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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
On one hand, the setting is beautiful. From cherry blossoms to kendo to the cuisine to Japanese phrases, the world Sun crafts in Ink is splendid and bewitching, and honestly, it gave me the urge to go out and book a ticket to this exquisite place half-way across the globe.
But the plot and characters; to put it bluntly, I was not a fan. Katie seems whiny and unlikeable, and I found her constant internal monologue of how Tomo was so dangerous... but I liked him so much... but he was dangerous... but I liked him grating. I also found Tomo paper-thin, if you pardon the pun; the reader is constantly told by Katie of his appeal, but I found while the telling was abundant, the showing was lacking.
The secondary characters evened things out a bit, though. I quite enjoyed what little we saw of Yuki and Tanaka, and even Shiori, although they tended to only appear in the Katie-and-Tomo show when a plot device was needed. I also quite enjoyed Jun in his first few appearances, although the rate at which he went from cute-boy-who-probably-would-be-better-for-Katie-than-Tomo to designated villain left me with a bit of whiplash.
As a big fan of mythology, I found the parts of it that were included intriguing. However, for a book that's plot is "boy-has-mythological-powers", looking back at the novel I find the amount of mythology included rather thin. I would have liked to learn more about the Kami and the mythology that serves as the backbone to the novel, but instead we just get constant reminders of how Tomo is dangerous... but I like him... but he's dangerous... but I like him... but he almost killed me with an ink dragon...
And then the ending (if you can't already tell, this paragraph will include spoilers). I found Katie's decision disappointing: her grandparents were waiting for her back in Canada, having set up a room just for her and worked their hardest to make things work despite the cancer; they had spent however-much on plane tickets; Diane expected her to have left; it was safer for both Katie and Tomo if she left... yet I like him so much.
All and all, I give this novel a firm three-stars. While the plot was your typical paranormal teen romance that honestly reminded me quite a bit of Twilight at some points, what with the whole new-girl-falls-for-dangerous-and-supernatural-strange-boy thing (Yuki and Tanaka as Jessica and Angela, Jun as Jacob, perhaps?), the beautiful setting kept the book palatable enough that I wanted to keep reading. I probably won't be tuning in for the next installment in The Paper Gods series, but I wouldn't call Ink a waste of time.
But the plot and characters; to put it bluntly, I was not a fan. Katie seems whiny and unlikeable, and I found her constant internal monologue of how Tomo was so dangerous... but I liked him so much... but he was dangerous... but I liked him grating. I also found Tomo paper-thin, if you pardon the pun; the reader is constantly told by Katie of his appeal, but I found while the telling was abundant, the showing was lacking.
The secondary characters evened things out a bit, though. I quite enjoyed what little we saw of Yuki and Tanaka, and even Shiori, although they tended to only appear in the Katie-and-Tomo show when a plot device was needed. I also quite enjoyed Jun in his first few appearances, although the rate at which he went from cute-boy-who-probably-would-be-better-for-Katie-than-Tomo to designated villain left me with a bit of whiplash.
As a big fan of mythology, I found the parts of it that were included intriguing. However, for a book that's plot is "boy-has-mythological-powers", looking back at the novel I find the amount of mythology included rather thin. I would have liked to learn more about the Kami and the mythology that serves as the backbone to the novel, but instead we just get constant reminders of how Tomo is dangerous... but I like him... but he's dangerous... but I like him... but he almost killed me with an ink dragon...
And then the ending (if you can't already tell, this paragraph will include spoilers). I found Katie's decision disappointing: her grandparents were waiting for her back in Canada, having set up a room just for her and worked their hardest to make things work despite the cancer; they had spent however-much on plane tickets; Diane expected her to have left; it was safer for both Katie and Tomo if she left... yet I like him so much.
All and all, I give this novel a firm three-stars. While the plot was your typical paranormal teen romance that honestly reminded me quite a bit of Twilight at some points, what with the whole new-girl-falls-for-dangerous-and-supernatural-strange-boy thing (Yuki and Tanaka as Jessica and Angela, Jun as Jacob, perhaps?), the beautiful setting kept the book palatable enough that I wanted to keep reading. I probably won't be tuning in for the next installment in The Paper Gods series, but I wouldn't call Ink a waste of time.
Ink may be one of my favorite debuts of 2013.
After her mother dies, Katie moves to Japan with her aunt. Everyone sees her as an Amerika-jin , an outsider, and Katie can't seem to grasp the language, much less the culture of this place. All she wants to do is leave Japan, until she meets mysterious Tomohiro, the star of the Kendo team. Everyone tells her to stay away, but something about him draws Katie's eye. Especially the fact that when she's around him, strange things happen, like drawings that move and pens that explode. Tomohiro has a secret, and she's determined to find out- before it kills her.
Guys, I loved this so much. When I got approved to read this on Netgalley, I was ecstatic. The author made me feel as if I were living in Shizuoka, Japan. The description was beautiful and vivid, I could really imagine it. Also, the culture of Japan was captured perfectly and I really couldn't have asked for more. At the end of the book, we find out that the author actually lived in Japan for a while, so she knows what she's talking about.
With the Greek Mythology hype going on, it was nice to actually read something that had to do with Japanese mythology. Not only was it refreshing, but it was also nice to learn about.
The drawings inside the book felt like they were actually alive, they were breathtaking.
This book reads like an asian drama to me. There are completely original characters, awkward situations, asian culture, hilarious moments, and a substantial storyline. It was hard not to get emotionally invested in this.
I loved every second of this book, and can't wait for the next one, especially with the teaser at the end of the book that left me anxious for more.
I can't wait for this book's release in June, because I want a copy of it for my bookshelf.
5 stars!
After her mother dies, Katie moves to Japan with her aunt. Everyone sees her as an Amerika-jin , an outsider, and Katie can't seem to grasp the language, much less the culture of this place. All she wants to do is leave Japan, until she meets mysterious Tomohiro, the star of the Kendo team. Everyone tells her to stay away, but something about him draws Katie's eye. Especially the fact that when she's around him, strange things happen, like drawings that move and pens that explode. Tomohiro has a secret, and she's determined to find out- before it kills her.
Guys, I loved this so much. When I got approved to read this on Netgalley, I was ecstatic. The author made me feel as if I were living in Shizuoka, Japan. The description was beautiful and vivid, I could really imagine it. Also, the culture of Japan was captured perfectly and I really couldn't have asked for more. At the end of the book, we find out that the author actually lived in Japan for a while, so she knows what she's talking about.
With the Greek Mythology hype going on, it was nice to actually read something that had to do with Japanese mythology. Not only was it refreshing, but it was also nice to learn about.
The drawings inside the book felt like they were actually alive, they were breathtaking.
This book reads like an asian drama to me. There are completely original characters, awkward situations, asian culture, hilarious moments, and a substantial storyline. It was hard not to get emotionally invested in this.
I loved every second of this book, and can't wait for the next one, especially with the teaser at the end of the book that left me anxious for more.
I can't wait for this book's release in June, because I want a copy of it for my bookshelf.
5 stars!
(As reviewed on my blog, Paper Riot.)
I mentioned in this post that I would love to read more YA books set in Asia and I'm always up for a unique fantasy, so naturally, Ink by Amanda Sun really intrigued me. Now, I have never been to Japan and I know next to nothing about the culture, but it was probably my favorite part of this book. The food and kendo and blooming cherry blossoms and occasional Japanese words - I took it all in eagerly. As someone who is not an expert by any means, I think that Amanda Sun did her research well. Like Katie, I felt like I was being thrown into a whole different world, though she got the hang of it sooner than I did. In fact, she got the hang of it almost impossibly fast. But more about that later.
The thing with Ink is that, looking back at it, I had a lot of issues with it, but most of them didn't really bother me while reading. It was a book I enjoyed reading and eager to pick up again - that counts for something, right? Besides the culture, I really liked the fantasy element. The world of the Kami is refreshing and provides a lot of potential for further exploration. Do I completely like the way it was handled in the first installment of this series? No. I wish there had been more fantasy involved, because for now, it started to pick up at the very end of the book. And that's too bad. While I do think that there is a lot of room for improvement in the following installments, I felt like this story was over before it had really begun.
Because where I was expecting more fantasy development earlier on, this story focused mostly on the romance. A romance that I simply wasn't invested in. Honestly, I don't blame Katie for being instantly intrigued by the school bad boy, Tomohiro. Hey, I'd be pretty interested to know the dude who made my drawings move. But it's too bad that Katie's fascination resulted in stalkerish behavior and, after that, a sudden romance that lacked development and build-up. You guys, I can take instalove as long as it's not too crazy. But when characters start saying that the whole world revolves around the other person and that they can't live without them and that they "lived in parallel worlds, somehow held together by the axis of each other" after barely getting to know each other - in all seriousness - then no. I can't handle that.
But then again, I had more problems with main character Katie. While she was the main character and told this story, she is definitely not someone I will remember. This was pretty disappointing to me, because there was so much to work with - Katie has just lost her mom, and moved halfway around the world to live with her aunt and has to get used to a whole new culture and a school where she's the only foreigner. See? So much potential for struggle and development. Unfortunately, this was not what we got. Katie was pretty much fluent in Japanese from the beginning on, and she had little problems adapting to the Japanese culture. And did her mom's death do anything to her? I don't know, because all she could think about was Tomohiro. Honestly, I wish she'd have had more personality.
Overall, Ink is a story with a beautiful setting and an interesting concept that I enjoyed despite its lack in personality, but ultimately, wasn't particularly memorable to me. I hope the sequel focuses more on the fantasy and less on the romance, because like I said, there is a lot of potential.
I mentioned in this post that I would love to read more YA books set in Asia and I'm always up for a unique fantasy, so naturally, Ink by Amanda Sun really intrigued me. Now, I have never been to Japan and I know next to nothing about the culture, but it was probably my favorite part of this book. The food and kendo and blooming cherry blossoms and occasional Japanese words - I took it all in eagerly. As someone who is not an expert by any means, I think that Amanda Sun did her research well. Like Katie, I felt like I was being thrown into a whole different world, though she got the hang of it sooner than I did. In fact, she got the hang of it almost impossibly fast. But more about that later.
The thing with Ink is that, looking back at it, I had a lot of issues with it, but most of them didn't really bother me while reading. It was a book I enjoyed reading and eager to pick up again - that counts for something, right? Besides the culture, I really liked the fantasy element. The world of the Kami is refreshing and provides a lot of potential for further exploration. Do I completely like the way it was handled in the first installment of this series? No. I wish there had been more fantasy involved, because for now, it started to pick up at the very end of the book. And that's too bad. While I do think that there is a lot of room for improvement in the following installments, I felt like this story was over before it had really begun.
Because where I was expecting more fantasy development earlier on, this story focused mostly on the romance. A romance that I simply wasn't invested in. Honestly, I don't blame Katie for being instantly intrigued by the school bad boy, Tomohiro. Hey, I'd be pretty interested to know the dude who made my drawings move. But it's too bad that Katie's fascination resulted in stalkerish behavior and, after that, a sudden romance that lacked development and build-up. You guys, I can take instalove as long as it's not too crazy. But when characters start saying that the whole world revolves around the other person and that they can't live without them and that they "lived in parallel worlds, somehow held together by the axis of each other" after barely getting to know each other - in all seriousness - then no. I can't handle that.
But then again, I had more problems with main character Katie. While she was the main character and told this story, she is definitely not someone I will remember. This was pretty disappointing to me, because there was so much to work with - Katie has just lost her mom, and moved halfway around the world to live with her aunt and has to get used to a whole new culture and a school where she's the only foreigner. See? So much potential for struggle and development. Unfortunately, this was not what we got. Katie was pretty much fluent in Japanese from the beginning on, and she had little problems adapting to the Japanese culture. And did her mom's death do anything to her? I don't know, because all she could think about was Tomohiro. Honestly, I wish she'd have had more personality.
Overall, Ink is a story with a beautiful setting and an interesting concept that I enjoyed despite its lack in personality, but ultimately, wasn't particularly memorable to me. I hope the sequel focuses more on the fantasy and less on the romance, because like I said, there is a lot of potential.
2.5
How to spoil a great idea with clichés? This book is a great example.
There are a couple of things in this book that could have made it a great book if it wasn't for the stereotypes. It has a great mythology, an innovative and exotic proposal. The main character was interesting in the beginning, until it started to act like Bella Swan :(
I didn't like either the way she acted towards the paranormal parts of this story. I mean, a normal person "sees" a picture moving and the first thought that person would have will be "it's a hallucination, must be the light", but no, Katie believes from the beginning that what she saw was real, completely real. And beyond that she knows everything has something to do with Yuu without real proof. The author used this determination to have a story and in the end the story ends up being lame, because it was not entirely good developed, beginning with the starting point.
The male character couldn't catch my attention. He wasn't really a bad boy nor was he a mysterious and attractive one (even if he and the author tried). Mostly I was seeing a manga character in my head and that didn't help to picture him as a hot guy :(
I really, really liked the story with the kamis, but it disappointed me a lot when the story and the characters turned into another “retelling” of Twilight. It's not like they are the same, but they are so damn similar that I rolled my eyes twice per page on average.
In conclusion, the unique and innovative story I was expecting to find in Ink got spoiled by stereotypes and clichés and took away all the interest I had in continuing with the series :( The first chapter of the second book didn’t help either.
PS: I think as plot for a shojo manga would have been great. There are a lot of things I can forgive in a manga that I would never accept in a book. That might be one of the biggest problems of the book. That it's more manga than book
Thanks to netGalley and HarlequinTEEN for providing me with a copy of the book.
How to spoil a great idea with clichés? This book is a great example.
There are a couple of things in this book that could have made it a great book if it wasn't for the stereotypes. It has a great mythology, an innovative and exotic proposal. The main character was interesting in the beginning, until it started to act like Bella Swan :(
I didn't like either the way she acted towards the paranormal parts of this story. I mean, a normal person "sees" a picture moving and the first thought that person would have will be "it's a hallucination, must be the light", but no, Katie believes from the beginning that what she saw was real, completely real. And beyond that she knows everything has something to do with Yuu without real proof. The author used this determination to have a story and in the end the story ends up being lame, because it was not entirely good developed, beginning with the starting point.
The male character couldn't catch my attention. He wasn't really a bad boy nor was he a mysterious and attractive one (even if he and the author tried). Mostly I was seeing a manga character in my head and that didn't help to picture him as a hot guy :(
I really, really liked the story with the kamis, but it disappointed me a lot when the story and the characters turned into another “retelling” of Twilight. It's not like they are the same, but they are so damn similar that I rolled my eyes twice per page on average.
In conclusion, the unique and innovative story I was expecting to find in Ink got spoiled by stereotypes and clichés and took away all the interest I had in continuing with the series :( The first chapter of the second book didn’t help either.
PS: I think as plot for a shojo manga would have been great. There are a lot of things I can forgive in a manga that I would never accept in a book. That might be one of the biggest problems of the book. That it's more manga than book
Thanks to netGalley and HarlequinTEEN for providing me with a copy of the book.
This review was originally posted on Istyria book blog.
*I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!*
You know that situation when a book looks awesome and sounds awesome and it turns out to be awesome? Yeah, this was not like that. The cover is gorgeous, the blurb makes it sound like a great read, but after reading it all I feel is... disappointment.
This book had everything going for it. A great cover, a seemingly original and brilliant concept and it's set in Japan. But where did it go wrong? Well... to many YA cliches. Outcast, ordinary heroine who's actually not that ordinary at all, 'badboy' hero with a secret and a complicated or painful past who pushes the heroine away because he's dangerous, other hot guy that is just as hot and mysterious as the first one but nice, best friends who also get ditched by the heroine because she wants to be with the badboy, insta-love, forbidden love,... Yep, sad to say all of those are in there. This is just one of those books where high expectations don't pay off. At all. But it was so hard not to have them because it just sounded so very very good. And then I read it and it was just... not good.
I read in a review that this book was similar to Twilight for him/her and I have to say... I agree. For all the reasons she mentions. I mean... The cliches above alone are enough for me to see that.
Okay, the good thing in this book and the reason it got 2 stars from me, is the beginning. Mainly because it was nice to have a story take place in Japan for a change. I liked the culture in it, even though I don't know much about it to begin with, so I don't know if it the author got it all right or not, but I liked it none the less.
That didn't change the fact that it just turned out to be not as original as it seemed when I found this book on Netgalley and with that all the cliches that I'm so tired of seeing in books. I liked Katie the first few chapters, but after that she was just another Mary Sue and even a bit of a stalker at times. The guy, Tomohiro, reminded me a lot of Edward. Sure, he's Asian and the powers are different, but all the rest is the same.
The supernatural in this book wasn't what I had hoped for at all. Again I had big hopes for some epic thing with the drawings and the ink, but then it was just.... meh.
If you like all those cliches or don't care about them, you might like this book a lot more then I did. If you hate the cliches, don't even bother reading it. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is in my opinion. For me this book was just one big pile of 'meh'.
*I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!*
You know that situation when a book looks awesome and sounds awesome and it turns out to be awesome? Yeah, this was not like that. The cover is gorgeous, the blurb makes it sound like a great read, but after reading it all I feel is... disappointment.
This book had everything going for it. A great cover, a seemingly original and brilliant concept and it's set in Japan. But where did it go wrong? Well... to many YA cliches. Outcast, ordinary heroine who's actually not that ordinary at all, 'badboy' hero with a secret and a complicated or painful past who pushes the heroine away because he's dangerous, other hot guy that is just as hot and mysterious as the first one but nice, best friends who also get ditched by the heroine because she wants to be with the badboy, insta-love, forbidden love,... Yep, sad to say all of those are in there. This is just one of those books where high expectations don't pay off. At all. But it was so hard not to have them because it just sounded so very very good. And then I read it and it was just... not good.
I read in a review that this book was similar to Twilight for him/her and I have to say... I agree. For all the reasons she mentions. I mean... The cliches above alone are enough for me to see that.
Okay, the good thing in this book and the reason it got 2 stars from me, is the beginning. Mainly because it was nice to have a story take place in Japan for a change. I liked the culture in it, even though I don't know much about it to begin with, so I don't know if it the author got it all right or not, but I liked it none the less.
That didn't change the fact that it just turned out to be not as original as it seemed when I found this book on Netgalley and with that all the cliches that I'm so tired of seeing in books. I liked Katie the first few chapters, but after that she was just another Mary Sue and even a bit of a stalker at times. The guy, Tomohiro, reminded me a lot of Edward. Sure, he's Asian and the powers are different, but all the rest is the same.
The supernatural in this book wasn't what I had hoped for at all. Again I had big hopes for some epic thing with the drawings and the ink, but then it was just.... meh.
If you like all those cliches or don't care about them, you might like this book a lot more then I did. If you hate the cliches, don't even bother reading it. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is in my opinion. For me this book was just one big pile of 'meh'.
I will not rate this book because I don't find it fair to rate a book I haven't completely read.
I read 150 pages of this, and you'd think after that many words, this book would've given me some semblance of a reason to continue.
But it didn't.
Not from the (inauthentic-feeling) Japanese setting and characters,
to the (contrived and clichéd) beginnings of a love story,
to the paranormal subplot (you know, the one that's supposed to be the best part!).
Nope.
I suppose my main problem with Ink is the fact that it feels like a screenplay, in the way that the characters just talk and talk and talk some more, without us ever really knowing anything about them. Everyone just talks. Dialogue, dialogue, dialogue, making it really hard to pay attention to people I don't care about.
But let me tell you, the cover designers certainly got something right! I drew much more pleasure from staring at the cover and little design perks for long periods of time than I did from reading the words inside the magnificent cover.
Heading toward 1 star before I gave up.
I read 150 pages of this, and you'd think after that many words, this book would've given me some semblance of a reason to continue.
But it didn't.
Not from the (inauthentic-feeling) Japanese setting and characters,
to the (contrived and clichéd) beginnings of a love story,
to the paranormal subplot (you know, the one that's supposed to be the best part!).
Nope.
I suppose my main problem with Ink is the fact that it feels like a screenplay, in the way that the characters just talk and talk and talk some more, without us ever really knowing anything about them. Everyone just talks. Dialogue, dialogue, dialogue, making it really hard to pay attention to people I don't care about.
But let me tell you, the cover designers certainly got something right! I drew much more pleasure from staring at the cover and little design perks for long periods of time than I did from reading the words inside the magnificent cover.
Heading toward 1 star before I gave up.
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More Young Adult book reviews at Readers in Wonderland
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(This review is in the form of a chat)
[3:58:17 PM] Rebecca: i am ready
[3:59:36 PM] Alise: let us begin.
[3:59:43 PM] Rebecca: yes
[4:00:13 PM] Alise: It was an entertaining novel, it just was unfortunately full of tropes and cliches.
[4:00:56 PM] Rebecca: YEP. There were a lot of enjoyable moments, but also a lot of times where I wanted to bang my head on a wall.
[4:01:02 PM] Rebecca: repeatedly
[4:01:08 PM] Rebecca: to forget
[4:01:27 PM] Alise: I feel you. So cheesy at times. But I liked the overall story and thought it was pretty unique.
[4:02:23 PM] Rebecca: Well, sort of. The powers and settings were definitely unique. But I feel the plot was sort of generic.
[4:02:37 PM] Rebecca: Generic for YA paranormal romance
[4:02:43 PM] Alise: Ah that is what I meant.
[4:02:49 PM] Alise: Generic even for contemporary
[4:02:57 PM] Rebecca: true
[4:03:47 PM] Alise: I am really starting to tire of the bad boy is actually a good guy and him and the MC seem to hate each other blah blah
[4:05:06 PM]Rebecca: Same. When it’s portrayed like it is in INK anyway. There’s some that I like, when it’s done properly and the dude has good reasons. But INK it was like meh. And I also tire of the “this good guy sounds so nice oh wait no he has ulterior motives”
[4:05:26 PM] Alise: Ugh YES
[4:05:40 PM] Alise: Oh and I thought the breakup between the love interest and his girlfriend was unnecessary.
[4:05:46 PM] Rebecca: Completely
[4:06:03 PM] Alise: Although it was a somewhat interesting beginning, it really got my attention
[4:06:36 PM] Rebecca: Yeah. I think it annoyed me. Generic high school break up scene
[4:07:07 PM] Rebecca: Wait there’s another trope. Outcast new girl gets with the popular/mysterious senior boy
[4:07:33 PM] Alise: And of course she ends up having magical powers
[4:07:36 PM] Alise: Is that a spoiler?
[4:07:41 PM] Alise: Whoops.
[4:07:58 PM] Rebecca: I predicted that. But we don’t know what exactly they are
[4:08:05 PM] Rebecca: so I think we can let it slide…
[4:08:15 PM] Alise: True. Just that she’s “special”
[4:08:19 PM] Rebecca: That was another thing that annoyed me
[4:08:32 PM] Alise: I actually liked the story more when I thought she was just a normal, powerless human
[4:08:37 PM] Rebecca: YES
[4:09:00 PM] Rebecca: I want a normal powerless human trapped in this world who has to defend themselves by normal means
[4:09:30 PM] Alise: So do I. JUST ONCE.
[4:09:35 PM] Rebecca: which reminds me that I like how she was LEARNING kendo and had to work with the others to be good. I just don’t like her reasons for joining
[4:10:01 PM] Alise: I agree. I like she didn’t automatically “master” the sport.
[4:10:13 PM] Rebecca: That would have been too much.
[4:10:23 PM] Alise: But not entirely unexpected.
[4:10:30 PM] Rebecca: *sigh* I know
[4:11:18 PM] Rebecca: I wish we had explored the kendo and mythoogy more. And I wanted to see her relationship with Diane develop more slowly (and see more of it)
[4:11:44 PM] Rebecca: It would be a great way to observe Katie trying and learning to deal with grief
[4:11:49 PM] Alise: Definitely. I much prefer familial relationships over romantic ones. The mythology was so interesting.
[4:12:02 PM] Alise: How bout that artwork?
[4:12:06 PM] Rebecca: YES
[4:12:10 PM] Rebecca: SO AWESOME
[4:12:22 PM] Alise: I thought it was a great addition.
[4:12:23 PM] Rebecca: I think I might buy this purely for the pictures
[4:12:29 PM] Rebecca: definitely
[4:12:51 PM] Rebecca: And I can’t believe they’re thinking about/making the ebook version animated
[4:12:53 PM] Rebecca: jhfjlhjqhgjrtwg
[4:13:12 PM] Alise: I know, that would be so cool
[4:13:46 PM] Rebecca: I think this might be the pure highlight of the book. Pictures and mythology
[4:13:52 PM] Rebecca: That’s kind of sad
[4:13:54 PM] Alise: And the drawing.
[4:13:58 PM] Alise: But yeah, that is sad.
[4:14:10 PM] Alise: Did you like how it took place in Japan?
[4:14:12 PM] Rebecca: YES
[4:14:16 PM] Rebecca: OF COURSE
[4:14:21 PM] Alise: Or could it have been the same if the setting was America?
[4:14:33 PM] Rebecca: It wouldn’t have been so enjoyable
[4:14:39 PM] Rebecca: the setting made a difference
[4:14:44 PM] Alise: I love the Japanese culture so I thought all was so interesting
[4:14:56 PM] Rebecca: If it was in a western culture it would be even more generic
[4:15:02 PM] Alise: Yes, the setting was a positive
[4:15:11 PM] Rebecca: although, WHERE ARE THE PARANORMAL YA’S SET IN AUSTRALIA?
[4:15:23 PM] Alise: True that
[4:15:28 PM] Alise: Guess you should be happy
[4:15:34 PM] Alise: Nothing bad ever happens there xD
[4:15:50 PM] Alise: In literary worlds, anyway
[4:15:54 PM] Rebecca: Because Australia is awesome
[4:16:08 PM] Alise: *shakes head* FREEDOM
[4:16:09 PM] Rebecca: Not too much bad stuff happens here compared to America :P
[4:16:19 PM] Alise: Shhh
[4:16:27 PM] Rebecca: Anyway, BACK ON TOPIC
[4:16:32 PM] Alise: YES
[4:16:40 PM] Rebecca: I found the Japan really accurate to my knowledge
[4:16:47 PM] Rebecca: and I like the use of the language as well
[4:16:56 PM] Rebecca: I just wish was had a separate glossary
[4:17:03 PM] Alise: I was thinking the same thing, although I don’t know that much, I thought it was accurate.
[4:17:10 PM] Alise: Yeah I didn’t even know there was a glossary.
[4:17:31 PM] Rebecca: Did you not go through to the end? We even got a chapter of the next book that I didn’t read
[4:17:44 PM] Alise: I mean I didn’t know until the end
[4:17:49 PM] Alise: BAHAHA I didn’t read it either xD
[4:17:51 PM] Rebecca: aaaah
[4:17:57 PM] Rebecca: I couldn’t be bothered
[4:18:07 PM] Alise: I was kind of done by that point.
[4:18:16 PM] Rebecca: ahaha, yeah. Dat annoying romance
[4:18:23 PM] Rebecca: getting in the way of the plot
[4:18:27 PM] Alise: Especially after the end asdfghjkl
[4:18:31 PM] Alise: So frustrating.
[4:18:33 PM] Rebecca: That ending was annoying
[4:18:38 PM] Alise: Yeeep
[4:18:42 PM] Rebecca: Least favourite part easy
[4:18:55 PM] Rebecca: And my favourite part was, ah, dragon
[4:19:00 PM] Alise: Even over the love confession?
[4:19:11 PM] Alise: No surprise there about the dragon haha
[4:19:24 PM] Rebecca: Ending was worse
[4:19:35 PM] Rebecca: I rolled my eyes at a lot of things
[4:19:35 PM] Alise: Yeah. FEMALE POWER
[4:19:47 PM] Rebecca: I wish I could show you my snarky comments from the start
[4:19:52 PM] Alise: She shouldn’t let a guy rule her life.
[4:20:03 PM] Alise: Did you take notes?
[4:20:07 PM] Rebecca: And apparently she doesn’t HAHAA
[4:20:19 PM] Rebecca: Notes for the first part. Then I couldn’t be bothered
[4:20:34 PM] Rebecca: Mostly it was about the ridiculousness of Katie’s actions
[4:20:43 PM] Alise: Nonsensical
[4:20:45 PM] Rebecca: When she was stalking
[4:20:50 PM] Rebecca: ??!?!??!?!? WHY
[4:20:58 PM] Alise: Her actions
[4:21:04 PM] Alise: They didn’t make sense sometimes
[4:21:10 PM] Rebecca: WHY FOLLOW A GUY WHO IS DANGEROUS YOU BARELY KNOW
[4:21:27 PM] Rebecca: (I knew what you meant I was continuing my sentence)
[4:21:45 PM] Alise: And make a huge spectacle of yourself right after she mentions she hates being a spectacle. Ehhhh
[4:22:07 PM] Alise: (the skirt thing)
[4:22:11 PM] Rebecca: Jump a wall because he did. To show him you’re not a coward
[4:22:48 PM] Alise: Okay my rating is going down to a two haha
[4:22:53 PM] Rebecca: ahaa
[4:23:06 PM] Rebecca: I’m still floating between 2 and 3.
[4:23:17 PM] Rebecca: Culture and powers and mytology and setting get 3
[4:23:24 PM] Rebecca: romance, characters, and plot get 2
[4:23:58 PM] Alise: Yeah. So 2.5 really
[4:24:03 PM] Rebecca: Maybe
[4:24:06 PM] Rebecca: I don’t know
[4:24:08 PM] Alise: Will you be reading the sequel?
[4:24:11 PM] Rebecca: Probably
[4:24:16 PM] Rebecca: I need answers
[4:24:26 PM] Rebecca: But the romance may kill me
[4:24:29 PM] Rebecca: Not in a good way
[4:24:34 PM] Alise: Then you can tell me if I should read it xD
[4:24:38 PM] Rebecca: ahaha
[4:24:53 PM] Alise: Yeah because I have a feeling the next book is going to focus more on that love triangle
[4:25:02 PM] Alise: The one that just seemed shoved in there for no reason.
[4:25:12 PM] Rebecca: WHAT LOVE TRIANGLE??!!?! I see no reason for one
[4:25:33 PM] Alise: Jun?
[4:25:33 PM] Rebecca: Especially after the “twist” at the end
[4:25:56 PM] Rebecca: I predicted that as soon as the kendo comp happened
[4:25:59 PM] Alise: True, but even after after Katie was still uncertain about her feelings for Jun
[4:26:07 PM] Rebecca: Oh great
[4:26:12 PM] Alise: I actually didn’t predict the kendo competition twist
[4:26:51 PM] Rebecca: I must be psychic then. I often correctly predict breakfast options at uni
[4:26:57 PM] Rebecca: My powers extend to YA plots
[4:28:17 PM] Alise: Lmao
[4:29:00 PM] Rebecca: But seriously, I need to read a book that will completely surprise me with every twist
[4:29:34 PM] Alise: I think I’ve read a few…the names escape me. I would also really like to read a book where the MC DOESN’T have any powers and is 100% normal and powerless.
[4:29:50 PM] Alise: But that’s not INK, so I guess we’re done here :P
[4:29:54 PM] Rebecca: We should write one
[4:29:56 PM] Rebecca: I guess
[4:30:08 PM] Rebecca: I can’t think of anything else to add
[4:30:16 PM] Alise: kay
[4:30:17 PM] Alise: CURTAIN FALLS. xD
More Young Adult book reviews at Readers in Wonderland
________________________________________
(This review is in the form of a chat)
[3:58:17 PM] Rebecca: i am ready
[3:59:36 PM] Alise: let us begin.
[3:59:43 PM] Rebecca: yes
[4:00:13 PM] Alise: It was an entertaining novel, it just was unfortunately full of tropes and cliches.
[4:00:56 PM] Rebecca: YEP. There were a lot of enjoyable moments, but also a lot of times where I wanted to bang my head on a wall.
[4:01:02 PM] Rebecca: repeatedly
[4:01:08 PM] Rebecca: to forget
[4:01:27 PM] Alise: I feel you. So cheesy at times. But I liked the overall story and thought it was pretty unique.
[4:02:23 PM] Rebecca: Well, sort of. The powers and settings were definitely unique. But I feel the plot was sort of generic.
[4:02:37 PM] Rebecca: Generic for YA paranormal romance
[4:02:43 PM] Alise: Ah that is what I meant.
[4:02:49 PM] Alise: Generic even for contemporary
[4:02:57 PM] Rebecca: true
[4:03:47 PM] Alise: I am really starting to tire of the bad boy is actually a good guy and him and the MC seem to hate each other blah blah
[4:05:06 PM]Rebecca: Same. When it’s portrayed like it is in INK anyway. There’s some that I like, when it’s done properly and the dude has good reasons. But INK it was like meh. And I also tire of the “this good guy sounds so nice oh wait no he has ulterior motives”
[4:05:26 PM] Alise: Ugh YES
[4:05:40 PM] Alise: Oh and I thought the breakup between the love interest and his girlfriend was unnecessary.
[4:05:46 PM] Rebecca: Completely
[4:06:03 PM] Alise: Although it was a somewhat interesting beginning, it really got my attention
[4:06:36 PM] Rebecca: Yeah. I think it annoyed me. Generic high school break up scene
[4:07:07 PM] Rebecca: Wait there’s another trope. Outcast new girl gets with the popular/mysterious senior boy
[4:07:33 PM] Alise: And of course she ends up having magical powers
[4:07:36 PM] Alise: Is that a spoiler?
[4:07:41 PM] Alise: Whoops.
[4:07:58 PM] Rebecca: I predicted that. But we don’t know what exactly they are
[4:08:05 PM] Rebecca: so I think we can let it slide…
[4:08:15 PM] Alise: True. Just that she’s “special”
[4:08:19 PM] Rebecca: That was another thing that annoyed me
[4:08:32 PM] Alise: I actually liked the story more when I thought she was just a normal, powerless human
[4:08:37 PM] Rebecca: YES
[4:09:00 PM] Rebecca: I want a normal powerless human trapped in this world who has to defend themselves by normal means
[4:09:30 PM] Alise: So do I. JUST ONCE.
[4:09:35 PM] Rebecca: which reminds me that I like how she was LEARNING kendo and had to work with the others to be good. I just don’t like her reasons for joining
[4:10:01 PM] Alise: I agree. I like she didn’t automatically “master” the sport.
[4:10:13 PM] Rebecca: That would have been too much.
[4:10:23 PM] Alise: But not entirely unexpected.
[4:10:30 PM] Rebecca: *sigh* I know
[4:11:18 PM] Rebecca: I wish we had explored the kendo and mythoogy more. And I wanted to see her relationship with Diane develop more slowly (and see more of it)
[4:11:44 PM] Rebecca: It would be a great way to observe Katie trying and learning to deal with grief
[4:11:49 PM] Alise: Definitely. I much prefer familial relationships over romantic ones. The mythology was so interesting.
[4:12:02 PM] Alise: How bout that artwork?
[4:12:06 PM] Rebecca: YES
[4:12:10 PM] Rebecca: SO AWESOME
[4:12:22 PM] Alise: I thought it was a great addition.
[4:12:23 PM] Rebecca: I think I might buy this purely for the pictures
[4:12:29 PM] Rebecca: definitely
[4:12:51 PM] Rebecca: And I can’t believe they’re thinking about/making the ebook version animated
[4:12:53 PM] Rebecca: jhfjlhjqhgjrtwg
[4:13:12 PM] Alise: I know, that would be so cool
[4:13:46 PM] Rebecca: I think this might be the pure highlight of the book. Pictures and mythology
[4:13:52 PM] Rebecca: That’s kind of sad
[4:13:54 PM] Alise: And the drawing.
[4:13:58 PM] Alise: But yeah, that is sad.
[4:14:10 PM] Alise: Did you like how it took place in Japan?
[4:14:12 PM] Rebecca: YES
[4:14:16 PM] Rebecca: OF COURSE
[4:14:21 PM] Alise: Or could it have been the same if the setting was America?
[4:14:33 PM] Rebecca: It wouldn’t have been so enjoyable
[4:14:39 PM] Rebecca: the setting made a difference
[4:14:44 PM] Alise: I love the Japanese culture so I thought all was so interesting
[4:14:56 PM] Rebecca: If it was in a western culture it would be even more generic
[4:15:02 PM] Alise: Yes, the setting was a positive
[4:15:11 PM] Rebecca: although, WHERE ARE THE PARANORMAL YA’S SET IN AUSTRALIA?
[4:15:23 PM] Alise: True that
[4:15:28 PM] Alise: Guess you should be happy
[4:15:34 PM] Alise: Nothing bad ever happens there xD
[4:15:50 PM] Alise: In literary worlds, anyway
[4:15:54 PM] Rebecca: Because Australia is awesome
[4:16:08 PM] Alise: *shakes head* FREEDOM
[4:16:09 PM] Rebecca: Not too much bad stuff happens here compared to America :P
[4:16:19 PM] Alise: Shhh
[4:16:27 PM] Rebecca: Anyway, BACK ON TOPIC
[4:16:32 PM] Alise: YES
[4:16:40 PM] Rebecca: I found the Japan really accurate to my knowledge
[4:16:47 PM] Rebecca: and I like the use of the language as well
[4:16:56 PM] Rebecca: I just wish was had a separate glossary
[4:17:03 PM] Alise: I was thinking the same thing, although I don’t know that much, I thought it was accurate.
[4:17:10 PM] Alise: Yeah I didn’t even know there was a glossary.
[4:17:31 PM] Rebecca: Did you not go through to the end? We even got a chapter of the next book that I didn’t read
[4:17:44 PM] Alise: I mean I didn’t know until the end
[4:17:49 PM] Alise: BAHAHA I didn’t read it either xD
[4:17:51 PM] Rebecca: aaaah
[4:17:57 PM] Rebecca: I couldn’t be bothered
[4:18:07 PM] Alise: I was kind of done by that point.
[4:18:16 PM] Rebecca: ahaha, yeah. Dat annoying romance
[4:18:23 PM] Rebecca: getting in the way of the plot
[4:18:27 PM] Alise: Especially after the end asdfghjkl
[4:18:31 PM] Alise: So frustrating.
[4:18:33 PM] Rebecca: That ending was annoying
[4:18:38 PM] Alise: Yeeep
[4:18:42 PM] Rebecca: Least favourite part easy
[4:18:55 PM] Rebecca: And my favourite part was, ah, dragon
[4:19:00 PM] Alise: Even over the love confession?
[4:19:11 PM] Alise: No surprise there about the dragon haha
[4:19:24 PM] Rebecca: Ending was worse
[4:19:35 PM] Rebecca: I rolled my eyes at a lot of things
[4:19:35 PM] Alise: Yeah. FEMALE POWER
[4:19:47 PM] Rebecca: I wish I could show you my snarky comments from the start
[4:19:52 PM] Alise: She shouldn’t let a guy rule her life.
[4:20:03 PM] Alise: Did you take notes?
[4:20:07 PM] Rebecca: And apparently she doesn’t HAHAA
[4:20:19 PM] Rebecca: Notes for the first part. Then I couldn’t be bothered
[4:20:34 PM] Rebecca: Mostly it was about the ridiculousness of Katie’s actions
[4:20:43 PM] Alise: Nonsensical
[4:20:45 PM] Rebecca: When she was stalking
[4:20:50 PM] Rebecca: ??!?!??!?!? WHY
[4:20:58 PM] Alise: Her actions
[4:21:04 PM] Alise: They didn’t make sense sometimes
[4:21:10 PM] Rebecca: WHY FOLLOW A GUY WHO IS DANGEROUS YOU BARELY KNOW
[4:21:27 PM] Rebecca: (I knew what you meant I was continuing my sentence)
[4:21:45 PM] Alise: And make a huge spectacle of yourself right after she mentions she hates being a spectacle. Ehhhh
[4:22:07 PM] Alise: (the skirt thing)
[4:22:11 PM] Rebecca: Jump a wall because he did. To show him you’re not a coward
[4:22:48 PM] Alise: Okay my rating is going down to a two haha
[4:22:53 PM] Rebecca: ahaa
[4:23:06 PM] Rebecca: I’m still floating between 2 and 3.
[4:23:17 PM] Rebecca: Culture and powers and mytology and setting get 3
[4:23:24 PM] Rebecca: romance, characters, and plot get 2
[4:23:58 PM] Alise: Yeah. So 2.5 really
[4:24:03 PM] Rebecca: Maybe
[4:24:06 PM] Rebecca: I don’t know
[4:24:08 PM] Alise: Will you be reading the sequel?
[4:24:11 PM] Rebecca: Probably
[4:24:16 PM] Rebecca: I need answers
[4:24:26 PM] Rebecca: But the romance may kill me
[4:24:29 PM] Rebecca: Not in a good way
[4:24:34 PM] Alise: Then you can tell me if I should read it xD
[4:24:38 PM] Rebecca: ahaha
[4:24:53 PM] Alise: Yeah because I have a feeling the next book is going to focus more on that love triangle
[4:25:02 PM] Alise: The one that just seemed shoved in there for no reason.
[4:25:12 PM] Rebecca: WHAT LOVE TRIANGLE??!!?! I see no reason for one
[4:25:33 PM] Alise: Jun?
[4:25:33 PM] Rebecca: Especially after the “twist” at the end
[4:25:56 PM] Rebecca: I predicted that as soon as the kendo comp happened
[4:25:59 PM] Alise: True, but even after after Katie was still uncertain about her feelings for Jun
[4:26:07 PM] Rebecca: Oh great
[4:26:12 PM] Alise: I actually didn’t predict the kendo competition twist
[4:26:51 PM] Rebecca: I must be psychic then. I often correctly predict breakfast options at uni
[4:26:57 PM] Rebecca: My powers extend to YA plots
[4:28:17 PM] Alise: Lmao
[4:29:00 PM] Rebecca: But seriously, I need to read a book that will completely surprise me with every twist
[4:29:34 PM] Alise: I think I’ve read a few…the names escape me. I would also really like to read a book where the MC DOESN’T have any powers and is 100% normal and powerless.
[4:29:50 PM] Alise: But that’s not INK, so I guess we’re done here :P
[4:29:54 PM] Rebecca: We should write one
[4:29:56 PM] Rebecca: I guess
[4:30:08 PM] Rebecca: I can’t think of anything else to add
[4:30:16 PM] Alise: kay
[4:30:17 PM] Alise: CURTAIN FALLS. xD
I liked it, but as someone else pointed out on their review, it closely resembles Twilight. Now, would I have noticed the simularities before? I don't know. But I did like reading it, but I also like the Twilight series. So if you hate Twilight, you might hate this series. If you liked Twilight then you will most likely like this series. I liked the mixture of Japanese words in the conversations too. And the detail of the country was beautiful. Then again, I have been to Japan so maybe I could picture Amanda Sun's descriptions because I have actually seen the culture. Either way I will be looking forward to reading the next book.