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    Inkmistress
    Inkmistress
    Inkmistress
    Audiobook10 hours

    Inkmistress

    Written by Audrey Coulthurst

    Narrated by Billie Fulford-Brown

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    A sweeping, action-packed, and romantic fantasy full of dangerous magic and dark choices, perfect for fans of Tamora Pierce and Kristin Cashore—set in the same world as Of Fire and Stars.

    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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMar 6, 2018
    ISBN9780062822819
    Author

    Audrey Coulthurst

    Audrey Coulthurst writes YA books that tend to involve magic, horses, and kissing the wrong people. When she’s not dreaming up new stories, she can usually be found painting, singing, or on the back of a horse. Audrey has a master’s degree in writing from Portland State University. She lives in Santa Monica, California. She is the author of Inkmistress and Of Fire and Stars, which was named a Publishers Weekly Flying Start. Visit her online at www.audreycoulthurst.com.

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    Reviews for Inkmistress

    4/5

    50 ratings8 reviews

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    • 5/5
      i wasn't too sure about the voice when i started but it grew on me. Lovely story. The characters had to make some hard choices which gave the whole book depth. Glad o picked it up. Also great that it is a stand alone in the truest sense. Start, middle, end of book.
    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved this story. This was my first audiobook and it was made so well!
    • 5/5
      A small magical treasure to have in your personal library.
    • 5/5
      One of the most striking features of this book is the uncompromising approach of its author. Great Job! I want to introduce to you the NovelStar app, a new platform for authors where you can publish your stories with great benefits. For more info, you can email our editors hardy@novelstar.top, joye@novelstar.top, or lena@novelstar.top.
    • 4/5
      This was a very interesting story, I liked the foundations that it built for the story and the magic system. I’m excited to see how it all ties in with the other books in the series.
    • 4/5
      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.
    • 4/5
      I wasn't quite sure about this book when I started it, but I quickly warmed up to the story once it got going and I definitely enjoyed it. A pretty quick read, I appreciated seeing a bisexual main character whose sexuality wasn't really a big deal, rather her ability to use her blood to write the future was a big deal - this fantasy world has definitely got its priorities in the right order. And so the adventure begins. Asra leaves her home to try to right a wrong - one that included her girlfriend becoming a vengeful dragon - and quickly learns what she thought she knew about her own past was incorrect. So, Asra begins to seek out more about who she is and encounters plenty of obstacles (including a group rebelling against the king) and a charming demigod along the way. I haven't read anything else by this author, but I definitely think I'll read more, judging by how enjoyable this book was.
    • 5/5
       I really enjoyed Of Fire and Stars, and was quite excited to read this companion novel in the wait for Of Ice and Shadows. I didn't expect to love it as much as I did, and I actually read in one day, something I very rarely do. Whenever I need to write a review for something I love, I can't help but be at a loss for words but...Coulthurst's writing style just flows so wonderfully for me. It's very easy to slip into her words and forget you're reading, and become entranced into her story.I love all the characters and their interactions. Aven though it would have been nice to get to know some of the side characters a little more, I think focusing on the main four was a good idea. (I wish Asra and Nismae could have had more interactions, however.)I really didn't expect the story to pull at my heart at the beginning, and damn did it keep running with it.