Review: Ink by Amanda Sun



Ink
Amanda Sun
Series: Paper Gods, #1
Release Date: June 25th, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Rating: 2 stars
Word Rating: Disappointing
Reviewed by: Melanie

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On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn’t know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks, and she can’t seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.

Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

'The liquid dropped down the stairs, and after a moment of panic, I realised it was ink, not blood.'



Sometimes I wonder if Ink was inspired by Taylor Swift songs. We have our sad undertone which is the loss of Katie's mother, the overpowering love contrast which is our cheesy romance--equally as overpowering--and the occasional angst, jealously or confusion. Yup, I think they are nearly identical. However, there were some aspects that made Ink somewhat more tolerable.

Katie Greene hasn't exactly had it her way for a long time. After her mother's untimely death, she moves in with her aunt Diane who lives in Japan. With the complicated dialect and foreign aspects, Katie's life just got more arduous. Then there's Tomohiro, cryptic one minute, cheerful the next. He's hiding something that could possibly explain the odd happenings to Katie. Like drawings coming to life and ink exploding whenever he is around.

Ink pretty much checks all boxes for a potentially battering breathless debut. From cover to synopsis to storyline to the setting and the cute animations, most of us have drawn an expectation line, that sadly, for the most part was never touched. Per contra, Ink did successfully illusion an atmospheric Japanese setting that captured the essence flawlessly. Amanda Sun's incredible writing skills are something not to be obliterated, as I relished the descriptions which were in fantastic accomplice of the setting. If anything, the framework of Ink brightened up the novel the most.

Katie is a character that astounded me. In a negative way. She's the only white girl at her school and Amanda Sun attempts to create a relatable or even poignant character. While I could observe a minor character development, she still was dauntingly impulsive and easily paranoid. Her rash decisions and out-of-the-blue actions left me off-guarded as they were ludicrously illogical and dumb. Our supporting characters are no better. Underdeveloped and artificial, they are cliché to the point where I had no emotions towards them. Our best friend here is literally like a robot--doesn't have a mind of its own and fails to process thoughts rationally.

But what could be better to have a typical love interest? Tomohiro--dark and mysterious one minute then outgoing and comical the next. Not only is this a trite stereotype that the majority of male antagonists provide, but also makes it complex to fully sympathise or fangirl over. Which is awfully disappointing as Tomohiro was predicted to be gush-worthy. Leading to our romance, which obviously was no gold star wielder, practically dominated the first half of the book. It was a pointless waste as I was no near shipping them due to lack of build-up and realism. Ultimately, this incorporated instant-love. Bleh.

For the last half or third of Ink, I really enjoyed it. Everything was so well paced and the mysteries began to unravel. However this was short lived as I needed more of it. Unsatisfied is the word.

A disheartening novel that contained underdeveloped characters, romance and plot, still ended up to be a bearable read for the beautiful setting and writing which was something not to be missed. By all means, anime fans jump for your chance, as I'm sure you'll enjoy this to a greater extent. Yet if you're like me and you have never seen anime in your life, it'll be of great difficulty for you to appreciate Ink.

20 comments :

  1. I'm not reading this one now. After all the reviews I've seen, looks like the characters and romance just ruin this book completely. And I haven't seen anime in my life either as well. Instant love. O__O What a waste of a pretty cover and synopsis. If I were to read this, I'd read only the parts where Sun describes the setting. Wonderful honest review, Melanie!

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    1. Thanks, Amelia! Yeah, I didn't think that you would enjoy this one.

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  2. I felt about the same about this one. So sad too because it could have been so wonderful. The ya cliché's ran rampant--too much for my liking. The setting being Japan was not enough to pull this story out of the very standard YA paranormal romance. I do think readers that haven't ventured much into YA might find it enjoyable.

    My Friends Are Fiction

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    1. I agree Kristen but I can understand why some readers may love this. From most of what I've seen, if they are a massive fan of anime- this is like they're YA book version.

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  3. This sounds like one I am glad that I passed on. The writing sounds good, but the characters and the romance seem like they would turn me off. Fab review!

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  4. A beautiful setting, great prose, but poor characterisation and insta-love which tips the balance into 'only just finished it' territory... Maybe I'll give this one a miss. Great, honest review.

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  5. I agree with you that all this looks very promising,but I've been disappointed before so I won't be holind my breath. In any case, I have a copy on the way so I'll give it a try, but with far less enthusiasm.
    Great review.

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    1. I guess being prepared for the overpowering romance would help a lot, I hope it goes more smoothly for you, Maja!

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  6. I'm definitely going to have to pass up on this one. I seriously dislike boring characters- and it seems as if ALL the characters in this one are not only lame, but cliche as well. The romance also sounds like a total dud. Ugh, and insta-love? That's definitely not calling my name. Even with great writing, and a decent last third of the book, I think I'm going to skip this one. It's probably not going to be worth my time.

    Lovely review, Mel, and thanks for your honest thoughts! <3

    -Aneeqah @ My Not So Real Life

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    1. If they weren't boring, they made me want to gag. I am still staring at the cover with great loss. It seriously is one of the prettiest covers I've come across

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  7. It's such a shame that this book has been getting negative reviews. It has so much potential. I really can't stand annoying MCs, nor am I a fan of insta-jerk-love. Doesn't sound like a book for me, unfortunately.

    -Taylor @ Reading is the Thing

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  8. I have this and I'm still going to read it. I am one of those people who isn't bothered by insta-love -- it exists, I swear!
    You can find me here: Jen @ YA Romantics

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    1. Hah! Well I look forward to your review. :D

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  9. I'm not feeling too keen on this title as well....it might go to the DNF wasteland. Bleh!

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  10. Ahh my thoughts are pretty much the exact same as yours were! I thought the insta-love thing made the romance that dominated basically the entire book impossible to relate to, and the love interest was pretty stereotypical. Then it just slowed down the plot, but I really loved the Japanese aspect of it, because it was so different. Fantastic review!

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    1. See? Us international twins think alike. LOL.

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  11. I'm sorry to hear that the book didn't work out like I would've hoped. I really love Japanese culture and the country, so the fact that that's in there is interesting, but irrational characters kind of trump that. Great review.

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  12. I managed to snag a copy at BEA this year and Amanda Sun is a very nice (quiet and shy) lady, I was very excited to read INK, as I love Japanese/Asian themes in books! and that cover!!! How could you resist that cover?! :D I'm sorry it didn't quite live up to your expectations, though. I must admit, my expectations are pretty high, too, and now I'm a bit scared... Thank you for an honest, detailed review, tho! You managed to respectfully explain what you didn't like, and I always respect that! :)

    Evie @Bookish

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  13. I'm seeing a lot of these types of reviews of this book, and now I can safely say this book is probably not for me. I was given a copy at BEA, so I may read a few pages or skim it, but I'll probably end up giving it away. >.<

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  14. I've had this book a couple of months now and it seems to be getting really mixed reviews, its nice to see you thought so much of it so I must move it up my tbr pile!

    Mica
    Info site for Zespri New Zealand Kiwi fruit information

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