Review: Inked by Eric Smith + Giveaway

Inked

Eric Smith

YA Fantasy
Bloomsbury Spark
January 20, 2015

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Tattoos once were an act of rebellion.

Now they decide your destiny the moment the magical Ink settles under your skin.

And in a world where Ink controls your fate, Caenum can't escape soon enough. He is ready to run from his family, and his best friend Dreya, and the home he has known, just to have a chance at a choice.

But when he upsets the very Scribe scheduled to give him his Ink on his eighteenth birthday, he unwittingly sets in motion a series of events that sends the corrupt, magic-fearing government, The Citadel, after him and those he loves.

Now Caenum, Dreya, and their reluctant companion Kenzi must find their way to the Sanctuary, a secret town where those with the gift of magic are safe. Along the way, they learn the truth behind Ink, its dark origins, and why they are the only ones who can stop the Citadel.

Eric Smith takes you on a high-octane fantasy adventure, perfect for anyone who has dreamed of being different… only to discover that fate is more than skin deep.

Advance Praise:

"INKED is an action-packed read with a hero I could root for, magic I wanted to have, and a vivid fantasy world to back it all up. Smith's prose had me turning pages way past my bedtime." - Susan Dennard, author of SOMETHING STRANGE & DEADLY

"A fast-paced page-turner from Eric Smith filled with magic, mystery and mayhem." - Kristi Helvig, Author of BURN OUT

"With a lively cast of characters and a captivating idea, INKED draws its readers into a world where magic lives on every page." Kat Zhang, author of The Hybrid Chronicles series

Review: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review

Inked is a fun adventure that takes place in a rich fantasy world that will appeal to all ages but especially tweens and teens.

What I Loved

-The premise and the descriptions of the ink. I kept picturing it in my mind. The images moved on the skin and sounded amazing. The idea was intriguing and different. Magical.

What I Liked

-The characters, especially Dreya. That girl had a lot of personality packed into her.

-The rich fantasy world. Mr. Smith made it easy to picture the world he created in the mind's eye, especially the magical tattoos.

-The imagery was a hit and a bit of a miss for me. While I appreciated the rich descriptions, there were some times I became mired in them.

What Fell a Bit Short

-The pacing at the beginning, the story, the characters were fascinating. I couldn't read fast enough. Then things died down for me. I skimmed a bit and wasn't nearly as engrossed as I was at the beginning.

Final Thoughts

Fantasy lovers will want to pick this one up. It has a male lead that I think tween and teen boys will relate to. Inked takes an interesting premise, adds a rich fantasy world and likable characters to make a fun story,

About the Author

Eric Smith is the author of THE GEEK'S GUIDE TO DATING, out now via Quirk Books, and INKED, a YA novel out with Bloomsbury Spark.

His writing has appeared locally in the Philly Weekly, The Inquirer, and on Philly.com. He's written for the Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, Boing Boing, and is a regular contributor to BookRiot and 
Geekosystem.

His essays have appeared in the Bygone Bureau and The Apiary, and his first published piece will appear in THE ASTEROID BELT ALMANAC with the Hand & the Hand Press in April 2014.

He's the co-founder of Geekadelphia, a popular hyperlocal geek blog in Philly, and the Philly Geek Awards, a ceremony honoring local geeks in his city.

Eric holds a BA in English from Kean University and an MA in English from Arcadia University. He currently lives in Philly. You can find him on Twitter at @ericsmithrocks and @geekadelphia. 

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