Review #47 - Inkmistress by Audrey Coulthurst

Details:

Title: Inkmistress

Author: Audrey Coulthurst

Publisher: Harper Teen

ISBN 13: 978-0062433282

Synopsis:

Asra is a demigod with a dangerous gift: the ability to dictate the future by writing with her blood. To keep her power secret, she leads a quiet life as a healer on a remote mountain, content to help the people in her care and spend time with Ina, the mortal girl she loves.

But Asra's peaceful life is upended when bandits threaten Ina's village and the king does nothing to help. Desperate to protect her people, Ina begs Asra for assistance in finding her manifest--the animal she'll be able to change into as her rite of passage to adulthood. Asra uses her blood magic to help Ina, but her spell goes horribly wrong and the bandits destroy the village, killing Ina's family.

Unaware that Asra is at fault, Ina swears revenge on the king and takes a savage dragon as her manifest. To stop her, Asra must embark on a journey across the kingdom, becoming a player in lethal games of power among assassins, gods, and even the king himself.

Most frightening of all, she discovers the dark secrets of her own mysterious history--and the terrible, powerful legacy she carries in her blood.

Review:

It took me a while to get into this story - not helped by the fact that I didn't like the romantic interest at the start - I found her quite annoying. But as the story progressed and unfolded I enjoyed it more. Around two thirds in the action picked up even more and I found myself wanting to read more. Asra isn't the most likeable lead character and her guilt trips did niggle a bit after a while but I liked her much more by the end and I do think that Hal was the stronger character - he I liked instantly. Overall a good read with just a few niggles here and there.

I gave this book 3.75 out of 5 stars.