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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
Asra has lived a sheltered life on an isolated mountain. She’s content to spend her life as quiet as possible as the local town’s healer because she has a dangerous secret: she’s a demigod whose blood can do a number of things, including dictate the future. If anyone knew what Asra can do, she’d be a huge treasure for people with nefarious wishes. Unfortunately for Asra, she shares too many of her secrets with the mortal woman she loves, Ina. When Ina asks for help, Asra decides to help her girlfriend by using her blood to write the future. Asra’s blood magic accidentally triggers a terrible tragedy that drives Ina to reveal her true nature as she strives to take revenge on the king. Asra is forced to leave the comfort of her secluded mountain to stop Ina, which triggers a journey of self-discovery.
I absolutely loved Of Fire and Stars, so when I saw that there was a prequel, I knew I had to read it. The fun thing about this prequel is that it takes place 200 years before the first book in the series, so what happens in this story deeply affects society as well as how magic works long before Denna and Mare are born. That said, it’s a completely different story that doesn’t have any of the same characters. I do wonder if a certain character at the end turns out to be one of Denna’s ancestors, but as of right now, that’s a question for another time.
Like the first book, I love how complex the characters are. We get a pretty good idea that things are not what they seem early on. Asra is sheltered and she grew up believing that she’d have to spend her life alone and single. Through her journey, Asra discovers that life cannot be viewed through the lens she did when she was living a smaller life. She learns about herself and her abilities in ways that she might not have had she never set off on a journey to stop Ina. Asra also travels through cities that she had never dreamed of and meets all kinds of people, both good and bad. Along the way, she also discovers that she doesn’t have to be alone and that she can trust some people. While this takes place in a fantasy world, I think that it is relatable to anyone who was sheltered until they broke away and explored the life they didn’t know that they could have.
In addition to Asra, we have characters like Ina who isn’t necessarily evil, but is definitely somewhere in the gray area. She cares about people and has her hopes and dreams that are dashed, which then creates new motives and a harsh shell. We also see that she does soften a bit and that, at her core, she does care about others even though she chooses a violent and deceptive path.
There are a variety of characters that we meet along the way. We see sweet, guarded, sad, angry, distraught, and naive characters. I think that it’s important to see characters like these in books because not everyone is perfect and sometimes those who mean well don’t always make the best choices. In fact, some people eventually become soured by their life experiences, like one of the character’s sisters was. Then there are people who are too trusting and others that do not trust enough, and those are just small parts of who they are.
The story did drag a little around the middle, and Asra’s romantic struggles overshadowed the big picture at some point, but I did enjoy the book. Overall, it’s a wonderful book and I am looking forward to see what book two has to bring and how various parts of this prequel will impact the story.
I absolutely loved Of Fire and Stars, so when I saw that there was a prequel, I knew I had to read it. The fun thing about this prequel is that it takes place 200 years before the first book in the series, so what happens in this story deeply affects society as well as how magic works long before Denna and Mare are born. That said, it’s a completely different story that doesn’t have any of the same characters. I do wonder if a certain character at the end turns out to be one of Denna’s ancestors, but as of right now, that’s a question for another time.
Like the first book, I love how complex the characters are. We get a pretty good idea that things are not what they seem early on. Asra is sheltered and she grew up believing that she’d have to spend her life alone and single. Through her journey, Asra discovers that life cannot be viewed through the lens she did when she was living a smaller life. She learns about herself and her abilities in ways that she might not have had she never set off on a journey to stop Ina. Asra also travels through cities that she had never dreamed of and meets all kinds of people, both good and bad. Along the way, she also discovers that she doesn’t have to be alone and that she can trust some people. While this takes place in a fantasy world, I think that it is relatable to anyone who was sheltered until they broke away and explored the life they didn’t know that they could have.
In addition to Asra, we have characters like Ina who isn’t necessarily evil, but is definitely somewhere in the gray area. She cares about people and has her hopes and dreams that are dashed, which then creates new motives and a harsh shell. We also see that she does soften a bit and that, at her core, she does care about others even though she chooses a violent and deceptive path.
There are a variety of characters that we meet along the way. We see sweet, guarded, sad, angry, distraught, and naive characters. I think that it’s important to see characters like these in books because not everyone is perfect and sometimes those who mean well don’t always make the best choices. In fact, some people eventually become soured by their life experiences, like one of the character’s sisters was. Then there are people who are too trusting and others that do not trust enough, and those are just small parts of who they are.
The story did drag a little around the middle, and Asra’s romantic struggles overshadowed the big picture at some point, but I did enjoy the book. Overall, it’s a wonderful book and I am looking forward to see what book two has to bring and how various parts of this prequel will impact the story.
TRIGGER WARNING : Blood and self harm for blood magic.
I am usually really sensitive when it comes to blood no mater if its in a book, movie/tv show or real life and usually I avoid books with blood magic but Audrey Coulthurst has done a great job and when she describes blood it didn't really triggered me.
Really great book .
I am usually really sensitive when it comes to blood no mater if its in a book, movie/tv show or real life and usually I avoid books with blood magic but Audrey Coulthurst has done a great job and when she describes blood it didn't really triggered me.
Really great book .
this one was a fascinating dive into the past of the world from Of Fire and Stars. It was interesting to see the beginning of one of the major plot points from OFAS.
the world building was intriguing, I would love to learn more about the gods in this world. Asra was a bit of a wash for me. It took far too long for her to realize her strength and value. Ina's ambition and desire for control and power were fascinating and frustrating.
all in all a decent read.
the world building was intriguing, I would love to learn more about the gods in this world. Asra was a bit of a wash for me. It took far too long for her to realize her strength and value. Ina's ambition and desire for control and power were fascinating and frustrating.
all in all a decent read.
This was truly fantastic. I loved the journey Asra goes on throughout this book. She steps outside her door and the world opens for her. She is brave, resilient, and determined. There was added depth to the entire book and I was almost instantly won over. I enjoyed this so much and I had to make myself take a break for sleep before I finished it!
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/review-inkmistress-audrey-coulthurst/
full review: https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/review-inkmistress-audrey-coulthurst/
Asra deserved better than basically every person in this story was to her. Her power was an incredibly cool concept I wish she'd gotten the chance to explore more fully.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss+ in exchange for an honest review.
I loved the mythology and magic elements in Inkmistress. The people within the world can manifest when they come of age, meaning they can take the form of an animal. The animal they can manifest into ties them to one of the gods the people worship. It is rare that a person cannot manifest, but it does happen. Our main character, Asra is a demigod, and she has unique powers. She is a bloodscribe, and has been hidden away in a mountain town to study as a healer where she will be safe. Her blood holds her true power, but using her powers can kill her. She uses her blood to enchant healing tinctures and aid the townsfolk.
When tragedy strikes the town she has protected, Asra uses her powers to aid the girl she thinks she loves to find her manifest before her time. But we all know by now that magic comes with a price, and Asra's magic doesn't work out as she planned. Ina, Asra's love, manifests into a fierce dragon fueled by revenge for her loved ones. Ina strikes out to revenge the town, and Asra is left feeling guilty that her magic didn't work out the way she'd hoped. Asra follow's Ina to explain what she's done and to stop her from her revenge mission. Along the way, Asra meets Hal another demigod who vows to help Asra. Hal and Asra grow close and they eventually team up to fight Ina on her revenge mission. Asra is betrayed throughout the course of her mission to change the past and fix what she felt she did wrong.
I felt like the pace of the story was really slow and parts of it dragged for me. There is a ton of time spent building up to the various milestone events in the story, but I found them anticlimactic when they finally did happen. There were some plot twists I didn't see coming especially when it came to the numerous betrayals that happen in the story, but there were so many they eventually lost their impact on me. Asra seemed to never learn her lesson after being betrayed over and over again. Her misplaced sense of loyalty and lack of self-preservation got to be a bit much, I'm glad she found her strength and backbone toward the end. I just felt she was portrayed as weak and naive for much of the story, and it took too long for her to find her inner strength. I did like the diversity of the characters, Asra and Ina both appear to be bisexual, but I think Ina might have a preference for women over men if I read the clues correctly. The romance doesn't overpower the story, and it does teach a good lesson to not let your feeling cloud your judgement.
I loved the mythology and magic elements in Inkmistress. The people within the world can manifest when they come of age, meaning they can take the form of an animal. The animal they can manifest into ties them to one of the gods the people worship. It is rare that a person cannot manifest, but it does happen. Our main character, Asra is a demigod, and she has unique powers. She is a bloodscribe, and has been hidden away in a mountain town to study as a healer where she will be safe. Her blood holds her true power, but using her powers can kill her. She uses her blood to enchant healing tinctures and aid the townsfolk.
When tragedy strikes the town she has protected, Asra uses her powers to aid the girl she thinks she loves to find her manifest before her time. But we all know by now that magic comes with a price, and Asra's magic doesn't work out as she planned. Ina, Asra's love, manifests into a fierce dragon fueled by revenge for her loved ones. Ina strikes out to revenge the town, and Asra is left feeling guilty that her magic didn't work out the way she'd hoped. Asra follow's Ina to explain what she's done and to stop her from her revenge mission. Along the way, Asra meets Hal another demigod who vows to help Asra. Hal and Asra grow close and they eventually team up to fight Ina on her revenge mission. Asra is betrayed throughout the course of her mission to change the past and fix what she felt she did wrong.
I felt like the pace of the story was really slow and parts of it dragged for me. There is a ton of time spent building up to the various milestone events in the story, but I found them anticlimactic when they finally did happen. There were some plot twists I didn't see coming especially when it came to the numerous betrayals that happen in the story, but there were so many they eventually lost their impact on me. Asra seemed to never learn her lesson after being betrayed over and over again. Her misplaced sense of loyalty and lack of self-preservation got to be a bit much, I'm glad she found her strength and backbone toward the end. I just felt she was portrayed as weak and naive for much of the story, and it took too long for her to find her inner strength. I did like the diversity of the characters, Asra and Ina both appear to be bisexual, but I think Ina might have a preference for women over men if I read the clues correctly. The romance doesn't overpower the story, and it does teach a good lesson to not let your feeling cloud your judgement.
This definitely had the most OP protagonist of all time, being able to just like declare the magic system be completely different on command as well as just force an antagonist to become a kind and respectful person against their will who also btw will be gifted complete emotional healing and will learn the true meaning of love. If that kind of godhood ruins books for you then you probably won't like this but I really enjoyed it a lot on the whole and will definitely consider this a comfort read in the future. :)
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was the prequel befitting of Coulthurst. A bit heavier and bloodier than her first two books, but the world is still amazing and drew me in deeper. Even after devouring all three books I still want more!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief
Minor: Self harm