(This review may contain spoilers).
Having seen the movie based on this book, I thought I’d get this for my sister… and then found myself in the position of being bored with none of the books on my list to read at hand.
I did like this book… but there was a bit too much information dumping going on. Although Bianca was a really interesting narrator, she was a darker character than I was expecting. She did amuse me a bit at times… and I had a lot of sympathy for her, even when I wished that she would just let her friends in to help her.
While I did like Casey’s character, I didn’t like the constant ‘OMG’ from her, which is one of my pet hates. Casey seems too intelligent to act like a ditzy teenage girl… though Jess came across as that stereotypical ditzy/dumb blonde. It was a shame, because there was a lot of potential in the friendship. But I thought it was good to see that both Casey and Jess did differ in their opinions and that they were both supportive and good friends.
I found it difficult not to like Wesley. It was good to see that he had a lot of depth to him as a character… that he had his own problems and was more than someone who just slept around. It was also good to see how protective he became of Bianca after they started hooking up. And I felt the romance was given an opportunity to develop naturally, rather than seem stilted and forced. Though it did follow the cliche of one or both of the characters in the romantic relationship hating/constantly fighting each other.
I liked the fact that Bianca had issues to deal with. Those made her a more gritty character and gave a bit of depth to her. And it was also good to see what her past was like with her previous relationship. I did feel a lot for her when Wesley kept using the nickname ‘Duff’… even though I doubt he realised what it meant to her.
While I don’t think some of the behaviour in this book was right, I did find it a really entertaining read. The movie is much lighter than the book… but this feels more real and is worth reading… at least in my opinion. Just not for a younger audience.
Ink of Blood 