This was a very short but sweet love story. Not the most fleshed out, of course, but it reads like a short fairy tale of sorts.

I enjoyed a lot of things about this book. I thought the world building was very interesting and the parallel's between the world in the book and our own were on-point. There is an overarching theme related to racism - where the Suveri are ostracized for their tattoos but exploited for what people can gain from them. The Suveri seemed very similar to travelers/Gypsy culture in our world.

Rea was one heck of a strong person. Separated from her father by death, and her group by distance, she is totally alone in an area that completely shuns her. Sebastyen saves her from prison, but ultimately, I think that Sebastyen relied on her strength much more than Rea needed him.

I did, however, have a hard time following some aspects of the book. Rea seemed to feel her death was imminent throughout the book, like she had foreseen it. <spoiler> I think the author was going to reconcile that to the end when she offers to give Sebastyen a tattoo that would give him immortality, but cost her life. But, when Sebastyen doesn't buy into that plan and the book ends with a Happily Ever After - I was very much thrown for a loop. </spoiler> Overall, I think there were a lot of moments where the book could have gone in a number of directions but didn't. I almost felt like the ending, in particular, wasn't what the author had originally planned.

If you enjoy fantasy and like very well-developed main characters, this is a good read for you!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

A fantastic tale about two enemies that came to love each other. I was super excited to read this one based on the description about Rea and her tattoos full of magic. Sadly there was more about Rea and Sebastian’s forbidden romance than Rea’s tattoos. We spend most of the book seeing the struggles of the main characters coming to terms with the fact that they love each other instead of hating each other. I would have loved to see more about the Suveri people and the tattoos but overall it was a good story. I read the whole book in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down. The sarcasm between Rea and Sebastian was entertaining. The ending was disappointing to me which is why I gave it 4 stars. I would have liked to see an alternate ending, I think it would have made for a bigger impact on the overall story.


Go Into This One Knowing: Enemy to Lovers, HEA

Ink and Arrows is a quick read with so many emotions and cultural differences. Sebastyn is a general, and Rea is a poor tattoo artist who has walked away from her clan living off of the land. The two characters go from enemies to lovers, being ignorant to one another backgrounds and assuming the other nature-based on stereotypes and bad experiences. Ink and Arrows is a quick read that you can finish within possibly one sitting. Within the conversations, Rea explains the meaning of tattoos, along with the magical abilities and sentiment of each tattoo based on the person.

Ink and Arrows was a lovely slow-burn romance. When the two main characters finally got together it was heartwrenching and I'd felt like I'd won a prize. The tone and writing style made the book feel like a mature original fairytale. I also loved the inspiration that was drawn from different real world cultures.

It's difficult for me to review books that I think would benefit from a good rewrite or solid editing. Very rarely will I choose to not finish a book, and I chose to read this in its entirety, so while I gave it a one star rating, I still thought it was worth reading through. I think one-star reviews should explain what could be done to improve the reader's experience, especially since it's due to be published only later this month. I remember reading Nirvana by J.R. Stewart and writing a one-star review with many others - the book was reviewed, and when I read the reviewed book, it had improved so much that I was relieved I hadn't embellished my first review. 

This is a novella with a beautiful cover and an intriguing blurb, but it falls short in the actual story line in my opinion. There are many plot inconsistencies (i.e. a character in introduced, dies for no reason whatsoever a few pages later, and then is never mentioned again), the grammar needs a good cleaning (there are run-on sentences, for example), and the timeline is all over the place (we skip time without being told, and suddenly months have passed, things have changed, but we don't really know why character A is pissed at character B). There are spacial issues as well that are a bit jarring and that kept me from enjoying the book (i.e. one character crashes into another character from behind and they fall to the ground, but the person being crashed into somehow ends up on her back with the other person facing them?) 

The book also reads very much like an early YA book, but then you have a few instances of lusty romance scenes, including graphic content at the end. I was also promised a fantasy story with a mysterious character able to form magical tattoos, but it's never discussed in detail and not a central part of the book at all, which was a major disappointment to me (think along the lines of "I told him all about how tattoos work" and then little more). This is about instant love between the two main characters and then about a hundred page of them dramatically pushing each other away despite the attraction. I wish this book was written with less of a "telling" and more of a "showing" style and that the focus had been on the world we were promised to get.  

I know this is not a good review. However, I truly believe that a solid editor could clean up this book and work with the author to make it into a full-length YA novel or romance novel instead of a novella that doesn't really fit either. The idea is genius, but there's still some work to be done and this has the potential of becoming a very good fantasy romance. 

I'd like to thank the author for this free book in exchange for an honest review.

Ink & Arrows follows the story of Rea and Sebastyen. Rea is a Suveri which is someone known to create powerful tattoos that can grant a person great powers, however they are taboo to Sebastyen's people. However, he's been watching Rea for some time and is fascinated by her. Saving her from a jail cell, he negotiates three wishes if she'll teach him the art of her people's tattooing. As they begin to grow closer together, Sebastyen puts his title as the future emperor at risk, and Rea, seeing her tribe again.

The idea of this book was very intriguing. Rea's art of tattooing and the Suveri's lifestyle seems really well thought out. Unfortunately, the rest of the book fell flat. I didn't really feel a connection between the main characters. There really wasn't a major climax in the story. Anything that could have added to any suspense was brushed over. The ending was disappointing as well. Things ended too smoothly, without any plot twists or conflicts which made the book dull. I know it's a novella, but it just felt rushed.

My eye was initially drawn to the gorgeous cover of this book, the lush and striking palette caught my attention as I was scrolling. While romance is not my go to genre of choice , the premise outlined in the book description intrigued me and I decided to take a chance.
Ink and Arrows is the story of Rea and Sebastyen. Rea is a member of the outcast Suveri tribe, a nomadic people with the ability to create tattoos imbued with magical powers and protections. They are feared, shunned and looked down upon by the other citizens of the land . Sebastyen is a brave General who has fought well in many campaigns and is heir to the throne of the land. The two should never have met, but their paths cross when Rea is imprisoned and Sebastyen agrees to free her in exchange for her teaching him her secrets. In a tale as old as time, the two fall in love , but can these fate crossed lovers overcome all the obstacles in their way?
This book was a real mixed bag for me, I thought the premise was strong but the execution a little lacking. Rea was an interesting character and I would have liked to spend more time learning about her and her way of life, and finding out more about the magical Suveri tattoos. In contrast Sebastyen felt almost like a cardboard cut out, it never seemed like he was fully alive or really believable. The book is very short, and I really wish the author had fleshed it out a little more, and focused less on the somewhat predictable romance, and more on the world building and character development. The ending definitely seemed rushed, and wrapped up the problems faced by our main characters too easily and too conveniently. In conclusion, this book had the potential to be something interesting and special, but for me it fell a little short, Strong bones that needed more flesh.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

What a surprise! This book deviates from the typical fantasy romance novels in ways reminiscent of story telling presented in ‘The Fall’ (the movie). Very much in the tradition of old-fashioned fairytales.

Seeming simplistic on the surface it has layers of meaning under the surface. The universe in which it is set is also minimal, as the author has cut out any non-necessary characters. There is barely any mentioning of other people (guards, servants, villagers, courtiers) being part of this story...like we know they are there, but they are insequential. And somehow it works and we can do without them. After all this is a story about Rea and her general and not about Rea, her general and his guards.

One complaint: The end seems rushed as the main problem...her people being treated like outcasts in his society...which was dragged through chapter after chapter, gets solved in a few sentences. Disappointing, as I was hoping for a more meaningful solution.

All in all I liked it as it’s a modern fairytale with great characters and chance for your own creativity to colour and fill this world around Rea and her general.

How could I a person who ewww(s) and ugghh(s) at all those cheesy romances rate this one 5 star? I still wonder what's wrong with me or what's so right with this book ¿

This is a fantasy romance book, not just a fantasy book so you get into the book knowing there will come a time when you have to skip some lines to keep you sane, fortunately it happened quite later than expected. The book was rather very cute and sweet, it was like a prince charming story.

The cover of the book and the title of the book were 5 stars in itself, like how can you not pick the book!! The characters of Rea and Sebastyen were wonderful too and so so cute.

The story, well Rea belongs to Suveri tribe, the speciality of the tribe lies in the fact that they draw tattoos and these have magical powers because of which the people of this tribe are feared, detested and even killed. They aren't thought of as human beings but devils. The book opens from the prison scene where Sebastyen frees Rea in return for her to teach him art of tattoo making. She asks him to grant 3 wishes plus her freedom and that's how the story starts. Sebastyen is the archduke and there is a wide difference between him and Rea but they both are drawn to each other despite it.

The pros- the book presented the perspective of both the characters and you get to know different views of the same situation and how they both interpret it.
Con- some grammatical mistakes and spelling errors.

I would love to read more by the author, it was surely a delightful read. This book was provided to me by the publisher/author through netgalley in return for an unbiased and honest review

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

Rea is a Suveri, member of a mistreated tribe able to create tattoo with magical power. After she tried to kill the general who murdered her father and failed, she's saved by Sebastyen. He's the Heir of the throne, a general who saw too much war and death and wants to be in peace. In exchange of her help learning to do magical tattoo, he promises Rea three wishes. Rea accepts and even though their relationship is tense and she dislikes him, slowly they grow to like each other.

This is a fantasy novel, really short and they story, although well written, is not so original. It reminds me a lot of Celaena Sardothien, but Rea is not rendered so complex. I couldn't relate to the characters, because the story and the ending was absolutely predictable.

“The star within the circle... signifies eternal love. It means, ‘I pluck the eternal miracle from the skies and give it to you.’”
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This was a very fast but very intense read. Rea is an outcast but Sebastyén is immediately captured by her, because she is unique and has a very peculiar way to see life. She is able to create powerful and magic tattoos and, pretending to be interested in learning how to create them, he starts spending time with Rea and he prevents her from falling apart after her father’s death. Apart from their relationship, the story is not described very well, for instance battles are just mentioned but they are not described. Nonetheless the couple is adorable. They complete each other and they make the other see things from a new perspective, which is what love should always do. I really enjoyed how Rea speaks about love, she is ready to give herself completely even if she knows she can suffer because she thinks it’s worth. In our world, people give so much important to money or material things, when it’s love the only important one, without it everything becomes meaningless.

Ink and Arrows by Shruthi Viswanathan

By the description, I was expecting a romance somewhere along the lines of Court Duel (Sherwood Smith) or Archangel (Sharon Shinn), where two people who don’t like each other very much fall in love. That was not the case.
The book starts with our female lead, Rea, locked in a dungeon and losing the will to live. We learn that she is a Suveri, one of a nomadic people who roam the land free as the wind, and who are only barely tolerated because of their ability to ink magical tattoos. Sebastyen (see, male lead) is the heir to throne. Rea is in his dungeons for attempting to kill the man who murdered her father. We learn all of this in the first few pages, and then the book goes off the rails.
Sebastyen promises to free Rea from his dungeons if she agrees to teach him about Suveri tattoos. Rea makes it clear that she despises Sebastyen and his people, and will not cooperate. But wait! She changes her mind if the prince will grant her three wishes (what is he, a genie?) and then immediately squanders her first wish by asking for delicious food. Rea, he just saved you from the dungeons. He needs you alive to hold up your end of the deal. He isn’t going to let you starve. Also, if you have been on a hunger strike, and break it to go eat huge rich meal, you will not be able to keep it down. Details.
Rea lives in a shack on the outskirts of town, and seems to survive by foraging, scavenging and stealing from the townspeople. Sebastyen comes to her shack for the promised lessons, of which we get to see only one, which is very short. We also learn that Sebastyen is organizing a campaign to conquer a neighboring country. Somehow, in between his normal duties, he has enough free time to spend many hours (not that we see them) with Rea. It would have been beneficial if the author had written more of the lesson scenes. We readers needed those interactions and conversations to make the jump to tolerance, then friendship, then love. Instead, we are told that huge spans of time pass (chapters take huge 6 month to 12 month jumps) and are supposed to accepts that they are friends. Contributing to the thin story are the lack of supporting characters. By one third of the way into the book, Sebastyen has only spoken to three people: Rea, his brother, and his father.
The book starts off quickly, which not enough detail to support the story. The romance feels clumsy and forced because we don’t see enough of Rea and Sebastyen’s interactions to make any attraction believable. The world needs filling in, in every aspect. This book reads more like an outline for a story than a finished work.

This was a good and quick read. It brings together two people who are enemies, but over time, the hatred turns t tolerance, which turns to friendship, which turns to love. Rea, a Suveri, is able to draw tattoos that can be embedded with magic and give the wearer powerful abilities, but at the cost of the life force of the Suveri. Sebastyen is the archduke, the heir to the empire, who leads the armies into battle for his father who seems to want to conquer everything. Sebastyen wants peace and to stop fighting, but does not go against his father. Sebastyen sees Rea and is intrigued by her and saves her life. To spend time with her, he wants to lean about the tattooing and they make a bargain for him to provide her three wishes. We see the relationship between them develop, through good and bad times, but all good things come to an end when you are the heir apparent. Some things in life are worth fighting for though.

The Suervi are a tribe that can create magical tattoos with devastating powers. Because of that, they are treated harshly and some even enslaved. Rea is trying to survive after the death of her father at a general's hands. Sebastyan, heir to the throne, stumbles upon Rea and makes a deal with her: she teaches him how to make the tattoos and he will grant her three wishes. Eventually Rea's hate will soften and could it turn into more?

This book has a good story line but not cohesive. There are gaps that leave you wondering how it went from point a to b. I think with more detail this could be an amazing story.

This book was given to me an an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in an exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.

Ink and Arrows by Shruthi Viswanathan, 100+ pages. EBOOK
Shruthi Viswanathan, 2020. $1.
Language: PG13 (12 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: R; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Rea, at age 21, is ready to accept imprisonment for the rest of her life after her failed attempt to take vengeance for her father’s death. She’s surprised both by the enemy, Sebestyén, who comes to save her and her impulsive action to live. Trading secrets of magic for wishes, Rea and Sebestyén find more than what they bargained for.
The premise is amazing, though the execution made the story feel more teasing and tantalizing than satisfying. Viswanathan jumps through time very quickly, letting the characters sum up what occurred in the months we didn’t get to read. I think this book would benefit from being expanded upon, allowing readers to have more time with the characters and their growth. If that was my only problem with the book, I would give it a higher rating; however, Rea’s story is riddled with distracting inconsistencies that identify Viswanathan as a new author, and I was disappointed to find a detailed sex scene near the end. I want to love this book, but it isn’t quite at that level.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen