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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
Personally, I did not like Katie Greene as much as I wish I did because almost as soon as she met him, he was all she was thinking about all the time. She followed him (seriously, it was creepy) everywhere.
Also, she cried a lot. Now I'm not being mean (well, I'm not trying to be) but Katie literally cried over things that she could have...reacted differently to. Just saying.
I really liked the book though. The Japanese culture was really interesting and described well with little smatterings of Japanese sprinkled throughout the book. The guys didn't have normal hair. Wait. Okay, one did.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes modern (contemporary?) fantasy and romance. For some reason the guy characters remind me of manga comics book characters.
I would also like to add that Katie was blonde. And blondes really do stand out in Asian countries because Asian people are in awe of that color of hair. I know because I'm half-Asian and it's very true.
Also, she cried a lot. Now I'm not being mean (well, I'm not trying to be) but Katie literally cried over things that she could have...reacted differently to. Just saying.
I really liked the book though. The Japanese culture was really interesting and described well with little smatterings of Japanese sprinkled throughout the book. The guys didn't have normal hair. Wait. Okay, one did.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes modern (contemporary?) fantasy and romance. For some reason the guy characters remind me of manga comics book characters.
I would also like to add that Katie was blonde. And blondes really do stand out in Asian countries because Asian people are in awe of that color of hair. I know because I'm half-Asian and it's very true.
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*
*Thank you Net Galley & Mira Ink*
The true rating of this book is 2.5* and I am very disappointed to have to give it that. I had very high hopes for this book. There was a lot of hype, the cover was beautiful, the synopsis sounded amazing, but me and this book just weren't meant to be! I found it frustrating, very slow at times and I didn't really feel much emotion for either of the protagonists.
The reason for the 3* is because it deserves higher than 2*. It was original, well thought out, included illustrations and I did enjoy the ending. However, it took me days to get through the first 50% of the book. I felt like a foreigner myself within the pages. It's set in Japan and it includes a fair amount of Japanese language and culture. The majority of the time I love delving into new places, but this one left me with discomfort.
I liked the premiss of the book. A young girl loses her mother and has to move to Japan, meets boy who is in a similar situation but with a dark secret. Very cliché but I generally enjoy books like that. However, no matter what happened and what we found out about Tomohiro I could not bring myself to sympathise with him or even like him. Katie was constantly having to do the work whilst he mood swung his way through the novel. He reminded me in certain ways of Edward Cullen with the whole I'm-dangerous-you-should-stay-away thing. Bleurgh.
The ending was predictable and again, cliché. This isn't a bad thing but I missed the whole heart racing, anticipation and excitement that comes in a book filled with action and dangerous possibilities. Unfortunately this book didn't hold this for me, and I'm really disappointed to have to write such a negative review.
*Thank you Net Galley & Mira Ink*
The true rating of this book is 2.5* and I am very disappointed to have to give it that. I had very high hopes for this book. There was a lot of hype, the cover was beautiful, the synopsis sounded amazing, but me and this book just weren't meant to be! I found it frustrating, very slow at times and I didn't really feel much emotion for either of the protagonists.
The reason for the 3* is because it deserves higher than 2*. It was original, well thought out, included illustrations and I did enjoy the ending. However, it took me days to get through the first 50% of the book. I felt like a foreigner myself within the pages. It's set in Japan and it includes a fair amount of Japanese language and culture. The majority of the time I love delving into new places, but this one left me with discomfort.
I liked the premiss of the book. A young girl loses her mother and has to move to Japan, meets boy who is in a similar situation but with a dark secret. Very cliché but I generally enjoy books like that. However, no matter what happened and what we found out about Tomohiro I could not bring myself to sympathise with him or even like him. Katie was constantly having to do the work whilst he mood swung his way through the novel. He reminded me in certain ways of Edward Cullen with the whole I'm-dangerous-you-should-stay-away thing. Bleurgh.
The ending was predictable and again, cliché. This isn't a bad thing but I missed the whole heart racing, anticipation and excitement that comes in a book filled with action and dangerous possibilities. Unfortunately this book didn't hold this for me, and I'm really disappointed to have to write such a negative review.
I think I screamed when I got approved for an ARC of this. As soon as Ink came onto my radar, I knew I had to read it - not only was it a unique concept, but I love Japan, and a young adult book surrounding it and it's culture with a mythological twist? Well, how could I say no?
After the death of her mother, Katie is sent away to live with her Aunt Diane in Japan. At first, she hates it; with no friends in a country where they speak a foreign tongue and write in a different language, Katie is lost and just missing home. That is, until she stumbles upon a break-up between Tomohiro and Myu, and sees something that will change the course of her life forever.
Sun's descriptions were gorgeous, and within the first few pages, it already felt like I'd been transported to Japan. The descriptions were so rich, I could practically taste the sweet curry, see the blossoms, and smell the steaming rice. Her writing absolutely swept me away.
I was also impressed by the entire concept. YA books surrounding Greek mythology are starting to become more popular and slightly overdone - so a book continuing the mythology theme, but with an entirely different culture, was really new and eye-opening. And as Sun actually has insight into real Japanese culture, I thought it was really well-done, too.
Katie...I didn't hate her, but I didn't love her either. She was that very typical, indecisive heroine, who in a moment of danger is thinking about the signals her love interest is giving her. I know this novel had slightly paranormal aspects, but Katie was meant to be a character teens could relate to, and in real-life if I was being chased by mobsters, I wouldn't be blushing about some guy touching my arm. So that part of her really irritated me, alongside how she repeated the same thought at least ten times. Not to give away any spoilers, but at the end when she was deciding what to do - my gosh, was that her sole thought. She was just very centred around Tomohiro, and actually quite a bit of a stalker - I'm surprised he didn't go running for the hills! However, I did like him. This may sound silly, but the image of him I had in my head was that of Light Yagami from Death Note, which has to be my favourite manga/anime series - especially since when Tomohiro went into that zen drawing mode, it reminded me so much of how Light goes crazy when writing names in the notebook. Though thinking on that, I didn't actually have an image of Katie in my head at all. She had blonde hair? That's about all the physical characterisation I got.
Aside from the initial insta-love, I actually really liked both Tomohiro and Katie together. There was something realistic about parts of their romance, and the make out scenes - phew, is it just me, or is it getting a bit hot in here?
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. It's recently been getting quite a few negative reviews, so I was worried that maybe my expectations were set to high. Luckily, I had no need for concern - the synopsis promised exactly what the book delivered, and whilst reading Ink, I was swept into this new world full of gods and goddesses, foreign words, and hot boys - complete book heaven! It was a unique concept, and I am officially in love with the Paper Gods series. Amanda Sun is an author to look out for.
After the death of her mother, Katie is sent away to live with her Aunt Diane in Japan. At first, she hates it; with no friends in a country where they speak a foreign tongue and write in a different language, Katie is lost and just missing home. That is, until she stumbles upon a break-up between Tomohiro and Myu, and sees something that will change the course of her life forever.
Sun's descriptions were gorgeous, and within the first few pages, it already felt like I'd been transported to Japan. The descriptions were so rich, I could practically taste the sweet curry, see the blossoms, and smell the steaming rice. Her writing absolutely swept me away.
I was also impressed by the entire concept. YA books surrounding Greek mythology are starting to become more popular and slightly overdone - so a book continuing the mythology theme, but with an entirely different culture, was really new and eye-opening. And as Sun actually has insight into real Japanese culture, I thought it was really well-done, too.
Katie...I didn't hate her, but I didn't love her either. She was that very typical, indecisive heroine, who in a moment of danger is thinking about the signals her love interest is giving her. I know this novel had slightly paranormal aspects, but Katie was meant to be a character teens could relate to, and in real-life if I was being chased by mobsters, I wouldn't be blushing about some guy touching my arm. So that part of her really irritated me, alongside how she repeated the same thought at least ten times. Not to give away any spoilers, but at the end when she was deciding what to do - my gosh, was that her sole thought. She was just very centred around Tomohiro, and actually quite a bit of a stalker - I'm surprised he didn't go running for the hills! However, I did like him. This may sound silly, but the image of him I had in my head was that of Light Yagami from Death Note, which has to be my favourite manga/anime series - especially since when Tomohiro went into that zen drawing mode, it reminded me so much of how Light goes crazy when writing names in the notebook. Though thinking on that, I didn't actually have an image of Katie in my head at all. She had blonde hair? That's about all the physical characterisation I got.
Aside from the initial insta-love, I actually really liked both Tomohiro and Katie together. There was something realistic about parts of their romance, and the make out scenes - phew, is it just me, or is it getting a bit hot in here?
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. It's recently been getting quite a few negative reviews, so I was worried that maybe my expectations were set to high. Luckily, I had no need for concern - the synopsis promised exactly what the book delivered, and whilst reading Ink, I was swept into this new world full of gods and goddesses, foreign words, and hot boys - complete book heaven! It was a unique concept, and I am officially in love with the Paper Gods series. Amanda Sun is an author to look out for.
Another in the "descendents of the gods" genre, this time set in Japan and the gods are Kami.
Katie has recently lost her mother (Dad doesn't seem to have been a part of their lives - but my guess is he'll play a role later in the series) and because her grandfather is receiving cancer treatment, she's moved to Japan to live with her aunt. Not only does she not really know her aunt, she doesn't know Japanese, Japanese culture or their educational system: it's a complete upheaval of her life. After two months she's starting to make a friend, Yuki, and understand the language (immersion will do that for you); then she overhears a very nasty breakup between Yuu Tomohiro and his girlfriend and sees something odd - the drawing he did is moving. Thus begins Katie's obsession with Tomo and their adventure(?) with his drawings and her affinity for the ink.
There's plenty here about Japan, but in many ways there was not enough. When Katie and Yuki go to visit Yuki's brother, a caretaker/webmaster for a shrine, there was some discussion about Kami but not enough for anyone who is coming to this from a position of complete ignorance. Ditto Japanese history. It was also a little strange to me that Katie would have a cell phone and computer, but no friends in America with whom to interact (I don't mean "Americans in Japan", I mean "people she left behind when she moved"), because she doesn't seem to be the loner/loser type.
ARC provided by publisher.
Katie has recently lost her mother (Dad doesn't seem to have been a part of their lives - but my guess is he'll play a role later in the series) and because her grandfather is receiving cancer treatment, she's moved to Japan to live with her aunt. Not only does she not really know her aunt, she doesn't know Japanese, Japanese culture or their educational system: it's a complete upheaval of her life. After two months she's starting to make a friend, Yuki, and understand the language (immersion will do that for you); then she overhears a very nasty breakup between Yuu Tomohiro and his girlfriend and sees something odd - the drawing he did is moving. Thus begins Katie's obsession with Tomo and their adventure(?) with his drawings and her affinity for the ink.
There's plenty here about Japan, but in many ways there was not enough. When Katie and Yuki go to visit Yuki's brother, a caretaker/webmaster for a shrine, there was some discussion about Kami but not enough for anyone who is coming to this from a position of complete ignorance. Ditto Japanese history. It was also a little strange to me that Katie would have a cell phone and computer, but no friends in America with whom to interact (I don't mean "Americans in Japan", I mean "people she left behind when she moved"), because she doesn't seem to be the loner/loser type.
ARC provided by publisher.
Was sort of into it but it just became very disappointing....
Mythology has always been a love of mine, so naturally when an author draws on it in their writing I am all over it. When I heard about Ink for the first time and saw that it was based on Japanese Mythology I was thrilled. One, because its mythology(duh!), and two because its a culture that is so foreign to me that I was excited to read about it.
Ink follows Katie, a young girl whose mother dies and is shipped off to live with her aunt in Japan. What I loved most about Katie was her ability as a narrator to make the reader understand everything around her, even if they are in another language. Katie know Japanese and can speak it so that was an aspect I loved reading and trying to wrap my head around. Amanda Sun did an amazing job at incorporating Japanese language and culture without alienating the reader. although I did not understand all the cultural nuances, it in no way took away from the story, which was great.
Although this novel is about Japanese mythology, it is also about the relationship between Katie and Tomo- A local boy with the ability to make drawings come to life. Their relationship was great because it was not a love at first sight kind of story, it was more a lust/hate kind at the beginning. I loved watching their relationship grow and their ability to trust each other come to light. It was a great relationship to read- not only because of the sexual tension but also because it felt real and like a young first love.
Ink was an amazing debut that blew me away from the very first page. Not only will you fall in love with Katie and Tomo but also with Japan. Ink showcases a culture that is extremely foreign, yet presents it in a way that we can all relate to. A great read.
Ink follows Katie, a young girl whose mother dies and is shipped off to live with her aunt in Japan. What I loved most about Katie was her ability as a narrator to make the reader understand everything around her, even if they are in another language. Katie know Japanese and can speak it so that was an aspect I loved reading and trying to wrap my head around. Amanda Sun did an amazing job at incorporating Japanese language and culture without alienating the reader. although I did not understand all the cultural nuances, it in no way took away from the story, which was great.
Although this novel is about Japanese mythology, it is also about the relationship between Katie and Tomo- A local boy with the ability to make drawings come to life. Their relationship was great because it was not a love at first sight kind of story, it was more a lust/hate kind at the beginning. I loved watching their relationship grow and their ability to trust each other come to light. It was a great relationship to read- not only because of the sexual tension but also because it felt real and like a young first love.
Ink was an amazing debut that blew me away from the very first page. Not only will you fall in love with Katie and Tomo but also with Japan. Ink showcases a culture that is extremely foreign, yet presents it in a way that we can all relate to. A great read.
Amanda's writing let me see Japan through the fantastic and fascinating eyes of her main character, from the voice of someone who loves the country and culture as her own. INK (THE PAPER GODS) was both suspenseful and magical. A great debut. I can't wait to see what this author writes next!
Hmm. This was a little bit disappointing for me. The cover really made me want to love this book, but I didn't. The main character was really annoying, and I had a hard time connecting with her. However, I could only see these characters as anime in my head so, that was cool :)
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