Review: Ink (Paper Gods #1) by Amanda Sun

Beautiful Japanese setting, lively High school with mysterious boys. Couldn't get better or could it?

Title: Ink
Author: Amanda Sun  
Series: Paper Gods  
Publisher: MiraINK, Harlequin UK
My Ratings: 3.5 out of 5 stars 
Released: 4th of July, 2013 
  A 
book which encompasses Japanese culture, myth, legend and high school was my dream come true. Before I go into this review I will warn you that I'm a self confessed ex-addict of manga and anime. Before my passion for books appeared I was madly in love with mangas as I thought (and I still do) combine beautiful art and interesting story line. The blurb of Ink seemed to right up my street. It seemed to do what I longed that someone would do before, combine art and story together.

“They tell you you'll forget how it used to be. You'll get used to it, that it's better to move on. They don't realize you can't. You're not the same person anymore..” 

Sadly Ink, did not meet my expectations. I don't think I will go into too many details as I don't want to start ranting here. So I've decided to diverge from my usual style of review writing and make a list of things that I liked and disliked in the hope that the thoughts in my head have some logic.  

Things I did not like

1. Annoying heroine. I don't think I've ever had such a strong urge to take a heroine by the shoulders and shake her. Katie was incredibly stupid and dumb. There is a fine line between bravery and foolishness and she certainly was on the foolish side.

2. The story line did not grip me. The concept was good but I'm not sure the execution was as good as it could have been. The Yakuza was a good twist as everyone is afraid of the Yakuza in Japan. They are the ultimate in evilness in modern Japan except you are a fan of Gokusen. You'll know what it means if you into manga/anime/doramas.

3. Ishikawa - Tomohiro should have done something about it and he let it go on for too long and was too forgiving.

4. Katie had only been in Japan for a few months and without any experiencing the culture and the language before and she was having these long and complicated conversations in Japanese.

5. Insta- love!

“My heart was glass--easy to see through, simple to break.”

Can I again point out that the heroine was annoying. She really did rattle me. I read on hoping to see some sort of character development in her but found none what so ever. I do hope she redeems herself in the later book. And yes even after listing of the issues I had with Ink I will be reading the second book into he Paper Gods Series. Now that I have got most of the ranting out of the way. I will list the things I did like about Ink.

Things I liked

1. Without being too shallow, but have you seen the cover for Ink? It is beautiful. When I held it in my hands I wanted to frame it. The cover lover in me was doing little somersaults

2. The setting- Yes, the setting may have been it's downfall and it saving grace. The picture Amanda painted with her words were really visually appealing. I love that it was set in Japan and ignoring the the points above, Amanda Sun brought the place to life. From the slippers worn at school to the convenience store littered all around the city, I could feel Japan in every paragraph. She did justice to the cherry blossoms and the the scene were Katie sees Tomohiro at the castle drawing away, amid the falling sakura was vivid and so detailed that I pretty much imagined myself sat under the trees. looking at the city. I swear I thought I could breathe the air too

“He was fireworks and radiance, glare and tingling frostbite."

3. The myth and legend dug up by Amanda was original and new and I know how hard it can be to find an original legend to weave a story around when so many manga with supernatural elements are floating about.

4. I will also give kudos to Amanda for trying to original as I know how tempting it could have been to take 'inspiration' from a million or more mangas out there.

 Oh, how I wished it Ink met my expectations. Ink is not a bad book. In fact I think it is a good book hence the 3 stars. It had a good story line, a solid background of legend, mysterious ,dark brooding love interest. It's an ideal starting book for readers curious about Japan and want to know an outsiders feelings about it. I also enjoyed the small Japanese phrases scattered about throughout the book which kept reminding you that the conversation were being carried out in another language and really helped build the atmosphere.

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

I'd definitely recommend it to reader who want a taster of what Japan is like and why it is such a craze around the world. Seasoned readers like me should tread cautiously as they may hate or love this book. Either way, Ink is a fresh and original fantashttp://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=373702850756580797#editor/target=post;postID=8055324999270140625y addition to YA literature with it's unusual setting will give reader something new to bite on to.

 Released 6th of July. 2013

 Advanced copy received from MiraINK