Review: Ink by Amanda Sun

I looked down at the paper, still touching the tip of my shoe. I reached for it, flipping the page over to look.
Scrawls of ink outlined a drawing of a girl lying on a bench.
A sick feeling started to twist in my stomach, like motion sickness.
And then the girl in the drawing turned her head, and her inky eyes glared straight into mine.

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 (GoodReads).

Guys, Ink by Amanda Sun, the first in the Paper Gods series, was really good. It has very unique world-building, diversity, and a fascinating setting. I wish it had been a bit spookier, like this quote suggests, but all in all a good read.

Absurdity: 4 for how Katie is so freaking good at learning Japanese. Languages are hard! ESP when not Latin based ! At least for me.
Originality: 9. Ink opens with Katie new to Japan. We get to know the culture as she does  . This was my favorite part. Sun really did her research and the details of language and culture are great and drew me in. Racial diversity in love interests (there needs to be more of this, it should not come off as original but sadly does) plus ancient gods is a winning combo.
Level of Paranormal Romance: 5. This was good but not great swoon but I was a bit confused about the lack of discussion of the girlfriend who was dumped at the start of the book. He still likes her right?
Level of Harry Potterness: 4. I liked this enough to look forward to the sequel. 

FTC Full Disclosure: I received a review copy from Harlequin (UK) Limited. Happy reading followed. (We do not accept or receive compensation for reviews at YAF and WS.)