Ink (The Paper Gods, #1)

by Amanda Sun

INK Is In Their Blood.

On the heels of a family tragedy, Katie Greene must 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.

When Katie meets aloof but gorgeous Tomohiro, the star of the school's kendo team, she is intrigued by him...and a little scared. His tough attitude seems meant to keep her at a distance, and when they're near each other, strange things happen. Pens explode. Ink drips from nowhere. And unless Katie is seeing things, drawings come to life.

Somehow Tomo is connected to the kami - powerful ancient beings who once ruled Japan - and as feelings develop between Katie and Tomo, things begin to spiral out of control. The wrong people are starting to ask questions...and if they discover the truth, no one will be safe.

• ISBN10: 037321071X
• ISBN13: 9780373210718
• Publish Date: 25 June 2013 (first published 1 January 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: CA
• Imprint: Harlequin Teen
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[nitzan_schwarz]

Originally posted on my blog. 

I know Megs (my co-blogger) doesn't do DNF reviews, but I do, when I feel like I need (and can) explain why I didn't finish a book.

On the surface, Ink is the perfect book for me. It's in Japan, a place I love and dream to visit. It's anime-ish, and I love anime. And to top it all, it's fantasy. A fantasy, anime-ish story set in Japan? Sign me up!

Or maybe not. Because I just couldn't finish this book. At page 97, after 97 pages of pure frustration, I decided to call it quits, which I don't normally do. But from page one, more or less, I was considering putting this book down. 

From the start, I saw I didn't like how Japan was portrayed in this book. It just... didn't feel authentic, you know? It felt like what someone like me, who loves Japan and anime but doesn't really understand it might write. It didn't feel real. It felt like it was trying too hard to grasp Japan.

The writing itself wasn't a favorite, either. I felt like there were over descriptions, like that delicate balance between too much and too little hasn't yet been mastered (but it is hard). Then there was the trying to intricate Japanese words into the story. It just wasn't well done. A Japanese person doesn't say Ketai Phone. It's like saying Cell Phone Phone. Ketai is, on itself, "cell phone". There were other examples where I felt the usage was wrong, even if slightly. 

(And I'd just like to point out I may be the one in the wrong, as my knowledge comes from watching and listening to anime, but it still ended up bothering me, the individual)

Now, I will backtrack a bit. This writing may be intentional. The main character is an outsider. She may make these mistakes, be slightly off. And if that was all that bothered me with this book, I would've overlooked it, but it wasn't.

First, there was Katie herself. Even 100 pages into the story, I couldn't pin her down. I didn't know her. And when you don't have the slightest idea about a character even 100 pages later, it means something.

Then there was the "romance". Pfft. More like "worst case of insta love eveeeer". She's thinking of Tomohiro, and how pretty he is, and "understanding" him, when she's had maybe one decent conversation with the guy, and the other encounters were mostly compiled of grunts and looks (which, by the way, I don't believe you can glean that much from a look when you don't know the person...) and him being mostly a jerk.

In fact, it was Katie thinking "The wildness of it drove fear into my heart, as if I didn't really know him at all--and maybe I didn't" that convinced me to drop this book. No shit, Sherlock? You might not know him? what DO you know about the guy? I could sum it in three sentences, and most of it ain't good. Did you think you know him? The guy you truly spoke withtwice, who spends his time trying to intimidate you and--according to you--blowing up you pens?!

Give. Me. A Break.

I'm so done with insta love it ain't even funny, and I'm not suffering through yet another book with it for anything, especially one that hasn't impressed me in any other way either. Sign me out.

Originally posted on my blog. 

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

Ink is most definitely a unique book, but I think my expectations were a bit too high. Don't get me wrong, I did like it. It's just that while it was very different, and interesting, there were also several things that bothered me about it. It also took me awhile to get into. The story kicks off with Katie forgetting her shoes at school, and having to go back even though there's a very public break up going on. Of course, she eavesdrops a bit, and then when angry exgirlfriend throws down jerkwad exboyfriend's (Tomohiro, who'd you have met already if you read Shadow) sketchbook, Katie sees the drawings move and confronts Tomohiro. He essentially blows her off and tells her to stay away. Does she? Of course not, because she knows something weird is happening and she wants to know what.

Katie spends the first part of Ink stalking Tomohiro. Seriously, this girl follows him everywhere. She even asks her aunt for a bike, since stalking while mobile is more effective. I get that she was really curious to see what he was hiding, but it was still weird. She doesn't know him at all, and really whatever he's up to is none of her business. Yes, I'd be concerned if I saw drawings move, and if my own doodles attacked me before my pen exploded, but still, stalking is a little extreme. Tomohiro also does that typical, broody "you should stay away from me" spiel, which I think just made Katie more determined. Eventually he shares his secret and they start dating. I wasn't really into the romance either after their strange beginning, but at least it wasn't instalove. They hang out a lot before doing any kissing, and don't pull out the "I love you"s.

I absolutely loved the setting and the premise. It's nice to get out of the US for awhile and experience a different culture. Katie has come a long way into fitting into Japan, but she was still learning as she went about everyday life. It was interesting to learn more about everything from the language, food, school, living, transportation, history and more. It was also easy to picture the cherry blossoms covering everything. There's also a lot of information about the gods, or kami. Tomohiro is one, which is why his drawings can come to life. But he's extra powerful in that his drawings can leave the page. This is why some dangerous people are after him, in order to use him as a weapon.

The plot of Ink was something else I'm a little conflicted on. While I loved the idea of paper gods and Tomohiro struggling with his power. I was a bit annoyed that Katie had to be super special, too, and have a connection to the ink. She's not a kami, thankfully, but I would have liked it better if she was a regular, American girl and let the Japanese have their own supernatural race. Then about halfway in, the Yakuza come into play. They're the ones who want Tomohiro in order to gain more power. This did get exciting at times, but for the most part it just made me want to sign into my fake Facebook account and play Mafia Wars. I just found the war between kami and a gang to be strange.

Overall, I did enjoy Ink. The plot and romance could have been better, but I loved the world building and mythology! The ending was also extremely predictable, and I had to roll my eyes at Katie's behavior. It is a bit of a cliffhanger. Nothing too huge, but it does end in what seems to be the middle of a scene. I have no clue where the story is going from there, but I'll probably continue the series to find out.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[ellieroth]

Publicado Originalmente en: El Extraño Gato del Cuento

Cuando vi la portada por primera vez supe que debía leer el libro, fueron meses de dura búsqueda y acoso a la editorial (la gringa). Cuando por fin lo tuve en mis manos (a través de mi eReader) hace un par de meses y también me llegó el Press-kit, la verdad recién ahí me enteré de lo que iba. Sumándole eso, estaba plenamente convencida que amaría el libro.

La verdad es que si bien me agradó la historia, los personajes y la narración, el desarrollo no me convenció del todo, y aunque me gustó la mayor parte de como Amanda Sun nos cuenta la historia es un poco inestable, hay partes donde se pone un poco aburrido y en otras un tanto exagerado.

[...]

Así como también un Otaku sabrá reconocer lo bien cuidado qué está el libro, nos regodeamos en nuestro conocimiento del japonés porque Amanda lo usa mucho (si no sabes ni papa de japonés, don't worry be happy, al final hay un precioso glosario).

[...]

Sinceramente esperaba mucho más de Ink, pero no me ha decepcionado tampoco. Mentiría por omisión si no dijera que espero ansiosa su continuación.

Reseña Completa: El Extraño Gato del Cuento

[Linda]

*I received a free ARC of Ink from Harlequin TEEN via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review*

Full review to come soon.

This and other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews

Ink follows Katie’s first few months in Japan, where she arrives after her mother’s death to live with her aunt Diane. Language difficulties, cultural differences and adjusting to life without her parents are part of Katie’s daily life now. Making new friends, fitting in in school being the only blond and non-Asian student while trying her best to keep up with the Japanese signs and learning everything she needs while longing for her grand-parents in Canada and still being very sad and angry about her mom’s death is a big part of her as well.

[inlibrisveritas]

I barely looked at the summary of this one before I hit request because I saw all I needed to see on that first glance. The words ‘Japan’ and ‘ancient gods’. If you don’t know by now I hold a spot in my heart for Japanese related things like myths/religion, culture, anime, manga, and music. So I guess you could say I was going to love it no matter what but at the same time I have a high expectation so it’s not a given.

Ink turned out to be a fantastic read! Katie Greene is an American who due to her mother’s death now has to live with her aunt in Japan. She not only has to deal with the fact that she doesn’t know the language and the culture, but to top things off Yuu Tomohiro (Tomohiro Yuu for the Westerns ;P , last names always go first in Japan) is drawing attention to himself with some very strange artwork. It moves and seems to have a life of its own and despite the danger she feels from Tomo she knows she can’t turn a blind eye to it.

I loved the mix of a modern setting and the old Japanese gods like Amaterasu and the Kami. The fact that each drawing and calligraphy mark holds such potential and creation is just awesome. (For video game geeks think along the lines of Okami). We get to see Japan like a contemporary at times with it’s sakura blossoms, rigorous schooling, and even the crime. It touches on a few darker topics as well, like what kind of effect that rigorous schooling has on some kids. I also enjoyed the fact that Amanda took the time to include the Japanese language in the dialogue. It sounds a bit daunting but most of the words are translated a little later into the text or the context clues are rather strong, however if it still seems like you’re not understand some of the words then there is a glossary in the back to help you.

Katie was so-so for me. I didn’t quite connect with her at times but I enjoyed her personal journey in the story. She grows to love Japan and all the problems she had adjusting in the beginning fade over time. There were times when I didn’t get her reasoning for some of her decisions, like openly talking about pictures moving…I was wondering if someone was going to make her go see a therapist at some point. The character that drew me in was Tomo. He’s mysterious (of course) and he likes to keep it that way, for a very good reason. He works hard to keep people away but we get to see his goofier/softer side, and his love of art is apparent. Tanaka and Yuki are some of the best side characters I’ve read in YA fantasy lately, they are so cute. There were very few times where I didn’t want to squeeze Tanaka.

I’m definitely going to check out the sequel when it’s available because I have to know what Katie is going to do next. I’m hoping to see more Japanese related YA in the coming years, especially if it has as much creativity as Ink does.

[Suz @ Bookish Revelations]

Ink is a beautifully penned, lush story that comes to life in such a vividly gorgeous way. It is an amazing story that will whisk anyone away on an intriguing tale of adventure, drama, and terrifying discoveries. Amanda Sun does an extraordinary job of cultivating and creating her own spin on Japanese mythos and the Paper Gods. Right from the start, Ink, is an incredibly gripping and compelling novel that will keep reader's invested until they've finished the last page.

The characters are wonderfully nuanced and brilliantly developed, strong, and interesting. Katie is a beautifully flawed, yet strong female herione that reader's will find easily relatable. Her constant ability of getting lost somewhere between her head and her heart, is probably one of the most beautiful of her flaws. She comes across this incredibly real character that is easy to sympathize with, as she has to learn to adapt to a new culture, learn their language and way of life, as well as work through the grief of losing her mother on top of moving a country away to live with her aunt in Japan.

Tomohiro, on the other hand, is full of mystery, wonder, and intrigue. As broody and cute as he can be sometimes, he is dangerous to a fault. Not just to himself, but to other's as well. Drawn to Katie like a magnet, he's also terrified at what his secret may do to harm her as well. This is part of the reason he is as moody as he is, sometimes. It's hard not to feel for him, because of the painful dark secret that he lives with on a daily basis. Being Kami and knowing that soon his powers could potentially take him over and any humanity he has left in him at all, has to be incredibly terrifying. It's easy to see why he often comes across as a cold hearted jerk who doesn't care about anyone around him or why he tries hard to keep Katie at arm's length, while still being inextricably drawn to her.

Sun's brilliant incorporation of traditional Japanese myth is flawlessly beautiful in many stunningly vivid ways. Her attention to detail will definitely not go unnoticed, when reading this gorgeous novel, so full of life, love, and other terrifying secrets turned to reality. She has this way of transporting you to another world across the country ocean's away, through her gorgeous imagery alone. Getting lost in the world that she creates is such a wonderful experience that anyone would enjoy, while reading this novel.

Ink is an originally unique novel, with an impeccable conceptualized plot that is sure to stun and wow anyone who picks this novel up. I would recommend it strong to anyone who enjoys fantasy. While it is considered a fantasy novel, I can still see those who don't usually read fantasy easily enjoying this book and getting lost in the beautiful story it has to tell with it's rich detail, attention to plot, and strong characters. It's definitely a must read debut for the year 2013.