Ink by Amanda Sun

Goodreads Blurb

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.

I had two issues with Ink, so I might as well get them over with. First was the romance--it sort of reminded me of Twilight, to be honest. I mean first, there was the insta-love. Katie sees Tomohiro and suddenly can't get him, or the strange things that happen out of her mind. And then, for someone who kept pushing her away because he was "dangerous" (Twilight-ian), Tomo warmed up to Katie pretty quickly. 32% in, Katie realizes she loves him, even though their relationship was short at the point.
The second was Jun. How was Katie not wary of someone who she met at a train station and pops up randomly in all the wrong places? She was so at ease with him and...it was sort of weird.

But after the initial bad start, Ink completely blew me away. I fell in love with our characters and the writing. Or, rather, one character. Tomo was really your typical bad boy and I loved him. So much. What can I say? I love me some YA bad boys! More than that, he didn't try to keep Katie in the dark which was automatically ten points in his favor. When it was inevitable that she would get mixed in, he knew that keeping her in the dark was dangerous. THANK YOU TOMO.
Katie was a...complex sort of character to me. At times, she annoyed me (only a few times! 1/30 I promise), but in the end she always makes the right decision! I couldn't really connect with her, but she was a decent YA heroine!

The plot oh my God I died I am dead it killed me. So much run ons in that! I absolutely adored the plot which completely blew me away. I loved everything--the pacing, the twists, how you never knew who you could trust or what was going on. It was wonderful. Until my heart broke near the end. BROKEN.

The worldbuilding was definitely the strong point of the novel. Both the fantasy world Sun created and the Japan we read. You could tell how well researched Ink was and you really were transported. It's the little details that count, and the author didn't slack on those at all! And the fantasy world, OH, I loved it so so so much! It was fascinating and kind of haunting at the same time--a perfect mix!

Ink was a fantastic read with a world I loved to explore alongside our characters. I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a book that'll transport you to other places or to anyone who needs an exciting fantasy/paranormal read!

Pages: 377
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Mythology
Series: Paper Gods #1
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: June 25, 2013
Rating: 4 stars