Ink & Arrows

Ink & Arrows

by Shruthi Viswanathan 

3 out of 5

Synopsis
An artist who inks magical tattoos....
Rea is a Suveri, part of a tribe that can create tattoos with devastating powers. Bitter after the death of her father at the hands of a cruel general, she tries to get revenge...only to fail at her mission and be saved by a mysterious stranger who demands to know the secrets of the Suveri's tattoos.
A prince searching for power..
Sebastyen is the heir to the throne and a warrior who has shed more blood than any other on the battlefield. But the woman he meets offers a glimpse of peace. Intrigued by her rebellious nature, he agrees to fulfill three of her wishes in return for learning how to tattoo with magic.
Note: Due to mature content the book is intended for older readers. 18+



Review
A girl from the Suveri tribe, who are feared for their magic, is bound together with the future emperor.

 I received a free copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

 Rea is all alone, having parted from her tribe so her father could gather more ingredients for the Suveri's magical tattoos. Unfortunately, her father is killed, leaving Rea in a pit of despair. In her depression, she has switched off from the outside world, and hasn't the energy to do even basic things.

 Sebastyen is the eldest son of the emperor, and has been groomed to be heir. He has been schooled in war and politics. His only escape, are the few hours he can steal with Rea, where he can just be himself.

 Despite this being about two cultures coming together, with the Suveri tribes' mysteriously magical tattoos, the author focusses this novella on the relationship between Rea and Sebastyen.
The magic, and the secrets of the Suveri are brushed upon, but simply provide a background and a point of contention for our lovers. I was pretty disappointed that this wasn't explored further, as when it was set out in the beginning, I thought it had huge potential.
Instead it devolves into the usual "enemies-but-not-really" into lovers.

 I quite liked the writing, although the advance copy I got could do with an edit.
Despite the characters being in their twenties, and the brief sexual content, I thought this read very much like a YA fantasy. The characters always felt young to me, and the narration suited YA perfectly.

 I thought the ending was too neatly-tied up. Again, it felt like the potential in the story was trimmed for the sake of a HEA.

 Overall, the world the author created had a lot of potential, and I would be interested in reading more of their work.

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