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A review by renma13
Ink by Amanda Sun
3.0
The full review can also be found on my blog here.
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*original rating: 2.5 stars*
Here's a short summary of what I thought about Ink:
I liked it. But then I didn’t.
Okay, I’m going to list the things I liked and didn’t like about this book, because it could have been so much better, but unfortunately it didn’t live up to my expectations.
What I Liked:
- The magical drawings. I loved imagining how Tomohiro’s drawings would come to life in Ink. It’s something I’ve never read in other books before. Plus, the photos that came with the book were very pretty as well.
- The way Japan was described/written. The description definitely made me feel like I was in Japan, and it was easy for me to imagine their surroundings by the descriptions given.It was even like watching anime in my head. (That’s a good thing, by the way.) (Well, as an otaku.)
- Jun. I love Jun. 'Nuff said 'cause he's the only one I actually like in this book. (And I love his blond streak.)
What I Didn’t Like:
- Katie Greene. Which is ABSOLUTELY NOT GOOD. Because, duh, she’s the protagonist here. Katie climbs up a tree just to tease Tomohiro for no reason. And she forgives Tomohiro after he attempts to rape her because he "did it to save her” (this is so wrong in so many levels, by the way). And, Katie hates Jun so much even though Jun is obviously the only character in the book that’s in his sane mind. JUN JUST WANTS EVERYONE TO BE SAFE AND MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS. LISTEN TO THE GUY, YOU BREADSTICKS. Love definitely makes some people stupid.
- Some scenes come off as “overly-cheesy.” Which, in my opinion, didn’t bother me much during my first few chapters. Then after a while, I got annoyed. Unfortunately, the book becomes too cheesy and the actions of the characters (especially Katie) become too irrelevant and nonsensical. Such scenes can be found in common shoujo animes/mangas, and sometimes those animes/mangas pull those scenes off properly, but Ink didn’t. Not for me.
- It focuses too much on romance. I feel like Ink focuses too much on romance and not much on the mythology this book also includes. I’d love to know more about the so-called “paper gods” because I think I was only explained a little about them, but unfortunately I feel like I’ll know more about it if I read the following books instead. Sigh.
- THAT. ENDING. (Spoilers ahead. Click the spoiler tag at your own risk.)
* * *
I have a lot of things I disliked about Ink than otherwise, which is a bit sad because I really thought I’d enjoy this book. I tried contemplating on giving this book a solid three stars, but I just don’t think it deserves that much. So… I’ll just lower it down to a 2.5. :/
---
*original rating: 2.5 stars*
Here's a short summary of what I thought about Ink:
I liked it. But then I didn’t.
Okay, I’m going to list the things I liked and didn’t like about this book, because it could have been so much better, but unfortunately it didn’t live up to my expectations.
What I Liked:
- The magical drawings. I loved imagining how Tomohiro’s drawings would come to life in Ink. It’s something I’ve never read in other books before. Plus, the photos that came with the book were very pretty as well.
- The way Japan was described/written. The description definitely made me feel like I was in Japan, and it was easy for me to imagine their surroundings by the descriptions given.
- Jun. I love Jun. 'Nuff said 'cause he's the only one I actually like in this book. (And I love his blond streak.)
What I Didn’t Like:
- Katie Greene. Which is ABSOLUTELY NOT GOOD. Because, duh, she’s the protagonist here. Katie climbs up a tree just to tease Tomohiro for no reason. And she forgives Tomohiro after he attempts to rape her because he "did it to save her” (this is so wrong in so many levels, by the way). And, Katie hates Jun so much even though Jun is obviously the only character in the book that’s in his sane mind. JUN JUST WANTS EVERYONE TO BE SAFE AND MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS. LISTEN TO THE GUY, YOU BREADSTICKS. Love definitely makes some people stupid.
- Some scenes come off as “overly-cheesy.” Which, in my opinion, didn’t bother me much during my first few chapters. Then after a while, I got annoyed. Unfortunately, the book becomes too cheesy and the actions of the characters (especially Katie) become too irrelevant and nonsensical. Such scenes can be found in common shoujo animes/mangas, and sometimes those animes/mangas pull those scenes off properly, but Ink didn’t. Not for me.
- It focuses too much on romance. I feel like Ink focuses too much on romance and not much on the mythology this book also includes. I’d love to know more about the so-called “paper gods” because I think I was only explained a little about them, but unfortunately I feel like I’ll know more about it if I read the following books instead. Sigh.
- THAT. ENDING. (Spoilers ahead. Click the spoiler tag at your own risk.)
Spoiler
And I’m not saying this as a good thing, either. Katie is finally flying back to her grandparents, but oh, she loves Tomohiro so much that she can’t leave him and runs away from the airport at the last minute and goes back to her home in Japan. Uhm, has anybody heard of Facebook? I’m pretty sure Facebook already exists from whenever this book was set in. Or at least the internet finally exists in this book’s world. THERE’S THIS THING ABOUT LONG-DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS AND THEN MEETING THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE AFTER, LIKE, MAYBE TWO OR THREE MONTHS?? Poor grandparents.* * *
I have a lot of things I disliked about Ink than otherwise, which is a bit sad because I really thought I’d enjoy this book. I tried contemplating on giving this book a solid three stars, but I just don’t think it deserves that much. So… I’ll just lower it down to a 2.5. :/