{Review} Ink by Amanda Sun

Ink
Series: Paper Gods #1
Author: Amanda Sun
Release Date: June 25, 2013
by, Harlequin Teen
Source: Netgalley
Pages: 377

I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look. 

Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench. 

A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness. 

And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine. 

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.{Goodreads}

 ~Review:
  OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!! You guys don't even know how flipping amazing this book is! Wow. Just wow. I thought I understood the definition of unique. I thought I had read some pretty unique books but I guess I never truly understood unique or ever read a book as completely unique as Ink is. Ink by Amanda Sun is the true definition of unique. It is a true breath of fresh air for the Young Adult genre. I seriously don't even know where to begin with this review! Should I start with the amazing writing? The amazing characters? The amazing story line? The amazing cover? The..the...the!!! Ya I am going to have a huge malfunction just trying to explain how great this book really is. I am not going to do much justice for this book but I am sure as hell going to try!

  Ok, so I decided I actually wanted to talk about the cover first. Just real quick because please, a cover like that has to be talked about am I right or am I right? I am a person fond of art. I draw and occasionally paint myself. Its a way of expression just like writing. So, being a person who loves art I think I can say that this cover is well...art. Its gorgeous! I am not sure which cover I am most fond of, the one above or this one:

  I don't know. All I know is that both are absolutely gorgeous! I love them. They are beautiful and whoever designed the cover is genius. They go wonderfully with the book and hell, they are just eye candy! I want a copy just to put on my shelf so I can stare at it all day long! Anyways, there is my brief cover obsession.

  The cover art is not the only thing about this book that has grabbed my attention and affection. The cover art isn't the only thing about this book that needs to  be acknowledged. Its not the only thing that is genius and gorgeous! The whole book in itself is absolutely breathtaking! Yes, I found Ink wonderful, splendid, gorgeous and breathtaking! I loved how Ink was set in a foreign country. It allowed me to see teenage life through a different culture's eye. Its crazy how many things differ from here and Japan! I loved how Amanda gave us little Japanese lessons. I learned some Japanese words thanks to her! Now, if I ever go to Japan I can cuss people out ;D Hahaha JK!!! Mrs. Sun didn't teach Japanese cuss words! Well a couple but that wasn't the only thing! ;P

  The setting being in Japan made Ink that more intriguing! And it totally throws the ordinary Young Adult character stereo types off. It was great! Tomo...Tomo, Tomo, Tomo! I wasn't sure I could love you but I did...I fell hopelessly in love with you! Holy crap! Tomo knocks the usual troubled bad boy thing out of the water! Phew! *fans self* This boy is all sorts of sexy! Skilled fighter, creative and absolutely wonderfully skilled in drawing, devilish smirk that can melt your insides...this boy has got it all. To top it all off...underneath that hard exterior is a broken boy with the ability to be mushy and gooshy!! *sighs* Ya, I got Tomo fever!! ;D (he would probably kill me for saying that hahaha) 

  Ok, enough with the love interest lets talk protagonist. Katie was forced to go to live with her aunt in Japan after her mother died. Normally she would have had her grandparents take custody of her but because her grandfather was weak, fighting cancer, she had no choice but to get an ice cold bath of culture shock. And to top it all off her aunt sent her to a traditional Japanese school. Not a foreign exchange one where American kids go but one where most don't know English and well...ya talk about a huge culture shock for poor 'ol Katie. Lucky for her she is a pretty quick learner! Katie wasn't your all skilled fighting heroine. She was a normal...well normalish girl with not much going for her. Not extravagantly pretty, not extremely skilled in something combat worthy, not incredibly bold and courageous but she was strong when she needed to be, smart when she had to be and as helpful as she could be. She was great in my eyes. Sure she dealt with fear and emotions of a normal teenage girl but I found her...admirable.

  The side characters were enjoyable. I liked Katie's friends! I also found the villains enjoyable. Well, as enjoyable as villains could be. It turned out that the villain was more..inner for most of the book. We didn't get a physical villain or opposing force until the very end. It was more like Tomo fighting his inner uhm, demon? Tomo fighting Katie? Ugh. I can't say too much without giving everything away.Sorry guys, you are going to have to read it yourself! Ok, so I'm not THAT sorry because this book is absolutely amazing and you will thank me later for peaking your interest. Seriously. Let your interest be peaked. ;)

  The paranormal aspect in this book was outstanding! Again, Ink takes unique to a whole new level. It takes Young Adult to a whole new level. I found myself so incredibly enthralled with this book! I don't even know what to label this! Is it paranormal? Urban fantasy? Fantasy? Mythology? I'm not entirely sure but whatever the heck it is...its flipping good! The writing was magnificent. The romance was adorable. The action--not being the main thing going on in this book but when there was action--was thrilling. The characters were enjoyable and the whole book experience was incredible! Where things ended....I have no want to finish because I know it is going to be disastrous and heartbreaking BUT!! Who am I kidding I will finish because it is so good. Oh my gosh. The ending you guys...the ending was *tears up* *sniffles* so cute. I did a little jig I will admit. It was also devastating and it left you thinking "what the hell is this author setting into motion?". But the cute part was the last what? 3 pages? Ya, adorbs.

  If you are looking for something refreshing and unique, this is the book you need. Look no further. I think this is a 2013 debut that everyone should be dying to get their hands on. Amanda Sun delivers something so beautiful, thrilling and extravagant that you are not going to want to miss out on. She has made a favorite out of me. I am not going to hold onto my patience for book two. Take notice that I didn't describe what exactly made this unique or go into much detail about the actual happenings of this book. Why? Because I wanted you to be intrigued enough to read it. I wanted to create a mystery out of it so that you can be as blown away as I. Really, go out and buy this book when it comes out. It is so worth it! 

~Rating:

4.5 of 5 stars!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a great day!! :D

~Jaiden