(This review may contain spoilers. There’s also potentially triggering material mentioned).
I was immediately intrigued by the blurb of this book. I like paranormal-themed books and this one sounded interesting enough to be a bit different. And as I read it, I felt it did meet my expectations really well.
The very first scene of this book did a really good job of setting the tone for the rest of the book, I felt. It was really creepy, but I felt that there was just enough left to readers’ imaginations.
I found that I actually really liked all five of the main characters in this book. I had a lot of sympathy for Miranda, seeing how badly she was affected by what was happening to her. Even though there was an explanation for what was going on, I could imagine it was still an awful experience to be bleeding from her hands. And I had a lot of sympathy for how Miranda kept trying to hide what she thought was wrong with her.
I did think there was a bit too much switching between the different points of view… and I was a bit disappointed that the book slipped into present tense a couple of times, which made those scenes a bit difficult to read… even though I did think that what they revealed was intriguing and added a bit more depth to the story.
I also thought it was interesting to see the different abilities the other characters had. I thought it was really good how Jake’s ability worked… it was a unique take on the whole seer thing. And although Xayan’s ability could have been an amusing one, I was able to understand why it was so hard for her.
I also really liked Sam and Topher. It was intriguing to see how their abilities worked and there were some lines from Sam that really amused me.
There was a lot of tension in this book and I found it really easy to care about the characters. There is a lot about suicide in the book and quite a bit that could be triggering to more sensitive readers.
I would read a sequel to this book. I’d like to see more of the world and the characters, especially since it’s implied that things aren’t over.
Dax Varley writes the kind of young adult novels she wishes were around when she was a teen. She’s a lover of humor, horror and all things paranormal.
Ink of Blood 