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ARC Book Review: Ink – Amanda Sun


inkInk
Author: Amanda Sun
Series: Paper Gods #1
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy
Release Date: June 25, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Goodreads | Amazon | TBD

Summary:

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.

 
First Sentence: I made it halfway across the courtyard before I realized I was still wearing my school slippers.

My Review:

When I first heard about Ink, I knew I had to get my hands on the book asap. A book about sketches coming to life? Sign me up! However, once I actually got my hands on Ink and read the actual book, I’m very sad to say that Ink failed to grab – and keep – my attention. I was not invested in the book at all. Why? The main reason why I didn’t really enjoy reading Ink is because the book mainly focused on the romance – a romance that was not at all believable for me.

The romance between Katie and Tomohiro moved way too fast in Ink for my liking. Katie and Tomohiro only knew each other for a little while and before you knew it, Katie possessively started thinking Tomohiro as “my Tomohiro.” It’s absolutely ridiculous for Katie to think that way, especially since Tomohiro and her couldn’t even be called friends the first place, never mind boyfriend and girlfriend. Not to mention the fact that Tomohiro had recently broken up with his ex-girlfriend – and not for Katie. Then, to make matters even worse, Katie later stated thinking that she couldn’t live without Tomohiro in her life. This is astonishing, especially when Katie doesn’t even know Tomohiro very well. When Tomohiro confessed his love to Katie about thirty pages later, I seriously leaped up from my seat and gave a loud squeak in disbelief. (It wasn’t pretty.) The insta-love between Katie and Tomohiro was so unbelievable and so laughingly cheesy.

He was fireworks and radiance, glare and tingling frostbite. (ARC 192)

Because Katie and Tomohiro’s relationship was mainly based on insta-love, I also didn’t feel the chemistry between them. Everything they both said and did for each other was ultra cheesy and totally eye-roll worthy. From their first kiss to their official confession, I didn’t feel any of Katie and Tomohiro’s chemistry nor their genuine love for each other. I ended up cheering for none of them and when Katie and Tomohiro ran into problems, I could have cared less about them. Katie was so obsessed with Tomohiro while Tomohiro ran so hot and cold that they were both very hard to like.

Was he avoiding me because he was embarrassed about his wrist? Or maybe the kissing in his living room? Now that I thought about it, it was kind of awkward. (ARC 233)

So was reading about Katie’s obsession with Tomohiro that it turned into stalking. Awkward much?

On the other hand, I did like the colorful descriptions of Japan. I could tell Amanda Sun did plenty of research on Japan and its culture as I read Ink. From describing Japan’s lifestyle to its unique culture and ways, Amanda Sun managed to paint a beautiful and accurate depiction of modern day Japan. However, the only complaint I have with this is that Amanda Sun sometimes introduces some Japanese words without explaining them, leaving us readers to guess what the words she used meant.

Once it was time, cherry petals would fall gently into the cloudy water, swirling on its surface and painting the park pink and white for spring. Dancing across the sluggish waterways, dripping slowly down their channels, almost oozing like ink… (ARC 51)

However, to my surprise, there was a glossary at the back of the ARC that gave us several definitions of Japanese words used in the book. It would have been a lot better the first place if I knew that there was a glossary provided in the back of the book to help readers with some Japanese terms used in the book.

I also liked the way Amanda Sun described the pictures and creations that Tomohiro had drew to life. Amanda Sun included how the creations looked and felt like – the creatures Tomohiro drew looked papery and they crinkled in the breeze. Tomohiro’s creations also felt like crinkled paper, but is also warm and alive, disappearing into swirls of oily ink when touched.

Overall, Ink could have been a lot better if the book didn’t mainly focus on the insta-love romance. Will I be checking out the sequel? Honestly, probably not. Do I recommend Ink to anyone? Sure, if you don’t mind reading books that has a massive dose of insta-love.

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-Kelly

Posted by Kelly on 6-24-13 · 35 Comments
Categories: 2013 book, book review Tagged: 2 star

« ARC Book Review: Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far In 2013 »

Speak Your Mind

  1. Rebecca says

    6-24-13 at 11:52 AM

    When I first saw this, I put it on my TBR list, but I’ve kind of been going back and forth with it. It looked kind of good, but I’d seen a lot of mixed reviews and honestly I wasn’t sure if it was something I would like. I just got through a book with a heavy amount of insta-love, and I’m in no hurry to dive into another. Thanks for your honest thoughts, I’ll be steering clear of Ink.
    Rebecca recently posted…10 Reasons Why I May Not Be Able To Finish A BookMy Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      6-24-13 at 12:57 PM

      Yeah, if you highly dislike insta-love like I do, you should avoid Ink at all costs. Insta-love + cheesy love stories = big no no for me.
      Kelly recently posted…ARC Book Review: Ink – Amanda SunMy Profile

      Reply
  2. Paola @ A Novel Idea says

    6-24-13 at 12:48 PM

    Looks like we gave this one the same rating! I’m so bummed that the great premise pretty much tanked due to the ridiculous romance. And I had a major headdesk moment when Katie thought of him as “my Tomohiro!!!” I think I even ranted about it in my reading notes. SO AWKWARD!
    Paola @ A Novel Idea recently posted…InkMy Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      6-24-13 at 12:59 PM

      You’re not the only one who ranted about that part – I have my own rant about that in my notes! And you should see the rant I had when Katie thought that she couldn’t live without Tomohiro; I was freaking out and was very angry with the direction the story was heading towards.
      Awkward indeed!
      Kelly recently posted…ARC Book Review: Ink – Amanda SunMy Profile

      Reply
  3. Dani says

    6-24-13 at 1:13 PM

    I’m glad I read this review! I’ve been contemplating reading it, and swaying back and forth between whether I should or not. I love the beautiful imagery in that excerpt you posted, but insta-love is a big turn-off for me, as well as the possessive ‘my Tomohiro’ thing.

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      6-24-13 at 1:28 PM

      Yeah, insta-love is a big turn-off for most people and Ink has tons of it. Even the excellent premise Ink has can’t save it.
      Kelly recently posted…ARC Book Review: Ink – Amanda SunMy Profile

      Reply
  4. Cali W. says

    6-24-13 at 1:49 PM

    I read many mixed reviews about this book. The story line for the book sounds so cool. It is too bad there are little things that bring the coolness of the book down.

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      6-25-13 at 1:21 PM

      Yeah, I’ve seen many mixed reviews too. Some LOVE it and others don’t. I guess I’m with the latter group.
      The storyline IS cool, it’s just the whole insa-love bit that brings it down. :l
      Kelly recently posted…Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far In 2013My Profile

      Reply
  5. Jen says

    6-24-13 at 4:51 PM

    Waaah, this makes me really sad! I was totally looking forward to this book, and now I hear that there is TONS AND TONS of major insta-love? Or, insta-LUST? The romance sounds absolutely awful, it’s so obsessive and stalker-ish, and it seems rather one-sided, if you ask me. But the main concept just sounds so COOL. The fact that it’s set in Japan just peaks my interest. Aaack, but I hate not knowing what a foreign word means. LIKE, HALP. Hmm, I’m still undecided on whether or not I’ll pick this up, but thanks for the honest review, Kelly! :)
    Jen recently posted…Just One Day by Gayle Forman | ReviewMy Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      6-25-13 at 1:26 PM

      The thing is, the romance isn’t one-sided! -gasp-
      Tomohiro was only mean to Katie because he’s trying to scare her away! (Or so Katie claims.) But then again, Tomohiro did tell Katie that he loved her, so who knows. -shrugs-
      All I know was that I was soo bored reading about Tomohiro’s mood swings and Katie’s obsession with him.
      I love the descriptions of Japan, Amanda Sun definitely opened my eyes to the culture of Japan. Ink may be worth reading to learn about Japan and its cherry blossom trees. ;D
      It would have been nice if we readers somehow know when a glossary would be included in the book. I wouldn’t have been confused then. :P
      Flip a coin to decide! ;D
      Kelly recently posted…Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far In 2013My Profile

      Reply
  6. Roxy says

    6-24-13 at 5:17 PM

    I honestly was looking forward to reading this because, if you think about it, there are not a lot of YA books that are set in Japan or anywhere Asia really. The fact that it’s set in Japan is really grabs my attention. But I really do not like insta love (it’s just so unrealistic and ruins the entire story!), so I’d probably won’t be reading Ink. If it didn’t have any insta love, maybe I would have checked it out.
    Roxy recently posted…Roxy’s Review: CinderMy Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      6-25-13 at 1:54 PM

      Hmmm…there’s also EON and Prophecy. But manga is a whole another different story though.
      If Ink didn’t have an insta-love, it would be a fantastic addicting read. Everything in Ink was awesome – except for the insta-love.
      Kelly recently posted…Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far In 2013My Profile

      Reply
  7. Jess, Books and Sensibility says

    6-24-13 at 8:22 PM

    I’m not a big fan of insta-love but for some reason I was able to look past it in this book. Sun has some great writing and a nice sense of setting.
    Jess, Books and Sensibility recently posted…The Sense List Vol. 21My Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      6-25-13 at 1:56 PM

      I’m glad that you can look pass the insta-love in Ink Jess! I wish I could do that. :l
      Yeah, Amanda Sun’s writing was good and the setting was a strong point, but the insta-love bought it all down for me. ):
      Kelly recently posted…Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far In 2013My Profile

      Reply
  8. Rachel says

    6-24-13 at 10:27 PM

    Yeah I haven’t heard anything good about this book at all. I am not interested in reading it, and I wasn’t even interested before the bad reviews started showing up. It just doesn’t appeal to me at all and there are so many good books waiting to be read! :)

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      6-25-13 at 1:57 PM

      You’re the first person I met that wasn’t interested in reading Ink even before the bad reviews started showing up. Amazing. :P
      And yep, there are SO many other books out there to be read.
      Kelly recently posted…Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far In 2013My Profile

      Reply
  9. River the 積ん読 says

    6-26-13 at 8:20 PM

    Man, the things that I hated about this are pretty much the opposite of what everyone else hated. I def. thought Katie was a crazy stalker and that the romance was overdone, but I kinda went into it as if it were a comic or anime, and that helped.

    What I hated was all of the cliched ~Japanese culture~ that everyone believe is like gospel because Sun ‘lived’ in Japan and did a bunch of research. As someone who IS a white girl living in Japan (for over five years) I hated the way that Katie was handled (incredibly stereotypical) and that she had like ZERO culture shock. I also hated that she was basically fluent in Japanese (unrealistic!) and then all of the random Japanese words dropped in? That felt so pointless… Ugh, I could go on, but it’s all in my review…

    I can’t imagine how frustrating it must have been to read without knowing the Japanese or that there was a glossary! Wow.

    Great review!
    River the 積ん読 recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I’ve Read so far in 2013My Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      6-27-13 at 6:15 PM

      Whoa, you’ve lived in Japan for over five years River?! OMG. I want to go study aboard there!
      Anyways, now that you’ve mentioned yeah, Katie never did experience any culture shock (ex: switching slippers in every room of the house).
      And I definitely noticed THAT part – Katie learning Japanese so fast was so unrealistic that I talked to my sister about it. I’ve been learning Mandarin for 4 years while my sister is on her 4th year now and we STILL aren’t fluent in it nor can we speak it in public with total strangers.
      I’ll have to look up your review! You bought up totally good points.
      Kelly recently posted…Debut-a-Thon: Goals + UpdatesMy Profile

      Reply
  10. nurmawati djuhawan says

    7-01-13 at 8:18 AM

    i’ve never amanda in’s book before but i am intrique after i saw this book cover…
    i like it..
    and i read ur review…i like it more..
    so thx u…i will read ink :)

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      7-01-13 at 9:47 PM

      I’m glad you managed to find a lot of positive things about Ink in my review Nurmawati!
      Kelly recently posted…Summer Lovin’ Readathon: Day 1 – Class Orientation + Teaser TidbitsMy Profile

      Reply
  11. Najwa Shufia says

    7-09-13 at 12:08 PM

    This book isn’t really good, is it? Actually I have my eyes on this book, but reading your review makes me change my mind
    Najwa Shufia recently posted…Giveaway from @BibliophileM : Win a Paperback ARC of Creatura by Nely CabMy Profile

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      7-10-13 at 4:41 PM

      If you ever decide to read Ink, good luck with it Najwa! Hopefully you’ll like it better than I did. o:
      Kelly recently posted…ARC Book Review: This Song Will Save Your Life – Leila SalesMy Profile

      Reply
  12. Mighta Zerie Nolasco says

    8-07-13 at 11:20 PM

    I”m have this book by Amanda Sun already, it’s just waiting on my shelf now to be read. :)

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      8-08-13 at 6:18 PM

      I hope you’ll enjoy it better than I did Mighta!
      Kelly recently posted…Book Review: The Distance Between Us – Kasie WestMy Profile

      Reply
  13. Susan T. says

    10-06-13 at 8:15 PM

    This sounds like a great premise and I love anything to do with Japan, but insta-love is a definite turn-off!

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      10-06-13 at 9:53 PM

      Ink would have definitely been a beyond awesome read if it wasn’t for the insta-love + stalkery traits. D:
      The cover is gorgeous too!
      Kelly recently posted…ARC Book Review: Wild Cards – Simone ElkelesMy Profile

      Reply
  14. HIllary R. says

    10-11-13 at 8:19 PM

    I always thought the cover of this book was really artistic and pretty. Too bad I never got to read it. But if I saw it at the bookstore I might pick up a copy :)

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      10-12-13 at 1:02 PM

      The cover is even more gorgeous in person! I envy the artist’s talent. ;D
      I hope you’ll enjoy Ink more than I did Hillary! (:
      Kelly recently posted…Stacking the Shelves [53]My Profile

      Reply
  15. sarah c. says

    10-16-13 at 1:59 PM

    Great review!! i picked this book up about a month or 2 ago and havent had a chance to read it yet–my niece has it..she is fascinated with all things Japan.. That was another reason i wanting to read this book!

    Reply
    • Kelly says

      10-20-13 at 6:09 PM

      Thanks Sarah! :D
      Ha ha, Ink definitely has a lot of Japanese feels to it. I hope your niece will enjoy it! (:
      Kelly recently posted…Book Review: Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer – Katie AlenderMy Profile

      Reply
  16. Kassi says

    10-23-13 at 12:25 PM

    When I first heard about this book, I was really curious, because hello! Japanese culture! How cool is this?
    But I I’ve only seen negative reviews. It’s a real shame, because this book had so much potential! Oh well, maybe one day I read it.

    great review!

    Reply
  17. Ashfa says

    10-29-13 at 7:11 AM

    Ugh insta-love again??!?!?! I’ve been really looking forward to reading this book but might not after all. Shame really, it has such a great concept. love the cover though.

    Reply
  18. Jaime Lester says

    10-30-13 at 11:23 PM

    I have been looking forward to this one, too. For a long time. Drawings…. COMING TO LIFE! Awesome, right? Well, it should be! But from what have been hearing from a Lot of people, it really isn’t. Including from you. So disappointed. And while this one is sitting on my shelf, I am not sure whether to read it or not. One day.

    Reply
  19. Frannie Panglossa says

    12-01-13 at 2:54 PM

    I’ll be reagind this next year! =D
    Frannie Panglossa recently posted…Dicembre TBR 2013My Profile

    Reply

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  1. Ink by Amanda Sun - Review | Never Too Fond of BooksNever Too Fond of Books says:
    12-09-13 at 6:06 AM

    […] Effortlessly Reading: The main reason why I didn’t really enjoy reading Ink is because the book mainly focused on the romance – a romance that was not at all believable for me. […]

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