Monday 24 June 2013

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

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Author: Amanda Sun
Series: Paper Gods
Pages: 377
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Amazon The Book Depository
Australian Release Date: 25th June 2013



Synopsis:

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.

Review: 3 ½ out of 5 stars

The beautiful cover of Ink is what initially attracted me to this fantasy novel; the mythology and Japanese setting were also quite appealing so I was more than eager to delve into Amanda Sun’s intriguing world.

Sixteen year-old Katie Greene has had to move to Shizuoka, Japan to live with her aunt Diane after the death of her mother; things are tough and the transition hasn’t been too easy on her with many cultural and language barriers in the way.

Katie’s actions at time were predictable and quite unbelievable; she rushed in to things without thinking, her curiosity seemed to get the better of her at times and to me in the initial stages she came across as an obsessed stalker. In saying this, I also felt quite sorry for her, she was more or less alone in a strange place and having to adapt and fend for herself, she was trying to find the light in what seems to be a difficult situation and for this I liked her.

The plot was mysterious and evenly paced, from the onset of Ink, you could tell there was something unusual going on; Katie could see printed images move and whenever bad boy, mysterious and broody Yuu Tomohiro was around things became even more strange. Once Katie became a part of his world, she discovered things that were unbelievable and put her life and her heart at risk.

The romance: I feel Katie came on a little too strong in the initial stages, despite not knowing Tomohiro, except of his dangerous reputation, she continually pursued him which I felt was too much, she was drawn to him despite his nastiness and evasiveness but I couldn’t see the reasoning behind wanting to follow someone who had supposedly beaten someone within an inch of their life, supposedly cheated on his girlfriend and made the other girl pregnant and had mafia links – I would have run the opposite way therefor didn’t see the early attraction. As the story progressed, so too did my opinion of Katie and Tomohiro being together; I came to love the dialogue between them and the way in which they supported one another.

For the secondary characters, I quite liked Katie’s new friends, Yuki and Tanaka who were fun and supportive and Aunt Diane was the sort of aunty you would want - hip and cool; I liked the relationship they came to share.

I was immersed in Amanda Sun’s detailed and intricate world, the setting was vibrant and really drew you into her storytelling, the smallest descriptions of the food, places, drawings, characters and even cherry blossoms were vivid and beautifully written; you were drawn into the story. The Japanese mythology was all new for me and I found myself really enjoying it all; it is very different to other YA Fantasy novels I have read which I really appreciated.

What I didn’t like: Unfortunately, we have a number of YA clichés which I was able to overlook because of my overall enjoyment of the book but they were there none the less - bad boy/good girl who can’t be together due to one or the other being in danger, insta-love/attraction, a mysterious unknown power,  perfect best friends and deceased parents. They seem to be typical in YA these days so I think I am becoming immune to them now.

Overall, I enjoyed Amada Sun’s descriptive writing and the details she gave about the Japanese culture; it was a gripping story and despite my few issues one I quite liked.


About the Author: (from Amanda Sun’s website) - I’m a YA author and proud Nerdfighter. I was born in Deep River, Canada, a very small town without traffic lights or buses, and where stranger safety is comprised of what to do if you see a bear—or skunk. I started reading fantasy novels at 4 and writing as soon as I could hold a pencil. Hopefully my work’s improved since then.

In university I took English, Linguistics, and Asian History, before settling into Archaeology, because I loved learning about the cultures and stories of ancient people. Of course, I didn’t actually become an archaeologist—I have an intense fear of spiders. I prefer unearthing fascinating stories in the safety of my living room.


The Paper Gods is inspired by my time living in Osaka and travelling throughout Japan. That and watching far too many J-Dramas. I currently live in Toronto with my husband and daughter. When I’m not writing, I’m devouring YA books, knitting nerdy things like Companion Cubes and Triforce mitts, and making elaborate cosplays for anime cons.


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Australian VS US Covers


Ink (Paper Gods, #1) Ink (Paper Gods, #1)

17 comments:

  1. Wonderful review Sharon, I like the sound of the world, even if the romance wasn't exactly to your liking.

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    1. Thanks Kimba! I loved the world-building, it was certainly unique.

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  2. When I saw the cover of this book, I was so excited for it, but the reviews so far haven't been so favorable. So, I decided that this wouldn't be the book for me. Judging from your review, I made the right decision. I know all the things you mentioned : Katie's character, the romance and the YA cliches that I would not enjoy this one despite the strong world-building.
    Thanks for the great honest review, Sharon!

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    1. Me too Nick! the cover is gorgeous; It's just a shame about those pesky YA cliches.

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  3. Good review. Thanks for the honestly. I'm so iffy about this one.

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    1. Thanks Shane :) I hope you enjoy it if you decide to read it.

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  4. I think I'd still like to give this one a try as the mythology sounds interesting and the book seems to be well written which is something I look for. I think, that like you, I've become immune to cliches so I don't think that will bother me that much lol.
    Great review :)

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    1. It is extremely well written and the mythology is quite unique which I appreciated.

      I hope you enjoy it :)

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  5. I absolutely love the cover of this book, and am intrigued by the Japanese setting. I hope to read this soon because it sounds like the mythology aspect is interesting, and that though there are a few issues it is still a great story. Great review!

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    1. Isn't it stunning & the Japanese setting was wonderful, I enjoyed this aspect.

      It was a great story despite the few issues I had with it.

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  6. Ugh, the dead parents and insta-love/lust. Two of the YA clichés that are killing me lately. And sheesh - I'd have left marks on the pavement running so fast in the other direction from that guy! I was interested in this one just because of the setting, but I think I'm going to pass. After a couple of meh reviews and now yours, I know there are definitely things in here that would make me hurt my Kindle. lol

    Awesome review, Sharon!!

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    1. Thanks Barbara! some of the cliches grated on my nerves, others I was able to ignore - the stalker behavior was a standout unfortunately.

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  7. I was able to look past a lot with this book to enjoy it. There were a lot of YA cliches but for a cliched book I think it did okay. While I did like it I'm not sure if I want to read the next one.

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    1. Same Jess, I enjoyed it but I wont be rushing out to buy the sequel.

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  8. I have seen a lot of mixed reviews on this book. I am glad you liked it in spite of the cliches. Great review.

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    1. Thanks Ellen, the cliches seem to be all too common in YA lately which is a shame.

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  9. I really enjoyed the world building on this one too, and Tanka was adorable! I admittedly look past some of the flaws for this one because I'm a sucker for a good Japanese based book and mythology.

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