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.

There was room in this book for some very dark exploration of challenging faith and what we’ve been told is true our whole lives. Especially when learning some of it may be true but it’s been twisted and packaged up in a lie. Plus the tattoo ink in the blood is a wicked inventive premise. It fell flat for me because so much of this is missing in a way that connected to me personally. 

I struggled to connect with the characters as Celia supposedly lacks faith then has very quick, strong, visceral reactions when she swiftly accepts that it’s not all been a lie. I can understand how after being taken at six to a temple, and fed information you thought was a lie for over ten years, would make you feel physically ill when you learn it wasn’t all a lie. However, if you’re the kind of person who fights against everything you’ve ever been taught I find it hard to accept the abrupt turn around when Celia decided this is real, so we were wrong, but I guess we have to fight this now. 

I can easily see how this world and it’s characters can connect to other readers. It’s not a bad or an awful book, it’s just not my book. It’s got a lot going for it in the novel premise and in the way the characters will appeal to many readers.

**Thank you to HMH Books for Young Readers, Netgalley, and Kim Smejkal for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review**

Ink in the Blood is a dark fantasy with cult/religious involvement, magic, and sacrificing for the greater good. Our MC Celia looks to escape Profeta, the church, in which she was conscripted against her will to be an Inkling. Inklings have the ability to tattoo other people with the church's instructions on how to change their lives. Celia comes to see the corruption within the church, and with the help of a fellow Inkling, Anya, she escapes with a traveling comedy group. 

It took me about 60% percent of this book to really get into it, which was part of why the rating on this is lower. Once I got into it I finished it in one sitting, but it took me awhile to get to that point because it didn't capture my attention. I want books that will hook me immediately, and this one was not the case. There was a lot of backstory given in the beginning with world-building, but it wasn't the kind of world-building that drew me in.

The magic in this book fascinated me - I knew I wanted to review it when I saw the tattooing was the magic. I didn't realize the level of religion involved, which also brought it down a bit for me. Something about this book didn't sit right with me and I'm having a hard time narrowing down what it was. I almost wish the church had less of a hold on people in the book, because it really portrayed the general population as sheep, incapable of thinking for themselves or making their own decisions.

One thing I loved about this book was the romantic interest for Celia. The Plague Doctor reminded me of Jacks from the Caraval series and I loved it. He is a soft, broken boy who comes across as villainous and detached until she is able to break him down. Swoon. Celia was a good enough MC - she isn't perfectly moral and she isn't completely evil, she's somewhere in the middle like the rest of us. 

I do plan on reading the sequel when it is released, because the ending really surprised me. There were some lovely twists and turns in the last 25% of the book that I wasn't able to see coming, so it helped the overall experience of this book for me. I'm hoping now that the world is set up, the sequel will be more action packed and attention grabbing.

**Review will be posted to my blog on January 20, 2020**

Thank you to HMH Books For Young Readers and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.

Ink in the Blood caught my eye on NetGalley because of the cover and the concept of magic tattoos. What I got as I started reading was a story about religion and a theater troupe! Celia and Anya are “inklings” – unfortunately every time I read the word “inkling” it reminded me of the video game Splatoon 2. 😂🤦🏻‍♀️ Maybe that’s why my reading experience of this book felt strange. Anyway, inklings have the gift of creating tattoos for people through their religion Profeta. But Celia and Anya, realize as they grow older they are trapped in servitude in their roles as inklings and want to escape. They find a way to join the Rabble Mob, a performance troupe and they think they have escaped Profeta but they learn in a sinister way, they haven’t left it behind.

What I Liked:

*Diversity abounds in this book, there is queer romance everywhere and I like that it’s a normal part of this dark fantasy world. It isn’t questioned or explained, it just IS.

*The world building is interesting – the religion Profeta has these inklings conjuring up tattoos to guide the masses, but through Celia and Anya’s memories of their childhood, they are tortured a lot by their superiors. It was almost like a mixture of Catholicism and Hinduism (with the statue of the Divine and Diavala peeking out beneath and 6 eyes). There is an order to Profeta with the mistico being the holiest and the inklings being the lowest level on the pyramid. Celia and Anya escape and join a theater troupe called the Rabble Mob. The setting reminded me of Venice with the masks, gondolas and houses on stilts.

*I enjoyed Celia and Anya’s relationship, they had each other’s back to the surprising and bittersweet end. They balanced each other out and went through so much together from their childhood as inklings to running away and becoming part of the theater troupe.

*Celia and Griffin’s relationship was what kept me interested in this book because there was amazing tension between them. Now this is a slow burn…there is a lot of distrust, and hiding behind masks and innuendos. But they were my favorite part of the book. 

Things That Made Me Go Hmm:

*There was something about the story that just kept me unengaged. I felt like the explanation of the religion and magic in the beginning was confusing to me. Maybe my reality wasn’t suspended enough for me to be immersed in this world of the Divine and Diavala the trickster god.

*Because the story didn’t engage me right away, it took me awhile to get into this story. I put this aside for two months! I picked it up again because I know it’s being published soon. But I did find the second half of the book moved much faster t

*The tattoo magic wasn’t what I expected. I thought it was kind of weak because it was like painting a tattoo on a body part and transferring it through magic. I guess I wanted more blood and needles involved. 😅 The tattoos were the only magic in the book.

*Triggers: physical abuse, torture

Final Thoughts:

This was an okay read for me. I think the world building with the religious aspects and the tattoos was interesting but something was missing for me in the story. My favorite parts were between Celia and Griffin who brought the tension and intensity that stood out in this book. I think many people who enjoyed books like Caraval will enjoy Ink in the Blood.

"You two are bright stars in the Rabble Mob, and the Rabble Mob is family.”

OH THE FEELINGS. 

The first in what’s going to be an amazing series, Kim Smejkal blew me away with this one. Have you ever felt like you were on the inside of something big? I joined Kim’s street team for Ink in the Blood because I have a thing for tattoo books, so I figured I’d like it. But HOLY SHIT. Damn this is good. I feel the need to hoard my ARC copy because it might be a part of something BIG. Sorry for using so many capital letters but I’m actually yelling because I’m SO blown away.

"Just like that, he’d hopped onboard her ship without realizing that the deck was rotted."

Celia is an inkling. She is a worker bee in a religion that keeps its hold on people through tattoos. She literally carries a goddess’s ink in her blood, and receives orders from the High Mistico for the tattoos, passed on from the Divine, which she tattoos on herself and “pushes” to the recipient.

But her religion hides a dark secret, and it’s not just the horrid abuse of its inklings. She plans to escape with her best friend. But can they ever be free from the Divine herself?

“You see, a plague doctor isn’t much of a doctor at all. We’re the ones left behind after all the real doctors leave. We tally the dead. We hold hands and stand sentry at bedsides. When the rest of the world flees, we become the unfortunate mask of any remaining humanity.”

Welcome to the Rabble Mob. Griffin is The Plague Doctor in a troupe of traveling players. He is suspicious of Celia and Amaya from day one. What are they hiding? Will it endanger his family? And, even worse, themselves?

"They hadn’t explicitly asked for help, but Celia discovered Us was funny like that—they hadn’t needed to ask."

This book is an onion, it has many layers. There is the epically amazing story. But then there is the world, where children choose their own names and sexual orientation and gender are not assumed, they are chosen. And accepted. And then there is the family aspect, the deep and complicated meanings of true love, whether through blood or chosen family. There are strange and deep bonds that are studied here, between Celia and her friend, and their new chosen family, and their original parents, and their god.

And there is the Commedia, a reflection of life itself, a story within a story. "The Commedia represents the whole of humanity: the infinite struggles, the triumphs, the despair. But the Rabble Mob of Minos takes it all and puts it directly in your pocket."

I am always afraid when I read the first book in a series that it cannot stand alone. This book is the perfect balance of a complete story with an epilogue that makes you desperate to read the next.

The ending, while I will not give away anything but that there are more than one plot twist, will destroy you. But why do we read if not to be emotionally wrecked and to love and hate the writer at the same time? I love a writer even more if I hate them a bit. Don’t we all?

"Everyone’s breaking was inevitable. Shouldn’t he, above all, understand that best?"

If you are into LGBTQ representation, or tattoos, or strong powerful but morally ambiguous heroins, or lovably arrogant guys, or if you just enjoy being fucking destroyed by a book, preorder this one.

5/5, preorder this book! You'll want to read it and reread it again. One of my top 5 this year!

So, first of all, I need to point out how absolutely gorgeous this book cover is. I know they say not to judge a book by it's cover, but 1. we all know that's not true because we all do it and 2. I loved this one so much I can't wait to see it in person and not in digital format. Because if the digital format cover is this gorgeous I can only imagine what the physical copy looks like <3

Ink in the Blood was so good! I've been feeling semi-burned out on fantasy reads lately, and I found myself really enjoying this one. It was a read that kept me feeling anxious and on edge and ultimately it was those feelings that kept me turning the pages. 

Well, that and it has a hint of romance without being outwardly romance=like. I mean, the romance is definitely there in the story, but it doesn't take center stage to the rest of the plot.

I loved the idea of tattooing skin and transferring that ink over to someone else. I thought it was a unique magic system that I'd not heard of before in books I've read. 

This story centers around two girls, Celia and Anya, who are best friends and who are Inklings who grew up together. They like to skirt the rules and have spent their time finding as many loopholes as they can within the system that they live. I liked that they questioned things and didn't just blindly accept the fate they'd be handed.

Celia and Anya find a way to escape their lives and join the Rabble Mob. They travel and put on a show that becomes increasingly popular. The things they've run away from have followed them though, and that's where my anxiety with reading this began.

I loved the cast of secondary characters. They were colorful and interesting, although the plague doctor was obviously my favorite of the bunch.

I didn't find this book overly predictable, in fact I found myself surprised by the end quite a bit. And it's definitely set up for the second book which I obviously really need to read ASAP because I want to know what happens.

If you love unique magical systems, then I definitely recommend checking this book out!

Frist, thank you to HMH Books for Young Readers for the ARC and eARC for an honest review!

Celia Sand and Anya Burtoni are best friends, partners, inklings. Inklings draw and send on tattoos for the Profeta, a religious institution that gifts tattoos as divine orders. So, if a woman wants to leave her husband, she'll recieve a tattoo resembling family and commitment. But Celia and Anya don't want to stay. When Celia and Anya audition for the Rabble Mob, a travelling show, they are accepted and leave, running from their past, using their ability to draw tattoos as a show trick, hiding from the Profeta and the Rabble Mob, alike.

But when their past catches up with them and the very person, The Divine who inspired the creation of Profeta, begins threatening their friends and fellow Mob members, they must fulfill her divine orders.

This book is filled with lust and darkness, friendship and trust, and freaking MAGICAL TATTOOS. A wonderful debut, Ink in the Blood is a fantasic beginning to a dark and daring duology. not to mention the ever-popular and favorite enemies to lovers burning romance! 

The setting of Ink in the Blood and the characters are well-developed, and this world is absolutely beautiful. I really cannot recommend this book enough! Excited for Book 2!!!

When I first received an advanced copy of Ink in the Blood, I wasn't entirely sure what to think, since I'm not a huge fan of fantasy books and I often have a hard time getting into them. I have nothing against them at all, I just tend to be more of a contemporary/rom-com reader, so I felt really out of my element when starting this book. However, it turns out that I had absolutely nothing to worry about, because I ended up LOVING this book ten times more than I ever thought I would! So without further ado, let's get into my review:


As the summary explains, Celia is an Inkling, one of the few chosen by the Divine to inscribe messages of both praise and warning on the followers of the religion. But life as a servant of the Divine is not as incredible as the outer public may believe, and Celia finds herself running away for a better life and a chance to escape the torture that plagued her childhood...but what she gets when she meets up with a traveling band of actors is definitely not what she bargained for. However, are these new people willing to help her tear down a sinister institution that is actually idolized by its people? (There are definitely a lot more details that you should refer to the originally summary for -- which is right up at the top of this post -- because there are tons of super-specific details that I'm not good at explaining because, as I just said, I tend to not be a big fantasy buff, so those explanations are kind of hard for me, LOL.)


You guys, I don't think I could say it enough times: I LOVED THIS BOOK. I was kind of hesitant at first because there was a lot of world building and information to set up the story, which was totally necessary but still felt a bit heavy and overwhelming to me at first since I'm not often reading fantasy. However, as the story went on, I found myself more and more hooked, to the point that I was reading this book during the walk between classes, on the train to work, and every spare second that I had in between my various club meetings and homework assignments. Kim Smejkal manages to weave an intricate, intriguing, high-stakes story that you never want to look away from -- the nearly 450 pages of the book passed by in a total blur because I just kept flipping and wanting to find out what was going to happen next!


The entire world of the Inklings and the Divine and having the tattoos being inscribed on people as both messages of prophecy and also warning was also a really interesting concept that I hadn't ever really read before in a book, so I was intrigued about that from the very start. The world with all of the high-ranking officials, the Inklings, the Mob, the fleas, etc., was all very elaborate while also being very easy to understand. As someone who tends to be timid when it comes to world building (because contemporary novels that I read often don't require much, if any, of it), I ended up not being as overwhelmed and confused as I thought I was going to be. And I actually ended up getting a really intriguing story out of all of it!


Something that I particularly ADORED about this book was the increasing amount of sexual tension/flirtation between Celia and the plague doctor. Like I mentioned earlier, I'm a huge rom-com fan, so just having that whole "enemies to potential friends to potentially something more" trope with all of their interactions and their increasing sexual tension that they both refuse to acknowledge was seriously giving me so much life. The plague doctor himself was really just my favorite character and I loved swooning over him every time he was on the page. I have such a weakness for mysterious, masked, dark, brooding, sexually-frustrating characters. He gave me major Phantom of the Opera vibes in the best of ways, and I am not ashamed to admit that I was blushing almost every time he was on the page.


Overall, I absolutely adored Ink in the Blood, and I can't sing its praises enough. I'm really glad that Kim Smejkal is a 2020 debut so we can do some more work with here on the blog (be on the lookout for that!), because this is definitely a story that needs to be getting into as many hands as possible. According to Goodreads, there should be other books coming in a series after this one, so I'm going to be eagerly awaiting those for sure! If Ink in the Blood wasn't on your TBR yet, it definitely should be now!