Inkman

by Mel Ingrid

One afternoon at Darkroom, Inc., the local photo-developing store, Aloise Enes cut her boyfriend’s little brother’s leg off. But before she can clean up her mistake, the kid disappears, providing her with a seamless cover story. Everything almost feels too convenient, at least until she discovers a fetid odor that reeks of more than just inhospitality.

Maeve Ikeda can’t catch a break, not when she works and lives at the inn run by her mother. Luka, her best friend, isn’t giving her an easy time with his apprehensive snipes and sudden appearances accompanied by his cardboard box of lies, either. It’s nothing too new—certain details in this corner of town have felt unsettling for a while. But right as she’s about to give in to the irrationality that she might be paranoid, evidence presents itself to her in the most visceral, desolating form.

Lurking around the two in familiar places are Larken’s favorite urban legends: Inkmen, creatures of liquid nighttime. They steal every opportunity to drink up people’s potential, and now, it’s only a matter of time before Aloise and Maeve suffocate in their madness, too.

282 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2021

About the author

Mel Ingrid is the Taiwanese-American author of Inkman and Bus 59 and a Half. Her writing also appears in her short film, l’A.M.—a misheard love story and in shorter form on her Substack, winterbreathings. She was born in New York and is currently based in Lyon, France. Find out more at www.melingrid.com.

Reviews

[Gabriella Kuhn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review coming soon...;)

[Olivia Faye Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prepare to be ~unnerved~

Inkman was a super unique and atmospheric thriller/sci fi/fantasy novel! I’ve never even heard of a book similar to this one and I’m struggling to describe it well without any spoilers, so just take my word for it that it’s intriguing and pretty unprecedented in my experience. Mel Ingrid did a great job of making you feel exactly what the character was feeling (everywhere from disgust to love to horror), so I would highly recommend that you DO NOT READ THIS WHILE EATING LOL. My only criticism is that towards the end, sometimes the prose became a little too purple, and I had a hard time understanding what was happening plot wise, but it’s very much a personal preference thing and my confusion actually added to the experience. Overall I highly recommend this to thriller lovers and anyone looking for something new but NOT TO PEOPLE WHO EAT WHILE THEY READ JUST TRUST ME OK

[Zenith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was absolutely hooked with Inkman. The paranormal is incredibly balanced with the slice of life content, all of it being woven together into the small town mystery. However, Ms. Ingrid kept the story engaging with periodic plot twists and fast pacing, keeping me engrossed the entire novel. The mood and tone was also very consistent and appropriate, an incredibly difficult skill that was utilized in this story.

The characters are all very dynamic and concrete, easy to remember and keep track of in this diverse cast of characters. They all brought forth different perspectives and tension to the story. No one felt unnecessarily placed.

Overall, I greatly recommend this book for readers who enjoy local legends, paranormal entities, and an incredibly engaging mystery.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best story to kick off the spooky season. I don’t think I’ll ever stop saying that. In this YA low fantasy mystery/horror novel, we are placed in the middle of Larken, a small town filled with conspiracy theories about inkmen—creatures that can eat you. Following Aloise and Maeve, the story unfolds in sick twists that’ll leave you wondering what else could pop up. It is a fun ride where all you can do is sit and marvel at everything that happens. The pacing is good. The world-building isn’t overwhelming or lacking, it felt like the right amount. The characters were realistic and easy to understand. Many of them sit on the morally gray side, which was even better because it kept you on your toes as to what would happen next. The writing was great! You can see the writer’s growth from her debut incredibly. Also the descriptions and ability to transfer the specific vibe was one of my favorite things in the book. If you liked House of Hollow, then you’ll like Inkman. Finally, the book will leave you in pain by the end. It’s great. Go read it.

[Olivia J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spooky, atmospheric, and horrifying. The character of Inkman X was fun, and the suspense paired with horror worked fantastically. Descriptive and gorgeous prose that sometimes dipped into confusing, but the way Mel describes the ink was visceral and tactile. The idea of the monsters feeding on potential was something I haven’t seen anywhere else. I would have liked a little more worldbuilding of Larken & the Inkmen, but otherwise I was hooked from page 1!

[Merrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

Okay what the FUCK was that

The first half of this book was a pretty good small town cryptid disappearance mystery, and then the second half dissolved into chaos that, weirdly enough, would be really good as a Ghibli film (on account of all the goop). Some stuff isn’t explained very well (for example the Inkman society is largely unclear), some things were dropped after a certain point (anything involving Luka and June), and the writing style can make it hard to track exactly what’s going on, but it’s an interesting and unique premise and I enjoyed it. The contrast between Aloise’s need to cover up her involvement in an Inkman-related maiming and Maeve’s frustration with teenage life really made the darker moments stand out. And despite how the writing style occasionally obscured what was happening, it gave the story a really interesting vibe.

Also, as an aromantic person, I really appreciated that Luka and Maeve’s relationship was purely platonic and Maeve was upset about him ditching her because he was supposed to be her best friend, not because she was jealous of his June. It’s really rare to see that!

[Erelah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the vibe of this book, and I liked our two main characters very much. I enjoyed all the slice of life bits we got in the first half (probably my favorite parts of the book) I also really sympathized with Maeve, since I’ve been in her position before (not the whole mom-selling-me-on-the-black-market thing, just the friends-leaving-me-thing. Sorry Maeve)

I do wish that the mc’s had gotten to interact more, I think Maeve and Eloise would have been very good friends. I do wish we had gotten a bit more explanation as to what the inkmen were doing and how they came to be.

I like Ingrid’s ability to write very frantic and confusing thought processes, which were very realistic. The second half of the book reminded me a bit of Bus 59 and a half, in the general vibe it’s written in.

Certain parts of the plot were too vague for me to understand but then again, I write that in a lot of reviews so I think that’s more of a me being dense thing than anything else.

This book’s size was also very nice. 356 pages is a good size for a book, though I rarely see books over 250, so I was very pleased when It arrived. The ending of the book did make me kind of sad. Eloise was a good person (other than when she kind of kidnaps and amputates her boyfriends brother. But desperate times amiright) but endings that make you feel something are good endings. It was a realistic ending.

I haven’t read a book with this much body horror in- (nah this is a first.) if that sort of thing doesn’t bother you, I would highly recommend it.

I think this was a very unique book, I’ve never once thought of street signs become part of a town legend, but the way Ingrid wrote it made it believable.

[gwen ･:*:･ﾟ’☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

"life had no potential if he couldn't leech it."

reading this book kinda felt like being on a rollercoaster--everything was so intense! mel ingrid has created a vivid, unsettling world in the town of larken, with its inkmen & grotesque secrets--and this book is definitely for anyone who's fond of the thriller & horror genres. i really liked the sinister imagery used in this novel, and there were some chilling moments that really had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up! the ending was also just--chef's kiss.

that said, there were some things that i felt could have been better, such as the way some characters interacted, as well as the character development in general. aloise was by far my favorite character--everything about her just felt so raw & messed up, it made my heart ache. as for the rest... i guess many things felt lacking. i also hoped that there would be more backstory behind inkmen in general--i was very curious about how inkmen actually... became inkmen. their underwater secret society was also really cool, and i was disappointed that it was only introduced toward the end of the novel.

mel is very talented, and i hope she continues writing, because i'm excited for what's coming next!

overall, a solid novel, and definitely suitable for the chilly, mysterious season of fall. 3 stars.

"aloise wasn't a miracle. she was living taxidermy."

[Brittney Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHOA. That was by far the strangest thing I think I've yet to read, and I've read a lot of weird things; you may or may not know, but weird fiction is kinda sorta my cup of tea. While I had heard a bit about Inkman/assumed it would be some sort of thriller involving ink, I mostly dove into this one to support a fellow indie author, whom I've been following since we were each super young, and I wanted to see how Mel has grown as a writer since Bus 59 and a Half, and I was in for a whirlwind. And I am so incredibly glad that I picked up this one.
Inkman is strange, bizarre, creepy, brilliant, enthralling, relatable, heartbreaking, and so much more. The characters are neither good, nor bad; Mel clearly understands people and knows how to write them. The descriptions were vastly unique and uniquely Mel's, and showcased images and scenes that were laid out beautifully in my mind. And when everything is revealed, when everything ties together... it will surprise you, greatly. I did not suspect anything at all.
Great job, Mel! I deeply enjoyed this one, and I know you will go far in your writing.

[Johanna E. H.]

Definitely not my usual, but I've been meaning to read more magical realism, and this was a great (if horrifying) place to start. My ADHD & memory problems are a huge barrier to reading fiction, so confusing, winding pieces of literature are hard, but this was so worth it. I was alternately confused, terrified, moved, and excited. Definitely would recommend to genre fans and newbies alike. Body horror tw.

[Ben T. Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inkman blew all my expectations away! The characters were fantastic! The two main characters Aloise and Maeve were beautifully written, had loads of depth, and were realistic. There were so many twists, so you never truly know what might happen next. Overall, I enjoyed Inkman a lot, and highly recommend it!!

[Mei Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inkman is an emotion and actions packed fictional novel. It was hard to put it down when I started reading it. This book definitely took me on a wild ride. It's perfect book to read for this spooky season. Highly recommended.

[Eden Gayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

So well written!!!!

Mel Ingrid is an imaginative and talented writer.
I empathized with her characters and felt like I was a part of the Inkman world.
Rich descriptions, true to life relationships, and the perfect touch of horrifying.
I highly recommend this book!

[Mike Diener · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some people are gifted story-tellers, the kind of people that you just want to sit and listen to. That's what this book felt like. It's hard to come up with an original story idea, but this author did just that. This book had the feel of a campfire ghost story with all the refinement of a novel.

From start to finish, I had no idea what was going to happen next. The story was original, complex, and engaging. I wanted to know what was going to happen to the two main characters, and I wanted to know how this world works. The author continually gave you just enough to make you want more but never enough to get bored.

With all of that said, the best thing about the story was how well-written the characters were. Aloise and Maeve, the two protagonists, were so compelling. The author made me feel what the characters were feeling. Whether I was supporting them or yelling "no" at them, I was rooting for them the whole time.

The creatures of this story, the Inkmen, are an interesting twist from many other traditional fantasy or horror creatures.

Literally, the only drawback of this book at all is that sometimes I was reading so fast (because the story was so good!) that I had to slow down to understand some of what was happening.

Overall, the author weaved together a beautiful and disgusting (in the best way!) story. Highly recommend!