4.5 stars

Holy moly this book gripped me from start to finish! It is the strangest, most atmospheric and mesmerising book I have ever read.
Filled with tattoo magic, dramatic performances and a vengeful god. I mean, what wasn't there to like?! There is also so many characters that represent the LGBTQ+ community and it flowed seamlessly and was beautiful to see such an array of people portrayed as unique and interesting characters.
The storyline and worldbuilding was awesome with a magical tyrannical religion at the forefront and the most incredible mob of performers.
What I really loved was that I could never guess where the story was going to go and it shocked me to the final page. I also adored that not only did the main characters have depth and intricate backgrounds but the side characters too. I felt connected to them all which is an incredibly hard thing to master.

If you love fantasy a little dark and twisty then you will love this. I really recommend it and hope that it is the success it deserves to be.

This ebook was gifted in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you HMH Teen and NetGalley for providing me with a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Anya and Celia live in another world, different from ours, where the one true religion Profeta rules the hearts and minds of the people. As Inklings, Anya and Celia tattoo the followers of Diavala, Profeta's deity, with divinely inspired images and symbols meant to inform and manifest each recipient's unique destiny. Eventually, this holy work wears on the pair, and the girls abandon their sacred calling and flee in the company of the Rabble Mob, traveling entertainers who welcome the girls into the fold. Unfortunately, in a world that turns only by divine will, these two may find it difficult to escape Diavala, and may find that even the things they imagined were not real want to subvert and upend their desire for freedom from life defined by worship, blood, and free-flowing ink.

I really enjoyed how Anya and Celia stuck together and supported each other in Ink in the Blood. The themes and world-building had many unique aspects blended with some recognizable building blocks (magical acts may ring a bell if you enjoyed Caraval). A big strength of the book is the formation of a unique culture that these girls must navigate, and I like that Kim Smejkal explored the implications of this culture and how it affected society. If you're looking for a blend of magic, strong friendship, dangerous deities, unique magic, and a fight for freedom from an oppressive, deceitful culture, look no further than Ink in the Blood.

“𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑅𝑎𝑏𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑀𝑜𝑏, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑅𝑎𝑏𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑀𝑜𝑏 𝑖𝑠 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦.”
-
Celia and Anya are inklings and best friends. Their lives have consisted of inking divine messages on the people of Illinia. As inklings in the Profeta religion they are taught to ink and obey through very abusive and gruesome methods. They decide they have had enough and, against all odds they run from their life to join the Rabble Mob.
-
I really loved this story. Magical tattoos, dark atmosphere, LGBTQIA+ representation, travelling carnival setting... everything worked for me! And the Plague Doctor was the perfect mysterious love interest. Also, the book has a gorgeous map in the front and I love a good map!
-
Kim has created this magical world in my favorite story setting. The magic was unique and interesting without being too confusing to understand. The characters (while there were many) were well written. The world building, for a travelling setting, was really well done. I only wonder how with such a seemingly tied up ending where we go in Curse of the Divine next.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Fantastic Flying Book Club, Netgalley, and HMH Books for Young Readers for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

Okay do you know how freaking shook I was when I saw that this book was going to center around tattoo magic?! Like, I think about all the tattoos that I currently have and all the tattoos that I wish I could get right away and then I think about how much it would be so cool to have so much tattoo magic in general and wow. I just could not believe that this book was in the world and that I had the opportunity to read it early.

And I’m so freaking glad for all the queer rep in this novel because I swear people sleep on queer rep in YA novels for some reason and you definitely should not. This book was something that I have never seen in the YA world, or in general and I thought it was one of my favorite reads for the year so far.

Then there’s not only the tattoo magic, and the queer rep, but we also got another circus/carnival setting novel and those are few for me. I think the only one that I really read was Caraval, and I only read the first book. So while I know there may be some other novels about there with some circus / carnival settings, there really hasn’t been a lot for ME that I have read, and being in this kind of setting again on top of everything else was absolutely great.

Ugh, I just freaking loved this novel. I seriously can’t wait for the sequel and I wouldn’t even be ashamed reading this again this year. Or even this month. No shame, whatsoever.

<B><U>3.5 STARS</u></b>

This was a bit of an intimidating read for me -- almost 450 pages of YA high fantasy -- but I was surprised at how quickly I read through it.

The plot was a bit convoluted and confusing at times. There were A LOT of things going on: the religion Profeta, the deity Divine and the trickster Diavala and their origin story, the tattoo magic, the concept of Rovers and traveling theatre troupes, the type of shows the troupe put on, the layout of the cities and countries, and the seemingly unnecessary "tenors" in order to denote a character's gender preference. However, the end of Act 1 really intrigued me and kept me motivated to finish out the book.

I did love the overall story of the Divine and Diavala, of Profeta, of the rebellion Celia and Anya sparked. I had some issues with the characters themselves. Celia felt inconsistent to me. I couldn't figure out if she was supposed to be timid and self-destructive, or confident. She seemed like a different person entirely in her dialogue with the plague doctor. And for all their kinship, I felt as though I didn't ever get a full understanding of who Anya is.

This was a high concept piece of literature, especially one considered YA. But it was very easy to read and immersive, and I enjoyed being in the world of Illinia. The ending left a lot open to interpretation, but I'm ultimately not sure if I'm intrigued enough to follow up with these characters. Thanks to Netgalley and HMH Books for Young Readers for the ARC -- this dark fantasy comes out <I>this</i> Tuesday, February 11, 2020!

The religion Profeta uses tattoo magic to lead its followers, and consequently, to keep them in line. Celia Sand and her best friend, Anya Burtoni are “inklings.” After four years of rigorous training and punishment, they have the divine gift of sending the prophecies to followers in the form of a tattoo. After ten years in service, they realize that all of it is lies. Tradition built on controlling people and blocking them from choosing their own destinies. When they run away to join The Mob (basically a travelling circus), they’ll hatch a plan to end the deception and free the people, but it just might cost them their lives.

First off, peep that cover! I love the elements of traditional tattooing, and it really draws you in. Overall, this book had some pretty key elements to suck me in. Tattoos. Magic. A travelling circus. Queer kids. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I had a few issues, and I didn’t love it as much as I’d hoped. I can’t go in depth here about the few issues I had, because, spoilers, so how about a few of the things I did like.

I love a good us against them/fighting the system story, and in this regard, this book delivered. The plot is pretty intricately weaved to both build a strong world, and through the will of its characters, attempt to dismantle it completely through rebellion. The worldbuilding was so impressive. I love getting lost in a good fantasy, and Smejkal nailed it. The whole religion surrounding the tattoo magic, it’s rigorous standards and rules and the tiny ways in which people can break those rules really built up the tiny cracks in the system that allowed rebellion to grow.

I loved the characters. Celia is perfectly flawed and her relationship with Anya makes her a better person. She says at least once in the book that she would have fallen to darkness long ago if not for Anya. We kind of see that in the opening scene, when Celia is embarrassingly drunk and Anya has to take care of her and help her hide her indiscretion to avoid punishment at the temple. I did feel like I didn’t get to know Anya as much as I might have wanted. She seems to exist solely in the context of Celia’s story. Granted, it’s Celia’s story, but I felt that Anya had a role to play and that was her whole point. I don’t think she was a totally flat character by any means, but I would have liked to know her a little more, I think.

It’s out on Tuesday, so if you’re into dark tales with cool, dystopian elements and don’t mind being slightly wrecked by a book, definitely check this one out. I am not completely swayed to continue with the next book, but I have a whole year to decide, so perhaps that will be enough time for me to get over this one and find out what happens next.

I had a really rough time getting into this book, even though the premise captured me immediately. I love the idea of tattoos as a form of magic and manipulation. But, unfortunately, I crawled through the first chapter and could never really get engaged after that. But I do applaud this book for its inclusivity and it’s take on gender identity. I couldn’t be more thrilled that YA authors are embracing more diverse characters faster than the rest of the industry.
I’d like to revisit this book in the future to see if I have a better time with it.

Overall, Ink in the Blood had a really dark and bizarre atmosphere with a setting to match, but the convoluted plot and writing style left me struggling to connect to the characters and narrative. It does some things really well - namely setting up this nefarious religion and portraying this eccentric theater troupe’s performances - and I did ultimately like the book for those aspects. I’m a sucker for a unique world that I can mull over long after I put the book down.

However, I found the writing style so confusing that it took me twice as long to read this as it should have; I had to reread sections over and over to figure out what was actually going on. Perhaps because I struggled to connect to the writing in places, I also struggled to connect to the characters. Because I didn’t particularly care what happened to the cast of characters, I didn’t care about the stakes, which in turn made the ending fall flat for me. I didn’t dislike this book, but perhaps this is better for the slow, meandering reader than someone looking for action-forward fantasy or a fast read.

Disclaimer: I received an arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Ink in the Blood

Author: Kim Smejkal

Book Series: Ink in the Blood Book 1

Diversity: LGBT friendly, two moms, and the use of they pronouns

Rating: 4/5

Publication Date: February 11, 2020

Publisher: HMH books for young readers

Recommended Age: 16+ (TW child abuse, alcohol usage, some violence, slight sexual content)

Synopsis: A lush, dark YA fantasy debut that weaves together tattoo magic, faith, and eccentric theater in a world where lies are currency and ink is a weapon, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Kendare Blake.

Celia Sand and her best friend, Anya Burtoni, are inklings for the esteemed religion of Profeta. Using magic, they tattoo followers with beautiful images that represent the Divine’s will and guide the actions of the recipients. It’s considered a noble calling, but ten years into their servitude Celia and Anya know the truth: Profeta is built on lies, the tattooed orders strip away freedom, and the revered temple is actually a brutal, torturous prison.

Their opportunity to escape arrives with the Rabble Mob, a traveling theater troupe. Using their inkling abilities for performance instead of propaganda, Celia and Anya are content for the first time . . . until they realize who followed them. The Divine they never believed in is very real, very angry, and determined to use Celia, Anya, and the Rabble Mob’s now-infamous stage to spread her deceitful influence even further.

To protect their new family from the wrath of a malicious deity and the zealots who work in her name, Celia and Anya must unmask the biggest lie of all—Profeta itself.

Review: Holy cow this is the best urban fantasy I've read in a long time! I love the world building and how detailed the author was with the religion and the ink magic. I also love the ink magic the author created, very well done! The characters were very well developed as well!

However, I do think that the pacing is a bit slow for my speed preference and the writing, while wonderful, is kinda odd. It bounces back and forth between present and past and that made it difficult for me to follow along with sometimes.

Verdict: I want a tattoo now.

Ink in the Blood is one of those stories that holds a powerful meaning and can easily maintain a reader’s attention. I was pleasantly amazed with how this story unfolded. I enjoyed the characters, the array of LGBT representation, but I overall enjoyed most the bond between two girls and their fight for their own destiny.

The writing is both lyrical and poetic. Honestly, the writing is what really drew me into the story (once I started to read, the beautiful cover initially captured my attention). The author has such lush writing that I could easily imagine the world and the characters. I was enamored with this story and the dark world building. Everything is so beautifully described and depicted.

I really enjoyed the magic system in this story. Ink magic in the form of tattoos is unique and quite intriguing; it’s such a neat idea to think of ink in someone’s veins. But at the heart of this story lies a bigger, more meaningful type of magic: freedom. Celia and her best friend, Anya, want to escape the Profeta, which works out well for them when a traveling theater troupe comes through their town. But what Celia wasn’t expecting was to be followed by the Divine; and Celia has now given the Divine the perfect opportunity to spread her mendacious influence.

I won’t lie, I was a bit surprised in the direction this story went, in a good way. I wasn’t expecting the story to be so dark, but it fit so well with the plot and the characters. The concept behind the people wanting to create a world of fear is beautifully done and believable, and Smejkal did a wonderful job creating that overall dark vibe of the story. She easily depicts how difficult it is to create a future for yourself when the Divine wants your freedom and when people live in a world of constant fear.

I have to say that my favorite part about this story was Celia’s and Anya’s relationship. Their friendship meant everything in this story; both girls were there for one another and fought for each other. That’s the type of bond I love to see in fantasy stories, and Kim Smejkal did a great job illustrating that bond. Both girls also want to change their fate; they each want to be able to pick their future instead of live in the one already dictated for them. I loved seeing how each girl overcame their struggles and fought for something they truly believed was possible. Their story provided hope and

Overall, I was impressed with this debut novel. The bond between Celia and Anya is phenomenal and really ties this story together. This is a wonderfully-done fantasy debut, and I can’t wait to see what happens next with the characters.

This book did manage to keep me interested enough to get through the whole story, and so because of that I give it three stars. It has a very interesting and original concept and good plot, but I feel like there were too many factors that never got put into play. The ending was the most disappointing part to me because it ended with so many unanswered questions. I could see ending this book this way if it were part of a series, but I don’t see any sequel being promised for the future. I did buy the book for my library, though.

Thank you to HMH Books and NetGalley for an earc to review!

Okay, so I was sold on this book from the second I read the description. Tattoo magic?? Yes please! And it's so much more than that!

Celia Sand and Anya Burtoni are inklings- magically gifted servants for the powerful religion of Profeta, who tattoo followers with beautiful images meant to guide them in the Divine's will. Well it seems like a noble and prestigious calling, Anya and Celia know Profeta isn't what it seems. Ten years into their service, the girls know Profeta is built on lies. The temple strips away all freedom and tortures the inklings. The Divine everyone loves is someone they can't believe in. Anya and Celia are desperate to escape, and find their chance by auditioning for the Rabble Mob, a ragtag theatrical troupe traveling the land. Anya and Celia use their inkling abilities to craft their performance, and join the Mob. For the first time, they find freedom, and maybe even a family. But nothing good can really last for long, and they quickly realize the Divine they've never believed in is all too real. And she has a plan for the inklings and their little show. To save their friends and themselves, Celia and Anya must reveal the truth and show the rest of world the lies Profeta stands on.

Okay. This book. I was immediately hooked, and couldn't put it down! It's full of darkness, strong friendships, twists and turns, theatrical performances, and did I mention the TATTOO MAGIC?? Oh, and the totally well done queer rep! The world and characters are really well developed and I love the way the author made every sexuality and gender identity cannon and accepted in the world. Everyone has a tenor, a kind of aura that surrounds them and shows their gender identity. And it really doesn't feel forced. We've got a bi main character, and plenty of other identities represented as well. There's lots of m/m and f/f romance, as well as m/f and all sorts of nb rep too!! More of this please. This was a fantastic debut, and I absolutely can't wait for book two!!

If you're into tattoos, magic, queer rep, fantastic world building, twists and turns, and fantasy in general, I highly recommend this one!!

When I first read its synopsis, I was skeptical about Ink in the Blood: it didn't sound too bad, but it didn't catch my attention enough to earn a spot on top of my TBR. In addition, I wasn't a fan of the cover. I know it sounds ridiculous (because it is), but a pretty cover makes a huge difference for me when it comes to deciding whether to read a book or not.
I'm very happy to tell you that I changed my mind completely - both on the synopsis and on the cover!

Starting with the latter, the union between red and black looks amazing, but I feel like it also represents perfectly the book, as the story is hugely based on blood and ink (as we can clearly tell by the title itself, duh). So I think the choice of colors wasn't merely made based on aesthetical reasons. But what I truly love about the cover are the elements in the graphic: each of them represents something that is part of the story, from the bee to the pinkies, from the skull to the cracked bell jar. I appreciate the thought behind it and how well it depicts the story.

But now let's move on to what you came here for.
This book has some pros and some cons, so I'll start with what didn't work for me:
first of all, it was confusing as hell. I thought it was because English isn't my mother-tongue, and it wouldn't be the first time I have a few difficulties understanding what's going on because the writing is a little bit complicated. I mean, my English level is pretty high, but I don't see myself as an expert and I still need to learn a lot more, so it makes sense that some authors' styles may be too complex for me. But in this case, it seemed weird because the writing wasn't that complex - Kim Smejkal didn't use peculiar words or something like that. It was literally just me not understanding what was going on. And after reading some reviews on GoodReads I feel relieved because I discovered I'm not the only one who felt like this. Almost everyone mentions how confusing everything was. It's a shame because if it wasn't for that this book could've easily been a 5 stars read for me. Okay, maybe not 5, but definitely 4.5. However, because the narration was so confusing I often found myself wondering what was going on and not being able to really understand it, which is obviously incredibly frustrating.
Another thing that didn't work for me was the ending. When I picked it up, I didn't notice it was the first installment of a series, so I always thought of it as a standalone. After finishing it, I must say I feel this should've been, in fact, a standalone. What happens in the last chapter makes for a perfect ending in my opinion, while the premise for the sequel doesn't sound particularly interesting.
I also would've loved to see more of some background characters. Since we're in a theatre-like setting, there are lots of characters and while some of them are unique and three-dimensional, others are so useless I literally kept forgetting about them. When I read their names, I didn't have a clear picture of who they were in my mind, they felt almost like extras. I would've loved for all of them to be as well developed as the main ones because Kim Smejkal is great at creating complex and faceted psychologies.

So, what did I enjoy about Ink in the Blood?
The Caraval vibes it gave me throughout the entire story. The setting was almost as magical and mysterious as Caraval's and the same goes for some of the main characters, especially the Plague Doctor/Griffin, whom I found incredibly intriguing. And while in Caraval we get to experience the magic and the illusions from the point of view of a spectator, in Ink in the Blood we are part of the performers and we get to see behind the scenes of the act. The story itself is truly unique, fascinating and it definitely stands out on the sea of trivial YA full of clichès. It's a story that talks about freedom, religion, choices, faith. The queer representation is on point: every person has a tenor, some kind of aura whose colors define how that person identifies. There are characters who prefer he as their pronoun, others who prefer she and some who prefer they. While I must admit I had some trouble with the "they", because I still tend to think of it as more than one person, I recognize it's my own problem to solve and I truly appreciate it as an additional element of the world-building.
The religion is a huge part of the story and is so perfectly crafted it almost feels real. I loved the idea behind the tattoos and some plot twists were just insane! Honorable mention to the fact that this book makes you reflect on how easily the masses get manipulated, how we tend to base our actions and thoughts on what the people around us are doing and saying and how sometimes religion and faith can cloud even a smart mind.

One thing I would love to know is why the author included so many Italian words in the story.
The religion itself is called Profeta - "prophet".
The "priests" of this religion are called Mistico - the Italian word for "mystical".
Devils are often called with the Italian translation diavoli.
The theater-folks perform something called Commedia Follia - "comedy madness".
One of the Commedia Follia characters is called Gemello, "twin".
There were a few more, but unfortunately I didn't think about writing them down as I was reading.

To wrap up my thoughts, Ink in the Blood is engaging, atmospheric, enchanting. While being a bit frustrating because of its lack of clarity in many scenes, it still glues the reader to the pages and it definitely stands out for the peculiarity of its plot. I totally recommend it!

I sadly had to DNF this book at 22%. I just wasn’t connecting with the characters or the story line. I felt there was too much going on in the book and it was hard for me to keep up. I did appreciate the two main characters friendship though.

Ink in the Blood is a story which utilizes the age old trope of good versus evil, the gods versus the underworld, but with an incredibly unique spin! In this version, two seemingly different female deities - the Divine (good) and Diavala (evil) compete for souls using magical tattoos.

Celia and her best friend Anya are Inklings. Inklings are chosen to carry the goddess’s magical ink in their blood, which they use to spread messages from the goddess. After living in the Temple of the Divine for 10 years, Celia and Anya begin to question their faith. When the opportunity to join a traveling circus troupe called The Rabble Mob presents itself , the two friends gladly escape temple life.

“The rabble mob showed us life - our desires, our fears - and at the end...death.”

They quickly learn that the Mob’s beliefs align with their own and Celia and Anya create a powerful show called The Devil in the Bell Jar. But the goddess is always lurking and waiting...

The world Kim Smejkal creates is beautiful and unique. Children choose their own names, and their own sexual orientation - and each is accepted by everyone else! The characters in the book all exude Tenors or “auras” in different colors tell what gender/sexual orientation that they associate with. The color of the Tenor alerts others as to what pronoun to use when referring to them.

When I first read the description of this book, I was worried that the material would be too heavy - but it’s not. There are definitely some BIG themes running through these pages, and they are deeply thought provoking. But I found the world, the characters and the messages profoundly enjoyable. Especially the message, "Family is everything."

Smejkal’s writing is absolutely superb and all these heavy topics are presented in such a fantastic way as to be very enjoyable, indeed. I felt deeply connected to the characters and laughed with them, cried with and for them, was scared for them, and rooted for them. This is a book I need on my shelves! I need to be part of this - this is something big and worthy of sharing and discussing! I am looking forward to reading the next installment of this series.

My review will also be posted on Instagram @rosetree_bookreviewer and Goodreads.

My sincerest thank you to NetGalley, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group and Kim Smejkal for the ARC of Ink in the Blood in exchange for my honest review.

I struggled with this book and even considered DNFing it at one point.  But I'm so glad I didn't.

With complicated worldbuilding, this isn't a book you can skim-read.  Trust me - you'll miss some pretty important plot points and details that come into play later on.  I think part of the reason I struggled was because of Celia.  I just couldn't bring myself to care about her until around the 40% mark, but that was just a personal issue.  The friendship between her and Anya is a thing of beauty and is written so well.  Once they joined the Rabble Mob, I knew I'd finish the book.  The plague doctor is a fascinating character, and his creative dialogue has hidden meanings and is something to ponder.  He's easily my favorite.  

The writing style is unique and paints vivid pictures of the world of the Rabble Mob.  The mob themselves are made up of unusual, delightful, loyal people - once you're in, you're family.  I'd also like to mention the outstanding queer representation throughout the novel.      

With themes of religion and magic, Ink in the Blood has a dark, heavy atmosphere, and while it may not be everyone's brand of choice, I'm so glad I stuck with it.  Days after finishing, I'm still thinking about it, and the second book is absolutely on my highly anticipated list.    

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

INK IN THE BLOOD is an engaging and atmospheric YA fantasy. Celia Sand was delighted when she was chosen to serve the Divine at six years old; her mothers were so proud of her. However, Celia soon realizes that this devotion is a curse, and being an Inkling is anything but good. Inklings serve the Divine by creating tattoos with messages that the person needs to hear, and those tattoos give them direction for their life choices.

However, as Celia has learned over the last ten years, the messages are not always good, and frequently could be interpreted in many ways, though the person will see one. The ten years in which she has served have been tortuous, and her body bears the physical scars of this abuse. Celia wants out, and she is determined to take Anya, for whom friend is too small a word to describe. However, getting out is nearly impossible.

A way out presents itself through a Mob, a group of performers like a theatre troup or circus. Mobs have their own rules and can do as they please, but it is very hard to become a member- they rarely accept outsiders. They travel around to different countries and put on shows, often comedies, and some people seem to exist only in costume, never resuming their birth persona.

After an audition, Celia and Anya join the Rabble Mob, a group that soon becomes family. They bring a whole host of interesting characters and experiences, but their time in the Rabble Mob is tainted by the religion that follows them and threatens the people for whom they have come to care so deeply.

What I loved: The representation among the characters is amazing, and I love this idea of a society where each person is Kid until they are old enough to decide whether they are he, she, or they, and what their name should be. The theories about religion are vastly thought-provoking and truly shine through the book. There's a lot to consider after reading this book, including about structure, message interpretation, foundation, and the endpoint.

The characters are beautifully crafted, flaws and all. I wish there was time to delve even deeper into the many intriguing people we meet in this book. The idea of tattoo magic was really unique also.

What left me wanting more: I would have liked a bit more crafting about the religion. We get the basics, and it is enough, but I felt like I still had a lot of questions. Additionally, there were things about the world that would come up seemingly out of the blue, and I would have liked to understand them better. On the flip side, this is already a lengthy book, so I am not sure if there was space. The story does seem a bit slow in the early-middle, but the pace really picks up later.

Final verdict: Dark but enchanting, this is a YA fantasy that will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned. Highly recommend for fans of THE CHEMICAL GARDEN series, THE LONE CITY series, and/or SOMETHING DARK AND HOLY series.

Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.

I honestly enjoyed this book. The concept was very cool and original. I liked the magic that this world uses especially since it isn’t so expansive that it’s hard to understand. The character dynamics were fleshed out really well too!

5/5 stars
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the e-galley.

If you follow me on Instagram you know I love tattoos, I'm slowly collecting art on my body. And I definitely requested this book due to the magic tattoos. But this book is so much more than that.

This book is the beautiful story of Celia and Anya as they begin to fight back to a corrupt religion that rules their country. After seeing the tattoo she inked on the body of someone obviously suffering from abuse. The tattoo she had to draw to get that person to not leave their spouse, Cece has had enough. Cece and Anya run away to join a troupe of rovers that have a show. Cece becomes the devil in a bell jar and Anya the angel. We learn more about the corruption. This story is beautiful, heartbreaking, heartwarming, and everything in between. Highly recommend.

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-book in exchange for an honest review for a tour.**

Title Ink in the Blood (Ink in the Blood #1)

Author Kim Smejkal

Release Date February 11, 2020

Description from Amazon

Celia Sand and her best friend, Anya Burtoni, are inklings for the esteemed religion of Profeta. Using magic, they tattoo followers with beautiful images that represent the Divine’s will and guide the actions of the recipients. It’s considered a noble calling, but ten years into their servitude Celia and Anya know the truth: Profeta is built on lies, the tattooed orders strip away freedom, and the revered temple is actually a brutal, torturous prison.

Their opportunity to escape arrives with the Rabble Mob, a traveling theater troupe. Using their inkling abilities for performance instead of propaganda, Celia and Anya are content for the first time . . . until they realize who followed them. The Divine they never believed in is very real, very angry, and determined to use Celia, Anya, and the Rabble Mob’s now-infamous stage to spread her deceitful influence even further.

To protect their new family from the wrath of a malicious deity and the zealots who work in her name, Celia and Anya must unmask the biggest lie of all—Profeta itself.

Initial Thoughts

I am super excited to say that I was chosen for a blog tour for this book in February. This book was on my radar before the tour was announced but I’m so glad I got my hands on an ARC.

Some Things I Liked

Magic system. I loved that the primary source of magic in this world is tattoo ink. It’s such a unique concept and I loved it.
Social structure. I thought the society and the rules that governed it were fascinating. For example, I loved that children chose their own names.
Symbolism and the duality of light and dark. I loved the contrast between Anya and Celia, angel and devil, etc. I thought the symbols used in the story painted a beautiful picture and there was so much detail and thought in every word.

Something I Wasn’t Crazy About

This book kinda gave me the creeps. I have this weird thing about books that tackle religion and devils and the such. I’m not sure why (murder, monsters, etc. don’t scare me), but demons, devils, the scary stuff of religion, all give me the absolute creeps. I didn’t love feeling creeped out.
Series Value

I really enjoyed this book. I am definitely looking forward to reading the next installment. There is a lot of story left to be told and I am looking forward to seeing how everything plays out.

Final Thoughts

This book had a super unique premise and tons of sequel potential. Despite creepy me out a bit, this book was a really enjoyable read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan – if you liked the gothic vibes as well as the concepts of zealots and heretics, give this series by Emily A. Duncan a try.
Beneath the Haunting Sea by Joanna Ruth Meyer – if you liked elements of the divine and religion used in Ink in the Blood, try this series by Joanna Ruth Meyer
We Hunt the Flame by Hafsah Faisal – if you enjoyed the divine / demon component of the story, as well as the plot twists, try this duology by Hafsah Faisal.