Ink & Arrows

by Shruthi Viswanathan

A heart-wrenching fantasy romance perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas and Roshani Chokshi.

An artist who inks magical tattoos....
Rea is a Suveri, part of a tribe that can create tattoos with devastating powers. Bitter after the death of her father at the hands of a cruel general, she tries to get revenge...only to fail at her mission and be saved by a mysterious stranger who demands to know the secrets of the Suveri's tattoos.

A prince searching for power..
Sebastyen is the heir to the throne and a warrior who has shed more blood than any other on the battlefield. Though he may be royalty, his life is filled with endless wars and little fun. But the woman he meets offers a glimpse of peace. Intrigued by her rebellious nature, he agrees to fulfill three of her wishes in return for learning how to tattoo with magic. But as he spends more and more time with her, he cannot deny the spark of attraction that grows between them.

As a prince, he must marry for gain, not for love and Rea is blinded by her hatred.

Can two jaded people brought together by a bargain heal each other?

Note: Due to mature content, the book is intended for older readers. 18+

• ASIN: B081Y5ZXQS
• Publish Date: 25 January 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Format: eBook (Kindle)
• Pages: 127
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of Ink & Arrows through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Ink & Arrows is Shruthi Viswanathan’s debut novel. That stunning cover is what originally caught my attention here, but it was the description that made me curious enough to give this one a read. This is a world in which magic and tattoos merge into one.
Rea is a Suveri, and she is the one who makes the tattoos. The tattoos she makes can be either symbolic – or magical. Mourning the loss of her father, Rea takes a dangerous risk for the sake of revenge – and in that one moment, her entire life is changed.
Sebastyen is the prince, and one day he will be king. In the meantime, it is his job to ensure that the military is safe and led to victory. It may not be the most pleasant job out there, but he is good at it. But that is not the deepest desire of his heart.

“Even her own heartbeat froze as she said those words.”

Warnings: Ink & Arrows covers some intense subjects, including starvation, inhumane treatment, and death of a child (teenager?). The book itself says that it is only suitable for readers 18+, and I’m happy for that warning.

Ink & Arrow is a novel that had an absolutely stunning cover, and an interesting description. I instantly wanted to know about Rea and her plight – as well as the magic that she can ink onto skin. That was the real draw for me, if I’m being honest.
Unfortunately, the rest of this novel didn’t really hold up to my expectations. This might be my preference shining through. But this story honestly read like a quick foundation for a romance (and that is NOT a dig on romance, to be clear).
What I’m trying to say is: the romantic element in this story was the most thought out, while everything else seemed to slip by the wayside. For a novel that had some serious potential, that’s fairly disappointing.
There were some great elements here. Rea’s backstory and her ability to create magical tattoos, for example. But those parts weren’t really used nearly as much as I would have liked. Again, they felt more foundational than integral, if my distinction makes sense here.
I honestly would have liked to enjoy this story more, as the writing itself was quite good. I’ll be curious to see what else Shruthi Viswanathan comes up with, as I believe this is her debut novel (it’s the first one listed on Goodreads, at any rate).

For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Inkslinger]

ARC provided by NetGalley and Shruthi Viswanathan. All opinions are mine and freely given.

Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

"You can ease anger with revenge, but you can't ease the emptiness with anything."

01-30: 'Ink & Arrows' is one of those titles that just grabs your heart with both hands, unapologetically, right at the start of the story and then never lets go.

It's no exaggeration to say I loved, LOVED this story, the richness of the main character and her romantic interest to be, and the odds against them even surviving. Let alone, doing so together.

"Bonds as strong as ours aren't weakened by time or distance."

Rea is a member of a tribe called the Suveri, absolutely loathed by the people in the city neighboring her small home. Her tribe specializes in tattoos with magical properties, both highly sought after and simultaneously scorned as something hideous. Sebestyén is a decorated Alisian General, a warrior, and a man destined to be Emperor of the very people who hate her kind. And she hates him.

Though Rea blames his kind for the death of her father, they strike a bargain. In exchange for teaching him the tattooing artistry of her people, he saves her from a dire circumstance and agrees to fulfill three wishes for her.

Their relationship is complicated, rife with conflict. They both harbor ideas of the other going into the agreement that may or may not be accurate and while she lives a life mostly free of restraints, his is quite the opposite.

"How could he pluck the words from her deepest fantasies and lay them at her feet?"

Admittedly, I fell for him instantly. Though he was sometimes standoffish, there's also just a sense of rather adorable wickedness about him when we first meet him. The more she rails against him, the more amusing he seems to find her. And fine.. fair.. characters like that are a bit of a weakness for me.

The story is beautifully written, the dialogue feels easy, and honestly.. I was emotional and invested through the entire book. I have no idea if there will be more. I can barely find any information about the author, but that just intrigues me further.

I have only one complaint.. and upon looking back at the rest of the story, it's a small one. There's a point where things wrap up rather suddenly.. like the author just decided.. "that's it, I've done enough." We're sort of forwarded through a series of events that impact everyone pretty dramatically and just given a neat little ending. I really feel the events were important enough we should have experienced some of them.. but there's just.. 'decision' - 'time passes' - 'end.'

Nonetheless, I can tell you.. I hope there will be more. I want to see what the future holds for the people in the world of Ink & Arrows. I want to read more work by this author and only yesterday will be soon enough. No later.

"..even if your heart stops someday, you won't die because mine will continue to beat for you.."

----------------

01-29: Wonderful read. Review to come soon!

01-28: Ohhh.. so far I love this title. The characters are nicely developed.. there's a great deal of conflict.. both internal and external.. and I'm deeply invested. Need to wrap it up in the next day or so.. but I hate to let it go..

01-23: The cover is beautiful and after my last read, I'm super excited to read this. I think it's going to be a bit of a rough road. I've only read the first few pages and already the MC is in an interesting situation. Her bargain for freedom with a General/Archduke/Warlord isn't what she thinks it is, but I'm curious to find out more.