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Poison Ink
SAMMI, TQ, CARYN, Letty, and Katsuko are floaters. None of them fits in with any particular group at Covington High School—except each other. One night, to cement their bond, the girls decide to get matching, unique tattoos. But when Sammi backs out at the last minute, everything changes. Faster than you can say “airbrush,” Sammi is an outcast, and soon, her friends are behaving like total strangers. When they attack Sammi for trying to break up a brawl, Sammi spies something horrible on her friends’ backs: the original tattoo has grown tendrils, snaking and curling over the girls’ entire bodies. What has that creepy tattoo artist done to her friends? And what—if anything—can Sammi do to get them back? This deliciously creepy psychological thriller is the perfect summer read.
279 pages, Paperback
First published July 8, 2008
11 people are currently reading
381 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Golden
798 books2,960 followersCHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the New York Times bestselling, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of such novels as Road of Bones, Ararat, Snowblind, Of Saints and Shadows, and Red Hands. With Mike Mignola, he is the co-creator of the Outerverse comic book universe, including such series as Baltimore, Joe Golem: Occult Detective, and Lady Baltimore. As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies Seize the Night, Dark Cities, and The New Dead, among others, and he has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, and a network television pilot. Golden co-hosts the podcast Defenders Dialogue with horror author Brian Keene. In 2015 he founded the popular Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival. He was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His work has been nominated for the British Fantasy Award, the Eisner Award, and multiple Shirley Jackson Awards. For the Bram Stoker Awards, Golden has been nominated ten times in eight different categories. His original novels have been published in more than fifteen languages in countries around the world. Please visit him at www.christophergolden.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
October 2, 2008
Sammi Holland has always been a drifter. She always was friendly with people in all different groups, but never really fit in with any one in particular. That’s what makes the friendship she now shares with Caryn, Letty, T.Q. and Katsuko so precious to her—they’re all drifters, but together, they belong. And that’s what inspires them to make a spur-of-the-moment decision to get matching tattoos—to mark them forever as friends. Sammi isn’t thrilled with the idea of a tattoo—for one thing, her parents would kill her—but she doesn’t want to be the only one to back out. But when she gets to the shady tattoo parlor—the only place they can go without being over eighteen—she just can’t go through with it. She knows her friends will be disappointed, but she figures they’ll understand.
And that’s when everything changes. Suddenly, her so-called friends won’t talk to her. They won’t sit with her at lunch. And then rumors start swirling around them—smoking, drinking, drugs, seducing teachers, starting gang fights—behavior that is so foreign to the girls Sammi was friends with that she’s forced to wonder if she ever really knew her friends at all.
But it’s when Sammi tries to break up a gang fight that her former friends had started that she sees it—across Letty’s back, the original tattoo has grown, spread, crawled across her back like tendrils of poison ivy. Sammi knows that somehow, something in those tattoos is controlling her friends, destroying them from the inside out. And it’s up to her to stop it—before it’s too late.
This is not a good book. On so many levels. For one, the characters don’t behave like believable teens at all. If I didn’t know how old Sammi was, and there was no reference to high school, I would have guessed she was in her mid-to-late twenties. They’re too self-aware. Not to mention, boring.
For another, the central plot-point is never really explained. The “shocking” truth is revealed, that Dante the creepy tattoo artist has been controlling Sammi’s friends, using them to do bad things. But why? What does he get out of it? He wasn’t using them as a crime ring—he was just debasing them, making them do drugs and sleep with teachers and be nasty. Is he just a psychopath? And, what causes it?
Nothing is explained. The whole book leads up to a big fat pile of nothing. And I didn’t care for one second about Sammi or her extraordinarily boring and predictable relationship with Cute Adam, who was so unrealistic that he dragged down the already bad book.
Soulless is a great read. This is terrible.
And that’s when everything changes. Suddenly, her so-called friends won’t talk to her. They won’t sit with her at lunch. And then rumors start swirling around them—smoking, drinking, drugs, seducing teachers, starting gang fights—behavior that is so foreign to the girls Sammi was friends with that she’s forced to wonder if she ever really knew her friends at all.
But it’s when Sammi tries to break up a gang fight that her former friends had started that she sees it—across Letty’s back, the original tattoo has grown, spread, crawled across her back like tendrils of poison ivy. Sammi knows that somehow, something in those tattoos is controlling her friends, destroying them from the inside out. And it’s up to her to stop it—before it’s too late.
This is not a good book. On so many levels. For one, the characters don’t behave like believable teens at all. If I didn’t know how old Sammi was, and there was no reference to high school, I would have guessed she was in her mid-to-late twenties. They’re too self-aware. Not to mention, boring.
For another, the central plot-point is never really explained. The “shocking” truth is revealed, that Dante the creepy tattoo artist has been controlling Sammi’s friends, using them to do bad things. But why? What does he get out of it? He wasn’t using them as a crime ring—he was just debasing them, making them do drugs and sleep with teachers and be nasty. Is he just a psychopath? And, what causes it?
Nothing is explained. The whole book leads up to a big fat pile of nothing. And I didn’t care for one second about Sammi or her extraordinarily boring and predictable relationship with Cute Adam, who was so unrealistic that he dragged down the already bad book.
Soulless is a great read. This is terrible.
August 17, 2013
A very creepy one, this one disturbed me for a while afterwards. These friends decide that they want a tattoo, but because none of them have their parents' permission, they go to a dingy, back alley-type place. Each girl gets a tattoo but Sammi backs out, not liking the vibe she's getting. Back at school, her friends have become distant and start going to extremes as rebels, including hurting a lot of people. Sammi is left on her own to try to figure out what has happened to her friends. I enjoyed this book but it is very creepy and depressing so not really enjoyable, especially in the 2nd half of the book. If you enjoy thrillers and fantasy, you'll probably like this.
November 2, 2015
I picked this book up many years ago when I was in a Christopher Golden fan phase. I finally sat down and read it. It wasn’t all that great; it was a very generic YA thriller that wasn’t all that engaging and was incredibly predictable.
This is a very generic YA thriller about a group of friends who go to get tattoos together. One of the girls, Sammi, chickens out and the other girls start to get increasingly (almost insanely) cruel to her. Sammi then tries to figure out what is going on her friends and links their actions back to the tattoos they got. Sammi then works to solve the mystery behind these tattoos and tries to find a way to save her friends.
The whole thing could have been very dark and edgey but just ended up being kind of blah. The characters are all very plain and not all that interesting. The main heroine deals with many typical teenage issues, but in a very shallow way (for example her parents’ marriage is falling apart and she doesn’t feel like she fits in anywhere).
It was written okay but kind of boring and predictable despite the subject matter. It could have been done as a really dark and impactful story but it was all just too rushed and not filled out very well. It’s a quick read but not really worth it.
Overall this felt more like a story idea than an actual filled out complete book. Despite a subject and setting that could have been very dark and edgy everything comes out feeling kind of boring and predictable. The book ended up being completely forgettable. I wouldn’t recommend it.
March 13, 2012
I'll give you this, Christopher Golden certainly does his creepy well. I really liked the premise of this one, but the execution fell a little flat for me. I couldn't really understand why the antangonist was motivated to do what he did, other than to be creepy and mean. Also, I didn't really like the main character much, even by the end. Still, it's an enjoyable quick read, and great if you want a suspenseful thriller. I made the mistake of reading a lot of it at night, and I was hearing noises for weeks (I know, I know, I'm a wimp!).
September 4, 2009
Possibly the worse teen book I've ever read. No Wait! It was definitely the worst teen book I've ever read.
May 30, 2013
This book was slow and just didn't work out for me. The whole thing bored me from start to finish.
January 7, 2018
Golden, Chris Poison Ink, 288 p. Delacorte (Random House) July 2008.
Late one night, five best friends hatch a crazy plan to cement their bond by getting matching tattoos. Being underage, they have to find someone willing to ink them without their parents' approval. At the last minute, one of the friends chickens out. Now she watches in horror as her former friends start behaving more and more outrageously and dangerously. She is stunned by their brutal behavior towards her and the community until she sees that the original tattoo itself has grown and evolved and Sammi begins to think that the impossible may be actually possible. Someone is controlling her friends through the tattoos.
From at interesting idea to a very faulty execution. Usually I can just lay back and enjoy the ride, but this all I could think was - what's the motivation??? Th details about Sammi and her friends are all there and the over-described enactments of her friend's descents are there, including the brutal fights and slutty actions, but we learn virtually nothing about the puppetmaster and his part in the whole thing, making the book, for me, very flat and unappealing. Call this a potential horror book gone bad. Oh and the overdescribed sexiness and violence, too. Toss in a few swears. NO
Late one night, five best friends hatch a crazy plan to cement their bond by getting matching tattoos. Being underage, they have to find someone willing to ink them without their parents' approval. At the last minute, one of the friends chickens out. Now she watches in horror as her former friends start behaving more and more outrageously and dangerously. She is stunned by their brutal behavior towards her and the community until she sees that the original tattoo itself has grown and evolved and Sammi begins to think that the impossible may be actually possible. Someone is controlling her friends through the tattoos.
From at interesting idea to a very faulty execution. Usually I can just lay back and enjoy the ride, but this all I could think was - what's the motivation??? Th details about Sammi and her friends are all there and the over-described enactments of her friend's descents are there, including the brutal fights and slutty actions, but we learn virtually nothing about the puppetmaster and his part in the whole thing, making the book, for me, very flat and unappealing. Call this a potential horror book gone bad. Oh and the overdescribed sexiness and violence, too. Toss in a few swears. NO
July 9, 2018
The plot was memorable and it provided a great story but in no way would I suggest this book for a person who is looking for a book report subject. It is, however, a good read for a friendship or book club. Thrilling to the end the girls captivate, just don't read the cover.
Tarot Card: Ann Stokes Gothic- Seven of Swords-Ask and you shall receive help. A good friends book.
Tarot Card: Ann Stokes Gothic- Seven of Swords-Ask and you shall receive help. A good friends book.
April 7, 2019
Well, it was entertaining. But not much more than that, to be honest.
As has been stated by others before, the protagonist is way too self-conscious for a girl of 16, but then, the novel would have lost quite a bit of substance if she would have been portrayed differently. And I do like novels that don't tie up all the loose ends.
Still, I cannot readily recommend this one.
As has been stated by others before, the protagonist is way too self-conscious for a girl of 16, but then, the novel would have lost quite a bit of substance if she would have been portrayed differently. And I do like novels that don't tie up all the loose ends.
Still, I cannot readily recommend this one.
May 30, 2021
Wow, this was a creepy book about growing up. Interesting.
October 18, 2022
The book Poison Ink is about a group of friends around the plot of a group of friends getting a tattoo, but one decides to not get it last second. Then the other friends turn weird, figures out truth, and rushes to save their friends. I do think this book has a less literal of what the book Is saying, and a more poetic lesson. It means that while sometimes you might get into arguments with your friends or family, at the end of the day you can sort it out, and work together for the better good.
December 15, 2023
Spooky, different and with a little dark themes.
October 28, 2025
Kept me reading but wasn’t as world building as Gokdens other work. This seemed like a short story that had been fattened up
November 11, 2012
Reviewed by JodiG. for TeensReadToo.com
Sammi is one of those girls who doesn't really fit in with any of the groups in high school. She gets along with a lot of people, but not enough that she feels as if she really "belongs" with most of them. She describes herself as a "floater", floating between cliques but never attaching to any one.
TQ, Caryn, Letty, and Katsuko are Sammi's closest allies. They aren't really friends, or even a "group," just bound together by the one thing they have in common - the fact that they don't belong with any other group.
One night, the girls decide to get matching tattoos, as a symbol of their bond. The only place that a group of underage girls can get a tattoo is in a creepy studio run by an even creepier tattoo artist named Dante. Dante creates a one-of-a-kind symbol for the girls, one that, he explains, symbolizes strength and friendship, among other things.
The girls eagerly line up for their chance to be bound together. All of them except for Sammi, who worries about the cleanliness of the salon, as well as how her parents would react to her getting a tattoo. Things aren't exactly going smoothly at home and Sammi isn't eager to be the cause of more problems. When her turn arrives, Sammi runs, leaving the other girls feeling betrayed.
Sammi comes up with a plan to atone for the abandonment of her friends. After her plan fails she finds that her former friends are turning on her. Not only have they become bitter and hateful towards her, but Sammi realizes that they have completely changed. Her formerly quiet, "floater" friends are now the most talked about, explosive, aggressive, and cruelest girls in school. They have no regard for anyone else, or themselves.
Sammi can't understand what has caused her friends to change so drastically. When she is assaulted by her former friends she realizes how horrible the situation really is. She catches sight of the tattoo. It has grown and spread across her friend's back.
Now she has to figure out what Dante has done to her friends, and how she can save them.
Christopher Golden has written a book that is a realistic representation of the high school social scene and yet adds a deliciously twisted storyline of how good girls can go bad. POISON INK is fun and intense at the same time and it all leads up to a fantastic final showdown. You won't be disappointed with this one.
Sammi is one of those girls who doesn't really fit in with any of the groups in high school. She gets along with a lot of people, but not enough that she feels as if she really "belongs" with most of them. She describes herself as a "floater", floating between cliques but never attaching to any one.
TQ, Caryn, Letty, and Katsuko are Sammi's closest allies. They aren't really friends, or even a "group," just bound together by the one thing they have in common - the fact that they don't belong with any other group.
One night, the girls decide to get matching tattoos, as a symbol of their bond. The only place that a group of underage girls can get a tattoo is in a creepy studio run by an even creepier tattoo artist named Dante. Dante creates a one-of-a-kind symbol for the girls, one that, he explains, symbolizes strength and friendship, among other things.
The girls eagerly line up for their chance to be bound together. All of them except for Sammi, who worries about the cleanliness of the salon, as well as how her parents would react to her getting a tattoo. Things aren't exactly going smoothly at home and Sammi isn't eager to be the cause of more problems. When her turn arrives, Sammi runs, leaving the other girls feeling betrayed.
Sammi comes up with a plan to atone for the abandonment of her friends. After her plan fails she finds that her former friends are turning on her. Not only have they become bitter and hateful towards her, but Sammi realizes that they have completely changed. Her formerly quiet, "floater" friends are now the most talked about, explosive, aggressive, and cruelest girls in school. They have no regard for anyone else, or themselves.
Sammi can't understand what has caused her friends to change so drastically. When she is assaulted by her former friends she realizes how horrible the situation really is. She catches sight of the tattoo. It has grown and spread across her friend's back.
Now she has to figure out what Dante has done to her friends, and how she can save them.
Christopher Golden has written a book that is a realistic representation of the high school social scene and yet adds a deliciously twisted storyline of how good girls can go bad. POISON INK is fun and intense at the same time and it all leads up to a fantastic final showdown. You won't be disappointed with this one.
August 30, 2008
Sammi is a floater. She has friends in every clique at school, but doesn’t really fit in with any one of them. Her only close friends are four girls just like her. They started hanging out together because they didn’t fit in anywhere else. Just hanging out has turned into four of the strongest friendships Sammi has ever had.
Sammi, Caryn, Letty, TQ, and Katsuko are inseparable. One night during a sleepover, the idea of getting a tattoo to represent their bond to each other develops. Immediately they are all excited - except for Sammi. She knows her parents wouldn’t approve and with them teetering on the edge of divorce already, she doesn’t want to give them anything else to fight about. Sammi hopes the idea of the tattoo just falls by the wayside and eventually is forgotten. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case.
Together they come up with a plan to get out of the house and go to a tattoo shop close to Letty’s house. The creepy tattoo artist doesn’t ask to see their IDs and they all start to plan where they will place their tattoo. Each girl chooses a different location, but all will have the exact same design. After all of her friends have already been tattooed, Sammi decides she can’t go through with it.
Immediately, Sammi is shunned and becomes on outcast in her group. They even go so far as to defriend her on her Instant Messaging Buddy List. Soon after the application of the tattoos, Sammi notices a change in TQ, Caryn, Letty, and Katsuko for the worse. They become violent, promiscuous, and horribly mean. In the middle of a fight that lands Sammi in the hospital, she spots the tattoos on her friends’ skin and sees that they have changed. Tendrils have started to emerge and cover more of their bodies. Sammi realizes something sinister is going on and that the creepy tattoo artist must be behind it. She decides to find a way to save her friends and get them out from under the control of the poisoned tattoos.
Sammi, Caryn, Letty, TQ, and Katsuko are inseparable. One night during a sleepover, the idea of getting a tattoo to represent their bond to each other develops. Immediately they are all excited - except for Sammi. She knows her parents wouldn’t approve and with them teetering on the edge of divorce already, she doesn’t want to give them anything else to fight about. Sammi hopes the idea of the tattoo just falls by the wayside and eventually is forgotten. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case.
Together they come up with a plan to get out of the house and go to a tattoo shop close to Letty’s house. The creepy tattoo artist doesn’t ask to see their IDs and they all start to plan where they will place their tattoo. Each girl chooses a different location, but all will have the exact same design. After all of her friends have already been tattooed, Sammi decides she can’t go through with it.
Immediately, Sammi is shunned and becomes on outcast in her group. They even go so far as to defriend her on her Instant Messaging Buddy List. Soon after the application of the tattoos, Sammi notices a change in TQ, Caryn, Letty, and Katsuko for the worse. They become violent, promiscuous, and horribly mean. In the middle of a fight that lands Sammi in the hospital, she spots the tattoos on her friends’ skin and sees that they have changed. Tendrils have started to emerge and cover more of their bodies. Sammi realizes something sinister is going on and that the creepy tattoo artist must be behind it. She decides to find a way to save her friends and get them out from under the control of the poisoned tattoos.
October 19, 2008
Golden, Christopher. 2008. Poison Ink.
In a way, Poison Ink reminded me of Devilish, Zombie Blondes, and Dead Is The New Black. It is the story of friendship that becomes warped and twisted by...you guessed it...poison ink. Sammi (only her parents can get away with calling her Samantha) has four best friends--T.Q., Letty, Caryn, and Katsuko (don't even think about calling her Kat). And while at a last-chance-slumber party (the weekend before school starts), one of them suggests that they should all get tattoos to show how bonded and super-loyal they are. Each of the five girls having the exact same tattoo. True, they're all under eighteen. And true, none of them would have the consent of their parents. But surely there is someone out there willing and able to help these girls out, right?
Enter Dante. A smooth-talking tattoo artist who just happens to be inspired to create a unique tattoo on the spot for these strange-but-attractive girls that have stumbled into his tattoo parlor. What's the problem? Don't get me started. But it's really quite simple. Sammi starts having doubts about getting a tattoo. She has BIG doubts. And so she refuses. Only problem is that all four of her friends now seriously hate her.
Friendless or almost so at any rate, Sammi is one of the first to notice just how strange her friends--or former friends--are becoming. It is like they're completely different people. Angry. Bitter. Slutty. Violent. And there is even a rumor or two that they're on drugs. And did I mention they've all started cutting classes?
What's a girl to do. Sammi to the rescue! She's determined to figure out why her friends have become "possessed" (for lack of a better word) and to do all that she can--at no small risk--to get her friends back.
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
In a way, Poison Ink reminded me of Devilish, Zombie Blondes, and Dead Is The New Black. It is the story of friendship that becomes warped and twisted by...you guessed it...poison ink. Sammi (only her parents can get away with calling her Samantha) has four best friends--T.Q., Letty, Caryn, and Katsuko (don't even think about calling her Kat). And while at a last-chance-slumber party (the weekend before school starts), one of them suggests that they should all get tattoos to show how bonded and super-loyal they are. Each of the five girls having the exact same tattoo. True, they're all under eighteen. And true, none of them would have the consent of their parents. But surely there is someone out there willing and able to help these girls out, right?
Enter Dante. A smooth-talking tattoo artist who just happens to be inspired to create a unique tattoo on the spot for these strange-but-attractive girls that have stumbled into his tattoo parlor. What's the problem? Don't get me started. But it's really quite simple. Sammi starts having doubts about getting a tattoo. She has BIG doubts. And so she refuses. Only problem is that all four of her friends now seriously hate her.
Friendless or almost so at any rate, Sammi is one of the first to notice just how strange her friends--or former friends--are becoming. It is like they're completely different people. Angry. Bitter. Slutty. Violent. And there is even a rumor or two that they're on drugs. And did I mention they've all started cutting classes?
What's a girl to do. Sammi to the rescue! She's determined to figure out why her friends have become "possessed" (for lack of a better word) and to do all that she can--at no small risk--to get her friends back.
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
June 18, 2008
I had the chance to read Poison Ink early, and I drank up every drop!
Poison Ink is a killer thriller, certain to please fans of the suspense genre. This novel offers twists and turns at every corner, piercing as deep as the spoke-like tattoo which changes the lives of five girls forever.
When Sammi balks at getting the tattoo, she doesn't expect her friends to react as strongly as they do, and their actions and words leave her hurt and confused. Though her friends cast her aside, Sammi never turns her back on them. She knows something is terribly wrong, and she's determined to figure out how to stop it before they destroy themselves.
Each of the main characters are different in both appearance and attitude, making it easy to picture them and distinguish between them. Their differences are what drew them together in the first place: they didn't fit into any of the established cliques at school, so they drifted together, a group of floaters, then became close friends. How they react to the tragedies in this book prove that that bond is unbreakable, even though they themselves will never be the same.
Once again, Christopher Golden has created a pageturner that will keep readers up at night. (It might also inspire them to seek tattoo removal!) Poison Ink is filled with horrors both familiar (fighting with your best friends, getting crushed by your crush) and imaginative. With an action-packed climax, Poison Ink proves to be indelible, and will remain etched in the minds of readers.
I can't wait to get this book into the hands of teens and adults alike and introduce a new generation to Golden's works.
Check out the website to learn more about the book and read an excerpt!
http://www.christophergolden.com/pois...
Poison Ink is a killer thriller, certain to please fans of the suspense genre. This novel offers twists and turns at every corner, piercing as deep as the spoke-like tattoo which changes the lives of five girls forever.
When Sammi balks at getting the tattoo, she doesn't expect her friends to react as strongly as they do, and their actions and words leave her hurt and confused. Though her friends cast her aside, Sammi never turns her back on them. She knows something is terribly wrong, and she's determined to figure out how to stop it before they destroy themselves.
Each of the main characters are different in both appearance and attitude, making it easy to picture them and distinguish between them. Their differences are what drew them together in the first place: they didn't fit into any of the established cliques at school, so they drifted together, a group of floaters, then became close friends. How they react to the tragedies in this book prove that that bond is unbreakable, even though they themselves will never be the same.
Once again, Christopher Golden has created a pageturner that will keep readers up at night. (It might also inspire them to seek tattoo removal!) Poison Ink is filled with horrors both familiar (fighting with your best friends, getting crushed by your crush) and imaginative. With an action-packed climax, Poison Ink proves to be indelible, and will remain etched in the minds of readers.
I can't wait to get this book into the hands of teens and adults alike and introduce a new generation to Golden's works.
Check out the website to learn more about the book and read an excerpt!
http://www.christophergolden.com/pois...
March 8, 2016
I originaly read this book when I was entering 5th grade. When I noticed it as I was browsing the shelves of my public library I was estastic, as I remembered greatly enjoying this book. However it seems that my taste in writing style has changed in the four years since I last read this novel. The plot was still interesting, but like I said before the writing style seemed pretty basic and grated on my nerves.
Plot Summary:
Sammie had always been a bit of a loner until she became BFF's with Carin, Katsuko, Letty, and T.Q. (Oh yeah...the names...yikes) Let me also point out this book is a perfect example of racial diversity - a blond, a black, an Asian, a Latino, and a redhead make up the cast of characters. Whether this was on purpose or not it made the book seem a little cheesy - like "Look at all these different girls coming together to be the best of friends!" Anyway moving on, the girls are all BFF's and want to do something to bind each other together. Letty comes up with the genius idea to get matching tattoos. However they are underage and therefore need to find some sort of "underground" tattoo shop. Who they find is Dante, a mysterious gorgeous tattoo artist who doesn't ask any questions about age. Anyway Carin is an artist and had made a couple of designs up, however Dante makes up his own design and everyone falls in love with it. So everyone gets their tattos when surprise, surprise Sammie wimps out and decides she doesn't want to get a tattoo. So of course her friends are upset, however they forgive her...Until the nest day when they all go crazy...
It's a interesting read, a bit predictable, but the ending is slightly surprising. It is also a very short book and therefore a quick read. I would recommend it to someone in middle school.
Plot Summary:
Sammie had always been a bit of a loner until she became BFF's with Carin, Katsuko, Letty, and T.Q. (Oh yeah...the names...yikes) Let me also point out this book is a perfect example of racial diversity - a blond, a black, an Asian, a Latino, and a redhead make up the cast of characters. Whether this was on purpose or not it made the book seem a little cheesy - like "Look at all these different girls coming together to be the best of friends!" Anyway moving on, the girls are all BFF's and want to do something to bind each other together. Letty comes up with the genius idea to get matching tattoos. However they are underage and therefore need to find some sort of "underground" tattoo shop. Who they find is Dante, a mysterious gorgeous tattoo artist who doesn't ask any questions about age. Anyway Carin is an artist and had made a couple of designs up, however Dante makes up his own design and everyone falls in love with it. So everyone gets their tattos when surprise, surprise Sammie wimps out and decides she doesn't want to get a tattoo. So of course her friends are upset, however they forgive her...Until the nest day when they all go crazy...
It's a interesting read, a bit predictable, but the ending is slightly surprising. It is also a very short book and therefore a quick read. I would recommend it to someone in middle school.
July 20, 2009
Sammi was a floater, drifting from clique to clique, never quite finding a place to truly belong. Then she finally found a clique she fit, a group of misfit floater girls. Caryn, Letty, Katsuko, and T.Q. The five of them were best friends. To symbolize their friendship, they decided to get a unique tattoo that only they would share. Little did they know that the tattoo would be the end of their friendship and their selves.
Sammi backed out of getting the tattoo at the last minute. Her friends were disappointed at first and then just flat-out furious. After a while they quit acknowledging her existence, except for the times that they beat her up and/or verbally abuse her. She caught them stealing, partying, and fighting--things they wouldn't be caught dead doing before the tattoo. Sammi was alone to fear what her ex-friends had become. The only explanation she could give for their sudden transformation (for the worst) was the tattoo. It had grown tendrils that snaked across the girls' bodies. It was Poison Ink.
Something had to be done. And Sammi had an idea of what. The question was: Could Sammi face the danger that caused it all?
My note: True, the ink is what transformed the girls into total--for lack of a better word--bitches, but their sudden transformation from good-to-evil is actually parallel to the life of girls in high school. One second their your friend; the next, your enemy. I wonder if Christopher Golden was thinking of that when he wrote it. I laugh thinking about what this guy must think of high school girls.
Sammi backed out of getting the tattoo at the last minute. Her friends were disappointed at first and then just flat-out furious. After a while they quit acknowledging her existence, except for the times that they beat her up and/or verbally abuse her. She caught them stealing, partying, and fighting--things they wouldn't be caught dead doing before the tattoo. Sammi was alone to fear what her ex-friends had become. The only explanation she could give for their sudden transformation (for the worst) was the tattoo. It had grown tendrils that snaked across the girls' bodies. It was Poison Ink.
Something had to be done. And Sammi had an idea of what. The question was: Could Sammi face the danger that caused it all?
My note: True, the ink is what transformed the girls into total--for lack of a better word--bitches, but their sudden transformation from good-to-evil is actually parallel to the life of girls in high school. One second their your friend; the next, your enemy. I wonder if Christopher Golden was thinking of that when he wrote it. I laugh thinking about what this guy must think of high school girls.
November 21, 2015
Sammi Holland, a high school junior, has four good friends. They are so close that they want to do something that will tie them together forever. Someone suggests a tattoo and after a moment all the girls agree. All of them will get the same tattoo – one no one else has – as proof of their friendship. The tattoo is designed by Caryn, the artistic member of their clique.
Even though she agreed, Sammi doesn't like the idea of a tattoo. If she gets the tattoo she'll be letting down her parents, who would never give her permission. If she doesn't, she'll let her friends down.
They find a tattoo parlor that will ignore that they are under age and take their design there. Immediately things begin to go wrong. The tattoo artist makes his own design for them and they decide to go with his instead of Caryn's. Sammi gets more and more anxious as the others are tattooed and at the last minute she backs out.
Her friends are furious. She regrets her actions and even agrees to go back the next day, but when she shows up at school on Monday, her tattoo is identified as a fake and her friends shun her in front of the entire school cafeteria.
In the days and weeks that follow Sammi watches the group change from the responsible students and citizens who were her friends into people she doesn't know or understand. She should let them go, but she misses the bond they all had.
This fast moving suspense, with a bit of horror, reads like a train about to jump the track. If you're thinking about getting a tattoo you don't want to miss Poison Ink.
review first published on www.bookloons.com
Even though she agreed, Sammi doesn't like the idea of a tattoo. If she gets the tattoo she'll be letting down her parents, who would never give her permission. If she doesn't, she'll let her friends down.
They find a tattoo parlor that will ignore that they are under age and take their design there. Immediately things begin to go wrong. The tattoo artist makes his own design for them and they decide to go with his instead of Caryn's. Sammi gets more and more anxious as the others are tattooed and at the last minute she backs out.
Her friends are furious. She regrets her actions and even agrees to go back the next day, but when she shows up at school on Monday, her tattoo is identified as a fake and her friends shun her in front of the entire school cafeteria.
In the days and weeks that follow Sammi watches the group change from the responsible students and citizens who were her friends into people she doesn't know or understand. She should let them go, but she misses the bond they all had.
This fast moving suspense, with a bit of horror, reads like a train about to jump the track. If you're thinking about getting a tattoo you don't want to miss Poison Ink.
review first published on www.bookloons.com
December 2, 2010
Drama, Drama, Drama!
Have your ever tried to hide something so corrupt from your beloved parents? Have you ever felt like everything in your life was turned upside down? Well, in this story, Sammi Holland did. Poison Ink by Christopher Golden is a dramatic, problematic, story that gives real life mistakes that teenagers make in everyday life and the result of the issue. Take a deep breather for your IV dose because this story is so addicting!
Sammi Holland wanted her life to go as she wanted. But in reality, it was skating on thin ice. The arguing, the heartbreak, the lying! She just couldn’t take being so dishonest to her parents about the secret tattoo her and her friends had gotten. On the other hand, her parent’s marriage was holding together by a piece of string! Yet, Sammi just made her life worst with her rebellious attitude when she and her friends received there tattoos. They caused so much trouble in school by starting fights, smoking, skipping, taunting other students and spreading hurtful rumors. So, what was really in the tattoos that made Sammi and her best friends rebel?
I would recommend this book to a mature, young adult that’s into more sympathetic, teen drama issues because this story uses explicit language and such specific detail to the point where it feels like the readings are just jumping off the page as if it were a 3D movie!
Have your ever tried to hide something so corrupt from your beloved parents? Have you ever felt like everything in your life was turned upside down? Well, in this story, Sammi Holland did. Poison Ink by Christopher Golden is a dramatic, problematic, story that gives real life mistakes that teenagers make in everyday life and the result of the issue. Take a deep breather for your IV dose because this story is so addicting!
Sammi Holland wanted her life to go as she wanted. But in reality, it was skating on thin ice. The arguing, the heartbreak, the lying! She just couldn’t take being so dishonest to her parents about the secret tattoo her and her friends had gotten. On the other hand, her parent’s marriage was holding together by a piece of string! Yet, Sammi just made her life worst with her rebellious attitude when she and her friends received there tattoos. They caused so much trouble in school by starting fights, smoking, skipping, taunting other students and spreading hurtful rumors. So, what was really in the tattoos that made Sammi and her best friends rebel?
I would recommend this book to a mature, young adult that’s into more sympathetic, teen drama issues because this story uses explicit language and such specific detail to the point where it feels like the readings are just jumping off the page as if it were a 3D movie!
March 27, 2017
A suspenseful supernatural thriller. Sammi, TQ, Caryn, Lettie and Katsuko don't belong to any one group in their high school except with each other. They each have different personalities and interests but are the best of friends. One day, they decide to immortalize their friendship by getting a tattoo. One tattoo on each one of them. Sammi backs out of the plan and then everything changes. She is outcasted from their group. Her friends start drastically changing becoming party girls - doing drugs, having sex, beating up on people. One night, when Sammi tries to break up a fight involving her old friends, they turn on her and beat her up. Before she blacks out, she glimpses the tattoo growing on her friends' body. Snaking black tendrils curling over their bodies.
Christopher Golden creates a spellbinding story full of twists and turns. After starting the novel, I could not put it down. The characters are so diverse and complex. The plot is delightfully creepy. The best tattoo book I've read so far. Makes me second think my decision to get a tattoo.
Christopher Golden creates a spellbinding story full of twists and turns. After starting the novel, I could not put it down. The characters are so diverse and complex. The plot is delightfully creepy. The best tattoo book I've read so far. Makes me second think my decision to get a tattoo.
August 4, 2013
Has it ever seemed to you like you and your friends are growing apart? Like they’re turning into different people? What if they are? Is something sinister going on or is it just life in general?
“Poison Ink” is a terrifying tale of friendship, sorcery, evil and teenaged angst. The author has written many books taking place in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe. Like its creator Joss Whedon, Mr. Golden has crafted a very real human fear and fastened it to magical underpinnings. The monster-of-the-week theme is used to highlight all-too-real human fears and anxieties.
But, as in any decent drama, it takes more than magic to make a story hum. The girls in this are very credible creations, each individual, each alive with her own special character and desires. It makes it all the more tragic when they devolve into creatures of menace and viciousness.
Good doesn’t necessarily triumph over evil. Just as in real life, victory often comes at a bitter price. That makes this a startling revelation of a book, one that transcends its “young adult” category.
“Poison Ink” is a terrifying tale of friendship, sorcery, evil and teenaged angst. The author has written many books taking place in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe. Like its creator Joss Whedon, Mr. Golden has crafted a very real human fear and fastened it to magical underpinnings. The monster-of-the-week theme is used to highlight all-too-real human fears and anxieties.
But, as in any decent drama, it takes more than magic to make a story hum. The girls in this are very credible creations, each individual, each alive with her own special character and desires. It makes it all the more tragic when they devolve into creatures of menace and viciousness.
Good doesn’t necessarily triumph over evil. Just as in real life, victory often comes at a bitter price. That makes this a startling revelation of a book, one that transcends its “young adult” category.
April 21, 2015
The reason why I am giving this four stars is because I was a fourteen year old freshman when I read it, and at the time I adored this book. For me to still think about it to this day means that it had some sort of an impact on me; this book was extremely dark and graphic and some parts of it I still can't get out of my head even as I sit here and type this.
The writing is mediocre as a lot of people mentioned, but the plot is interesting enough to make you want to pick the book up. None of the characters make an impact on the reader, at least they didn't for me, but as I said, the sheer intensity of the plot will make you want to finish this one. This is the type of book you read while you are waiting that one book you REALLY want to read to come out or you are waiting for a book to be returned to your local library so that you can check it out. Not much more to add here.
The writing is mediocre as a lot of people mentioned, but the plot is interesting enough to make you want to pick the book up. None of the characters make an impact on the reader, at least they didn't for me, but as I said, the sheer intensity of the plot will make you want to finish this one. This is the type of book you read while you are waiting that one book you REALLY want to read to come out or you are waiting for a book to be returned to your local library so that you can check it out. Not much more to add here.
September 17, 2011
Sammi was part of the five girls who became close after they found out they all didn't belong in any other group. Linked by common interests, these girls became best friends who each had a different personality They decided to get a tattoo to mark their friendship, but they did not expect the type of "bond" the tattoo would bring.
I found the beginning of the book more interesting to me even though the ending had a gruesome fight.The beginning just sort of including more of reality(friends, family, school) to relate with even though this is a fantasy. It was fun following through Sammi's life, but my interest was lost in the ending. This maybe is more suitable for those interested with magic and witchcraft.
I found the beginning of the book more interesting to me even though the ending had a gruesome fight.The beginning just sort of including more of reality(friends, family, school) to relate with even though this is a fantasy. It was fun following through Sammi's life, but my interest was lost in the ending. This maybe is more suitable for those interested with magic and witchcraft.
December 26, 2016
I liked it ok, and I actually really wanted to keep reading when i got into the second half. It's just that the ending was terrible. It was sad and pretty gruesome. And I didn't like how Adam, who she really liked and how it was great with him in the beginning, didn't even have a happy ending. One reviewer said the author writes books with unhappy endings, so I may not read anything more from him, but I might.
This book should be for older teens, cause there were some adult things in it and lots of violence.
Edit: I tried reading it again four years later and it's just really bad. Horrible writing and nothing is explained and it's just really boring. Too many characters and no development and a lot of info-dumping.
This book should be for older teens, cause there were some adult things in it and lots of violence.
Edit: I tried reading it again four years later and it's just really bad. Horrible writing and nothing is explained and it's just really boring. Too many characters and no development and a lot of info-dumping.
March 15, 2011
I'm a huge Christopher Golden fan so I had my my expectation set high. This I would say didn't hit as a high as I had set them. His series with Thomas Snigoski is much better. However, for what this book was, it was good. It's the story of a group of teenage girls who guess what get tattoos - that aren't quite what they seem. I have to admit Golden does make sure that even if your expect the ending to be perfectly happy it isn't. So here's my recommendation if you have a couple hours to kill and you like teenage fantasy. Then this might be the right book for you, but if you like clean and tidy endings don't bother. :-) But I will say this it's not a book I regret reading.
July 31, 2014
I'm conflicted about this book. I've not been much for reading lately. I've started probably twenty books and stopped. This is one that actually got me to read to the end, so kudos for that BUT it was very graphic. It's as very interesting concept, but it got into some deep jujumacjumbo, even for magic lover me. If you are cool with some seriously messed up stuff, go for it.
One thing.. there is this character "Cute Adam" she calls him. Who I found to be a useless character. They built him up a lot, just to let him drop in the end very strangely. I think it would have been better without that.
One thing.. there is this character "Cute Adam" she calls him. Who I found to be a useless character. They built him up a lot, just to let him drop in the end very strangely. I think it would have been better without that.
November 9, 2009
Sammi, TQ, Caryn, Letty and Katsuko are their own group at school, not exactly BFF’s, but not really fitting in anywhere else. When the girls decide to get matching tattoos, Sammi backs out at the last minute, afraid of her parents’ reaction. Plus, the tattoo artist is creep-ay! Suddenly her tattooed friends are not themselves at all, getting into all sorts of trouble with drugs and fighting. After her friends physically attack her, Sammi investigates the tattoo shop and finds links to the occult---plus, the tattoos are changing...
Dark, paranormal story.
Dark, paranormal story.
Read
July 27, 2011definitly a good book, The ending nearly made me cry though. I liked the ending alot, but its just so sad what happened to Caryn. But one thing I wonder, why wouldn't they be close for long? if anything the experience should have brought them together. I want to know if she ever called back Adam, if Zak made a full recovery, what happens to letty, and if the girl's friendship was just as strong. Plus Dante got away, so what happened to him? did he later on die? I think Chris should make a second book just for a follow up.
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