A tattoo artist named Patty Cakes, that’s all I needed to pull me in. I love it when an author can be creative, witty, and fun all at the same time. I didn’t even need the rest of the synopsis.

I’ve read Jonathan Maberry before, I’ve enjoyed his writing, but he has a lot of series. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good series, but with my ever-growing, mountainous TBR list, it is hard to commit to starting a seven or eleven book series. So, a new standalone by Maberry, I was doubly into reading Ink.

Maberry has an innovative premise with Ink, the cast of characters are fascinating, there is nothing I love more than a group of damaged souls. But with each turn of the page I felt more and more left out. What I failed to grasp from the synopsis is that all of the characters are from other books and series. This was supposed to be a standalone; and here I was, left out in the cold not knowing all the backgrounds of the characters. As the story went on, I felt like the new guy in a group who didn’t know all of the inside jokes, the one who is standing there thinking okay so what as everyone else laughs their heads off.

The whole thing left me disappointed. Ink could have / would have been an incredible standalone if it had been a standalone. I’m sure that anyone who has read the Pine Deep series, Glimpse and the other stories featuring Monk Addison loved Ink. This standalone was written for them, there is nothing better than connecting with your favorite old characters.

While the story was exceptional, it left me with a bad taste in my mouth. A little more transparency would have been nice, I was expecting something new and fresh.



*3.5 Stars

Ink

By Jonathan Maberry

    2 Book Lovers Reviews

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