Monday, February 24, 2020

Ink in the Blood by Kim Smejkal {review}

Ink in the Blood
by Kim Smejkal
♦publisher: HMH Teen
♦release date: February 11th, 2020
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦hardcover, 411 pages
♦series: Ink in the Blood, book 1
♦source: ARC from publisher for honest review
Celia Sand and her best friend, Anya Burtoni, are inklings for the esteemed religion of Profeta. Using magic, they tattoo followers with beautiful images that represent the Divine’s will and guide the actions of the recipients. It’s considered a noble calling, but ten years into their servitude Celia and Anya know the truth: Profeta is built on lies, the tattooed orders strip away freedom, and the revered temple is actually a brutal, torturous prison.

Their opportunity to escape arrives with the Rabble Mob, a traveling theater troupe. Using their inkling abilities for performance instead of propaganda, Celia and Anya are content for the first time . . . until they realize who followed them. The Divine they never believed in is very real, very angry, and determined to use Celia, Anya, and the Rabble Mob’s now-infamous stage to spread her deceitful influence even further.

To protect their new family from the wrath of a malicious deity and the zealots who work in her name, Celia and Anya must unmask the biggest lie of all—Profeta itself.
 

{REVIEW}

So I ended this one with some very mixed feelings.  On one hand, the concept is just so unique and magical---under the religion of Profeta, inklings send prophetic messages to people through magical tattoos that they ink onto their own skin and then "release". It then transfers the tattoo to the one who it's meant for.  Celia Sand, an inkling since she was 6, is our feisty and high spirited protagonist, whose eyes begin to open and she starts to doubt the true legitimacy and faith behind the tattoos they deliver. Is it truly about faith and altruistic intentions or is it about manipulation and control? 

Such an interesting tale, and the writing at first was beautiful, but as we got deeper into the story, I felt at times it just got a little overdramatic and muddled.  It just wasn't staying with me, wasn't keeping me engaged. I did love the strong friendship and love between Anya and Celia, if anyone seemed capable of bringing down a corrupt religion it was the two of them, both clever and passionate and able to lean on each other infallibly. There was a very light romance but I found the Plague doctor to be a little too broody and cryptic to keep me invested and hoping for a connection between him and Celia. There are so many side characters and many of them are interesting, but we don't learn much about them and at times it was hard to keep them straight. 

Though I struggled through much of it, I did make it to end and was glad I did---the resolution was bloody and hard-won, thrilling and tragic. I'll likely pick up book two to see if this beautiful and unique world can fully draw me in next time.


{About The Author}

Kim Smejkal writes dark fantasy for young adults and not-so-young adults, always with a touch of magic. Her debut novel, INK IN THE BLOOD, will release from HMH in early 2020.

When she’s not writing, she’s homeschooling her kids, tutoring other people’s kids, and voraciously hoarding any precious alone time. Though she grew up on the Canadian prairies, she now lives with her family on beautiful, muse-satiating Vancouver Island. She is represented by Daniel Lazar of Writers House.

Purchase the book:  Indiebound  •  BookDepository  •  Amazon 

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