I also loved the worldbuilding and the idea of a world where everything you are is written on your skin and judged at the end of your life is amazing.
However, I didn't like Leora. She didn't seem very well developed and felt kind of flat. She was also very gullible and kept completely changing what she believed, which was annoying, especially in such short books. Further, she didn't really try to find out the truth, instead believing everything that the government told her. While this was understandable and realistic, especially when she was just trying to survive, it was annoying as it was obvious (to me) that the government was wrong.
Also, I didn't like the romance. It felt forced, and there wasn't much chemistry between them.
The pacing was also off. There were several chapters focusing on her thoughts, but then just one chapter with the action. The ending of the third one also felt really rushed, although the endings of the first two were great and made me really want to carry on reading.
I think it's a great concept, but the stories and characters need to be fleshed out more and developed to make the execution great too.
I loved the fables in the story, and I loved seeing them from a different perspective in the second book. I loved the way they were interwoven with the story and gave more context on the plot, as well as how, in the second book, the stories were the same but different. These mini stories were probably my favorite bit.
I also loved the worldbuilding and the idea of a world where everything you are is written on your skin and judged at the end of your life is amazing.
However, I didn't like Leora. She didn't seem very well developed and felt kind of flat. She was also very gullible and kept completely changing what she believed, which was annoying, especially in such short books. Further, she didn't really try to find out the truth, instead believing everything that the government told her. While this was understandable and realistic, especially when she was just trying to survive, it was annoying as it was obvious (to me) that the government was wrong.
Also, I didn't like the romance. It felt forced, and there wasn't much chemistry between them.
The pacing was also off. There were several chapters focusing on her thoughts, but then just one chapter with the action. The ending of the third one also felt really rushed, although the endings of the first two were great and made me really want to carry on reading.
I think it's a great concept, but the stories and characters need to be fleshed out more and developed to make the execution great too.
sofialister's review
1.0
it’s a shame because this may be the most beautiful cover i have ever witnessed
but the only reason i finished this book was because i loved doing my stupid annotations. this book was a bit of a mess, the writing was crappy and the characters boring as all hell. i added a star because i did somewhat carewhen everyone had been lying to the mc and then they getting pissed that she reacts a certain way but only because she didn’t know it pisses me off tO NO END i also don’t understand how blanks work because you get the tattoos inked on anyways and at no point did they say their skin repelled ink or anything so just get the tattoo to fit in? idk. won’t be reading the sequel
but the only reason i finished this book was because i loved doing my stupid annotations. this book was a bit of a mess, the writing was crappy and the characters boring as all hell. i added a star because i did somewhat care
thebookishmeg's review
3.0
Definitely one of the weirdest concepts for a book that I've ever read. It was pretty difficult to overlook the central theme of 'skin books' – yes, books made out of your skin when you die – and I kinda found that too weird to find this book anything more than okay. It was an interesting story and I enjoyed listening to it, but it lacked world-building and I often found the main character quite annoying. I would only pick up the next book in this series if I happen to spot it in a charity shop.
btwnseaandsun's review
3.0
It was decent. The plot was interesting, but it feel a tad bit flat around the climax. The main character seemed to do 180s so much, emotionally; which is understandable but seemed overdone in the short about of time.
I do plan on seeing what the sequel holds.
I do plan on seeing what the sequel holds.
veebutts's review
3.0
I initially picked this book up in the library because the cover is so beautiful. Intricate sketches embossed with shiny copper on a black background, it's easily the best cover I've seen all year. I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover but really, just look at it!
Once I got it home and curled up in my armchair to start reading I was hooked straight away. The plot seemed so original to me. Its such a simple idea: what would society be like if everything that happened to us was marked on our skin for everyone to see? There is endless scope in this idea, to examine whether this honesty would make society more moral, safer, honest.
Although I enjoyed the plot, I felt the story lacking in places. Pace was an issue for me, I felt like there were far too many chapters concentrating on Leora's thoughts and worries and then when the action happened it was over in pages.
I also had trouble connecting to Leora as a main character. I felt she wasn't properly fleshed out, she didn't have any distinguishing character traits really and I wondered if that was purposeful so that the reader could imagine themselves as her as they read. For some people that might be a plus but it's not my reading style.
On a personal note (and this can in no way be held against the author) I find it difficult to read books with my name in. Verity is an unusual enough name that you don't tend to see it that often in fiction and it was on nearly every page of this book, along with the nickname Vetty, which is just the worst. This is just me being a bit weird about my name though!
Overall, I loved the story, I thought it was well thought out and this book was concluded perfectly to set it up for the sequel which I fully intend to read next year. I also loved the intermittent fables that were woven within the story and hope that will be a feature of the next book.
Once I got it home and curled up in my armchair to start reading I was hooked straight away. The plot seemed so original to me. Its such a simple idea: what would society be like if everything that happened to us was marked on our skin for everyone to see? There is endless scope in this idea, to examine whether this honesty would make society more moral, safer, honest.
Although I enjoyed the plot, I felt the story lacking in places. Pace was an issue for me, I felt like there were far too many chapters concentrating on Leora's thoughts and worries and then when the action happened it was over in pages.
I also had trouble connecting to Leora as a main character. I felt she wasn't properly fleshed out, she didn't have any distinguishing character traits really and I wondered if that was purposeful so that the reader could imagine themselves as her as they read. For some people that might be a plus but it's not my reading style.
On a personal note (and this can in no way be held against the author) I find it difficult to read books with my name in. Verity is an unusual enough name that you don't tend to see it that often in fiction and it was on nearly every page of this book, along with the nickname Vetty, which is just the worst. This is just me being a bit weird about my name though!
Overall, I loved the story, I thought it was well thought out and this book was concluded perfectly to set it up for the sequel which I fully intend to read next year. I also loved the intermittent fables that were woven within the story and hope that will be a feature of the next book.
thebookishgurl's review
4.0
I thought the premise was good, characters were good but it lacked something for quite a while. I enjoyed reading it but I kept wondering when it would get started, then suddenly it got started and it was finished.
The ending was so good though, that really saved it but I wish the pace could have been picked up a little faster because I did think about putting the book down a few times and I'm glad I didn't because the ending was very well written and a great twist.
The ending was so good though, that really saved it but I wish the pace could have been picked up a little faster because I did think about putting the book down a few times and I'm glad I didn't because the ending was very well written and a great twist.
gem_dyslexic_reader's review
4.0
They say never judge a book by its cover, but you can with this book amazing cover and amazing book.
The book is set in a world where your life is tattooed on your skin. Your first tattoo is your name several days after you are born, this continues with age, qualification, job, marriage, children etc. This is done so that when you die your skin is created into a book that allows your life to be judged as good or bad. If you are good your life and name with live on, if you are bad than you are forgotten.
Ink follows Leora Flint her father has just died and Leora and her mother are waiting for his soul to be weighed to determine if he was good or bad man. During this time Leora is leaving the safety of school and into a world that isn't as black and white as it seems.
The book is focused on Leora I found her a very interesting character, you can see the change in her through out the book and the struggles that she is going through. I didn't always agree with how she goes about things but I can sort of understand why.
There was two other aspects of the book that I found really interesting the fact that the Inked fear the blanks (people with no tattoo). Which is really interesting considering that most people in current society fear or judge people more if they have lots of tattoos. The second aspect I found interesting was the stories, the history of the people intertwined with fairy tale stories that I already known.
I look forward to see what happens next with Leora and how this affects the people of Saintstone and beyond.
The book is set in a world where your life is tattooed on your skin. Your first tattoo is your name several days after you are born, this continues with age, qualification, job, marriage, children etc. This is done so that when you die your skin is created into a book that allows your life to be judged as good or bad. If you are good your life and name with live on, if you are bad than you are forgotten.
Ink follows Leora Flint her father has just died and Leora and her mother are waiting for his soul to be weighed to determine if he was good or bad man. During this time Leora is leaving the safety of school and into a world that isn't as black and white as it seems.
The book is focused on Leora I found her a very interesting character, you can see the change in her through out the book and the struggles that she is going through. I didn't always agree with how she goes about things but I can sort of understand why.
There was two other aspects of the book that I found really interesting the fact that the Inked fear the blanks (people with no tattoo). Which is really interesting considering that most people in current society fear or judge people more if they have lots of tattoos. The second aspect I found interesting was the stories, the history of the people intertwined with fairy tale stories that I already known.
I look forward to see what happens next with Leora and how this affects the people of Saintstone and beyond.
megan_k0314's review
2.0
*2.5 stars
based solely on the plot, this book would probably be a 3 star read. It was pretty slow to start and definitely dragged on in places, but it was an intriguing concept and the plot definitely has potential. However, I could not stand the main character, oh my lord. She felt very bland and not really developed, beyond the fact that she's naturally talented at almost everything, clumsy, and most of all, incredibly gullible. I would still like to read the second book when it comes out, but ultimately this just wasn't for me.
based solely on the plot, this book would probably be a 3 star read. It was pretty slow to start and definitely dragged on in places, but it was an intriguing concept and the plot definitely has potential. However, I could not stand the main character, oh my lord. She felt very bland and not really developed, beyond the fact that she's naturally talented at almost everything, clumsy, and most of all, incredibly gullible. I would still like to read the second book when it comes out, but ultimately this just wasn't for me.
ice_elf's review
1.0
You know that saying about not judging books by their covers?
The cover caught my eye because it was so pretty and the blurb intrigued me too – but it wasn’t what I thought it would be. It was a fairly bland dystopia, with a protagonist who is very passive and not too bright. I worked out the truth a long time before she was told it, and yes, that’s right, she’s told them. She doesn’t go seeking out the truth, she just blindly accepts that her faith and the government are right.
I couldn’t work out whether we were meant to know that the Blanks weren’t all bad, and that all the facts were just government propaganda, or whether that was supposed to be a twist. At any rate, I wasn’t impressed that the protagonist seemed to spend a lot of the book believing this and not challenging it – that didn’t sit right with me. I found it hard to like Leora, or work up much sympathy for her. The romance didn’t fire me up either – I didn’t even see much chemistry between Leora and Oscar – and I foresee a love triangle in Leora’s future.
I don’t think I’ll be reading the next one though.
(I did like how the fables were woven into the text though.)
The cover caught my eye because it was so pretty and the blurb intrigued me too – but it wasn’t what I thought it would be. It was a fairly bland dystopia, with a protagonist who is very passive and not too bright. I worked out the truth a long time before she was told it, and yes, that’s right, she’s told them. She doesn’t go seeking out the truth, she just blindly accepts that her faith and the government are right.
I couldn’t work out whether we were meant to know that the Blanks weren’t all bad, and that all the facts were just government propaganda, or whether that was supposed to be a twist. At any rate, I wasn’t impressed that the protagonist seemed to spend a lot of the book believing this and not challenging it – that didn’t sit right with me. I found it hard to like Leora, or work up much sympathy for her. The romance didn’t fire me up either – I didn’t even see much chemistry between Leora and Oscar – and I foresee a love triangle in Leora’s future.
I don’t think I’ll be reading the next one though.
(I did like how the fables were woven into the text though.)
read_by_hev's review
3.0
Ink is a reasonable book, with an ok plot and a main character that is irritating and yet strangely likeable - it certainly is not the best read I have had this year. However, that being said I may well continue with the rest of the series.
The plot moves along at a good pace with an interesting but incredibly morbid story at the centre of the world building. The fairy stories were underdeveloped and I don't think that their inclusion had any input into the actual story overall but rather served to make the book feel more juvenile than intended. Our main character is Leora - who has body confidence issues and anger management issues. She also has moments where she doesn't make sense at all - meaning that a lot of the emotional impact that could be served in this novel was missed. Her inner dialogue is repetitive and she cannot make up her mind about where she stands and how she is going to act. I think this was what put me off the novel the most. The potential love triangle that may or may not develop in the rest of the series was boring and tedious.
I think the biggest issue for me was the obvious religious comparisons going on and I was not shocked to discover that Alice was brought up in an evangelical household. It is fairly blatant throughout and I am unsure if it should have been included at all. The story itself would have lost nothing however some of the language would have needed changing and may well have improved the narrative.
It's a reasonable read but not one that I will be keeping (except for maybe that cover!)
The plot moves along at a good pace with an interesting but incredibly morbid story at the centre of the world building. The fairy stories were underdeveloped and I don't think that their inclusion had any input into the actual story overall but rather served to make the book feel more juvenile than intended. Our main character is Leora - who has body confidence issues and anger management issues. She also has moments where she doesn't make sense at all - meaning that a lot of the emotional impact that could be served in this novel was missed. Her inner dialogue is repetitive and she cannot make up her mind about where she stands and how she is going to act. I think this was what put me off the novel the most. The potential love triangle that may or may not develop in the rest of the series was boring and tedious.
I think the biggest issue for me was the obvious religious comparisons going on and I was not shocked to discover that Alice was brought up in an evangelical household. It is fairly blatant throughout and I am unsure if it should have been included at all. The story itself would have lost nothing however some of the language would have needed changing and may well have improved the narrative.
It's a reasonable read but not one that I will be keeping (except for maybe that cover!)