Inkmistress

Audrey Coulthurst

Book - 2018

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.

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YOUNG ADULT FICTION/Coulthur Audrey
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Subjects
Genres
Fantasy fiction
Published
New York, NY : Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 2018.
Language
English
Main Author
Audrey Coulthurst (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
393 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
ISBN
9780062433282
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

What if changing the future to secure your happy ending only created a nightmare? When demigod Asra dares to wield her costly blood magic to dictate the fate of Ina, the human girl she loves, unthinkable tragedy results. Consequently, ruthless Ina will stop at nothing to take revenge on the kingdom's highest power. Guilt-ridden Asra seeks to restore peace and recover their idyllic life by tracking down the key to rewriting the past. By the time the girls realize they are chasing the same power, Asra must take command of her strength and ambition to preserve or transform their land. Asra's tale takes place in the same realm as the author'sOf Fire and Stars (2016), another fantasy with a gifted LGBT heroine, but is set centuries before; new readers can dive right in. While the magical elements and political machinations may be underdeveloped, Asra's rich emotions in the face of difficult choices in this coming-of-age saga will absorb audiences. An especially heartening development is the tender, healthy romance that supersedes an uneven one.--Kelly, Carolyn Copyright 2018 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

In Coulthurst's immersive second novel, set in the world of 2016's Of Fire and Stars, 17-year-old demigod and healer Asra uses her blood magic to help her love, Ina, find her "manifest," the animal she will magically bond with and change into at will. To Asra's horror, the creature turns out to be a fearsome dragon. After Ina's village and its people are destroyed by bandits, she vows to kill the king, whom she blames for her village's vulnerability. Asra sets off to stop Ina, aided by Hal, a boy who burns bright with magic and awakens a spark of attraction in Asra. He may also hold the answers to Asra's mysterious parentage and birthright, but his sister, a former assassin, is hot on their trail. Coulthurst emphasizes self-reliance, forgiveness, and the redemptive power of love in this satisfying tale of a lonely young woman, stung by betrayal, who must reconcile her ability to write the future in her own blood-and its price-with her desire for peace and a family to call her own. Ages 13-up. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, ICM. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 8 Up-Set in a mystical and magical world, this work follows Asra, a demigod who can write the future with her own blood. Her secret is powerful and in order to protect her people and Ina, the girl she loves, Asra remains quiet in the refuge of the mountains. When Ina's village is threatened, Ina chooses to manifest herself as a dragon, the animal that has been chosen for her as she passes into adulthood. Asra attempts to help Ina only to have blood magic go awry, allowing the bandits to destroy her village and Ina's family. Asra continues to help her after Ina seeks revenge on the king. Asra goes on a journey where she must fight powerful people with very few to trust. Her quest is not only one of adventure but also one of self-discovery. Coulthurst creates another dangerous world much like the one in her debut novel, Of Fire and Stars. This sophomore effort moves at a swift pace, engaging teens in a mystical world of darkness and blood magic. Fans of dragons, dark magic, and romance will embrace this novel and hope that Coulthurst will craft more adventures in this world. VERDICT A strong choice for fantasy collections.-Karen Alexander, Lake Fenton High School, Linden, MI © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review

In this engaging companion novel to Of Fire and Stars, demigod Asra leads a quiet life so that no one discovers she can write the future with her blood. One use of her power backfires horribly, resulting in death and abandonment by her mortal love, the dragon-bonded Ina. Steadfast heroine Asra lets love--in many forms--guide her pursuit of Ina to set things right. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

A demigod pines for romance but finds herself responsible for deaths and chaos.Asra lives alone on a mountain, providing villagers with magic-infused herbal remedies. If she mingles with mortals, they'll learn she's a bloodscribe: words written with her blood can change the past or future. Desperate to keep her (secret) mortal lover, Ina, from marrying a boy, Asra uses her bloodscribe power, accidentally (and inevitably) triggering deadly events. Whether she necessarily caused as many deaths as she thinks, she's consumed by guilt: if she finds Ina, who's become a vengeful dragon and departed, Asra can rewrite the past. Romantic love is Asra's primary focusafter Ina, a boy named Hal, also a demigod. Questions of faith also run through the book, both in the form of Asra's curiosity over which god is her parent and a challenge to the king, which threatens the land's life-support. Given that Asra's blood causes magic on contact, readers may wonder whether she menstruates (gods do have children). Dramatic chapter-ending cliffhangers invigorate momentum; ongoing, unnecessary reiteration slows it. Bisexuality in both protagonist and villain is refreshing, though the concluding text explicitly undermines Asra and Ina's relationship in hindsight. Asra and Ina are white; Hal is dark brown. For richer treatment of bisexuality, passion, and blood power, look to Sarah Fine's The True Queen (2018).Filled with fervor but more told than shown and diluted by repetition. (Romance/fantasy. 13-16) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.