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Inkbloom
Xelle is marked as dragonfriend. Arriving at To’Ever under a veil of unease and an uncertain future, she must redefine herself. Again. Inkbloom continues the story of Night Ivy, a wandering bard’s tale of magic and friendship amidst the spires and shadows of the seven towers of Alyssia.
The second book in the fantasy world of Alyssia, featuring plant magic, friendship, and dragons.
“Like the first breeze of spring after a long winter, E.D.E. Bell warms hearts and plants seeds of hope with her words. Do yourself a favour and read this book.” – Marie Bilodeau, bestselling author of Heirs of a Broken Land
The second book in the fantasy world of Alyssia, featuring plant magic, friendship, and dragons.
“Like the first breeze of spring after a long winter, E.D.E. Bell warms hearts and plants seeds of hope with her words. Do yourself a favour and read this book.” – Marie Bilodeau, bestselling author of Heirs of a Broken Land
284 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 23, 2023
2 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
E.D.E. Bell
36 books210 followersE.D.E. Bell (she/her or e/em) loves fantasy fiction, and enjoys blending classic and modern elements. A passionate vegan and earnest progressive, she feels strongly about issues related to equality and compassion. Her works often explore conceptions of identity and community, including themes of friendship, family, and connection. She lives in Ferndale, Michigan, where she writes stories and revels in garlic. You can follow her adventures at edebell.com.
Bell was born in the year of the fire dragon during a Cleveland blizzard. After a youth in the Mitten, an MSE in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan, three wonderful children, and nearly two decades in Northern Virginia and Southwest Ohio developing technical intelligence strategy, she started the indie press Atthis Arts. Working through mental disorders and an ever-complicated world, she now tries to bring light and love as she can through fantasy fiction, as a proud part of the Detroit arts community.
Bell was born in the year of the fire dragon during a Cleveland blizzard. After a youth in the Mitten, an MSE in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan, three wonderful children, and nearly two decades in Northern Virginia and Southwest Ohio developing technical intelligence strategy, she started the indie press Atthis Arts. Working through mental disorders and an ever-complicated world, she now tries to bring light and love as she can through fantasy fiction, as a proud part of the Detroit arts community.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 4, 2023
After Night Ivy, I was very curious where the second book in the series would take us. Inkbloom picks up pretty much right after where Night Ivy left us, and I was delighted by those first scenes where we get to meet Xelle’s family.
We continue to follow Xelle very closely, even when most of her activities are comprised of waiting and making the wait bearable. I still love this main character to bits: not choosing one set magical path, e is a generalist in a world of specialists, and I feel e's such an important character for neurodiversity representation. Inkbloom really shows how meandering thoughts can hold us back from a path that would look straightforward to most neurotypicals. However, this also demands some patience from the reader. At times I was convinced that the build-up of tension would lead to a big action scene, but the Alyssia series continues to explore its world and magic system thoroughly in a slice-of-life kind of way, rather than through big actions. Xelle is a realistic hero simply by existing as herself and refusing to fit the mold everyone around her would prefer her in, but going out on big, long quests isn’t really her style (though she does meet dragons again and figures out some powerful magic!).
Personally, I did sometimes miss the climaxes of the story structures we are traditionally accustomed to.
I loved Night Ivy slightly more than Inkbloom. I think the big difference was that the whole beautiful world of Alyssia was still new to explore in Night Ivy, but here in Inkbloom, the frustration of Xelle's waiting sometimes bled through to me as a reader. Of course, that's completely up to personal taste—and didn't take away from me greatly enjoying E.D.E. Bell’s writing, laughing with the story and feeling distress for the dragons many times, and enjoying all the beautiful views. I also loved that we got to know many of Xelle’s friends much better in Inkbloom, and they were all strong, interesting characters.
Some spoilery thoughts at the end of the book:
Full disclosure: I was a proofreader for this book.
We continue to follow Xelle very closely, even when most of her activities are comprised of waiting and making the wait bearable. I still love this main character to bits: not choosing one set magical path, e is a generalist in a world of specialists, and I feel e's such an important character for neurodiversity representation. Inkbloom really shows how meandering thoughts can hold us back from a path that would look straightforward to most neurotypicals. However, this also demands some patience from the reader. At times I was convinced that the build-up of tension would lead to a big action scene, but the Alyssia series continues to explore its world and magic system thoroughly in a slice-of-life kind of way, rather than through big actions. Xelle is a realistic hero simply by existing as herself and refusing to fit the mold everyone around her would prefer her in, but going out on big, long quests isn’t really her style (though she does meet dragons again and figures out some powerful magic!).
Personally, I did sometimes miss the climaxes of the story structures we are traditionally accustomed to.
I loved Night Ivy slightly more than Inkbloom. I think the big difference was that the whole beautiful world of Alyssia was still new to explore in Night Ivy, but here in Inkbloom, the frustration of Xelle's waiting sometimes bled through to me as a reader. Of course, that's completely up to personal taste—and didn't take away from me greatly enjoying E.D.E. Bell’s writing, laughing with the story and feeling distress for the dragons many times, and enjoying all the beautiful views. I also loved that we got to know many of Xelle’s friends much better in Inkbloom, and they were all strong, interesting characters.
Some spoilery thoughts at the end of the book:
Full disclosure: I was a proofreader for this book.
May 8, 2023
This book delivers all the bits I’ve been waiting for since reading Night Ivy. There’s more about the dragons, really fleshing them out as people (pers), with body language and plenty of sarcasm, even as they face a very human (hu) threat. Plant friendships grow (!), and we learn more about the local art scene (and glamfrogs!). Even better, the worldbuilding and adventure charge forward as the main character (Xelle) explores another tower (giving us another take on both magic and politics) while sporadically building friendships and inspiring an unintentional student group. But the real draws for me throughout this book are the small personal moments and the comforting discussions of food, clothing, and places visited. Both Xelle and the author make space for others’ needs and happy endings (partings), with a sense of places unseen (but no cliffhangers that would upset the cozy comfort buzz!).
Full disclosure: I read an advance copy of this book as a proofreader.
Full disclosure: I read an advance copy of this book as a proofreader.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews