What do you think?
Rate this book
The Ink Drinkers
It started with a fake tattoo. It (almost) ended in a death.
Blaine is nothing special. An introverted artist, uncomfortable with the very idea of kissing, and using his own skin as a canvas to keep sane. At seventeen, making friends, evading a bully, and crushing on a boy who tells him stories under the stars are the biggest challenges in his life.
Until the night the creatures he's drawn on his skin come to life... and a bully almost dies.
Understanding what's happening to him is tricky enough. Learning to control his unusual powers needs the help of Blaine's friends, a gang of girls, and two botanical witches - if Blaine's actions and the secrets the witches keep don't put all their lives in danger first.
Contains: An ace teen wreaking havoc, happily married witches, magical tattoos
and many references to Greek mythology.
Blaine is nothing special. An introverted artist, uncomfortable with the very idea of kissing, and using his own skin as a canvas to keep sane. At seventeen, making friends, evading a bully, and crushing on a boy who tells him stories under the stars are the biggest challenges in his life.
Until the night the creatures he's drawn on his skin come to life... and a bully almost dies.
Understanding what's happening to him is tricky enough. Learning to control his unusual powers needs the help of Blaine's friends, a gang of girls, and two botanical witches - if Blaine's actions and the secrets the witches keep don't put all their lives in danger first.
Contains: An ace teen wreaking havoc, happily married witches, magical tattoos
and many references to Greek mythology.
436 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 14, 2023
17 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 13, 2023
I would love to thank Dror Bloodwood @drorbloodwood for my ARC of The Ink Drinkers. It means a lot to be able to read it before it comes out. So here is my honest review on it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
This book kicks off and is on the go the moment you start reading it. The description throughout the story is great, and you can easily picture Blaine and everyone else. Not to mention how easy it is to picture all of Blaine's drawings. How protective of Fox is a big part of the book. Blaine goes to deep lengths to keep his friend safe and taken care of, including letting some of the bad drawings out. With the help of Daphne's aunts, they try to help him control it all. This book has strong LGBTQ+ VIBES. The witchy aunts are happily married, and Blaine is drawn to blushing around Fox. It is a wonderful coming of age and coming into your own skin story.
Also, this story is so unique that I have never read anything like it. Colorful tattoos that change and can cause problems, it took me back to that funny SpongeBob Episode of DoodleBob. And you know a young protagonist can create some monsters for sure, but it also can be the most beautiful things as well. Just not edible when you try to create food. I am not gonna lie. I know I would have tried that right away. I absolutely adore Fox. He seems like the perfect ride or die. Also, seeing how Daphne is not at all phased by Blaine and willing to help him, she is such a trooper.
Only a few times, I had to go back and reread a few things, so it made sense to me, mostly because I was reading it late into the night. It's still a pleasant read for sure. So, if you like YA with strong witches and even stronger friendships, you should give this book a chance. Also, how cute is the cover, I just adore it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
This book kicks off and is on the go the moment you start reading it. The description throughout the story is great, and you can easily picture Blaine and everyone else. Not to mention how easy it is to picture all of Blaine's drawings. How protective of Fox is a big part of the book. Blaine goes to deep lengths to keep his friend safe and taken care of, including letting some of the bad drawings out. With the help of Daphne's aunts, they try to help him control it all. This book has strong LGBTQ+ VIBES. The witchy aunts are happily married, and Blaine is drawn to blushing around Fox. It is a wonderful coming of age and coming into your own skin story.
Also, this story is so unique that I have never read anything like it. Colorful tattoos that change and can cause problems, it took me back to that funny SpongeBob Episode of DoodleBob. And you know a young protagonist can create some monsters for sure, but it also can be the most beautiful things as well. Just not edible when you try to create food. I am not gonna lie. I know I would have tried that right away. I absolutely adore Fox. He seems like the perfect ride or die. Also, seeing how Daphne is not at all phased by Blaine and willing to help him, she is such a trooper.
Only a few times, I had to go back and reread a few things, so it made sense to me, mostly because I was reading it late into the night. It's still a pleasant read for sure. So, if you like YA with strong witches and even stronger friendships, you should give this book a chance. Also, how cute is the cover, I just adore it.
July 14, 2023
I was immediately attracted to this book by its beautiful cover. It is a YA coming of age story about Blaine Avery, an artistic teenager who draws his feelings onto his skin in the form of non permanent tattoos.
He is a shy boy with barely any friends but when he meets colorful Daphne all of that changes.
He begins caring about other people, particularly Fox, who he is protective of against the school bullies who have plagued him for as long as he can remember. Fox was a wonderfully vibrant character, who everyone seems to like right away.
When Blaine’s tattoos begin changing, and almost kill a bully who has hurt Fox and who Blaine is fighting, Daphne decides to take him to meet her aunts, powerful witches who understand magical tattoos and can help him come to terms with his art. This married couple were fantastic characters and I really enjoyed the scenes with them helping Blaine to navigate his magical awakening.
The book has a lot of charm, teenage angst, LGBTQA rep and the ideas are imaginative, but I feel it would benefit from a good editor since in places it reads a little like a translation and some of the sentences lost their meaning.
I received an advanced review copy of this book and would like to thank the author. My review is honest.
He is a shy boy with barely any friends but when he meets colorful Daphne all of that changes.
He begins caring about other people, particularly Fox, who he is protective of against the school bullies who have plagued him for as long as he can remember. Fox was a wonderfully vibrant character, who everyone seems to like right away.
When Blaine’s tattoos begin changing, and almost kill a bully who has hurt Fox and who Blaine is fighting, Daphne decides to take him to meet her aunts, powerful witches who understand magical tattoos and can help him come to terms with his art. This married couple were fantastic characters and I really enjoyed the scenes with them helping Blaine to navigate his magical awakening.
The book has a lot of charm, teenage angst, LGBTQA rep and the ideas are imaginative, but I feel it would benefit from a good editor since in places it reads a little like a translation and some of the sentences lost their meaning.
I received an advanced review copy of this book and would like to thank the author. My review is honest.
June 10, 2024
Cool concept, but a very confusing book. I'm shocked I made it halfway before I said "hell no" and returned the book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews