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purplehulk713's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
How much do you really know about love? Asra’s journey through Zumorda reminds us that love bears no strings. Inkmistress bled a rich tale of magic and gods that I was afraid would be dense but was in fact so readable and engaging from start to finish. I hated Ina, she’s the worst. I thought Hal was a little flat at first, but then as the book went on it became clear that he’s not. The lore of magic endowed upon humans as manifests and upon demigods as Farhearing and dictation of past or future was fascinating, as well as Asra’s blood magic in general, the painting of blood upon another so macabre but also so beautiful to behold. Universal themes of destiny, redemption, love, family, and forgiveness resonate throughout the novel, Asra growing to comprehend the nature of each and appreciate them all. Her power is the book’s greatest motif—shaping one’s fate, but wounding yourself inadvertently in the process. Something I’m sure we can all relate to. The difference with Asra is that she can actually change her past as so many of us desire to, and the Fatestone is the key symbol of this. Reformation without consequence, without having to face our mistakes. As a demigod with this power of fate, Asra’s fatal flaw is her naïveté—feeling that something is so simple like this that even if you repaired your mistake something worse might replace or you might make an even worse mistake in the future because you did not learn from the original. Asra’s blood is also great symbol of mortal greed—wanting to improve ourselves without real effort, why so many bloodscribes live such short lives since their gift ages them exponentially. Audrey Coulthurst herself is an inkmistress with the wisdom she scribbled into this novel. Would you seek the Fatestone? Do you dare rewrite your past? Invent your future? Can you live with the consequences? Beware the blood of Asra the inkmistress…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Murder, Gore, Emotional abuse, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Grief, and Abandonment
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