A review by book_hoarding_dragon
Inkmistress by Audrey Coulthurst

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.