Review: 3.5 Stars for INK
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 10, 2012
I had a good time reading this novel. Hope is a character that reflects many teenaged girls, and her predicament of being a low-income girl in a high-income community strikes a familiar chord. Hope has many struggles trying to hold what's left of her family together while she tries to navigate a prestigious performing arts school as well as investigate strange happenings in her town.Many people go through a period where they aren't sure who their real friends are. This is all the more difficult when they're new in town. Hope is in a precarious position when her new friend Slade turns out to be the black sheep of the school as well as the town. Getting thrown out of a school like that drew a huge line between Slade's family and the rest of the population. However, Slade understands many things that Tucker and his buddies do not, and Hope finds herself torn throughout much of the book.The supernatural twist to the book was one of the best parts of the story; however, I feel that a great, complex build-up seemed to end in an almost anti-climactic manner, and I wasn't left completely satified. I wish Hope would have dealt with one of her real-world problems with her father in a more real-world way. However, most of Slade's tricks were fun and interesting. I thought the way he got his powers was definitely unexpected; it wasn't to my liking, but I appreciate how it set this story apart from many similar supernatural genre books out there, so it wasn't a big deal overall. I wouldn't be against reading a sequel to see if things get better for Hope and her family, and come to a more solid conclusion.As a parent, I wouldn't hand this book to my kid until she's well into high school. There are sex scenes, a "slutty" friend, and hard choices that Hope makes at a young age.Finally, I'd like to make a note that I took half a star off from my review because the book needs re-editing. I have spoken to the author, and she's working on another edition now that she is aware of the problem. If you are someone who is really bothered by typos and grammar problems, be aware that this book can get distracting. Hopefully Ms. Hood will be able to produce a new copy in a few weeks, so that this complaint will soon be invalid.Katherine X, Kindle Book Review