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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
Quiero dejar claro desde el principio que el libro podría haber sido MUY bueno, pero por una serie de cosas de las que voy a hablar más abajo se ha quedado en infumable.
Personajes
Quiero empezar hablando de la toxicidad de la relación de los protagonistas, Katie y Tomohiro, porque sinceramente, en este libro hay poco más. Me voy a centrar en Tomohiro, porque de Katie hay poco que decir. Os juro que Tomohiro es el protagonista peor ejecutado desde Lance McClain. Primero es imbécil, con esa aura que pretende ser de chico malo, luego es decente y se comporta como una persona, luego es el ser más amable y cariñoso del planeta y parece una persona completamente distinta, y al final imbécil otra vez. A ver, si haces un personaje frío y calculador, cuando muestras su lado sensible tiene que ser sutil. Es necesario que haya un proceso de evolución del personaje, es IMPORTANTE que se noten los pequeños cambios que están ocasionados por las circunstancias que narras en el libro. Coherencia. Un personaje no cambia de personalidad en media página, porque queda falso. Queda apresurado y da la sensación de maleabilidad emocional, es decir, que se nota que no es una persona real. No quiero que nadie se sienta atacado en el caso de personas con trastornos de personalidad sientan que las estoy invalidando; solo estoy diciendo que si haces esos cambios exagerados con un personaje supuestamente sano, no te queda realista y hace que el lector desconecte del vínculo emocional con el personaje.
Además, todo esto del discurso “soy peligroso, soy un monstruo” realmente invisibiliza el peligro de todo el asunto. Intenta despertar una respuesta compasiva del público cuando más nos valdría a todos salir por patas ante un tío con esta actitud*1. No os equivoqueis. Todo eso de sentirse mal por hacer cosas malas solo es para que al lector nos de pena y le perdonemos todos los pecados. No hay ninguna redención real ni moral.
*1 Cuando he dicho actitud estaba hablando de: maltratar psicológicamente a sus parejas sentimentales para alejarlas de él. Crea una idea de amor romántico bastante acertada: ES TÓXICO. Si tu pareja de verdad piensa que no es una buena persona y que deberías mantenerte lejos de él/ella lo que tiene que hacer es sentarte, hablarlo, y luego ponerte una orden de alejamiento por tu seguridad. Y lo otro es maltrato disfrazado.
Me vais a perdonar por insistir tanto, pero en serio: esto de “te alejo porque quiero protegerte” solo es un recurso para añadir drama a la historia. No es bonito, ni útil, y si te lo están haciendo a lo mejor solo quieren que desarrolles una dependencia con esa persona.
Por otro lado, ¿estamos tontos o estamos tontos? El recurso de alejar a alguien de ti para protegerlo se usa mucho en la literatura juvenil, pero nunca había visto que lo pusieran en práctica con un intento de violación. Gente, si tu pareja intenta obligarte a mantener sexo/cualquier tipo de contacto físico aunque hayas dicho no o expresado tu disgusto de otra manera ES VIOLACIÓN. Y es injustificable.
Pasemos al resto de personajes.
Diane es prácticamente una excusa para que Katie se mude a Japón. ¿Vosotros os creeis que algún adulto responsable que le acaban de dar la custodia de un adolescente deja que se mueva por las calles de un país extranjero él solito? Porque a mi no me dejaban ni bajar al parque de enfrente, comento. Pero es que no es solo eso. A Diane la vemos asomar la nariz en, qué sé yo, ¿tres páginas en total? Como digo, un personaje vacío para proporcionar excusa.
Yuki y Tanaka deberían haberse involucrado más, son más planos que la idea de globo terráqueo del siglo xv. Del hecho de que conozcan a Katie de hace tres segundos y ya sean amiguis no voy a despotricar porque todos hemos hecho algún amigo más rápido de lo que te preparas un té, pero seamos sinceros. El problema no ha sido la celeridad. El problema es que de Yuki y Tanaka solo se habla cuando aparecen en la escena. No interactúan más allá de eso, pero aparecen lo bastante como para que el lector les considere personajes.
Vamos con alguien que pintaba menos aún en la historia. Jun :) no :) pintaba :) nada en la historia :))) solo estaba ahí para hacer un plot twist mal y rápido y evitar que a Katie le ocurrieran desgracias al doblar las esquinas. Es un personaje comodín. Además de ser #creepy, Jun sigue el patrón del acosador. Aparece constantemente con la cantinela de “¡qué casualidad!” como si el lector fuera tonto, y cada vez pone más nerviosa a Katie porque es un w e i r d o . No lo entenderéis hasta que lo leáis, pero os juro que es ridículo.
E Ishikawa. Pobre Ishikawa. El chaval no es ni un buen villano ni un buen amigo, y también tiene una personalidad contradictoria que deja ver que su única función era poner presión.
¿El hermano de Yuki ahí todo random era para soltar info rápido y mal y ya está? Ha sido la típica parte en la que la protagonista busca respuestas a su problema en un oráculo o investigando, solo que Katie no ha tenido que buscar nada. Resulta que los demás personajes lo adivinan todo solo con mirarle a la cara. La escena fue tal que: “¿Has visto eso?”, “Katie, ¿eres la elegida, verdad?” y “[grito ahogado de sorpresa] ¿¡Cómo lo has sabido!?”
Esto es solo para quejarme, ¿pero es que Suzuki es la única profe que da clase en el Suntaba o cómo va esto? Estos niños siempre tienen mates, ¿será casualidad o estereotipo de mierda*2?
*2 Por si alguien se ha perdido en lo que por qué es un estereotipo que siempre estén haciendo clase de matemáticas, lo voy a explicar muy rápido: los japoneses, la gente asiática en general, se considera que son unos cracks con los números. Que siempre estén en clase de mates me ha parecido de mal gusto y directamente racista.
Elementos formales
La narrativa en general es un tanto ridícula y no sé si es por la traducción o es que a la editorial ya les llegó así de pobre. No solo la narración está mal ejecutada (repite constantemente “Es por eso que tal cosa pasó”, “Es por esto que x actuaba así”, “¿Cómo no me había dado cuenta de esto?”, y eso es porque la autora seguramente es consciente de que la trama es forzada y poco cohesionada pero no quiere arriesgarse a que el lector pierda el hilo), sino que es del todo evidente. Me refiero a que no es un narrador sutil, no es como escuchar los pensamientos del personaje. Es como si el personaje fuera consciente de que estás ahí y te estuviera explicando las cosas.
Esto me lleva a una escena concreta en la que Katie e Ishikawa se encuentran y no pasa absolutamente nada. Él lleva una navaja, ella le diga que tenga cuidado, y no sabemos nada más. En este caso, la mente de Katie no se ha parado a explicar al lector la situación, y por eso no la conocemos. Es una obviedad secreta.
¿Alguien más se ha dado cuenta de que la autora no sabe cómo funciona el concepto “capítulo”? Porque algunos terminan sin más, otros acaban y prosigues al pie de la letra donde se dejó, otros no… En fin, me lo pones todo seguido y no noto la diferencia.
Conclusión
En resumen: si queréis literatura juvenil fantástica ambientada en Japón, leed a Jay Kristoff, haced el favor, y no os compréis este libro porque vaya decepción con 300 páginas de aire.
Más claro aún: ¿Recomiendo el libro? No. Y para los listillos que vengáis a decirme “Bueno, como literatura juvenil ya está bien, los jóvenes no necesitan una trama muy elaborada” os diré que:
Si necesitamos tramas elaboradas. Somos más jóvenes, no más tontos. Merecemos una obra bien trabajada, no cualquier basura.
No, no vale que lo lean los jóvenes porque “al ser menos exigentes les da igual”, porque lo que hacen los libros así es convencer a la peña de que, por ejemplo, mentir y herir intencionadamente a tu pareja está bien, que luego le sueltas cualquier milonga cursi de que es porque no tienes autoestima y querías protegerlo y te perdona sin más. Con la literatura juvenil hay que tener mucho cuidado con lo que decimos porque es muy influyente es cómo ven los jóvenes el mundo y a las personas. Así que si este libro no es un ejemplo de valores morales correctos se dice y a otra cosa, mariposa.
‘enga, aire, nos vemos a la próxima. Jaa ne.
Personajes
Quiero empezar hablando de la toxicidad de la relación de los protagonistas, Katie y Tomohiro, porque sinceramente, en este libro hay poco más. Me voy a centrar en Tomohiro, porque de Katie hay poco que decir. Os juro que Tomohiro es el protagonista peor ejecutado desde Lance McClain. Primero es imbécil, con esa aura que pretende ser de chico malo, luego es decente y se comporta como una persona, luego es el ser más amable y cariñoso del planeta y parece una persona completamente distinta, y al final imbécil otra vez. A ver, si haces un personaje frío y calculador, cuando muestras su lado sensible tiene que ser sutil. Es necesario que haya un proceso de evolución del personaje, es IMPORTANTE que se noten los pequeños cambios que están ocasionados por las circunstancias que narras en el libro. Coherencia. Un personaje no cambia de personalidad en media página, porque queda falso. Queda apresurado y da la sensación de maleabilidad emocional, es decir, que se nota que no es una persona real. No quiero que nadie se sienta atacado en el caso de personas con trastornos de personalidad sientan que las estoy invalidando; solo estoy diciendo que si haces esos cambios exagerados con un personaje supuestamente sano, no te queda realista y hace que el lector desconecte del vínculo emocional con el personaje.
Además, todo esto del discurso “soy peligroso, soy un monstruo” realmente invisibiliza el peligro de todo el asunto. Intenta despertar una respuesta compasiva del público cuando más nos valdría a todos salir por patas ante un tío con esta actitud*1. No os equivoqueis. Todo eso de sentirse mal por hacer cosas malas solo es para que al lector nos de pena y le perdonemos todos los pecados. No hay ninguna redención real ni moral.
*1 Cuando he dicho actitud estaba hablando de: maltratar psicológicamente a sus parejas sentimentales para alejarlas de él. Crea una idea de amor romántico bastante acertada: ES TÓXICO. Si tu pareja de verdad piensa que no es una buena persona y que deberías mantenerte lejos de él/ella lo que tiene que hacer es sentarte, hablarlo, y luego ponerte una orden de alejamiento por tu seguridad. Y lo otro es maltrato disfrazado.
Me vais a perdonar por insistir tanto, pero en serio: esto de “te alejo porque quiero protegerte” solo es un recurso para añadir drama a la historia. No es bonito, ni útil, y si te lo están haciendo a lo mejor solo quieren que desarrolles una dependencia con esa persona.
Por otro lado, ¿estamos tontos o estamos tontos? El recurso de alejar a alguien de ti para protegerlo se usa mucho en la literatura juvenil, pero nunca había visto que lo pusieran en práctica con un intento de violación. Gente, si tu pareja intenta obligarte a mantener sexo/cualquier tipo de contacto físico aunque hayas dicho no o expresado tu disgusto de otra manera ES VIOLACIÓN. Y es injustificable.
Pasemos al resto de personajes.
Diane es prácticamente una excusa para que Katie se mude a Japón. ¿Vosotros os creeis que algún adulto responsable que le acaban de dar la custodia de un adolescente deja que se mueva por las calles de un país extranjero él solito? Porque a mi no me dejaban ni bajar al parque de enfrente, comento. Pero es que no es solo eso. A Diane la vemos asomar la nariz en, qué sé yo, ¿tres páginas en total? Como digo, un personaje vacío para proporcionar excusa.
Yuki y Tanaka deberían haberse involucrado más, son más planos que la idea de globo terráqueo del siglo xv. Del hecho de que conozcan a Katie de hace tres segundos y ya sean amiguis no voy a despotricar porque todos hemos hecho algún amigo más rápido de lo que te preparas un té, pero seamos sinceros. El problema no ha sido la celeridad. El problema es que de Yuki y Tanaka solo se habla cuando aparecen en la escena. No interactúan más allá de eso, pero aparecen lo bastante como para que el lector les considere personajes.
Vamos con alguien que pintaba menos aún en la historia. Jun :) no :) pintaba :) nada en la historia :))) solo estaba ahí para hacer un plot twist mal y rápido y evitar que a Katie le ocurrieran desgracias al doblar las esquinas. Es un personaje comodín. Además de ser #creepy, Jun sigue el patrón del acosador. Aparece constantemente con la cantinela de “¡qué casualidad!” como si el lector fuera tonto, y cada vez pone más nerviosa a Katie porque es un w e i r d o . No lo entenderéis hasta que lo leáis, pero os juro que es ridículo.
E Ishikawa. Pobre Ishikawa. El chaval no es ni un buen villano ni un buen amigo, y también tiene una personalidad contradictoria que deja ver que su única función era poner presión.
¿El hermano de Yuki ahí todo random era para soltar info rápido y mal y ya está? Ha sido la típica parte en la que la protagonista busca respuestas a su problema en un oráculo o investigando, solo que Katie no ha tenido que buscar nada. Resulta que los demás personajes lo adivinan todo solo con mirarle a la cara. La escena fue tal que: “¿Has visto eso?”, “Katie, ¿eres la elegida, verdad?” y “[grito ahogado de sorpresa] ¿¡Cómo lo has sabido!?”
Esto es solo para quejarme, ¿pero es que Suzuki es la única profe que da clase en el Suntaba o cómo va esto? Estos niños siempre tienen mates, ¿será casualidad o estereotipo de mierda*2?
*2 Por si alguien se ha perdido en lo que por qué es un estereotipo que siempre estén haciendo clase de matemáticas, lo voy a explicar muy rápido: los japoneses, la gente asiática en general, se considera que son unos cracks con los números. Que siempre estén en clase de mates me ha parecido de mal gusto y directamente racista.
Elementos formales
La narrativa en general es un tanto ridícula y no sé si es por la traducción o es que a la editorial ya les llegó así de pobre. No solo la narración está mal ejecutada (repite constantemente “Es por eso que tal cosa pasó”, “Es por esto que x actuaba así”, “¿Cómo no me había dado cuenta de esto?”, y eso es porque la autora seguramente es consciente de que la trama es forzada y poco cohesionada pero no quiere arriesgarse a que el lector pierda el hilo), sino que es del todo evidente. Me refiero a que no es un narrador sutil, no es como escuchar los pensamientos del personaje. Es como si el personaje fuera consciente de que estás ahí y te estuviera explicando las cosas.
Esto me lleva a una escena concreta en la que Katie e Ishikawa se encuentran y no pasa absolutamente nada. Él lleva una navaja, ella le diga que tenga cuidado, y no sabemos nada más. En este caso, la mente de Katie no se ha parado a explicar al lector la situación, y por eso no la conocemos. Es una obviedad secreta.
¿Alguien más se ha dado cuenta de que la autora no sabe cómo funciona el concepto “capítulo”? Porque algunos terminan sin más, otros acaban y prosigues al pie de la letra donde se dejó, otros no… En fin, me lo pones todo seguido y no noto la diferencia.
Conclusión
En resumen: si queréis literatura juvenil fantástica ambientada en Japón, leed a Jay Kristoff, haced el favor, y no os compréis este libro porque vaya decepción con 300 páginas de aire.
Más claro aún: ¿Recomiendo el libro? No. Y para los listillos que vengáis a decirme “Bueno, como literatura juvenil ya está bien, los jóvenes no necesitan una trama muy elaborada” os diré que:
Si necesitamos tramas elaboradas. Somos más jóvenes, no más tontos. Merecemos una obra bien trabajada, no cualquier basura.
No, no vale que lo lean los jóvenes porque “al ser menos exigentes les da igual”, porque lo que hacen los libros así es convencer a la peña de que, por ejemplo, mentir y herir intencionadamente a tu pareja está bien, que luego le sueltas cualquier milonga cursi de que es porque no tienes autoestima y querías protegerlo y te perdona sin más. Con la literatura juvenil hay que tener mucho cuidado con lo que decimos porque es muy influyente es cómo ven los jóvenes el mundo y a las personas. Así que si este libro no es un ejemplo de valores morales correctos se dice y a otra cosa, mariposa.
‘enga, aire, nos vemos a la próxima. Jaa ne.
Thanks to the publisher for an eARC.
Where do I even start with this one?
I am going to be completely honest. I can completely see why a lot of people compared this to Twilight. A lot of the situations and scenarios in the book really gave me the deja-vu feeling. Now, in my personal estimation, this is not a bad thing. I am a fan of the Twilight series, but for others, this may be a turnoff.
The writing was not bad at all, though. I enjoyed the fact that the setting was unique. I have never read a novel set in Japan before. I have never had an interest in Japanese culture before, but I was completely intrigued by the way it was laid out in this novel.
Katie was.. Interesting. She has suffered a terrible loss and has to start over somewhere she never wanted to go, where she is faced with language barriers and cultural differences that to her seem insurmountable, but ultimately become a part of who she is. And the boy that she should stay away from becomes what draws her, in a way. She had no idea what lurked inside her, or what the connection would be in the end, but once she realizes it, she cannot deny the pull it has.
Tomo struck me as the typical bad boy, and very much reminded me of Edward from Twilight. "I'm the bad guy, stay away from me," being his driving characteristic.
I did find Yuki and Tanaka a little flat, but they were really background characters. Diane kind of reminded me of the aunt on the TV version of Vampire Diaries. But I found her likable and endearing for some reason.
If you like angsty teen romance, this is an excellent read. If you are a fan of Twilight or The Vampire Diaries, then you have to read this book.
Where do I even start with this one?
I am going to be completely honest. I can completely see why a lot of people compared this to Twilight. A lot of the situations and scenarios in the book really gave me the deja-vu feeling. Now, in my personal estimation, this is not a bad thing. I am a fan of the Twilight series, but for others, this may be a turnoff.
The writing was not bad at all, though. I enjoyed the fact that the setting was unique. I have never read a novel set in Japan before. I have never had an interest in Japanese culture before, but I was completely intrigued by the way it was laid out in this novel.
Katie was.. Interesting. She has suffered a terrible loss and has to start over somewhere she never wanted to go, where she is faced with language barriers and cultural differences that to her seem insurmountable, but ultimately become a part of who she is. And the boy that she should stay away from becomes what draws her, in a way. She had no idea what lurked inside her, or what the connection would be in the end, but once she realizes it, she cannot deny the pull it has.
Tomo struck me as the typical bad boy, and very much reminded me of Edward from Twilight. "I'm the bad guy, stay away from me," being his driving characteristic.
I did find Yuki and Tanaka a little flat, but they were really background characters. Diane kind of reminded me of the aunt on the TV version of Vampire Diaries. But I found her likable and endearing for some reason.
If you like angsty teen romance, this is an excellent read. If you are a fan of Twilight or The Vampire Diaries, then you have to read this book.
I am not going to lie, Ink may as well be the one of the best debut titles of 2013, if not the very best. It has everything, EVERYTHING I didn't know I was looking for so badly. Mixing the old with the new, Ink gives us the dangerous heart stopping tale we always crave in a completely new setting that involves paper gods, kendo clubs, and sizzling Japanese style romance.
Katie lost her mother, and soon after her homeland. With her grandfather battling cancer Katie has no choice but to move in with her aunt, Diane, who is an English teacher living in Japan. Now Katie not only has to deal with the crippling pain of losing her mother, but she also has to learn three different alphabets and try not to embarrass herself on a daily basis. From this point forward her life shall never be the same. Then she meets Tomohiro, a kendo star and a secret artist, and her life gets double complicated. Soon after she starts seeing drawings start to move and all hell breaks loose. Is she crazy? Or the more frightening option, what if she is not?
Katie is a likable main character. Right off the bat I liked this girl, she is lost, so totally lost in her new home, but she really tries. Although some times I was a little frustrated with some of her reactions when it came to Tomohiro (girl is slightly obsessed, with a sort of good reason but not even I would have gone after Tomo like that). I like how she embraced the Japanese culture, made friends, and even managed to fall in love, all while never losing sight of her inner pain. Amanda Sun handled the situation beautifully, not making it seem like Katie completely forgot about her mother but still letting her fall hard. Which leads us to...
Tomo, and the sexy ass romance. I have watched this show called Playful Kiss (South Korean romantic-comedy series) so when Tomo at the beginning was all hot and cold and seemed not to make sense I instantly connected him with the main male character from the show Baek Seung Jo. Which is why I wasn't too mad at him I guess? But in all seriousness this guy avoided telling the truth even more than Edward Cullen. It was frustrating, but then again it adds to the intrigue. Tomo is at the end of the day just a sweet sexy guy with an incredible connection to the dark side. I loved him! He is just so... complicated, and kind of a jerk at times true but overall he is a good guy at heart. They can't all be perfect, then again who wants perfect?
I know he is not Japanese, but he is just the person that came to mind while reading Ink.
And oh gosh the romance!! When even referring to someone by their first name is proof of intimacy you know you have another thing coming! A mere touch is enough to make you swoon. It's so romantic, and everyone is blushing and and...
AHHH!! There is also some very steam worthy scenes so be prepared and brace yourself (see picture above for confirmation).
But, I would have to say one of my favorite parts of the whole book was Japan. The way that Amanda Sun describes day to day Japan just makes you want to be there and experience it. After reading the book I went online to look for a way to learn Japanese, because it is just so intriguing! The food (the food!), the sights, the devious men (would it make me a horrible person if I said specially this? Oh Tomo)... I too want to spend a day watching the Sakura with friends while eating a picnic. I also liked how we get to experience Japan through Katie's eyes (an Amerika-jin) which helps us not only to connect with her in this completely new experience/difficult time but also to be able to dive into the culture little by little thus helping us not get overwhelmed with information.
At the end I had a lot of unanswered questions of course. I wanted some more background story on Katie and her parents (where is her dad? who is her dad?). I also had questions about the Paper Gods and how is Katie exactly connected to them, why? But I am guessing these silly things shall all be answered in the next books so I am not letting myself obsessed about it and just go with the flow. Amanda Sun will take care of it, I know she will.
You guys HAVE to read Ink. It was just too good, and refreshing to pass up! You will stay up hours into the night reading this book, I guarantee it.
hmmm.. I can't finish reading this book..
There is always something about the character and the story plot that really turned me off..
And I just can't force myself to keep reading it.. Sorry..
There is always something about the character and the story plot that really turned me off..
And I just can't force myself to keep reading it.. Sorry..
http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2014/comments_10/ink.html
Review posted on my blog, Audrey's Bookcase:
For starters, I love art. It's been a huge part of me growing up; I come from a family of amazing artists, painters, designers, and just creative people, period. So when I saw this amazing cover and read the synopsis, I was sold instantly.
The story is about Katie, a girl whose life changes after the death of her mother. She moves to Japan to live with her aunt. Completely new to the country, the society, the culture, Katie has a lot of adjusting to do. She starts her new life at a new school and meets a boy named Tomohiro. He's cold and distant, and extremely secretive. Later on she discovers that he's a talented artist whos drawings can move. His ability is connected to the ancient gods (kami). Despite all of his efforts to keep his distance, the two get closer. But Tomo is in danger -- he can't control his drawings when he's around Katie. And as if that's not enough, he's being hunted by the Yakuza for his ability.
Mythology, art, and the Japanese mafia. Sounds like an exhilarating fantastical romp, doesn't it? But of course, it didn't come without its flaws. I wasn't a huge fan of Katie. Not connecting with the main character of a novel always puts quite the damper on things, but hey, I tried. I did understand that life was hard for her; she just lost her mother and she was forced to be in a place completely foreign to her. But she was way too quick to judge people and had some really stalker-ish tendencies that pretty much had no basis in the beginning (sure, it eventually led her somewhere, but just because a guy wants to be alone doesn't mean he's up to something).
I'll forgive the typical YA clichés of insta-love and broody bad boys because there really was more to love about the book. The best part was being able to feel the culture through the author's words. Sun is a great writer and I enjoyed her descriptions of the more action-filled sequences later on in the book. She obviously loves the culture and did a lot of research on kanji and Japanese myths surrounding the kami. The fact that she took the connection between the two and came up with an original story was fascinating to me. And I'll just come out and say it: I'm a shoujo girl. I've read too many to even count and I never tire of them. This book read like one and I was pleasantly surprised at how well done it was. While, true, I wasn't a fan of Katie, her relationship with Tomo after it started to develop wasn't horrible. They were cute, I'll give them that. The manga-type moments that Sun alluded to put a smile on my face just because of how familiar it all was.
So all in all, an enjoyable read. If you enjoy Japanese culture in any capacity, be it anime, manga, pop culture, Japanese scenery, mythology, language, whatever -- give this book a try. I'm sure there will be something that will keep you entertained.
For starters, I love art. It's been a huge part of me growing up; I come from a family of amazing artists, painters, designers, and just creative people, period. So when I saw this amazing cover and read the synopsis, I was sold instantly.
The story is about Katie, a girl whose life changes after the death of her mother. She moves to Japan to live with her aunt. Completely new to the country, the society, the culture, Katie has a lot of adjusting to do. She starts her new life at a new school and meets a boy named Tomohiro. He's cold and distant, and extremely secretive. Later on she discovers that he's a talented artist whos drawings can move. His ability is connected to the ancient gods (kami). Despite all of his efforts to keep his distance, the two get closer. But Tomo is in danger -- he can't control his drawings when he's around Katie. And as if that's not enough, he's being hunted by the Yakuza for his ability.
Mythology, art, and the Japanese mafia. Sounds like an exhilarating fantastical romp, doesn't it? But of course, it didn't come without its flaws. I wasn't a huge fan of Katie. Not connecting with the main character of a novel always puts quite the damper on things, but hey, I tried. I did understand that life was hard for her; she just lost her mother and she was forced to be in a place completely foreign to her. But she was way too quick to judge people and had some really stalker-ish tendencies that pretty much had no basis in the beginning (sure, it eventually led her somewhere, but just because a guy wants to be alone doesn't mean he's up to something).
I'll forgive the typical YA clichés of insta-love and broody bad boys because there really was more to love about the book. The best part was being able to feel the culture through the author's words. Sun is a great writer and I enjoyed her descriptions of the more action-filled sequences later on in the book. She obviously loves the culture and did a lot of research on kanji and Japanese myths surrounding the kami. The fact that she took the connection between the two and came up with an original story was fascinating to me. And I'll just come out and say it: I'm a shoujo girl. I've read too many to even count and I never tire of them. This book read like one and I was pleasantly surprised at how well done it was. While, true, I wasn't a fan of Katie, her relationship with Tomo after it started to develop wasn't horrible. They were cute, I'll give them that. The manga-type moments that Sun alluded to put a smile on my face just because of how familiar it all was.
So all in all, an enjoyable read. If you enjoy Japanese culture in any capacity, be it anime, manga, pop culture, Japanese scenery, mythology, language, whatever -- give this book a try. I'm sure there will be something that will keep you entertained.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
*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.
Book Review
Title: Ink
Author: Amanda Sun
Genre: YA/Fantasy/Romance
Rating: *****
Review: The opening to Ink was great we meet Katie who is living in Japan with a friend of her family after the death of her mother. It is on a normal school day that she overhears a breakup between Yuu and Myu and she notices something strange, Yuu's drawings move like they are alive. Now this was an unique concept I hadn't seen before and I was really intrigued, I liked Katie as a character because she is very lively but also very self-conscious because she doesn't speak the language very well and is still trying to integrate herself to Japanese society.
As we approach the 1/4 mark in the novel, I liked seeing the strange relationship developing between Yuu and Katie. I also like the attention to detail in this novel from the school routines of the Japanese children to Katie adjustment to Japanese culture and traditions. I also felt that I really got to know the characters and was extremely interested in seeing where their story lines were going to go. As we cross the 1/4 mark in the novel, I liked seeing Katie begin to understand Yuu and notice that they have so many things in common. I also like the addition I liked how the author uses the theme of moving images to draw Katie to Yuu and give them some common ground in order to build their relationship on, which I find can be overlooked in YA novels so I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this plot device. I also liked the fact that Yuu slowly opens up to Katie but holds back because of his mysterious past. Katie and us the readers are just dying to find out what is really going on under Yuu's cold exterior.
As we approach the half way mark in the novel, we learn what Yuu is and how he can make the drawings come to life, we also learn how Katie is being drawn into his mythological and fantastical world and while Katie is a little scared she is also very intrigued because she has feelings for Yuu although neither has acted on them yet. I also the fact the Sato and Jun are presented as slightly antagonistic and it does suit their personalities. I also liked the fact the author including the constant threat of yakuza towards young men in Japanese culture and it really enhanced and helped the storyline progress. As we cross into the second half of the novel, we see Katie and Yuu become more comfortable with each other and they really relax in each other's presence. We also see Katie relax more into her new environment and she slowly begins to forget about going back home to live with her grandparents and even begins to see Diane as a bit of a mother figure in place of her own lost mother.
As we approach the 3/4 mark in the novel we see Yuu's power get out of control just like it did with Koji although Katie is able to help him stop it before it became deadly for either of them. It is also here we begin to see the pair as a couple rather than as friends which was great. We also see Sato make his emergence after he witnesses the incident where Yuu was hurt, he even tries to convince Katie that Yuu is safer with the yakuza because there are worse people out there wanting to use him but neither Katie or us the reader are sure he is telling the truth or if he is being controlled by his fear. We see things coming between Yuu and Katie especially since Katie discovers that she is connected to the kami in someway. I was struggling a little at this point to figure out where the story was going because we didn't really have an antagonist we have some characters that present some antagonistic tendencies but no real villain for the protagonists to overcome but they may appear before the end of the novel. As we cross into the final section of the novel, we see the truth about the Kami revealed and both Yuu and Katie are faced with a choice be together or die and for them the choice is obvious even if it means sacrificing their own lives for the other.
The final pages of this novel were absolutely astounding with everything literally coming to blows and Katie takes the easy way out but at the last moment she decides that she is going to live her life the way she wants despite what the consequences of these actions could be. Overall, I absolutely loved Ink, it was perfectly written and presented and I can't wait to read the second book Rain. I highly recommend this novel to all fantasy lovers or for readers like me that love anything set in Japan, it highly deserved its rating.
Title: Ink
Author: Amanda Sun
Genre: YA/Fantasy/Romance
Rating: *****
Review: The opening to Ink was great we meet Katie who is living in Japan with a friend of her family after the death of her mother. It is on a normal school day that she overhears a breakup between Yuu and Myu and she notices something strange, Yuu's drawings move like they are alive. Now this was an unique concept I hadn't seen before and I was really intrigued, I liked Katie as a character because she is very lively but also very self-conscious because she doesn't speak the language very well and is still trying to integrate herself to Japanese society.
As we approach the 1/4 mark in the novel, I liked seeing the strange relationship developing between Yuu and Katie. I also like the attention to detail in this novel from the school routines of the Japanese children to Katie adjustment to Japanese culture and traditions. I also felt that I really got to know the characters and was extremely interested in seeing where their story lines were going to go. As we cross the 1/4 mark in the novel, I liked seeing Katie begin to understand Yuu and notice that they have so many things in common. I also like the addition I liked how the author uses the theme of moving images to draw Katie to Yuu and give them some common ground in order to build their relationship on, which I find can be overlooked in YA novels so I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this plot device. I also liked the fact that Yuu slowly opens up to Katie but holds back because of his mysterious past. Katie and us the readers are just dying to find out what is really going on under Yuu's cold exterior.
As we approach the half way mark in the novel, we learn what Yuu is and how he can make the drawings come to life, we also learn how Katie is being drawn into his mythological and fantastical world and while Katie is a little scared she is also very intrigued because she has feelings for Yuu although neither has acted on them yet. I also the fact the Sato and Jun are presented as slightly antagonistic and it does suit their personalities. I also liked the fact the author including the constant threat of yakuza towards young men in Japanese culture and it really enhanced and helped the storyline progress. As we cross into the second half of the novel, we see Katie and Yuu become more comfortable with each other and they really relax in each other's presence. We also see Katie relax more into her new environment and she slowly begins to forget about going back home to live with her grandparents and even begins to see Diane as a bit of a mother figure in place of her own lost mother.
As we approach the 3/4 mark in the novel we see Yuu's power get out of control just like it did with Koji although Katie is able to help him stop it before it became deadly for either of them. It is also here we begin to see the pair as a couple rather than as friends which was great. We also see Sato make his emergence after he witnesses the incident where Yuu was hurt, he even tries to convince Katie that Yuu is safer with the yakuza because there are worse people out there wanting to use him but neither Katie or us the reader are sure he is telling the truth or if he is being controlled by his fear. We see things coming between Yuu and Katie especially since Katie discovers that she is connected to the kami in someway. I was struggling a little at this point to figure out where the story was going because we didn't really have an antagonist we have some characters that present some antagonistic tendencies but no real villain for the protagonists to overcome but they may appear before the end of the novel. As we cross into the final section of the novel, we see the truth about the Kami revealed and both Yuu and Katie are faced with a choice be together or die and for them the choice is obvious even if it means sacrificing their own lives for the other.
The final pages of this novel were absolutely astounding with everything literally coming to blows and Katie takes the easy way out but at the last moment she decides that she is going to live her life the way she wants despite what the consequences of these actions could be. Overall, I absolutely loved Ink, it was perfectly written and presented and I can't wait to read the second book Rain. I highly recommend this novel to all fantasy lovers or for readers like me that love anything set in Japan, it highly deserved its rating.
I received this ARC from Harlequin Teen Panel for review.
When I received Ink in the mail, I was super excited. I mean, it's about drawings coming to life -- what could go wrong?
Everything.
There were so many cliches throughout this book, mainly with the romance. The romance was very reminiscent of Twilight:
-Average girl moves to new town/country.
-Girl meets Mystery-Boy.
-Girl likes Mystery-Boy, but Mystery-Boy warns that her that he's too dangerous.
-Mystery-Boy is a supernatural being/has a supernatural power
-Girl meets different Nice-Boywho also ends up having some sort of super power/is a supernatural creature .
-Girl and Mystery-Boy fall in love anyway (for no reason at all).
This plot is way too overused - it surprises me that these same plot points get published today, five years after what started it (Twilight). It's not even a good plot! This is what baffles me! It's boring and not good and way overused.
And then there's Katie. Ahhh, Katie.. I think Katie is probably the most annoying protagonist I have ever read from the perspective of. This was a fairly fast paced book, yet it took me a week to get through. Why? I knew I had to be losing brain cells reading from Katie's POV. She cried seventeen times throughout this 326-page book. Seventeen times. I counted. The majority of the crying scenes were completely unnecessary. NO ONE CRIES THAT MUCH. NO ONE. Besides that, Katie was just plain annoying and I couldn't like her no matter how much I tried. She pretty much stalked Tomo and made REALLY stupid decisions throughout the whole book. I was hoping she would change before the end, but nope.
On top of that, I could find no redeeming qualities about Tomohiro. He was a jerk to everyone, despite Katie's insistence. We first meet him as he is cruelly breaking up with his girlfriend because he got another girl pregnant. We then find out he allegedly stabbed his best friend when he was younger. AND, his best friend is part of the Japanese mafia. I found him to be extremely annoying and not worth the way Katie kept running back to him. He is the type of person that no one wants to be around (at least I wouldn't).
The first time Katie sees Tomo (breaking up with his girlfriend), Katie finds a picture that Tomo drew of the pregnant girl. The girl in the drawing turns her head to look at Katie, so she becomes curious. So she decides to stalk the guy who got his not-girlfriend pregnant and who also has been accused of stabbing his best friend and who also has a best friend in the mafia. Oh yeah, that's a genius idea right there! And then she falls in love with him, because teenage pregnancy with not-your-girlfriend, stabbing, and mafias are so attractive, right?
This book is so infuriating! It took an idea with such potential and ruined it.
Also, there's a glossary of about 75-100 Japanese words and phrases in the back. I don't know any Japanese whatsoever, and it was very annoying to flip back and forth between the glossary. Most of the words weren't explained when used throughout the book, either!
Speaking of language, how exactly did Katie learn Japanese in five months?? I've been taking Spanish for roughly ten years, and it still is difficult at times to understand my teacher when she's speaking fast. I can't imagine how I would survive living in a Spanish-speaking country after ten years, let alone five months! And correct me if I'm wrong, but Japanese seems way more difficult than Spanish (at least when compared to English!!).
I did, however, really enjoy the artwork done by Petra Dufkova, who also created the images on the cover. There are multiple drawings throughout, and they were all gorgeous. There were also two mini flipbook-style drawings in the bottom right corners, which were also gorgeous. As much as I loved the artwork, the book isn't getting any extra points rating-wise for it. I'm rating the contents of the book, not the accompanying features. Sorry.
The first chapter of the second book was printed in my ARC. I will not be reading the first chapter, nor any part of the second book, ever. I'm glad to be out of this world and never, ever go back.
When I received Ink in the mail, I was super excited. I mean, it's about drawings coming to life -- what could go wrong?
Everything.
There were so many cliches throughout this book, mainly with the romance. The romance was very reminiscent of Twilight:
-Average girl moves to new town/country.
-Girl meets Mystery-Boy.
-Girl likes Mystery-Boy, but Mystery-Boy warns that her that he's too dangerous.
-Mystery-Boy is a supernatural being/has a supernatural power
-Girl meets different Nice-Boy
-Girl and Mystery-Boy fall in love anyway (for no reason at all).
This plot is way too overused - it surprises me that these same plot points get published today, five years after what started it (Twilight). It's not even a good plot! This is what baffles me! It's boring and not good and way overused.
And then there's Katie. Ahhh, Katie.. I think Katie is probably the most annoying protagonist I have ever read from the perspective of. This was a fairly fast paced book, yet it took me a week to get through. Why? I knew I had to be losing brain cells reading from Katie's POV. She cried seventeen times throughout this 326-page book. Seventeen times. I counted. The majority of the crying scenes were completely unnecessary. NO ONE CRIES THAT MUCH. NO ONE. Besides that, Katie was just plain annoying and I couldn't like her no matter how much I tried. She pretty much stalked Tomo and made REALLY stupid decisions throughout the whole book. I was hoping she would change before the end, but nope.
On top of that, I could find no redeeming qualities about Tomohiro. He was a jerk to everyone, despite Katie's insistence. We first meet him as he is cruelly breaking up with his girlfriend because he got another girl pregnant. We then find out he allegedly stabbed his best friend when he was younger. AND, his best friend is part of the Japanese mafia. I found him to be extremely annoying and not worth the way Katie kept running back to him. He is the type of person that no one wants to be around (at least I wouldn't).
The first time Katie sees Tomo (breaking up with his girlfriend), Katie finds a picture that Tomo drew of the pregnant girl. The girl in the drawing turns her head to look at Katie, so she becomes curious. So she decides to stalk the guy who got his not-girlfriend pregnant and who also has been accused of stabbing his best friend and who also has a best friend in the mafia. Oh yeah, that's a genius idea right there! And then she falls in love with him, because teenage pregnancy with not-your-girlfriend, stabbing, and mafias are so attractive, right?
This book is so infuriating! It took an idea with such potential and ruined it.
Also, there's a glossary of about 75-100 Japanese words and phrases in the back. I don't know any Japanese whatsoever, and it was very annoying to flip back and forth between the glossary. Most of the words weren't explained when used throughout the book, either!
Speaking of language, how exactly did Katie learn Japanese in five months?? I've been taking Spanish for roughly ten years, and it still is difficult at times to understand my teacher when she's speaking fast. I can't imagine how I would survive living in a Spanish-speaking country after ten years, let alone five months! And correct me if I'm wrong, but Japanese seems way more difficult than Spanish (at least when compared to English!!).
I did, however, really enjoy the artwork done by Petra Dufkova, who also created the images on the cover. There are multiple drawings throughout, and they were all gorgeous. There were also two mini flipbook-style drawings in the bottom right corners, which were also gorgeous. As much as I loved the artwork, the book isn't getting any extra points rating-wise for it. I'm rating the contents of the book, not the accompanying features. Sorry.
The first chapter of the second book was printed in my ARC. I will not be reading the first chapter, nor any part of the second book, ever. I'm glad to be out of this world and never, ever go back.