INK by Amanda Sun

NOTE: I received the eARC from Netgalley. Thanks!

I read a couple of negative reviews about Ink, and I started off thinking this book would be bad. But it wasn't. None of the things I read in the reviews were true. And in fact I enjoyed it very much. It had a nice story that isn't overbearing with historical facts, too much world building or anything that could ruin the experience of the plot. There was mystery and action that really got to me so much that I stayed past midnight to finish the book.

Some bloggers say there wasn't enough Japanese culture interwoven with the story. In my opinion, there was enough. Just the right amount actually, so you wouldn't be left to grasp at straws, and you wouldn't be overburdened either.

So yeah, it was really amazing. I'm not saying there were no flaws, because there were. But hey, perfect books aren't that easy to come by.

Anyway, what I can say annoyed me a little was the stalker that Katie turned out to be. I guess she was just curious and out to hunt the mystery revolving around Tomohiro, but it still bugged me. I mean, she's a foreigner in a land she doesn't know the language of, the customs of, or anything really. And she just up and goes to follow this guy who seems to be super creepy in the beginning. Of course it's a thrill, and without her Nancy-Drew-type-of-curiosity-for-solving-a-case inclinations we wouldn't ever get to see the real side of Tomohiro and his story, but still. It was unsettling.

Also, Katie brought all those misfortunes over them both, but she only blamed Tomo. He'd been dealing with his burden on his own quite impressively, thank you very much. It was her side of the equation that didn't quite add up.

I definitely will be waiting for the next installment to come out, that's for sure! I can feel that Katie is going to grow as a character, and that gives me the jitters!

My rating is

Spirit by Brigid Kemmerer

NOTE: I received this eARC thru Netgalley. Thanks so much!

Goodness, I cried on this one. Real tears and all. It was sooooooooooo good!!! I can't believe what happened, honestly! And this is by far the most emotional of the books in this series. I give it to the fact that Hunter, the lead male here, controls the element of the spirit. With him everything is ever about emotion.

There's so much anger, pain, devotion, hurt, passion and love in this novel, you have to read it for yourself to experience it all. I'm getting goosebumps right now, as I'm thinking about all the action and romance and just... everything really!

I did laugh in some places where the irony and sarcasm were too heavy to ignore. And I cried too but I'm not telling why, when or where. I'm just going to say that you will cry too. I mean, it's impossible not to, given all the drama.

Let me tell you, Hunter is not my favorite character in this series. Bad boy Gabriel is. But Hunter is right behind him up on the scale. It's probably because Hunter is so innocent at heart. He's being lied to by the people he considers friends and is told the truth by those he considers his enemies. I'm glad he figured out who is who in the end, because by one point I was ready to march up to him and slap him in the face. I mean, yeah it's complicated sometimes, but honestly - it isn't all that difficult to see the truth once you decide to look hard for it.

So with the Merricks on one side (who seem to be friendly, but are still his enemies) and the Guides & his father's secrets on the other, it's no wonder Hunter ends up making wrong decisions over and over again.

Even though Chris and Gabriel suffered a lot in books one and two, Hunter tops them both in this one. I'm not sure he'd be quite right in the heart and mind in the next book though and that scares me a little, because he sort of grew on me.

Of course I should say a little something about Kate as well. She was so livid and unpredictable all the time, I could hardly keep up on the same page as her! I didn't know what was truth and what was lie with her anymore than Hunter did. And I'm very sure she was the right girl for him. It wouldn't have worked with Becca. Kate was (or appeared to be) dangerous and definitely not someone to trust. In the beginning I wanted Hunter to avoid her. But the more he fell for her, the more she fell for him and that made her true colors be revealed. In the end, she wasn't all that bad after all.

I don't know which one would be the major character in the next installment of this series but I do wish it would come out sooner rather than later! I simply cannot wait!


My rating is