Book Review | Ink (The Paper Gods #1) by Amanda Sun

Ink is in their blood. On the heels of a family tragedy, Katie Greene must move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn't know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks and she can't seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building. When Katie meets aloof but gorgeous Tomohiro, the star of the school's kendo team, she is intrigued by him…and a little scared. His tough attitude seems meant to keep her at a distance, and when they're near each other, strange things happen. Pens explode. Ink drips from nowhere. And unless Katie is seeing things, drawings come to life. Somehow Tomo is connected to the kami, powerful ancient beings who once ruled Japan—and as feelings develop between Katie and Tomo, things begin to spiral out of control. The wrong people are starting to ask questions, and if they discover the truth, no one will be safe.
-Amazon

Before I started Ink by Amanda Sun, I had hit a pretty rough book slump. Ink revitalized the beautiful feeling of what reading a great book is all about: new discoveries, and falling into a new world that made me a little sad to leave once finished. Also, look at the gorgeous cover. I had no idea I was going to purchase this book, and then I turned, and this cover drew me towards it like kids to an ice cream parlour. 

Ink is about a sixteen year old girl named Katie who, after her mother's death, is forced to move to Japan with her Aunt Diane. While in Japan, Katie finds herself faced with the challenge of assimilating into the pulsing Japanese culture, as well as in the midst of a supernatural mythology come to life. Cue the enigmatic Tomohiro who's aloof and seeming cocky attitude piques Katie's curiosity after she experiences his drawings come to life right on the page. She learns that Tomohiro is connected to the kami, the very powerful ancient rulers of Japan, and that somehow the ink that Tomohiro has a hard time controlling is further impacted by her presence.

On the surface, Ink is your classic supernatural romance. It has your outsider, your mysterious heartthrob, and the inexplicable pull that ties them both together. But what makes Ink an entirely new reading experience is Amanda Sun's resonating portrayal of Japan. Sun infuses vibrant descriptions of young life in Japan with its language, strong sense of history and folklore pervading every detail. These additions can turn a seeming cliched idea into something fresh. I loved that with no introduction, Sun throws Katie into the heart of Japan. We're immediately faced with how different life is for Katie as she encounters the language and customs that come with being a Japanese student. I also loved Katie's interactions with her new friends Tanaka and Yuki who show her the ropes and become a sort of family to her. Katie's relationship with her Aunt Diane is also touching as we observe their growing friendship in the midst of a traumatic situation.

Katie and Tomohiro's relationship is beautiful and layered. They fuse together as outsiders, and are forced to toddle through their shared connection to the Kami and the challenge this poses. Through them, we also experience quite beautiful scenes where Tomohiro's drawings come to life in front of them...glittering and sinister. I love how Sun weaves a thrilling premise in regards to the forces who would like to wield Tomo's power, some for good, others...not so much.

Ink is full of beautiful illustrations by various artists that help to pull you into the beautiful world of Japanese art/calligraphy and folklore. If you flip through the novel, eying the bottom right margins, there are also cool flip animations that I thought were clever additions to the novel. I've also heard that if you purchase the ebook, certain portions of the novel are, in fact, animated? If so, that's just awesome!

Bare in mind: Ink contains profanity, violence, and some sensuality.

Ink allowed me to experience Japan in unexpected ways. By the end, I felt I'd traversed Sunpu Park, observed Tomo's drawings outside of ancient temples, memorized Kanji, took train rides past Hiroshima, and enjoyed time spent with friends over bentous full of amazing food. I read a quote on GoodReads that a good book can make you homesick for a place that you've never been, and Ink is that book. Though I wished more questions were answered, I know that this promises a thrilling ride with the next book due out in 2014!

If you're as 'homesick' for the world of Ink as I am, or you'd like a taste of Katie and Tomohiro's life just before she arrives in Japan, read Amanda Sun's wonderful prequel, Shadow on Kindle/Wattpad for FREE for a limited time!!!

 

I give Ink by Amanda Sun five out of five cups of Milk Tea.

{P.S. This novel helped me to make the decision that's been circling around my life for a while...I'm learning Japanese!}

Lit Rants | Overcoming the Default: Why More Multicultural Lit Needs Showcasing.

Over the past year I noticed two occurrences where authors were questioned or applauded on their decision to make main characters multicultural. Zoraida Cordova was thanked by one of her fans for making the love interest in her series The Vicious Deep, half Ecuadorian, half Greek, and she also discusses what it is to be an Ecuadorian woman writing fantasy in her guest post for Diversity in YA. While Rainbow Rowell, author of what could be the most loved young adult novel in 2013, Eleanor and Park, addressed a question that some wondered regarding why Park is Korean, to which she delivers the best answer: "Because Park is Korean." I don't believe that these questions are even asked in a malicious way, but they are a clue that we see so little Multi-Cultured characters in our novels that it makes us wonder what made the author deviate from the norm. Then there are occurrences where showcasing characters as a different ethnicity meets challenge, e.g. the unbelievable controversy over young Rue in The Hunger Games being cast as a young black girl, when Suzanne Collins herself describes her as having dark brown skin. I admit that whilst reading The Hunger Games before the film, I wasn't even paying attention to many of the different descriptions of characters because it's ingrained in my mind that most will be Caucasian. Upon discovering Amandla Steinberg was cast, I thought she was the most adorable girl! But seeing the challenges this met with, plus rediscovering that the character was painted as having a different ethnic background, it made me question what exactly the problem is.

We don't, hopefully, go around asking our friends or associates, "Hey, why are you black, or Irish, or Puerto Rican...." so why should our literature only boast one race or cultural background? The peeve that I have with any form of questioning like this is the media's saturation of one look, one culture, or one place being the default. If the world comes in a variety of 'settings' why accept one default as normal? It shouldn't have to mean that an author is being 'gimmicky' by adding a character of a different race or background into their story. They are merely presenting the world that we live in. Every one is not white, blond, or blue/brown eyed, or comes from the Western World. We all range from the palest of creams, to the deepest of chocolate browns, and they all should be showcased in fiction, especially Young Adult.

While reading Ink by Amanda Sun, I realized that part of my overwhelmingly refreshed response to it was due to the fact that the setting is Japan, and the main love interest and most supporting characters are Japanese. Traditional tropes in any genre can become cliched if the same molds are used, but when intertwined in different cultures, countries, or ethnicities, can become startlingly fresh. 

As an African American writer, I wonder why some in the world think it strange for me, or any one who isn't Caucasian, to write fantasy, or off the beating path. My question is, why not? I am a black woman who's always loved reading fantastical tales, but have found it lacking in diversity. It can be so alienating to read books where no one looks like you, or has similar experiences to yours, and can often exacerbate stereotypes that may exist for some cultures and ethnicities. I remember being so excited whilst reading The Perfect Chemistry series by Simone Elkeles, to read about Hispanic main characters tackling stereotypes around them, and the similarities that, at the end of the day, bring us all together.

Why can't there be African American/Caribbean fairies, or Hispanic vampires, or Bi-Racial Hogwarts students? Why can't we discover what its like to be an Aboriginal Australian girl/guy in a YA adventure, or have an Icelandic heroine, or an old fashioned treasure hunt in Africa with a Nigerian protagonist? A Taiwanese prince? Who lives in Greenland...what happens there? As much as we adore Britain (my own novel is set in London), or Paris and Italy, I also want to discover something new.  Showcasing more novels where these differences are celebrated can make a world of difference in the minds of readers everywhere. It will give the world something new to discover about the people around them.

Happy TWO Year Anniversary! + JUST ONE YEAR GIVEAWAY

Two glorious years spent celebrating my love of books with all of you wonderful readers! It still feels like I've only decided to jump into book blogging mere weeks ago.

This year seemed a learning experience in time management. Having a full time job, writing a novel, and having various other things pop up on a daily basis made blogging at the volume that I wanted to a bit of a challenge. I also feel like I've been in a bit of a book slump this year. I've been buying books like crazy, but haven't been as moved by some of them as I thought I would. When I'm not over the moon for a book, I find it a bit challenging to review them.

Even with these challenges, I've still had a good experience. This year, bestselling author of The Rules of Civility, Amor Towles, gifted me his fabulous novella, Eve In Hollywood. I've watched one of my favorite YA/NA authors, Rebecca Donovan make a splash in the literary world, and have her dreams come true; inspiration to any fellow writer. I've discovered that I can finish a classic, and actually love it!

Here are a few things I'd like to tackle this year on Novel Days:

• Review Books That Didn't Wow Me: Going back over my posts, I realize that I have loads of reviews for books for 4 cups or more. I can see how this would make me seem more like someone who would rather rate a book glimmeringly, than jump out there with the truth. This year, I'd like to post more novels that perhaps didn't affect me as much.
• Book Events: Living in New York City, there are a plethora of events on any given week to get into. I recently went to one called Recovering The Classics at Housing Works Bookshot (which I will blog about soon) that I had loads of fun attending. I would love to haunt Barnes &Noble' on days my favorite authors will be there, and track them down online so that I can bring you guys the best of all things bookish going on in the city. BEA is the top on my list this year. I HAVE to get into that in 2014, Godwilling.
• Eccentric Bookish Posts: I've been so privileged to have a host of blogging styles and ideas to be inspired by. I love when a blogger can deviate a bit from review and top ten posts to come up with something unique, and this year, I would like to spend some time brainstorming creative posts about books that will make Novel Days feel more alive.
• Book Peeps: I listed this one for my last anniversary, but it still stands, I have too few book blogger friends, and I would LOVE to make more. I love the sense of community that Book Blogging brings, and I want to be a part of it. Nothing warmed my heart more than to see some of my favorite bloggers tweeting about their meet ups. I wish it were possible to host a NY meet up, but that seems a bit of a daunting endeavor.

I really wanted to thank all of you who stuck with me on my journey through Novel Days. I really appreciate you. I love knowing that you enjoy my posts, and hope to write things that you will enjoy in the future! Because I love you so much, I wanted to host an ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY.

Last year, I fell in love with Gayle Forman's JUST ONE DAY, and with it being one of my highly anticipated books for Fall, I wanted to giveaway JUST ONE YEAR, so that we can all swoon about Willem together! One of you will win your choice of formats (Kindle/Hardcover)

RULES

OPEN INTERNATIONALLY

1. You must comment on this post.
2. Tweet about this giveaway.
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You have until October 1st, 2013 to get all of your entries in, as this novel releases on October 15th!

After spending an amazing day and night together in Paris, Just One Year is Willem's story, picking up where Just One Day ended. His story of their year of quiet longing and near misses is a perfect counterpoint to Allyson's own as Willem undergoes a transformative journey, questioning his path, finding love, and ultimately, redefining himself. 

-Goodreads

ENJOY!