Disclaimer: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This has not changed my opinion on the book in any way.

Last year I saw a tweet from the author about a blog tour for his book, Inked, that (on the day I post this) came out exactly one year ago! I decided to apply for the blog tour, because I had never been in a blog tour before, and I thought it would be a cool think to do. I had been interested in this book for a while now, but I just never went and picked it up because there were so many other books I wanted to read. So I am super happy to be one of the people chosen for the blog tour!

Inked tells the story of Caenum, who is not looking forward to his Inking at all. What if he doesn't like the Ink he's going to receive? He doesn't want his fate to be decided by a tattoo! So he plans to run away, but his grandmother and his best friend Dreya don't want him to leave. That is until they find someone in a field, with a power that no one has ever seen before. Caenum, Dreya and Kenzi must find a place that no one thinks exists in order for them to be safe.

I was really intrigued by this book, mainly because of the whole moving tattoo's idea. I once read a headcanon that in the world of Harry Potter, magical tattoo's could move and change with the seasons, so when I heard about this book I really hoped it would be like that. The tattoo's in Inked are similar to this, for example Dreya's tattoo does actually change with the seasons. During the winter season, the plants on her body actually wither and lose their leaves and stuff, which is really cool (okay maybe not for Dreya, but to me it sounded cool).

Caenum is our main character, and I'm honestly not too sure what to think about him. I like him, especially his relationship with Dreya and his determination to solve stuff without so much violence, but I don't know, there was something about him that annoyed me. Maybe the fact that he kept getting knocked out so much (I mean not his fault, but yeah it did happen a lot). Dreya could have been an amazing character, but I felt like she was pushed to the background more to give Ceanum and Kenzi more room to improve. I hope that in the sequel - I mean there is going to be a sequel right - that she gets more attention.

My main question mostly during this book was - where do these magical tattoos come from? what is the story behind them. I can say that even though the answer was a bit obvious when I thought about it, it did satisfy me a lot when I found out the cruel truth. I really liked the magic and the many different forms of magic. I believe it was mostly inspired by the four elements; water, air, fire and earth, and honestly elemental magic is something I love.

I did feel that there was something lacking, and I hate myself for not knowing exactly what, but I guess I just expected more, especially from the first half of the book. The latter part really picked up and I honestly enjoyed that part better than the first. The fight in the city was just my favourite part, as much as I hated to see those innocent people hurt. But honestly that's what I'm here for, the battles, the hurt, the deaths, the betrayal, that's my kind of thing!

So in the end, I really liked Inked and I will certainly be picking up the second book! If you're really intrigued by the whole magical moving tattoos like I was, and you love books with battles and magic; you should definitely pick up this book! The sequel, Rise of the Unprinted, will be released in May this year (at least, that's what Goodreads says)!

My opinion on this book in one gif:

( )

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Inked was not my kind of dystopian read. It was unrealistic and lacked the crucial connection between the reader and the characters.

Opening Sentence: Three days.
My thin leather shoes slapped softly against the dirt leading away from grandmother’s cottage as I made my way across our stretch of farmland located at the edge of Frosthaven.

The Review:

Another dystopian story but regrettably, not a very good one.

Inked contained elements of the Insurgent series by Veronica Roth. In Insurgent, individuals are shown a simulation that encourages them to choose a faction, which essentially defines how they spend the rest of their lives. Simiarly, in Inked, the ink is used to determine each person’s fate, with the government having the ultimate control of everyone’s ambitions.

The story is told from Caenum’s perspective and I felt sorry for him when his world turns upside down following the entrance of the scribes for his inking but I couldn’t connect with his character or the story. I couldn’t understand how he was planning to leave his grandmother and Dreya when he claimed to love them both so much and they were the only family he had just because he was scared of being inked. Actually, I take that back. I understood him leaving, I just couldn’t take him seriously.

Caenum and Dreya’s almost-romance would have been cute if there was anything remotely romantic involved. Instead there were assumptions of being each other’s soul mates without admitting it out loud, which was really weird.

“Rausch,” I started, trying not to look too pathetic.
He noticed immediately.
“What is it with you people and these sad good-byes?” he scoffed. “Go fight the good fight, and make your way back to this one. And yes, I promise to marry her if anything happens to you, as we agreed.” He winked and reached between the bars of the gate to give me a nudge.

I liked Kenzie’s character though, he seemed crazy enough to be real and apart from that I can’t think of much else I enjoyed about this book. There was a lot of taboo first about not getting inked, then about those that were inked, it was rather silly really. If it is a series, it’s not one I will spend my time reading.

Notable Scene:

“The Citadel tries to force people into roles, into walks of life. Gives them assignments based on what they are born with,” Dreya said, as Ryst knelt down and gingerly touched the vines that wrapped around Rausch’s body. “But leaders aren’t born. They are made. All of your confusion, all those questions, they brought you here. According to the Citadel, you might have been born to work the land. But according to the fate you’ve made for yourself, you were meant to save it.”

FTC Advisory: Bloomsbury Spark provided me with a copy of Inked. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. ( )

I 'read' this book on both audio and ebook format. And while I like the story, I was a little less than impressed with the audio book. Here's the deal: Inked was narrated by a well-seasoned narrator, Nick Podehl. I do think this was the first book I've listened to by Podehl. Anyway, I had some problems with it. First, at his attempt to sound younger, he sounded whiny instead. It was sort of a nasaly whine. Second, his attempts at the female characters in this book sounded screechy and also whiny. It was almost hard to take. However when he wasn't speaking the dialog in the book, Podehl sounded okay. I listened to several samples of other audio books that he's narrated in an attempt to compare/contrast this book to previous ones. And from what I could tell, he's actually pretty good. So I chalk it up to Podehl trying to sound as young as the characters in Inked that didn't work.

Now for the story line. Inked has an interesting story line. A society that tattoos citizens, basically branding them into whatever role in life that the Citadel deems appropriate for them. But these tattoos are magical. And as you probably know, magic comes with a price. Caenum and Dreya are life-long friends, though Caenum wishes for more. In a turn of events, they meet Kenzi, who has something that the Citadel desperately wants. In an attempt to deliver Kenzi to safety, the three teens must embark on a dangerous journey. A journey that takes them way into the unknown.

In today's society, tattoos can express a person's creativity, their passions, their personality, and sometimes a drunken mistake. And it seems everyone has a tattoo of some sort. I've seen some beautifully done art work on people's skin that have left me in awe. So it's not hard to imagine the world that Eric Smith has created. Where instead of being an example of freedom, tattoos are a symbol of restraint.

Inked is a coming-of-age, fantasy adventure. The story moved along quickly, and the characters were likable. I don't often do this, but in this case, however, I would recommend reading the book over listening to the audio. The audio is okay, but the book is much better.
Read more at http://www.toreadornottoread.net/2015/05/audiobook-review-inked.html#qYl3ZDAVtJF... ( )

Percent read: 21

From what I read Inked was not a bad book. The writing was good and the concept intriguing. Unfortunately, I didn't bond with the characters at all. I didn't care what happened to them, so I wasn't all that interested in what happened to them. Depending on reviews, I'd be willing to give this another chance down the line, but I'm not in the mood for it now, that's for sure.

http://www.nerdophiles.com/2015/03/01/inked-by-eric-smith-leaves-its-mark-on-rea...

This little book is one of my new favorites for when I want something quick, magical, and fun. It’s only available as an e-book right now, which makes it not as expensive or heavy as a normal book, but don’t let that deter you! This is a fantastic read, and I for one am looking forward to more from this author and series!

Let’s dive into the book a little. In this world, when you come of age you get a tattoo. This tattoo determines what you are going to do for the rest of your life. It’s magical, it moves, and it can be pretty terrifying for a person who isn’t sure within themselves what they want to do. Only people who are unprinted can do whatever they want in the world. However being unprinted means you’re an outcast, and at risk for being hunted down. For Caenum, our main guy, he’s caught in an inner battle of getting printed, or running away and living free. However, the choice is made for him when he meets Kenzi. Caenum, his best friend Dreya, and Kenzi must then fight for their lives, and nothing outside of Frosthaven is what it seems.

If you like books with magic, lots of twists, and kids fighting for who they are and want to be, then you’ll like this book. The imagery Smith weaves in is gorgeous. One of my favorite sights he gave was, “The thing about trees page two.” He really sets up the book to where you can see every bit of it, from the leaves and light, to the moving tattoos, to the bitter realities of war. Smith packs a lot into this short novel, and leaves you wanting more afterwards.

Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed this novel! It was fun, fast, and I am waiting for the next book or two in this series. There were a couple things that made me sit up and go “Wait, what? Did Smith really do that?” One was a Skyrim joke (Really? Do we need more of those in the world?) and the whole inking felt very Soylent Green to me. My main stumbling part in this was Caenum’s name. Much like reading Hermione for the first few times, I couldn’t wrap my inner monologue around how to pronounce it. All in all, this is a great book. If you’re in the need for a quick read, and you enjoy magical books about teens figuring out who they are, and plot twists, then you’ll enjoy this book.