Ink by Amanda Sun

Wednesday 12 June 2013.
InkInk by Amanda Sun
Published: 5th July 2013
By: Mira Ink
Source: Netgalley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

With a mixed bag of reviews for Ink, I did head into it with some hesitation, only to be pleasantly surprised.

After Katie's mom dies, she has to move to Japan to live with her aunt Diane. She's out of her depth. She doesn't know much about Japanese culture and she's struggling with the language. She would have much preferred to have been sent to Canada to stay with her grandparents.

When she accidentally eavesdrops on the break up of Tomohiro Yuu and his soon to be ex-girlfriend, and sees one of his sketches move, her life is about to take a very unexpected turn. Tomohiro is rude, mean and dangerous, with a bad reputation and secrets in his past. But after what Katie has seen, she just can't forget it. And does become a little obsessed about it. She wants to know where he sneaks off to everyday and did he really cheat on Myu and get another girl pregnant? I admit that Katie's obsession and actions around this point were a bit over the top.

I really enjoyed Ink though. With the mysterious Tomohiro, a twist of Japanese mythology, involvement with the Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia, and also the Kami, who plan to take over and rule Japan, there was a lot going on, and after getting over a few glitches in the beginning, I was thoroughly entertained throughout. I also found that the romance was really sweet and I enjoyed it a lot, with some nice little moments.

Katie, while a likeable character, I felt had the potential to be an awesome character. But some of the things that she says/thinks are just really stupid and I felt should have been edited, as they didn't seem to fit with the character that the author was trying to create. These were mostly at the beginning of the book so it wasn't as annoying as the story continued. Katie was mostly a tough, strong character who was snarky at times but maybe just a bit too inquisitive.

I really liked Tomohiro. He was a really enjoyable character who lives under a facade, to prevent people from becoming close to him and being harmed by the monster that he feels is within him.

Katie makes some friends in Japan, Yuki and Tanaka, but they play very little part. They seem to be only brought into the story to serve another purpose. They're not well fleshed out and I didn't' build an opinion of them either way. But Katie makes another friend, with a guy she meets at the station, Jun. He is a mysterious character who I wondered about but liked, and who played an interesting part.

Obviously, this book is not for everyone. In most reviews I've read, people didn't like that it had a lot of the usual cliches. Maybe it's that I haven't read enough of them yet, but they don't bother me or hinder my enjoyment. I really enjoyed this book and found that I didn't want to put it down. But if the cliches would prevent you from enjoying a book, then this one probably isn't for you.

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8 Comments:

Suzanne (Parabooklover) said...

Yes, I have seen mixed reviews on this one. I would like to read it because I would love to know more about the Japanese culture. I am glad that it worked for you, what kind of cliches?

Suzanne (Parabooklover) said...

The cliches that seemed to bother people in reviews I read were that she was a girl who had to move somewhere new for some reason and develops an interest in the mysterious, dangerous guy. These don't bother me at all, but they do bother some.

Suzanne (Parabooklover) said...

I have seen the mixed reviews too, but glad to hear that you enjoyed, I am reading this in the future

Suzanne (Parabooklover) said...

I love the setting in Japan, that alone makes me want to read it. Cliches annoy me but if we have interesting characters I overlook them. Love the cover too, it's so pretty :-)

Suzanne (Parabooklover) said...

I've read a a lot of disappointing reviews for this which is a shame as from your review it sounds like this book does have a lot of potential. But I'm glad that you were able to overlook the negative reviews and actually give the book a try. The Japanese mythology sounds fascinating! A wonderful review Suzanne! :)

Suzanne (Parabooklover) said...

I think it's wonderful that you didn't let other reviews hinder your opinion of Ink, Suzanne. I think we must all have our own unique reaction to every read and I'm happy to see you enjoyed this. It does sound like an interesting read, and now I'm wondering if he did cheat and get another girl pregnant. Wonderful review. :)

Suzanne (Parabooklover) said...

I know you enjoyed this one, Suzanne, but your review makes me think I might not because Katie sounds kind of annoying in the beginning. I guess this is one of those books that I'll need to read for myself to see whether I really like it just because I've seen so many mixed reviews for it.

Suzanne (Parabooklover) said...

I haven't really read any reviews on this, I don't think. Sounds like something that people just need to read and decide. Glad it worked for you.

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