Ink by Holly Hood

Ink by Holly Hood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hope is a 17 year old who is displaced after her parents split up and she moves with her father and two of her brothers to California. She leaved behind in Georgia a school, friends, and a life she loved to make sure her alcoholic father isn't alone as they move into a beach house owned by her grandmother. Hope struggles to adjust to what feels like a completely different world. People in this story aren't what they seem, and it is a challenge for Hope to learn who to trust, who to love, and who to run from.

This is a YA paranormal with an amped up steam factor, and a lot of interesting twists. The reader is left wondering who and what to believe and it is exciting to experience everything with Hope. It took me a little while to get into this story, mostly because I suspected that it might be a predictable YA romance at first. I was quickly and pleasantly surprised when this was not the case. There was not a lot of typical anything going on here, and it kept me engaged and reading straight through. The mysterious elements kept me on edge, and I had a lot of opinions about what I wanted Hope to do and who I wanted her to spend time with.

Slade is an interesting character and just keeps getting more intriguing as the story goes on. And hotter. He just keeps getting hotter too. I enjoyed all of the Slade's "family" too. I hope that we get to know them better as the series continues. There were times when I really didn't know if I could trust him, but I always wanted to.

Hope is a strong person who has been taking care of her father and brothers for a long time, and it is nice seeing her start to take care of herself as the story develops. She gives up a lot to make sure her father isn't alone, but really tries to make the best of her new situation despite almost constant challenges. I love her friendship with Karsen and hope we see more of her in future books in the series too.

The "bad" characters in this story are completely infuriating, and I found myself often pleased with the rational and patient way Hope and Slade were responding to some of the awful things they were subjected to.

The story ends leaving some things resolved, and others made more complex. I can't wait to find out where things go from here and spend more time with Hope as she continues to experience life in a way she never could have predicted. I recommend this, and will definitely be continuing on with the series.

*a copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review

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