Inked by Eric Smith Published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA on 1/20/15
Genres: Fantasy, Love & Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 250
Source: NetGalley
My content rating: YA (Nothing more than kissing, Some violence)
My rating:
Tattoos once were an act of rebellion.
Now they decide your destiny the moment the magical Ink settles under your skin.
And in a world where Ink controls your fate, Caenum can't escape soon enough. He is ready to run from his family, and his best friend Dreya, and the home he has known, just to have a chance at a choice.
But when he upsets the very Scribe scheduled to give him his Ink on his eighteenth birthday, he unwittingly sets in motion a series of events that sends the corrupt, magic-fearing government, The Citadel, after him and those he loves.
Now Caenum, Dreya, and their reluctant companion Kenzi must find their way to the Sanctuary, a secret town where those with the gift of magic are safe. Along the way, they learn the truth behind Ink, its dark origins, and why they are the only ones who can stop the Citadel.
Eric Smith takes you on a high-octane fantasy adventure, perfect for anyone who has dreamed of being different… only to discover that fate is more than skin deep.
Inked is a fun fantasy story that starts out really strong, but loses a little bit of it’s flair as it moves along (at least for me). Overall, I still did really enjoy the book, though. I loved the concept, and I enjoyed the characters, but I found my interest waning a bit in certain parts. Here’s more of an explanation why:
What I enjoyed:
- The tattoos. I loved the concept of this book – that people are tattooed with an image that basically defines who they will be for the rest of their lives. And the tattoos themselves were incredibly interesting – I loved the descriptions of Dreya’s tattoos and how they move and wind around her body and change with her emotions (and the seasons). It was also intriguing how the changes in the tattoos affected Dreya emotionally. The explanation for how the tattoos were created was imaginative and surprising, so I really enjoyed that too!
- Dreya and Caenum. I thought that the romance between Dreya and Caenum was sweet. They grew up together, so they already had a connection when the book began, and I enjoyed seeing it blossom into something more. Both Dreya and Caenum started the book as kind of naive kids and had to grow up a bit as the book progressed. They have to learn to become stronger and to embrace their strengths. I thought that Smith did a great job with this aspect of the book.
- The magic. There was lots of magical mayhem in this book. I loved the different powers that were explored and magical battles are always fun!
The negatives:
- The journey. I found that, during parts of Caenum, Dreya and Kenzi’s journey (when they’re on the run), I started to get a little bored. It seemed like they kept escaping and getting caught, escaping and getting caught, and I was starting to lose interest.
- The climax. I just wasn’t all that impressed with where the story went in the end. While I did think parts of it were very exciting, I also found myself rolling my eyes at certain things. Caenum takes on a bit of a leadership role at the very end of the book, and I couldn’t quite determine how or why (he hadn’t shown any leadership skills up until that point, and the people who were suddenly following him didn’t even really know him that well). It just seemed a little too convenient.
So, overall, I definitely enjoyed this book. I think that it might be better for younger YA readers because it just had a sort of younger feel to it (I’d feel comfortable giving it to my 12-year-old son to read). I give this book 3.5/5 stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
About the Author
Eric Smith is the author of THE GEEK’S GUIDE TO DATING, out now via Quirk Books, and INKED, a YA novel out with Bloomsbury Spark this Fall 2014.
His writing has appeared locally in the Philly Weekly, The Inquirer, and on Philly.com. He’s written for the Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, Boing Boing, and is a regular contributor to BookRiot and Geekosystem.
His essays have appeared in the Bygone Bureau and The Apiary, and his first published piece will appear in THE ASTEROID BELT ALMANAC with the Hand & the Hand Press in April 2014.
He’s the co-founder of Geekadelphia, a popular hyperlocal geek blog in Philly, and the Philly Geek Awards, a ceremony honoring local geeks in his city.
Eric holds a BA in English from Kean University and an MA in English from Arcadia University. He currently lives in Philly.
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18 responses to “ARC Review – Inked by Eric Smith”
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I struggle with fantasy sometimes so I am sort of glad I didn’t pick this one up. It sounds like it had a very strong start and then a not so wonderful ending (climax). I do think my girls would like this though so I will keep it in mind of them. They love fantasy way more than I do and are probably the age group this is more geared towards. 😉
Yeah, it felt like it was geared toward a bit of a younger crowd. If you’re not usually a fantasy fan, this definitely isn’t a book I would recommend.
sorry this one fell a bit flat at the end. It does have a unique premise though, like you said.
Yes – there were parts of the book that I really enjoyed!
I hope I enjoy it more then you, I worry about you saying you got bored…I get bored so easy lately!
I’ve been having a bit of a problem with that as well. Lately it seems that I’ve been losing interest mid-book a bit too often!
Fantasy is one of my favorite genres and this book looked very promising to me. I’m doubting whether to pick this up now because it fell a bit flat at the end apparently. I think I’ll give it a try, but at least I know now to go in with lower expectations.
Great review!
Yes – some people might have liked the ending, but it just didn’t all quite fit for me. Still enjoyed the book overall, but I thought it worked better at the beginning than the end.
Hmm, sounds like an interesting premise but not sure I would want to request the ARC. I have so many already. Ha. This does sound like just a so-so book.
Ah, yes – there are SO many ARCs out there to request that you really do need to be picky!
I’m not sure which is better: a book that starts off strong, and dies or the reverse. The review I posted today was the opposite of yours, and I rated it the same, so I guess there’s your answer. LOL!
Yeah, I guess it comes out the same in the end!
I don’t know if I’ll be reading it, but the tattoos determining their lives sounds really interesting!
Yes – it was a great concept and I loved the tattoos!
Ooh, I’m torn. I half want to check this out because the tattoos sound so interesting and the romance…yay! SWEET ROMANCE! I like it when they’re sweet. But I’m never a huge fan of books that feel youngish. I always end up feeling meh about them. So idk about this one. xD Liked your review!
Thanks for stopping by @ Paper Fury!
I did feel like this one skewed young. I’d check out some more reviews to see what others thought before you decide. Sometimes getting a few more perspectives can help make the decision for you!
Hmm very interesting! I grabbed this one for review consideration too mostly because I love tattoo magic :D. It’s good to know that the tattoos are done in a cool way ;-). There is only so much repeating plot elements that I can take before I get bored too, but at least it’s short, haha!
The tattoo magic was definitely my favorite part of the book! Hope you enjoy this one!