Indelible (The Twixt, #1)

by Dawn Metcalf

Attacked by a black-eyed stranger, Joy Malone is accidentally trapped in a world of monsters and illusion where she must pretend to be the young man's chosen love and helper in order to escape a painful death.

• ISBN10: 0373210736
• ISBN13: 9780373210732
• Publish Date: 12 July 2023 (first published 1 January 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: CA
• Imprint: Harlequin Teen
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Silvara]

Check out my other reviews, discussions and link ups at Fantasy of the Silver Dragon.

I won the third book in this series in a giveaway, not knowing that it was the third book. So I went to the library to pick up the other two. I think the Universe was trying to tell me something. I absolutely LOVED this book!

I loved the world of the Twixt, and how it bled over into Joy's world once she was marked by Ink. I loved how cute Ink was as he learned about what it was to be and look like a human from Joy. He grew so much as a character during the book. It was totally like Graus Claude said. He started out as a tool, with no interest in anything but his job. So he was treated as a tool. But after he met Joy, he suddenly turned into a person. One who had hopes and desires and dreams of his own.

I also liked Inq. She was a little bit of a brat in the beginning. The way she popped into Joy's school and did things until Joy went away on little 'trips' with her. But she was still a fun character to get to know. And I loved how she felt protective of her brother, and kept giving Joy little relationship hints.

Joy had abandonment issues because her mom left. She spent a lot of the book avoiding her mom in any form she could. Text message? Unread, sent straight to a save folder. Letter comes in the mail? Shoved into a drawer unopened. However, she ended up growing a lot, just like Ink. Being thrown into crazy situations can do that. *grins*

The magic we were introduced to in the book was amazing. I mean, there was the 'standard' fantasy creature magic. Like Banshees, and air spirits. But there was also the magic that Ink and Inq do. They literally tattoo magic into people. I don't want to say too much and spoil anyone. Just trust me, if you like unique magic in your fantasy, you'll like this!

I will totally be buying my own physical copies of the first two books, just based on how much I loved this one. If you haven't read this book yet, what are you waiting for?

This review was originally posted on Fantasy of the Silver Dragon

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

Wow. That was really weird and different. Indelible is oozing with originality! I don't even know what to call the paranormal beings, other than Scribes, which is the only word we're given for Ink and Inq. They're not human, but they're not really...living things either. They're just there, and only those with "the Sight" can see them. Joy happens to be gifted with the Sight, but upon seeing the Scribe duo, Ink immediate tries to blind her. Literally. He stabs her in the eye. Talk about a great introduction! Afterward, strange people keep showing up and telling Joy to give strange messages to Ink. What in the world is going on?

I loved how unique Indelible was, but I think some of the uniqueness needed to be explained better, which is why I didn't rate it higher. I'm still very confused as to what exactly the purpose of the Scribes are. They both repeatedly say how they have to be perfect and can never, ever mess up, or else they'll be replaced and cease to exist. They go around putting "signaturae" on humans, but I wasn't completely sure what this meant and why it was important. Something about the Folk putting claims on them, but why? And who are "the Folk"? I got that they were magical beings, but nothing more than that. And why do some humans have the Sight, and what's the point of it? It just seems to get Joy into trouble. This made it hard to follow the plot at times which was about a rogue Folk sneaking their signaturae onto the humans for world domination or something.

I did really enjoy the romance though. Yes, it's insta-love, but I was instantly in love with Ink, too. Well, I found him extremely adorable and interesting, so I assume Joy did also. Like I said before, he and his sister aren't human, nor are they actually alive. However, Inq has been observing humans for a long time and always keeps them around so she can learn to live. Ink, on the other hand, never saw the point until he accidentally marked Joy. Then he spends a lot of time studying her in order to make alterations to his appearance and look more human, and figuring out emotions and stuff. I just found him really endearing.

Indelible was incredibly unique, and I really liked it. I just needed more out of the world building to love it and be less confused. There's a lot going on as strange creatures are out to get Joy in order to get to Ink. They have plenty of death defying escapes that kept the story moving along at a nice pace. The romance was sweet, if fast. The plot doesn't really pick up until the last third or so, but I found it interesting even if it was confusing at times. I'll definitely be continuing this series though.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[inlibrisveritas]

3.5 Rating

Indelible is a complex yet some how simple story, with mythical strangeness and beauty. The Twixt is the world of the Folk, which can be called the Fae though it includes some beings that normally would not be called such. It’s a world where True Names have power and are left as marks on humans’ skin to lay claim. It’s a promising story but it is not without it’s problems.

The world-building is complex and it takes a while for the pieces to fall into a place that can truly be understood. The meaning of the signatura (name claims) confused me for a good deal of the book and I didn’t quite understand how some of them went unnoticed. Some are invisible but others take physical shape on the skin…and I’m still wondering how many people are confused about the random rose tattoo they have. Not all are so blatant but the fact that it shows up seems weird. One of the best things about the world-building is all of the odd creatures that Joy comes into contact with, some sound beautiful but most sound rather terrifying. It’s kind of interesting to have them walking among humans but unseen by them. The plot was slow building and the meat of it isn’t even mentioned until about half-way through, but after that point things start to kick off a bit faster.

The characters were so-so, some hits and some misses. Joy is enjoyable enough and she tries her hardest to be strong and helpful through her whole ordeal but there were times when her whining got on my nerves. I really liked Ink though, he’s a bit stiff but it’s understandable because of his nature and while he’s not the most swoon-worthy character I’ve seen I liked his over all progress. I also loved his and his sister’s ability, though I didn’t quite understand all of it. His sister is Inq…which I’m guessing is basically the same as saying Ink, but with a slightly different ending? To be honest their names bothered me…Indelible Ink and Invisible Inq, they are so literal and kind of cheesy but I digress. Inq is the more lively of the two and she definitely lives life to the fullest, which becoming slightly annoying at times. Any time she’d randomly caress a person I’d cringe, because even though they can’t see her that’s still really creepy. The relationship between Ink and Joy was interesting but I wasn’t wholly invested in their commitment to each other. It was oddly sweet at times thanks to a few odd bonding experiences, but I didn’t really feel the ‘love’. Then there is Monica, who I didn’t like at all really. She’s bolder than Joy and at times she acted way older than sixteen. Teens have sex…it’s fact, but she is ridiculous. There is a moment where she equates Joy & Ink’s lack of sex to Ink being terrible for her, and at that point I just wrote her off as an idiot. The host of Folk side characters are really varied and add a definite dash of spice to the mix.

I enjoyed the book for the most part but I would have loved for the actual plot to have started sooner, and for somethings to be explained in a more concise way. While it didn’t deliver on some accounts I do see the series potential in it so I plan on continuing on to the second book whenever it releases.