Author: Eric Smith

Pages: 193

Genre: YA Fantasy

Release Date: 20 January 2016

From Goodreads: "Tattoos once were an act of rebellion. Now they decide your destiny the moment the magical Ink settles under your skin. And in a world where Ink controls your fate, Caenum can't escape soon enough. He is ready to run from his family, and his best friend Dreya, and the home he has known, just to have a chance at a choice. But when he upsets the very Scribe scheduled to give him his Ink on his eighteenth birthday, he unwittingly sets in motion a series of events that sends the corrupt, magic-fearing government, The Citadel, after him and those he loves. Now Caenum, Dreya, and their reluctant companion Kenzi must find their way to the Sanctuary, a secret town where those with the gift of magic are safe. Along the way, they learn the truth behind Ink, its dark origins, and why they are the only ones who can stop the Citadel."

Thank you to Eric Smith for providing me a copy of this book and YA Bound Book Tours for organizing the book tour!

Inked is a wonderful introduction into the world of fantasy. For those that are unsure about taking that first step into the world of YA fantasy, this book is a great start! If the cover of this book doesn't immediately draw you in, the description should have you dying to read it!

In Caenum's world, once you come of age, you get Inked. Scribes tattoo your body with magical ink that is supposed to show you what you were meant to do. In Dreya's case, she has beautiful flowers that cover her body, indicating that she will work in a garden and tend to plants. But Caenum doesn't know what he wants to do, and he's not sure if he wants some magical ink to tell him how he should live his life. On his eighteenth birthday, Caenum accidentally upsets the very Scribe that was set to give him his ink and sets off an insane chain of events that causes him to have to run away from home- and to his destiny.

This book is perfect for those on the lower side of the YA reading scale. It has some beautiful world and character building, and it flows very nicely from start to finish. Personally, I enjoyed the beginning more than the middle and end of this book, but the story overall was a very wonderful read. I'm not a fan of fantasy but this book was a great way to get me more into the genre. The idea that the tattoos could move was a really unique concept, and it got even better once I discovered why the tattoos move. I found myself really caring about Caenum, Kenzi, and Dreya very early on, and was able to follow the story more closely because of my attachment to them. By the end, Kenzi was easily my favorite!

The middle of the book really slowed down for me and I wasn't a big fan of when the group was picked up by Vikash and his band of trackers. I liked how Tabor ended up being a good guy, however, but I just really found myself wanting to get through that whole part. That was probably the only downside to the book if I could think of one.

All in all, Inked is a wonderfully written story that I would definitely recommend to any fans of the fantasy genre or anyone wanting to take the first step into the genre. It's a beautiful story with a very unique concept and I am eagerly awaiting a sequel!

Eric Smith is an author, blogger, and literary agent based out of Philadelphia.

His YA debut, INKED, is out now via Bloomsbury's digital imprint, Bloomsbury Spark. The sequel will be out May 2016. He regularly writes about YA for Book Riot, Barnes & Noble's Teen Blog, and Paste Magazine.

His first humor book, THE GEEK'S GUIDE TO DATING, was published with Quirk Books in December 2013, and has sold into seven languages.

His essays have appeared in the Bygone Bureau and The Apiary, and his first published piece will appear in THE ASTEROID BELT ALMANAC with the Hand & the Hand Press in April 2014.

He's the co-founder of Geekadelphia, a popular hyperlocal geek blog in Philly, and the Philly Geek Awards, a ceremony honoring local geeks in his city.

Eric holds a BA in English from Kean University and an MA in English from Arcadia University. He currently lives in Philly. You can find him on Twitter at @ericsmithrocks.