Hey, friends! You know those books, the ones that you start, then stop, because they just didn’t grab you, then start again? Once you’ve started again, you wonder why you ever quit reading to begin with. That’s what happened to me with Between Ink and Shadows by Melissa Wright. I finished the book, and immediately bought book 2. Now, to be fair, I haven’t read book 2 yet, but I own it, and I’m really excited to get to it. Sadly, I’ve had so much going on lately with my day job and other tasks in The Picky Bookworm, that reading has taken a back seat.
Which is sad, really, because I have pretty much promised you a book review twice a month, and sometimes I have to dig into my backlist in order to keep my word. It’s all good, I guess, because I have some really great books in my “already read” pile, that I never got to review. One such series, Feyland, is going to be coming VERY soon, because it may be old, but it remains one of my favorite urban dystopian fantasy series. But I digress…
If you’re new here, welcome! I’m Pamela, aka The Picky Bookworm, and I love indie books and authors. Every other week I bring you a book review, even if I don’t always review books ahead of publication. So, you might see some backlist books, but I try to bring you ones I think you’ll like. Keep reading for my newest book review.
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Synopsis of Between Ink and Shadows
Nimona, or Nim, has “inherited” a debt from her father. It is a debt she will never be able to repay. Her father made a deal with The Trust, a society in her city who deals strictly in magic. They keep a very tight lid on who can practice, which basically means only people in The Trust can practice magic. Most of the people in the city have made deals with them, so they continue to get more powerful, while others suffer.
Nim knows the only way she’s going to gain her freedom is to follow the rules, and pay her monthly tithe to The Trust. Until she’s ordered to steal something from the king’s seneschal.
Warrick is second in command to the king, and has his own secrets about The Trust. When he catches Nim in his quarters, he thinks he’s found a way to be rid of them forever.
But things are never as they seem, are they?
This epic fantasy with slow-burn romance is a story that will keep you questioning long past when you think you have answers and will definitely keep you up past your bedtime.
My Thoughts on Between Ink & Shadows
Below, I’ve listed my thoughts on the various aspects of Between Ink and Shadows. My recommendation is always based on who I think will like the book, and who might have trouble with it. If you’re a regular reader, you know I don’t give star ratings, because I don’t like the idea of assigning an arbitrary number to my opinion. I do list the things that I like, and the things I don’t, so that you can make an informed decision on whether you want to read a book or not.
Overall Opinion
Like I said in my introduction, I struggled a bit when I first started reading Between Ink and Shadows. I’m not sure why, because it was actually really good. I think part of it is that it gave me vibes from books by C.J. Archer, such as her Glass and Steele books. It felt like it could be Victorian London at times, then at others it felt like medieval times. I couldn’t put my finger on actually fitting it into a time period. This could have been deliberate on the author’s part, since it is supposed to be fantasy, but it didn’t even feel like epic fantasy. It felt closer to Urban Fantasy. It was a little confusing, to be honest.
I also didn’t really see much evolution in the characters. I love seeing characters overcome obstacles, and even overcome their own faults. I didn’t see much of this from the main characters, and to be honest, it disappointed me a little bit.
I know it seems like I didn’t enjoy the book, because I did. I enjoyed it very much. I just struggled a bit with certain things, but overall, I liked the book and will continue the series when I can.
Characters
Nimona
My biggest issue with Nimona was how one-dimensional she seemed at first. I saw a bit of growth, but she never really seemed to reach a point that I loved her as a hero. Warrick’s aide (don’t remember his name, sorry!) was a cooler character to me. It also irritated me that the author introduced her as Nim, then interchanged Nim and Nimona with no explanation. I was left wondering, “which one is her real name?!?” which frustrated me. I wish she would have introduced her as Nimona, and used that name through all narration, but then had some other characters call her Nim, which would explain the nickname.
Warrick
I liked Warrick. He didn’t take any crap from Nimona, and even though there was a little bit of romantic chemistry between him and Nimona, he never really gave into it. He had enough mystery that I felt like I needed to know more about him, and how he treated his aide gave me the impression that he was a really good guy. I rooted for him throughout the whole book. I look forward to reading more about him in book 2.
The Romance
Despite my dislike of Nimona as an overall character, I really liked the idea of the romance between her and Warrick. Their separate positions gave a bit of a “forbidden” and “star-crossed” feel, which made for a fun mystery. I spent quite a bit of time wondering if they would actually get together.
Fantasy Elements
I loved the magic in Between Ink and Shadows. Simply the fact that it was basically illegal, except for this shadowy organization who keeps people as indentured servants to do their will, was super fun. The Trust’s lair reminded me some of the movie The Skulls. The way it was described made it seem really dark and forbidding. That part was cool.
Tropes
Ok, why did I put “tropes” in my outline for this book review? Seriously! I have the hardest time identifying tropes. I’m pretty sure there’s Chosen One and Enemies to Lovers, but that’s all I can think of. I would love anyone who has read this book to leave me a comment below with some tropes that you identified. I’ve been trying really hard lately to learn more about tropes and how to identify them, so I could use your help. Thanks!
Recommendation
If you enjoy epic fantasy series, and magical systems that are different from most others, you would enjoy Between Ink & Shadows. I will remind you again that the main characters did seem a little one-dimensional, but this is the first book in the series, and I’m hoping to see more growth later on. I do own book 2, and will read it as soon as I can. When I do, I’ll come update my recommendation.
Conclusion
So, what did you think of my book review on Between Ink & Shadows? I hope you liked it, and I’d love if you share with your friends! If you’re new here, I’d also love for you to subscribe, so you’ll get my weekly newsletter and post notifications. I don’t email outside of this weekly newsletter unless I have exciting news to share, so you don’t have to worry about spam.
Until Next Time, Friends!
