Review: Indelible (Dawn Metcalf)

Title: Indelible
Series: The Twixt, Book 1
Author: Dawn Metcalf
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: July 30, 2013
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy Romance
Told: Third Person Singular (Joy), Past Tense
Content Rating: Older Teen (violence, some gore, battles, serious scary situations, sensuality, minor innuendo, minor torture, bodily fluids)
Format Read: ARC (author)
Find On: Goodreads
Purchase On: Amazon | B&N | TBD
Summary:

Some things are permanent.

Indelible.

And they cannot be changed back.

Joy Malone learns this the night she sees a stranger with all-black eyes across a crowded room—right before the mystery boy tries to cut out her eye. Instead, the wound accidentally marks her as property of Indelible Ink, and this dangerous mistake thrusts Joy into an incomprehensible world—a world of monsters at the window, glowing girls on the doorstep, and a life that will never be the same.

Now, Joy must pretend to be Ink’s chosen one—his helper, his love, his something for the foreseeable future...and failure to be convincing means a painful death for them both. Swept into a world of monsters, illusion, immortal honor and revenge, Joy discovers that sometimes, there are no mistakes.

Somewhere between reality and myth lies…

THE TWIXT.

*          *          *

Review copy provided by author for an honest review. Thank you, Dawn!!

Three Words: Unique. Fantastical. Dazzling.

Cover: Gorgeous but creepy once you find out what it actually is (no spoilers).

Writing: A unique voice overflowing with vivid sensory detail; the word choices and descriptive comparisons were unusual and intriguing. I did get a little lost at times, unsure who was where and doing what, but overall it was rich and engrossing.

Setting: There is only one word to describe the world of this book, and it is WOW - Dawn created a highly unique and imaginative otherworld layered atop our own. The closest thing I felt it came close to was the Fae, but it was still wildly different. It encompassed bits and pieces of so many elements from lots of different fantasy stories - Japanese folklore, fairies, Alice's Adventures, and even a little Where the Wild Things Are. I was awestruck at the originality and yet familiarity of it all.

I will say that I never quite got a handle on the Twixt and how the True Names/signatura worked exactly, at least not until the end (and even then I only got most of it, at best). But I wonder if it wasn't simply that the sheer weight of the originality didn't overwhelm me. I'm so used to writers taking something already done and just putting a new spin on it, and Indelible didn't even come close to anything I'd ever read before. So despite some underlying confusion, I was absolutely dazzled.

Story: With her normal life falling apart around her, Joy finds excitement, romance, and danger amongst the world of the Twixt, an otherworldly race that lives almost invisible among us. Accidentally marked by one of their Scribes - a handcrafted, human-like being known as Indelible Ink - she is drawn into a mess of magic, monsters and mystery as she and her new friends discover and race to foil a plot to eliminate the human race. For such a complex book, the story was relatively uncomplicated and easy to follow, but not easy to guess. I saw the Inq angle coming, but not much else, which made for a very engaging read.

Characters: Joy is a girl left behind - her parents, brother, and even her best friend have found someone and moved on with their lives, but Joy is stuck in the past, alone and feeling forgotten. Then along comes a mysterious boy and a whole other world that "accepts" her - who could really blame her for wanting to hide within it, even if it mostly treats her horribly? (The world treats her horribly, not the boy - just want to clarify.) But as the story progresses, she slowly begins to find some semblance of balance - with her worlds, and with herself - and discovers the power she needs to protect what she wants. Indelible Ink began more emotionless doll than human (not that he was human), but after time with Joy he becomes sweet and loving, albeit a bit needy (which is not necessarily a bad trait in a boy, most of the time ;). I adored his strength and innocence, and enjoyed watching his progression into the world of love and feelings.

The playful Invisible Inq, identical "sister" to Indelible Ink (yes, Ink and Inq - surprisingly, I rarely got them mixed up), was a good go-between for Joy and Ink - although her little care for anyone else's feelings got in the way quite a bit. Still, she and her cabana boys were a fun addition. I also must to mention Graus Claude - he was overwhelming and extremely creepy, but I really came to like and respect him. I kept getting a Frog & Toad vibe, albeit adult horror style. He began as the one they had to fool and grew into their ally and mentor, and as he grew on Joy he grew on me.

Romantic Relationship: Joy and Ink's relationship was a bit...soppy. But as she had yet to be in a serious relationship, and he didn't really even know what a relationship was, it was sweet and innocent (relatively) and so rather adorable. 

Conclusion: I was thoroughly impressed and dazzled, even if I didn't quite get all of it. Maybe it will make more sense the second time around, because I definitely plan to read this book again. And most certainly continue the series!

Scribble Rating: 

4 of 5 Scribbles

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