A review by jynx66
Indelible by Dawn Metcalf
3.0
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Heat Rating: 1 out of 5 <3
This book started out really interesting, the way Joy was completely thrown into a whole new world where not knowing your place or job was deadly. It was strange, and in that strangeness was beauty and intrigue. This other world had a lot of potential to be incredible, and I was excited to delve further into it.
However, after a certain point the world became too overwhelming. Too much was going on, too many different things and species and rules, too much everything really. Then on the other side, the characters seemed like strangers. There were many different aspects of their personalities, but it was too much too soon and I found myself unsure of who they really were. At this point, I found the story hard to follow at times because I was trying to keep up and digest everything. However--to be fair--overall I did enjoy the story.
There really wasn’t anything I disliked about Joy and Ink. Joy was your typical high school girl trying to get through life when one strange event hurtles her into a deadly world where one mistake could mean your life. She reacted as any normal person would—freak out. Monsters. Strange messages. Things that no one but her can see. She just wants it all to go away and go back to normal. Unfortunately, the events at the Carousel (a hot teen dance place) have permanently marked her. As Joy gets to know Ink and his sister, Inq, she begins to understand her place in this dangerous new world. She also begins this strange yet beautiful romance with Ink. She knows she should be afraid of him and all that comes with him, but she isn’t. Instead, she can’t stop thinking about him. His innocence draws her in, his deadliness makes her feel protected, and his possession of her (it’s really the only way to describe it) keeps her safe. Through showing him what being human means, she falls head-over-heels in love with him.
Ink was very mysterious, and I’m a sucker for mysterious. I really liked his development throughout the book. In the beginning, he’s very logical and emotionless. Always doing what is logical to the situation. But a mistake ties him to Joy, and if they don’t get it right, they’re both dead. So he does what makes sense. He protects her, tells her and shows her what is expected of her, and takes her into situations she’s never dreamed of. But Joy’s fiery personality quickly imbues him with feelings that he has never in his life experienced. He finds himself wanting to understand her and her kind, wanting things with her he’s never wanted, and doing unthinkable things just for her. Her personality swept him up in a storm of feelings that changed who he was and, in my opinion, made him into an even stronger force to be reckoned with. He loved her just as deeply as she loved him, and he was willing to do anything in his power to keep that alive.
I’m read a lot of people had issues with how quickly Joy and Ink fell in love. In all honesty, love doesn’t have to develop over time. It’s different for each individual couple. If it happens instantaneously, then that’s how it is. If it takes time, then it builds up. I had no issues with people falling in love quickly. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. In this case, I felt Ink and Joy’s feelings for each other were genuine and the speed with which they fell in love felt right.
One thing I’m still trying to figure out…is what really is the purpose of Ink and Inq? I know it was explained throughout the book, but honestly, I’m still incredibly confused about that. Their job, their entire reason for being, makes no sense. I think I understand the basis of it, but the explanation was muddled and hard to follow. I spent the entire book wondering why they do what they do and what it all means. Some of it I got perfectly, but for the most part I was unsure what their job truly was. Maybe a bit of a better explanation next book would be nice.
Overall, I found this story and this world interesting. The overwhelming and hard to follow nature of it is why I gave it a lower rating. But I enjoyed the journey. Hopefully it will be improved with the next book.
Heat Rating: 1 out of 5 <3
This book started out really interesting, the way Joy was completely thrown into a whole new world where not knowing your place or job was deadly. It was strange, and in that strangeness was beauty and intrigue. This other world had a lot of potential to be incredible, and I was excited to delve further into it.
However, after a certain point the world became too overwhelming. Too much was going on, too many different things and species and rules, too much everything really. Then on the other side, the characters seemed like strangers. There were many different aspects of their personalities, but it was too much too soon and I found myself unsure of who they really were. At this point, I found the story hard to follow at times because I was trying to keep up and digest everything. However--to be fair--overall I did enjoy the story.
There really wasn’t anything I disliked about Joy and Ink. Joy was your typical high school girl trying to get through life when one strange event hurtles her into a deadly world where one mistake could mean your life. She reacted as any normal person would—freak out. Monsters. Strange messages. Things that no one but her can see. She just wants it all to go away and go back to normal. Unfortunately, the events at the Carousel (a hot teen dance place) have permanently marked her. As Joy gets to know Ink and his sister, Inq, she begins to understand her place in this dangerous new world. She also begins this strange yet beautiful romance with Ink. She knows she should be afraid of him and all that comes with him, but she isn’t. Instead, she can’t stop thinking about him. His innocence draws her in, his deadliness makes her feel protected, and his possession of her (it’s really the only way to describe it) keeps her safe. Through showing him what being human means, she falls head-over-heels in love with him.
Ink was very mysterious, and I’m a sucker for mysterious. I really liked his development throughout the book. In the beginning, he’s very logical and emotionless. Always doing what is logical to the situation. But a mistake ties him to Joy, and if they don’t get it right, they’re both dead. So he does what makes sense. He protects her, tells her and shows her what is expected of her, and takes her into situations she’s never dreamed of. But Joy’s fiery personality quickly imbues him with feelings that he has never in his life experienced. He finds himself wanting to understand her and her kind, wanting things with her he’s never wanted, and doing unthinkable things just for her. Her personality swept him up in a storm of feelings that changed who he was and, in my opinion, made him into an even stronger force to be reckoned with. He loved her just as deeply as she loved him, and he was willing to do anything in his power to keep that alive.
I’m read a lot of people had issues with how quickly Joy and Ink fell in love. In all honesty, love doesn’t have to develop over time. It’s different for each individual couple. If it happens instantaneously, then that’s how it is. If it takes time, then it builds up. I had no issues with people falling in love quickly. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. In this case, I felt Ink and Joy’s feelings for each other were genuine and the speed with which they fell in love felt right.
One thing I’m still trying to figure out…is what really is the purpose of Ink and Inq? I know it was explained throughout the book, but honestly, I’m still incredibly confused about that. Their job, their entire reason for being, makes no sense. I think I understand the basis of it, but the explanation was muddled and hard to follow. I spent the entire book wondering why they do what they do and what it all means. Some of it I got perfectly, but for the most part I was unsure what their job truly was. Maybe a bit of a better explanation next book would be nice.
Overall, I found this story and this world interesting. The overwhelming and hard to follow nature of it is why I gave it a lower rating. But I enjoyed the journey. Hopefully it will be improved with the next book.