Reviews

How much do you really know about love? Asra’s journey through Zumorda reminds us that love bears no strings. Inkmistress bled a rich tale of magic and gods that I was afraid would be dense but was in fact so readable and engaging from start to finish. I hated Ina, she’s the worst. I thought Hal was a little flat at first, but then as the book went on it became clear that he’s not. The lore of magic endowed upon humans as manifests and upon demigods as Farhearing and dictation of past or future was fascinating, as well as Asra’s blood magic in general, the painting of blood upon another so macabre but also so beautiful to behold. Universal themes of destiny, redemption, love, family, and forgiveness resonate throughout the novel, Asra growing to comprehend the nature of each and appreciate them all. Her power is the book’s greatest motif—shaping one’s fate, but wounding yourself inadvertently in the process. Something I’m sure we can all relate to. The difference with Asra is that she can actually change her past as so many of us desire to, and the Fatestone is the key symbol of this. Reformation without consequence, without having to face our mistakes. As a demigod with this power of fate, Asra’s fatal flaw is her naïveté—feeling that something is so simple like this that even if you repaired your mistake something worse might replace or you might make an even worse mistake in the future because you did not learn from the original. Asra’s blood is also great symbol of mortal greed—wanting to improve ourselves without real effort, why so many bloodscribes live such short lives since their gift ages them exponentially. Audrey Coulthurst herself is an inkmistress with the wisdom she scribbled into this novel. Would you seek the Fatestone? Do you dare rewrite your past? Invent your future? Can you live with the consequences? Beware the blood of Asra the inkmistress…

Content Warnings

tiffani_reads's review against another edition

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4.0

Why did it take me so long to read this book when it is clearly the bisexual book that I have been waiting for. Ya ok, it is completely fantastical but the main characters representation of bisexuality is so amazing that I would have loved it solely for that reason alone.

The story that this book weaves is amazing in its own right. Asra is a demi-god is with the power to change the past or shape the future with her blood. This gift costs her years of her life every time she uses it though. With her godly parentage unknown, she does not fully understand her gifts or what they mean. Until one day she uses her power to help the girl she loves and it doesn’t unfold how she had hoped. Now she has to find a way to change the past and undo the damage she has done.

The journey she goes on leads her down paths she would have never foreseen for herself from the shelter and safety of her cave. The people she meets and the new connections she forges make her wonder if changing the past is the answer, or maybe is it something else entirely.

tibcanread's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5/5

What can I say about this book? Besides the fact I was raging for most of the second half of it.

Spoiler

The moment Ina showed her true bitch self, I was raging. Raging that Ina was such a bitch. Raging that Asra still wanted to get the stone to rewrite the past, stupidly thinking that Ina would somehow magically love her for real. Raging that Nismae was just as much of a huge bitch as Ina was. Raging about the fact that these two bitches fell in love with each other. That only one bad guy died.

And yet, I still really enjoyed the book. I don't usually rage that hard over something I don't really care about. Did I like it as much as Of Fire and Stars? No, not as much, but it was still really good. The characters were more infuriating in this book, and I think some parts of the world could have been explained a little more in-depth, but that was the case in Audrey's other book as well. It wasn't completely incomprehensible, but I would have liked a little more clarification on some things.

thekindworthreading's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

sungleberry's review against another edition

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2.0

While I didn't love Of Fire and Stars I picked this book up because of the plot. Magic with drastic consequences is always something that interests me, however, I didn't love this book. Without getting into spoilers I found some characters just annoying when they were likely supposed to be lovable. The ending was also somewhat mediocre for me. I felt as if all of these stakes had been created and I was very excited to see where it went, but in the end a plot device was used and those stakes became irrelevant. I also thought the ending went by rather quickly considering all of the buildup. Despite this I did enjoy the book, the magic system did not disappoint! In the end I'm interested enough in this world to read Of Ice and Shadows, but these aren't books I think I'd read again.

book_hoarding_dragon's review against another edition

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3.0

I do have mixed feelings in regards to this book.

Things I liked:
-In comparison to Of Fire and Stars, I feel like the world building was better done. However I think there were some elements that could have been explained.

Spoiler

For example, the monarchy in this kingdom isn't deemed by lineage but rather by combat, but the winner generally has to have the backing of all the gods. The boar king said if a challenger wins and they don't have it, the gods will leave and the land will become a wasteland. It was not explained how a person gets the backing of all of the gods. Is there a magical quest involved? The gods send signs to a person?

-Dragons!
-Bi rep

Things I didn't like:
-One of the problems I had with Of Fire and Stars was the cheating storyline, I get that it was an arranged marriage, but it still feels like cheating. Well, that storyline is once again used in the beginning of the book.
-Asra. There's just so much of her character that frustrated me.

Spoiler

Like in the beginning of the book, she learns that Ina was betrothed to some random guy, after Ina and Asra had spend the night together. Asra still pins for Ina. Asra then finds out that Ina is pregnant because she was also with betrothed guy. Asra still pins for Ina. Ina basically blames everything on Asra (when Ina is the one who basically started the whole chain reaction). Asra: going to redo the past so that they can start "their story over." Frankly, when Ina betrayed Asra in the middle of the book, I was surprised that Asra hated her then.

-I loved the bi rep, but I felt like the Hal was a bit underdeveloped. I felt like I knew Ina better as a character then him.
-Hal's plot twist made zero sense.

Spoiler

If he was looking for the last bloodscribe and he knew it was her... why did he act so shocked when Ina revealed it? Why did he reassure his sister that he didn't know? Was he lying? It is possible he eavesdropped on Asra's and Ina's conversation at the cliff. But it still doesn't explain why he helped her when they first met, since Asra says he's known all along.

m0thermayi's review against another edition

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3.0

3.75 stars |

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