ARC Review: Ink by Amanda Sun

Title: Ink (The Paper Gods #1)
Author: Amanda Sun
Publication: June 25th 2013 by Harlequin Teen
Genre: YA Paranormal
Source: Provided by the kind publisher...
Goodreads

I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.

Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.

A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.

And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.

On the heels of a family tragedy, the last thing Katie Greene wants to do is 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.

Then there’s gorgeous but aloof Tomohiro, star of the school’s kendo team. How did he really get the scar on his arm? Katie isn’t prepared for the answer. But when she sees the things he draws start moving, there’s no denying the truth: Tomo has a connection to the ancient gods of Japan, and being near Katie is causing his abilities to spiral out of control. If the wrong people notice, they'll both be targets.

Katie never wanted to move to Japan—now she may not make it out of the country alive.

-- My Rating --

3.5 / 5 Oscars: Liked it...

-- My Thoughts --

     I have to admit, that first thing that popped into my mind when i saw this book, was the adorable cover then the synopsis. It was mainly the cover that intrigued me enough to read this. And I don't regret reading it.
     Katie Greene has just transferred to a japan after a hear-breaking event. Adjusting to the all-new surroundings, and the even stranger routines is not easy, but it gets harder when she meets Yuu Tomohiro. He is bad boy, to say it simply. But when they're together: Pens explode. papers scatter. ink drips. and drawings move.
     I LOVED learning about the Japanese culture. This is what I loved most about this book. I loved all the little details Amanda Sun has put into this book to make it race-free, but still so intriguing. I wanted to learn everything about these Japanese people! Since I am Asian, too, but we're so different from each other. Another thing I loved was the idea of the paper gods, I am not going to elaborate, but it was so new and unique that I finished this book in one setting.
     What I didn't like, though, was the characters. I hate it when two not-so-stupid characters fight off their feelings for each other. It is so frustrating and stupid. I didn't like Katie's decision making, she never learned anything from her mistakes. I liked the characters well enough, but I saw no character growth in any of them. I hope the author will explore that in her sequel of this series.
     This book was not the best. But it was unique and intriguing, I have to give it that. And I will be keeping my fingers crossed for the next book in the series. To see where Amanda Sun will take her bunch of characters!