(I received a free copy of this book from 47North, through NetGalley, in exchange for a review).
I hesitated a little bit over reading this. Although I really liked the idea, I was also aware of how many books have proved to be a disappointment due to insta!romance.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book, though. Although there was an instant connection between the two characters, there was no instant love, which was a really nice change.
I really liked both of the characters, though I didn’t really like Collin at first. I did like Ellie and she was one of those characters who I was able to relate to straight away. I enjoyed reading about her relationships with the others and she was actually a likable character.
The idea of the gate and the curse was a fairly unique one. I liked the use of the Lost Colony of Roanoke. I think I would have liked some more details of the history behind the ancestors creating the curse. I’m always curious about origin stories.
The use of the different kind of myths was pretty interesting, too. It was nice to see how everything began, though I’m still not sure I understood everything that was going on. The idea behind the pure souls was fairly interesting, too.
I did like how Ellie’s and Collin’s relationship formed. I felt it came across as really realistic and I could really believe in it. I felt the author took the time to allow the characters’ relationship to progress easily and naturally.
I felt the book was really well-written and there were some humorous moments in the writing as well. The ending was quite intriguing and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Ink of Blood 