Thoughts

When I first saw this book on Book of the Month, I was highly intrigured by the magic system and the magic of tattoos. The concept seemed so original to me and thus I decided to give it a change. This YA dark fantasy did not disappoint either.

Inklings, Celia and Anya are best friends. Their lives have been dedicated to delivering and tattooing divine messages on the people of Illinia. These messages are all part of the religion of Profeta, and are communications straight from ‘The Divine’ herself. Inkings, though though of as messengers of The Divine, are subjected to brutal treatment in order to ensure their utmost devotion. When Celia and Anya decide they have had enough of this treatment they join an actor troupe to disappear.

The magic system is extremely unique. Being able to push a tattoo from yourself to another person is such a neat concept. I really enjoyed the descriptive nature of Smejkal’s writing and found myself highly entertained throughout the entire story.

In terms of this being an LGBTQ book, characters within the book arn’t defined by their physical appearance to determine gender. People have what is a called a ‘tenor’ which is a physical aura that surrounds a person, is what determines their gender and pronouns. Once again I was blown away by the incredibly imaginative concept.

While I did enjoy this book, I felt it dragged on a bit. At just under 500 pages, I felt there could have been some parts of the story cut to increase the pace. The slow burn and the amount of time it took me to become invested in the story, knocked a star off for me.

The book in the Ink in the Blood Duology. The second book in the series will be hitting shelves in February of 2021, so be sure to pick up book #1 before it does!

AMAZON | GOODREADS | ★★★★ 

I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on Ink in the Blood. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books.