Inkmistress

Of Fire and Stars #0.5

by Audrey Coulthurst

Asra is a demigod with a dangerous gift: the ability to dictate the future by writing with her blood. To keep her power secret, she leads a quiet life as a healer on a remote mountain, content to help the people in her care and spend time with Ina, the mortal girl she loves.

But Asra’s peaceful life is upended when bandits threaten Ina’s village and the king does nothing to help. Desperate to protect her people, Ina begs Asra for assistance in finding her manifest—the animal she’ll be able to change into as her rite of passage to adulthood. Asra uses her blood magic to help Ina, but her spell goes horribly wrong and the bandits destroy the village, killing Ina’s family.

Unaware that Asra is at fault, Ina swears revenge on the king and takes a savage dragon as her manifest. To stop her, Asra must embark on a journey across the kingdom, becoming a player in lethal games of power among assassins, gods, and even the king himself.

Most frightening of all, she discovers the dark secrets of her own mysterious history—and the terrible, powerful legacy she carries in her blood.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, LGBT, Queer, Romance, Lesbian, Fiction

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 6, 2018

About the author

Audrey Coulthurst is the author of critically acclaimed novels for young adults, such as the Of Fire and Stars series and Starworld (co-authored with Paula Garner). After studying music history and composition as an undergraduate and earning a Master’s degree in Book Publishing, she somehow ended up leading a double life working in finance by day and writing novels by night. Audrey was a Lambda Literary Fellow in 2013 and a Publishers Weekly Flying Start in 2016. Her debut novel Of Fire and Stars was named to the Kids’ Indie Next List, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and was listed among Vulture’s 38 Best Queer YA Novels in 2018. Audrey grew up riding horses in the Willamette Valley, made most of her best friends while living in Austin, spent five beautiful years enjoying ocean views in Santa Monica, and currently lives in Oregon with her family.

Reviews

[Emma Giordano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of Fire and Stars was one of my favorite books of 2017, so naturally I was ELATED to find out there was a prequel story. While I did enjoy Inkmistress, it just didn't have the excitement I felt while reading the first installment of this series. That being said, I am still very happy I picked up this story.

As a note, I listened to the audiobook of this story and did not enjoy the narration very much. For some reason, I cannot stand British audiobook narrators that sound significantly older than the actual YA protagonist? (Even though the audiobook narrator is pretty young). The narration just was not my cup of tea so I would maybe recommend sticking with the physical/ebook version of this book.

Inkmistress is a prequel to Of Fire and Stars though the stories are completely separate and you do not need to read one to read the other. As much as I enjoyed both, I don't think I would ever connect the two had I not known Inkmistress is a prequel before starting. Both stories are great, but I can scarcely find anything similar about these stories. They take place in different times and different kingdoms (which is to be expected of prequels), but what really confused me was even the magic system did not seem consistent despite taking place in the same overall world. I think I probably would have enjoyed Inkmistress more had there been a stronger connection to Of Fire and Stars. In my opinion, the two are great, but completely independent high fantasy stories.

I love Audrey Colthurst's writing style. The prose is beautiful and descriptive, though I do feel it is not 100% engaging. I enjoyed the romance of this story (Yay for more bisexual m/f representation!) and all of the characters, even the antagonists, are fascinating and well-developed. This series consistently features characters from the LGBTQ+ community, and now a main character of color and main character with a disability. I sincerely appreciate the author's contributions to diversifying young adult high fantasy. I also noted significant improvements to world-building and developing a magic system compared to her debut (Far from flawless, but more finely executed!)

Overall, there weren't many significant flaws I found in Inkmistress, I just didn't love this book as much as I wanted to. I wasn't as invested in the storyline. The events of the story just weren't all that interesting to me. Though I liked the characters and romance, it is nowhere near the love I felt for Of Fire and Stars. Nonetheless, I am happy I read this book.

[Melanie (meltotheany) · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, real quick, I’m going to do a little PSA, since I think a lot of you might need it: Bisexuals who are with boys are still bisexual. Bisexuals who are with girls are still bisexual. Bisexuals who are with people who identify as nonbinary are still bisexual. Bisexuals who have never been with anyone are still bisexual.

And the fact that I still have to say this, in 2018, is why Inkmistress is now one of my favorite YA Fantasies of all time. We need books, of all genres, that normalize sexuality in every aspect. But you all might not realize how rare it is to read a book about a bisexual girl ending up with a boy and still seeing her bisexuality beautifully on display. This book moved me to tears. And I believe with my whole heart that this book is going to be one of my all-time favorites.

“You would never hurt anyone on purpose, Asra, and that is both your strength and your weakness.”

Inkmistress follows one of my new favorite protagonists, Asra, who lives her life secluded away in the mountains. She lives her life in hiding, only traveling down to the village below when weather permits it, to help them with births and other medicinal needs. Yet, some people still view her as a witch. But what Asra really is is so much more powerful.

Asra has the power to change the future, present, and past with her blood. Yet, at a cost. To be able to wield such power, it takes from her lifeforce and ages her. But we soon learn that there isn’t anything she wouldn’t do for a girl who has accepted her when no one else has.

Also in this world, people come into adulthood when they are able to manifest, or bond with an animal by being blessed by the six gods that truly do control this world. Obviously, some animals are more powerful than others, but the most important thing is to just be able to manifest.

Asra feels like she has no other choice but to grant the girl, who she loves more than anything in this world, her wish: to finally manifest. And manifest Ina does. Into something more powerful than Asra imaged. Unfortunately, it is not the happiest of celebrations, because Asra learns again that it is a very scary thing to wish for something, and there will always be consequences of shaping the future.

From there we are sent on a journey and an adventure, where Asra is trying to do the right thing, while also trying to learn who and what she really is. And I promise, it is nothing short of amazing. And we get to meet so many wonderful side characters. Even though I’m very biased towards Hal, who is a PoC who stole my heart completely. I instantly loved him. And let me tell you, the Romance in this book is everything I’ve ever wanted in my life, seriously.

“Love was the way he made me laugh when I least thought it possible, and the way our voices came together to sing a tavern song inappropriate for most company. Love was the way he kissed me until I knew without doubt that anywhere he was would be home.”

This book has such an important discussion on unconditionally love, and how you are always worthy and deserving of it. We see unapologetic heartbreak in this book, and it’s not easy to read, but it’s so important to read. Very rarely is your first love your only love, and sometimes you figure that out in a very hurtful way. And just in general, nothing hurts worse than when someone you love hurts you, betrays you, or chooses to not love you anymore. Learning that it is okay to love again, and that you are worthy of love, is something that so many people struggle with, myself included. And in case you need a reminder, from a random book reviewer: You are deserving of love, always and forever, you are deserving of love.

“In these dark and lonely moments, did she think of me as I thought of her?”

And I see people saying this feels info-dumpy? But I honestly didn’t feel like that at all. Maybe it is because I read so much Adult High and Epic Fantasy? But I easily understood and fell in love with the world and the world building. I thought it was super easy to understand, yet I was completely mesmerized at every new development. Like, I truly think this world was close to perfect in my eyes.

And this is completely irrelevant to my rating, but I still have to shout it from the rooftops: This book has one of my all time favorite names! And you all know I’ve read a lot of books, and this was the first time I have ever seen it printed in a story. And I’m not that big of a tease to not tell you all; the name is Garen, and I first fell in love with it back 2011 when I first installed League of Legends. Well, it’s 2018 and it is still my all-time favorite, so I couldn’t resist gushing. Also, to further prove that the universe perfectly aligned to put this book into my hands.

And this book is truly a blessing. It had everything I like to see in my Fantasy: Girls with hidden powers, blood magic, herbal healing, gods, tyrant kings, traveling from city to city, secret societies, swoon-worthy romance, friendship, motherhood, twists, turns, betrayals, and… dragons. Honestly, I know I’m not even near considered a teen anymore, but I feel like I was completely targeted by this book. And I think so many of my Adult Fantasy reader friends would love this one, too.

The writing is beautiful, the journey and adventure were perfection, the messages are so important. I was living for the feministic themes, I was swooning over the romance, I was crying over the reveals. I will carry this story with me forever, I will recommend this story to every fantasy lover I ever meet, I will always consider myself blessed to have been privileged enough to open this book.

The only negative thing I can even think of saying is that I’m kicking myself that I haven’t read Of Fire and Stars yet. I feel like this book did such a wonderful job hinting at what is to come, and I am so excited. I am 100% obviously telling you that you can read this first and completely enjoy the story, but I bet you’d get a lot of enjoyment if you have read Of Fire and Stars.

Overall, this was everything to me. It means more to me than I can say, or any word combination my fingers could type for you. I loved this. I truly loved this with the sum of my being. And the more I think about it, the more I fall in love with it. I just hope you all give it a try and fall in love with it, too.

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The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

Buddy read with Jules! ❤

[Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars! Better review to come post Reading Rush.

The Sassy Book Club live-show discussion of this book will be happening on my channel on Friday, July 26th at 7pm PST! Come hang out with Kassie and I as we discuss our thoughts on this queer as YA fantasy!

[Kaylin (The Re-Read Queen) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite what a certain review implies, there is nothing wrong with a bisexual female having a relationship with a man. This does not "undermine" her sexuality or make previous relationships any less valid.

... there IS something wrong with info-dumps though. Lots and lots of boring info-dumps that made it really hard to push through this story?

Full RTC soon, probably, maybe.

---------

I didn't know this was a prequel when I requested it?? But I'm here for bisexuals and blood magic

[Chelsies Reading Escape · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Inkmistress we follow Asra, a demigod with the power to change the past and the future at a severe price. In this world people can manifest into animals by bonding with one with the blessing of one of the 6 Gods. After trying to help her lover find her manifest things go horribly wrong and some hurtful truths are revealed. On a mission to right her mistake Asra leaves the only home shes ever known in the hopes of stoping the monster she's created. I really wanted to love this because Im always on the look out for fantasy books with good bi representation, but this fell a little short for me.

Asra is pretty naive and spends a majority of the book feeling bad which isnt something I tend to enjoy in a main character. I didnt dislike her, but I also didnt care a whole lot about her. Her decisions and reasoning didnt always make sense to me. I did really appreciate the way the bi representation was done and that one of the love interest was a person of color. I loved Hal from the moment I met him. He had his faults but he was also was funny and considerate. He was definitely one of the better parts of the story.

I could tell right away that Asras crush was manipulating her. I didnt understand why Asra loved Ina and since I personally didnt like Ina from the moment I met her I had a difficult time feeling sympathy for Asras broken heart. Good riddance if you ask me. I still dont understand why Ina spent an entire summer with Asra if she didnt care about her. I know she said Asra was suppose to help her become an elder, but she spent an entire summer with her and didnt get any closer to becoming an elder so that logic doesnt make sense to me. There was also a few other things that just didnt add up.

The writing was alright, but not as gripping as I would have liked. I struggled to feel excited about picking this up and stay focused during the slower parts. Theres a lot of traveling and details that I just wasnt interested in. For the most part, I did enjoy the world and the addition of the dragon. The plot is set in motion due to a bad decision on the main characters part and thats my least preferred way of moving a plot along. Not to mention her goal throughout the whole book is to do the same thing that put her in this mess to start with. I was also able to predict most of the story.

*received for review consideration*

[Brittany (Brittany's Book Rambles)]

"Bisexuality, bloodshed, dragons, & doom"

THIS SOUNDS AMAZING, I NEED THIS BOOK IN MY LIFE!



But Winter 2018?!?! Noooooooo....

*dies*

[lov2laf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did really enjoy this story. Ultimately, "Inkmistress" ends up giving some world building insight into "Of Fire and Stars" though that isn't blatant until the final chapter. It left me with an, "Ohhh, that's why". As this is a 0.5 story, it can be read as a standalone, before or after "Of Fire and Stars". The order isn't important. This definitely fleshed out the world of this series, though.

Azra is an orphaned demi-god with no real understanding of her family, roots, or magic. She's a healer at heart and a kind, gentle person despite her magic being so dark. She loves with everything she has and it sets off a series of tragic events that she spends the rest of the book trying to undo.

Do know that this read is a very long and slow epic journey for our lead, Azra. So tuck in. The characters are distinct and interesting and the story itself is well-written and lush but you'll get nothing fast. The narrative also has a sinister and hand wringing undertone for the entire read so if you want a suspenseful fantasy adventure you've come to the right place.

I did really enjoy Azra's character so staying with her so long wasn't a bad thing.

We also get a ton of unexpected twists and I found very little to be predictable. I was truly wondering how Azra was going to get out of her ever building high-stakes conundrum because I couldn't see how she would do it. I was satisfied with the ending.

For those that felt the adventure aspect was missing from "Of Fire and Stars" because that plot takes place within the walls of a castle and the town that surrounds it, this book has it in spades. Azra rarely stays in one spot and is on the road in her quest.

Coulthurst likes to write with LGBTQ characters and you'll definitely see that here. Azra herself is bisexual and supporting characters are bi, lesbian, straight, and gay. As in "Of Fire and Stars", sexuality is not an issue itself, it just is.

If you're lesbian looking for an f/f story, I think you'll be disappointed. Though there are f/f relationships in the book, and our lead starts off in one, I wouldn't say the f/f relationships here are the healthiest and that's not where Azra ends up. It's not a matter of one preference for a certain gender overriding the other, however, and Azra doesn't have a roving eye. Azra takes a long while to build her relationships and she loves the person, not the gender.

For ethnic diversity, some of the supporting characters are non-white and Azra's main love interest is black.

Whether this is YA or not? It only leans towards YA because there's no swearing and sex occurs off page. I think Azra is in her late teens but there's an ageless feeling about the story because it's so nuanced and deals with emotional and violent drama. It can easily be consumed by kids and adults alike.

I listened to the audiobook version of the story and the narrator, Billie Fulford-Brown, did a fantastic job. All of the voices were distinct and her intonations added to the suspense of it all.

I recommend this book but only if you're in for a slow burn of a fantasy adventure and don't care whether our lead heroine ends up in a romantic relationship with a woman or man. 4.4 stars

P.S. For dragon lovers, this book has one and she plays a big role.

[Lea (drumsofautumn) · Rating 5 out of 5]

♦ Video Review ♦



Inkmistress is an unbelievably good book. It has so many great elements to it and does everything so very well. There's not a single person I wouldn't recommend this to.

“Because love was a heart filled with kindness, eyes a deep brown that warmed me from the inside out, and a hand I could count on to hold through the next adventure.”

I don't even know where to start this review because I simply loved everything about this book so much. It has been a really long time since a novel has taken me by surprise as much as this did. I went into it with hesitant excitement because I was curious to read more by Audrey Coulthurst but I wasn't the biggest fan of the plot in Of Fire and Stars and also I don't really like to read about dragons. So seeing the dragon on the cover definitely curbed my excitement as well.
But then I loved every single second of this book. If you look at my updates there was not one part that I didn't enjoy. I didn't want to stop reading and the further I got into this, the more elements I loved were added.

The first thing I noticed was the writing. I was able to be immediately invested in the story because the writing is so beautiful. It's nothing intense, it's easy to read and understand but everything is described with such wonderful simple metaphors, that it's just really easy to understand the character's thoughts and feelings.

The world building was fantastic. That was actually one of the parts I really enjoyed in Of Fire and Stars and so I was hoping Inkmistress would deliver as well and OH BOY, it did. The world was complex but at the same time easy to understand and so intriguing, so you constantly crave for more information about it. Audrey Coulthurst has created this whole, wonderful universe and I hope she writes much more stories set in this world!

I absolutely loved the main character, Asra. Her journey was incredibly well done. She had amazing character development and I thought every single train of thought she had was, while not always reasonable, understandable. I loved how she had moments where she just wanted to give up on her big plan to save her home, where she just wanted to leave with the people she loves and leave everything else behind. She was weak and naïve in many parts but so strong and selfless in others. She is a demigod and powerful but also so human and always a little bit afraid of her own abilities. Asra is exactly the kind of nuanced protagonist we need.
There were also so many amazing side-characters. I loved the male love interest because he was such a SOFT BOY and I just wanna hug him, give him flowers and put him in a blanket and I hope he is okay at all times.
The villain was so kick-ass too. Their whole development was so interesting and well done. So many things were upsetting to see but at the same time I thought even the villains decisions were at all times relatable and it was easy to understand their perspective.
All of these great characters lead to great relationships as well. There was (found-)family, friendship, romance and all of it so well crafted. There really wasn't a relationship I wasn't invested in in some way. Even with characters we're supposed to hate, Coulthurst manages to write their relationships in ways that will make you care.

“And just as surely as Ina had shattered me, he put me back together piece by piece until the fire he ignited burned brighter than any she had ever called.
For the first time since leaving Amalska, I felt like I was coming home.”

As in Of Fire and Stars, Audrey Coulthurst does an amazing job at sexuality representation. In this world there's no heteronormativity. Asra is in love with a girl in the beginning of the story and falls for a boy throughout the novel and it's never once brought up as an issue or something confusing.

Overall I'd highly recommend this novel to everyone, I truly do. I think there's nothing about it not to love and it is a story that will not let me go for a while.

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I received an ARC of this through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review!

[J.A. Ironside · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

UPDATE: changing my rating to 5 stars because I just can't stop thining about this book. It really is that good.

 

Inkmistress was a surprise and a delight. I’d seen such luke warm reviews of Coulhurt’s work that I had let reading her books slide down my list of priorities. Inkmistess – prequel to Of Fire and Stars but set a long time before the events of that book – showed me just what I’d been missing.

 

On one hand I do understand the more negative reviews of the book. The MC is less flashy, less dynamic than is generally fashionable in YA fiction at present. If you tend not to like MC’s who agonise over doing the right thing, who are a little naïve and reticent, and over whom personal affection has a great hold than the call to adventure, then you may have a hard time bonding with Asra. I loved her - possible because she is so unlike me actually, and because she genuinely wants to do good. I appreciate someone who wants to live a quiet, simple life giving back to their community even if I can’t fully embrace that myself. The other thing to remember with Asra is that she has been secluded from other people most of her life, forbidden to speak of her powers. And they are potentially terrifying – the ability to shape the future or alter the past with her blood. Just let that sink in a moment. Now think about all the consequences that would result from either…yeah, that. She’s not fully in control of her power either and plenty of unscrupulous people think nothing of using her to shape the world to their liking.

Hence Asra is really careful. If you mistake her wariness for lack of agency though, you’d be making a mistake. Personally I love the fact that we have a strong heroine here whose primary indicators of strength and agency are empathy and affection rather than the ability to kick ass. (I love a good female fighter but when authors use the ability to fight as shorthand for strength in a character with no other back up then all they are doing is creating another empty and potentially harmful stereotype.)

 

Let’s talk diversity because this book does that well. There are different races and cultures represented, different sexualities and characters with disabilities. I’d call that a damn good start. And unlike certain other YA spec fic novels, Inkmistess presents this diversity as a facet of the characters rather than as a unique selling point where the character is literally their race or gender or sexuality and nothing else. I love that Asra is bisexual, and I love the fact that it’s presented as natural and no big deal. That it’s ok for her to have a relationship with a man as well as a woman and whoever she ends up with she’s still bisexual. Coulthurst has such a deft touch with this and portrays Asra’s sexuality believably and respectfully.

 

The world building is fantastic. However it is narrative heavy and very descriptive. I mean we’re not talking Tolkien levels of description here but if you like your world building painted in short broad strokes you may not enjoy it. Personally I really liked the slow reveal of plot and world, and the beautiful prose used for both. The visuals conjured up are so vivid it’s like watching a movie. And this book is a long way from being devoid of action – plenty happens and there are several twists, turns and cliffhangers. (In fact my reading buddy, Melanie, who set the schedule left us on TWO exquisitely painfully cliffhangers so she shall forever more be known as the Cliffhanger Queen…) Which brings us onto the emotional content. If you hurt when a character hurts that’s a good sign that the author has caught your empathy and seriously some of the things that happen to Asra really hurt. This is not a passive read where you get to the end unscathed.

 

If I have one criticism it’s that a couple of things happen too quickly for my taste – the end felt a little rushed for instance. That said it in no way detracted from the overall reading experience. This is a coming of age novel in a fantasy setting against apparently insurmountable odds. It’s a story about finding out who you are, distinct from what you’ve always believed about yourself, and about how to make choices and live with the consequences. But most of all it’s about new beginnings and its final message is one of hope. At turns bitter and sweet, and yearning, this is not to be missed.



Buddy read with the lovely Melanie

[Rayna · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's hard to believe this trash pile of a book was written by the same woman who wrote the charming and wonderful Of Fire and Stars. Don't be fooled by the description, this is not a story about a girl venturing out to save her girlfriend; this is just another hetero romance. Asra and Ina are bisexual girls who start off in a relationship. Asra uses her blood magic to help Ina find her manifest, an act that has unforeseeable and unpredictable consequences: the slaughter of their village is what triggers Ina's manifest. To her credit, Asra is quickly willing to take responsibility for what she has done and to make things right.

The author goes out of her way to make Ina a devious, selfish, and scheming villain to ensure that the reader dislikes her and holds out no hope for reconciliation. It is revealed that Ina had been cheating on Asra and that she is now pregnant by a boy from another village. After learning the full truth about what Asra did, Ina is furious and vows never to forgive her.

"This baby has been robbed of a family and a community because of what you did. My child will never know love - because of you." Her eyes shone hard as gemstones.

She also tells Asra that she never really loved her and was only a means to an end. By then we've been introduced to Hal, the boy who becomes Asra's new love interest. Hal is presented as the safe, healthy person for Asra to be with: he's kind, funny, supportive, and respectful.

Somewhere beyond the shivering and the ache and the warm cloak of shadows closing around me, I was more grateful for him than I had ever been for anyone. He always asked. And listened. It was more than Ina had ever done.

Just in case you don't hate Ina by now, it turns out that Ina has allied with the Nightswifts, a group of assassins who oppose the king, and revealed the secret of Asra's blood to their leader. She is, at this point, driven by a hunger for power as much as by fury and vengeance.

Nismae held me pinned against the door while Poe funneled my blood into glass vials. I stared at Ina, cycling between pain and rage. She watched the whole time as if my suffering was a show put on for her amusement. Somewhere deep inside, the cinder of anger born of her betrayal smoldered. I had never hurt her intentionally. Now she'd done it to me twice.

In the acknowledgements at the end of the book Coulthurst wrote this:

Lastly, though I don't know your name, thank you to the moon and back to the reader who gave me their perspective on the black characters in Inkmistress. Your feedback was delivered matter-of-factly and generously, even when I had screwed up in ways that were hurtful. Your patience as I struggled to get things right was deeply appreciated. My representation of black characters in this book may not be perfect, but it is a damn sight better because of you.

Hal, Nismae, and Eywin are the black characters in this book. I found her statement funny because:

- Hal befriends Asra and betrays her. In fairness, his intentions were not malicious, and he does of course redeem himself when he frees Asra and falls in love with her.
- Nismae is Hal's sister, the leader of the Nightswifts. Shortly after we meet her she brutally attacks Asra and thrusts a knife through her arm, trapping her to a door so she can steal Asra's blood. She then holds her prisoner, taking more and more blood from her each day.
- Eywin is Hal's uncle. It's never really made clear whose "side" he's on but the main characters mostly distrust him due to his closeness to the king.

It makes me wonder how much worse the characters were written before.

Now here are all the gay/lesbian characters. For simplicity's sake, I'm going to assume that characters who had relationships only with people of the same sex are homosexual.

- Kaja, a woman who captures Asra in the Tamers' forest and brings her to her people, who decide to kill Asra if she fails to help them
- Leozoar, a wind demigod who murders people by throwing them off a cliff
- Nismae, who as previously mentioned, assaults Asra and holds her prisoner, because Asra refused to join the Nightswifts

It's just such a sharp contrast to the way the heterosexual male love interest gets to atone for his actions and be the kind, caring boy who makes sacrifices and enables Asra to fall in love again. Not only that, but Asra's relationship with Ina is undermined completely because at the end of the book Asra comes to this "realisation" that she never really loved Ina after all, and it was just Ina's bewitching good looks that tricked Asra into thinking she loved her. It's sad that people consider this good bisexual representation, a story where the relationship between two girls is bitterly torn apart and then denigrated as something weak, shallow, and meaningless, essentially "just a phase." Asra didn't know what true love was until she met a guy.

The writing is very...lacking. Scenes that should carry some depth and emotion just fall flat. Part of this is probably because we are never shown Ina's point of view. Much of the time her motivations don't make much sense. For instance, when she finds out that Asra was inadvertently at fault for the destruction of her village, she declares that she will never forgive Asra because she knows now that Asra is to blame for the death of her unborn child's father. But when Ina is about to give birth she decides she needs Asra to be there with her. Some writers do this annoying thing where they try to mask an inconsistency in the plot or the characters' behaviour by having another character make a remark about how stupid it is for the character to do the thing in question, without really answering the question.

"Nismae couldn't possibly find a competent midwife in the entire city of Corovja?" I gestured broadly.

She could, Asra, but the author really needed you to be there for Ina to give your broken relationship some closure. Then Ina decides she doesn't want the child and gives it to Asra. I just didn't understand her actions at all. The pregnancy storyline was stupid and should have been left out entirely; it wouldn't have changed anything significant about the plot.

Furthermore, the monarchy and the magic system were poorly explained so it was hard to make sense of the characters' magical limits and political loyalties. Asra is an herbalist and healer, so why can't she heal herself? Is the ability to manifest a gift from the gods to Zumordans or just an aftereffect of the six gods' strong presence in the country? Why is the monarch the only one who has a bond to the gods? Why are the demigods so easily bested and outwitted by humans? How did no one question whether the king was lying about the gods cursing Zumorda as a ploy to maintain his power? Etc.

Several times I also got the distinct impression that Coulthurst forgot what she had written earlier and continued plowing through the story without proofreading. When they first meet, Asra and Hal have a conversation in which Hal tells her that he never worked for the king, but his sister did, and he talks about some of the things his sister did. Later on they have a similar conversation in which he repeats a bunch of this same information.

Anyway, it's a pretty bad book all around. I can't think of anything nice to say about it except that the idea of manifests was kind of cool. Too bad the book sucked.

[Janira]

Honestly, Audrey saying the honest title of this book would be "bisexuality and bloodshed" got my interest. When she spent five good minutes explaining us what was happening in the book and then went 'that isn't spoiler by the way, that all happens in the first fifty pages', this book had me hooked. I can't believe I have to wait at least a year for this now.

[F. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This really is full of spoilers.

I read a lot of books primarily now because I’m trying to make up for over 40 years of not having positive gay women in the books j was reading.
It comes as a crushing disappointment to me then that the female protagonists female love interest is manipulative and false (and murderous) and only using her. And she finds real, true love in the end with a man. I am not objecting to bisexual or pansexual stories. I just find the trope this protagonist’s journey harks of depressingly recognisable.

[Abi (The Knights Who Say Book) · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5 stars) Blood! Tears! Bisexuality! No, seriously, so much blood.

This was definitely the logical follow up to Of Fire and Stars. Like the original book, this book has enough dull spots that I'll understand when people don't love it as much, but in the end it made me feel so many things I couldn't possibly not love it.

Also worth noting that despite being labeled "book 0.5", this book can definitely be a standalone, read before, after, or without Of Fire and Stars.

So let's get the book's flaws out of the way so I can end with why I love it. The book starts out a bit clunky. It didn't immediately draw me in, and the writing felt a bit contrived (or at least the utter peacefulness of Asra's setting did). It took a little while for the writing to hit its stride, but it did eventually amp up with the plot. I think the main problem was the book doing more telling than showing. In order to quickly establish Asra's goals and what's at stake, we keep being told that she wants to join a community and have a family — which is a cool motivation, but it would have come across better if we were shown it more at the beginning.

In terms of worldbuilding, I would have liked it to be more fleshed out. I want to know more about how the animal forms work, just because it's cool, and I want the "magical rituals" Asra can do to be less vague so it would be more unique.

But I still really liked this book! And I know that's because the ending always sticks with me more than whatever problems the beginning had, but that's just how it is. The book is filled with betrayal, plot twists, and a slow burn romance. I wasn't sure if I would fall for Audrey Coulthurst's romance when the main ship wasn't wlw (our bi mc meets a guy after her ex-girlfriend goes all murder-y), but I did end up happy with it.

The villains are so complex, and some of them so fleshed out they make me feel so many things. I would totally read more about them, actually? And Audrey Coulthurst has this way of writing scenes with such deep injustice that make you actually fill up with anger and emotion and it's so good. It's a torrent of emotions and then the ending is so satisfying. Plus it's so casually full of queer characters (bi main character and side character, other wlw background characters, even a genderfluid god casually mentioned once or twice)!

[CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great book! I enjoyed it even more than the first book set in this fantasy universe. The world building, while not knock-your-socks-off, is very good, the writing is quite lovely, and the story and characters captivated me from the beginning. I guessed things a few times, but other times the plot went in directions I didn't expect.

It's a story about love and found family above all things. The main romance (between a boy and a girl) is wonderfully done while still asserting the validity and importance of Asra's previous relationship with a girl. A lot of bisexual women and girls struggle with feeling not queer enough or that their queerness is invalid, especially if they're in relationships with men/boys, and this YA book is a wonderful counterpoint to that without ever being preachy or didactic.

Yay bisexual books! It really felt like this YA was doing something new with bisexual representation: there wasn't a love triangle where one interest is a boy and the other is a girl, it wasn't about a girl who has only dated boys falling for a girl for the first time, and the fact that she was bisexual was irrelevant to the plot even though her ex-girlfriend is key to the story. It's also set in a fantasy world with no bi/homophobia, which is a nice change! The more I think about it, the more Inkmistress feels like a radical bisexual book.

[Shenwei · Rating 5 out of 5]

wowowow 😱😱😱😭😭😭 that was so intense and so good

[Amanda]

***DNF @ 46%***

Inkmistress is the kind of book I find and I think I'm definitely going to love it. It's made out of things I find super cool. This is the story of a demigoddess who can write the future into existence by writing in her own blood. O, and her ex girlfriend also happens to turn into a dragon. Like... this is made of awesome ideas! How could I DNF a book that sounds so cool?

I had to DNF because I was honestly so bored with the story and I gave little to no shits whatsoever about the final outcome for the story. I was so bored that I was literally dreading having to finish the book. I felt that if I dreading having to turn another page that it would probably be for the best that I just stop now and sever ties before any more damage is done. I can't give this a rating since I didn't finish it. I really wanted to love this one. Really, I did. The fact of the matter was just that nothing in this story was connecting with me.

I will give the book this though, it's a super cool concept for a story. A demigoddess writes in her own blood and her ex is a dragon! That's an awesome idea and I love it to bits. I even liked some of the writing in the book. But ultimately, this just wasn't the book for me. I hope other people read it and love it.

[catherine ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting a novella, not a full length book. I think there was a lot of potential in this, but like the original books, the world-building was a little lacking and it felt like the rules of the world were changing every so often.

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review also on my blog • Twitter • Bookstagram

Arc sent to me via Diverse Book Bridge

Inkmistress is a prequel of sorts to Of Fire and Stars. It is sent many years before it in the same universe. The book introduces new fantasy element to the world called manifesting. Essentially, when people come of age, they can 'manifest' with an animal and then be able to transform into it. I really enjoyed this element of the book.

At the beginning of the novel, the main character Asra's, who is a demigod, village gets attacked while she and her girlfriend Ina were away and find that everyone is dead. Ina becomes furious and seeks revenge, leading her to manifest with a dragon. This leads her to leave Asra as her manifestation, and for Asra to stop her from killing the king as a an act of revenge.

Unfortunately, I didn't love this book as much as I loved Of Fire and Stars. I still enjoyed the fantasy elements and the concept of gods, but that's kind of where it ended. I was for the most part, bored. And I didn't necessarily love the main character. She made weird decisions. She told people who could help her she was accused of killing people which was an extremely poor decision. Why would you tell them that? She had no reason to.

The romance was m/f and it was alright. I understood why they became a couple and it was believable. I also liked the guy enough but he also didn't leave too much of an impression. The most interesting character was Ina who's technically the villain. The girl can turn into a DRAGON and she was barely in it. 

I don't necessarily not recommend this book but it was a disappointment after how much I loved Of Fire and Stars. The author has definitely improved in the area of world building which was definitely my favourite part of the book. The plot really dragged for me though despite finding the world extremely interesting.

[Manda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this story despite the fact that is seemed kind of off to me. Some things felt very unnecessary but then kind of made sense in the end. It was a confusing listen for me. I didnt know if I could trust anyone or who was playing what role half the time.

Overall I did enjoy it and loved the characters for the most part. The story and magic system did feel very well thought out to me. I wouldnt have been able to tell this was a prequel had I not known before hand. But overall I did enjoy it. It just didn't live up to Of Fire and Stars for me.

[Cori Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Loved the story and the bisexuality!

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Source* Edelweiss
*Genre* Young Adult, Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5

*Thoughts*

Inkmistress, by author Audrey Coulthurst, is the companion novel to the Of Fire and Stars series. Inkmistress is set in the same world as Of Fire and Stars, but a few hundred years earlier. Asra is the protagonist of Inkmistress. She is a demigod who has the ability to sense the life force in everything. She lives a life of seclusion in the mountains above Karthasha, but uses her blood to add to tinctures that help the village survive. She also has the ability to use blood magic.

*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*

http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...

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[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

***I was provided with an eARC by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review***

First of all...I LOVE that this is in the same world that "Of Fire and Stars" is. I was hoping for a novella, and this was so much more. It's a great story with it's own emotions and awesome characters. I wasn't TOO sure about it at first, I was scared I could keep comparing the two or that I would want the other characters to make an appearance, but...this book held it's own.

There are plenty of awesome magical aspects with these characters. There are demigods, gods, manifests, kings, and a dragon. Love me some dragons.

This story is about Asra. She's a very special demigod with a very rare talent. A talent that people would kill or hurt her for. She's been secluded most of her live up on a mountain with the "witch" who raised her when her parents (one is a god) left her. She is a little naive, and isn't used to much human interaction. She has fallen for a girl in the near by town, Ina, and that is where everything starts to go wrong. From there even after event happens, this is a very fast paced book and you're always anticipating the next big/bad thing to happen.

Eventually Asra realizes who she can trust and moves on and lets go of past hurt.

I feel like story touches on some great situations such as emotional abuse, adoption, being used, trust, heartbreak, love, self worth, betrayal, and realizing that family isn't always blood.

I wanted a little more of the ending of this story. I wanted more of Hal and Asra and what happened after.

[decklededgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trigger warnings: self harm, emotional manipulation, claustrophobia, agoraphobia (? Or a form of it I'm not sure. I googled and it seemed to match up...), physical abuse and torture, mmm that's it I think.

So I knew this was a 5 star book two chapters in because the ending that I had predicted literally happened at the end of the second chapter. I THOUGHT I knew what was going to happen. And I was right. But then after that I had no fucking clue where it was going which is absolutely the best. I feel like I've started to get to a point in reading where I can recognise and predict tropes and that's just a buzzkill. This book killed the buzzkill.

I have also never read a book where people are just so casually gay. It was glorious. I've read books with queer protags and love interests and the occasional LGBTQ+ person in the background. Here we had a random woman with a wife and the ancient tale of two men in love and oh there go another two bisexual people and oh wait look she's now in love with a woman how absolutely ordinary etc etc. The only book that comes close is Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli although so much of that served a purpose. Like the diversity there had intention and I appreciated that because it served to validate intersectional existence. Inkmistress' diversity seemed very real and casual. And that is a different kind of amazing.

Bless Audrey Coulthurst I was screaming from chapter three till the end.

[La La · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 on the blog.

*review to come, but basically the same problems I had with the her first book.

[Alice4170 🌙 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️
This had awesome characters and plot and like everything about it was good. I’ve never read a book about a blood scribe, or people calling upon the gods to help them transform into a animal.

[Harker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pacing is a very important aspect of a book to me. It determines how well my attention is kept and how much I enjoy reading about the characters. Bad pacing leads to a boring reading experience. Inkmistress had excellent pacing. Events did not move too fast, nor did they skip ahead. Events unfurled quickly enough to make me happy and keep my book open.

Asra went right to my heart. In the beginning she has this idea that she's selfish because she wants to matter the most to the woman she's involved with (Ina). I didn't see this, though. If anything she was incredibly reserved and giving. Her heart was given wholly to Ina, which did lead to trouble but wasn't inherently self serving. There was a bit of naivety  that was a bit wearing at times, though it never reached a truly painful level. In fact, it more emphasized how good her heart was that she kept trying to see the good in people, kept trying to fix things. It hurt seeing her try to do all these things and yet see so many people betray her. Her strength, even with her goodness blinding her to the cruelness of some people, kept her from losing her purity.

I did question her devotion to Ina. The time they spent together did not feel intimate enough to warrant the faith Asra put in Ina, which shows when she tries to convince her to let her manifest settle. As much as she tries to appeal to the Ina she knew, it really emphasized that the girl she knew, the girl Ina was, and whatever Ina is now are different things. However, she did grow a lot as a character and this growth enabled her to see that what she felt for Ina was not the love she'd thought it was, neither for her part or coming from Ina.

Ina was not nearly as likeable though definitely more understandable. I got a more selfish feeling from her. Ina came up to the mountain as an escape but was really secretive about it, which I understood to an extent. However, she didn't seem to have as much heart in the relationship as Asra did and didn't acknowledge it. She kept asking for and digging for dangerous secrets that Asra only gave up to please her.

Once her village is gone, her anger and haste made a lot of sense. Her grief influencing her decisions was relatable and I didn't have to like her to sympathize. The secrets she was keeping from Asra made me realize that my dislike and the oddness coming from her side of the relationship was well sensed. It was heartbreaking, the betrayal that she committed against Asra, so much so that I was yelling at the book for awhile.

Hal, child of the wind god, was a character that made me think of the nature vs nurture debate. His upbringing was rather difficult owing to losing his mortal mother at 3 years old, being raised as best as possible by his 14 year old sister, and otherwise surviving on the streets. Despite the thieving and the potentially corrupting nature of his silver tongue abilities, he is a good person when Asra meets him. His personality is an incredible balm in a difficult time.

Asra's magic was unique and interesting. There were dangers hinted at early on but we didn't get to see the effects until Asra used it "for" Ina. The limitations reminded me of wishes one might make with faeries or genies: you have to word your request really, really carefully or it will be twisted. Asra finds this truth out in a terrible, destructive way that ultimately propels her into a quest to rectify her mistake.

The magic system at large, at least when concerning demigods, was intriguing because they were not all powerful as I think I tend to see. Hal and Asra using their gifts took something from them that varied depending on the strength of the task. Their suffering was a direct reflection of using their various gifts and I liked that being the children of gods didn't make them perfect.

There is a lot of betrayal in this book, but there is also a lot of faith and a lot of love. There's a lot of pain, but the strength of the characters helps them to fight their way through it even when the darkness of both their powers and their own crushed feelings threatens them. This could have been a standalone, though it is actually a prequel of some kind to Of Fire and Stars, which makes me very happy because I'm curious to see what kind of effect Asra's blood magic has left on the world and whether she still has any part in it.





I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

[Franzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

[Reviewer has accepted that nothing will recreate reading "Of Fire And Stars", even other books from the author, but she's still disappointed] [wanted more sapphic nomad vibes] [too much plot]

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let’s cut to the chase, this book explores something I have NEVER seen in YA. I am talking about a character that is attracted to both female and males. Bisexuality is nowhere in YA and I am so happy with the way the author portrayed in this book. I mean, yes there was action and a pretty good story to follow, but more importantly the character doesn’t offer apologies or explanations for the way that she is. Asra is bisexual and it doesn’t need to be explained.

The other thing that stood out to me about this book was the fact that Asra is an empathetic character. It is possible to have great power and still put the needs of other before yourself. As you read the book you see it doesn’t always work out for the best for Asra, but she still ends up where she needs to be. There aren’t enough characters with power and empathy. Asra has both and that makes her a hero to me. I know some may get frustrated by her but I loved this about her.

The writing in this book is very descriptive. I love descriptive writing and I could almost draw this world for you, because I was there thanks to the details the author provided. The characters were very well drawn, too. Ina and the king are both very well written characters. There were a few other characters that I grew to love in this story but I don’t want to give away too much.

This story is suppose to have happened 200 years before the events in OF FIRE AND STARS. This book could absolutely be read as a standalone. I would recommend this to fantasy fans especially if you are looking for a book with a LGBT theme that isn’t the only thing the story contains. INKMISTRESS was beautifully done.

[Karen Hattrup · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book opens really beautifully with a lonely demigod pining for spring and her girlfriend and then OH GOD FIFTY PAGES OF BANDITS AND DEATH AND DRAGONS AND EVERYTHING GOES HORRIBLY WRONG SO VERY QUICKLY. The story seriously rockets off right in the beginning and never lets up, as our poor Asra who has spent most of her life in a damn cave has to journey across the realm chasing down her ruthless, murderess ex while navigating all kinds of complications with politics, magic, the gods. There is so much depth and intricacy to the workings of her world, and a beautiful arc for a complicated girl-god who is learning to embrace her power and find her place in the world. AND DID I MENTION CHARMING, ROGUEISH HAL WHO SINGS INAPPORPRIATE BAR SONGS? He’s the absolute best.

[Line · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally finished reading!!! Y'all I'm so happy. The book was amazing but I couldn't really get into it because I just didn't have the time but!!! I did it! Only took me like three weeks or so but yay!