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On December 1, Upturn Publishing put out Ashley Mansour’s debut novel, Blood, Ink & Fire. This Young Adult novel, whose somewhat violent nature and frank talk of sex make it suitable only for adults and older teens, has a unique dystopian vision, but its flaws may keep some readers from fully enjoying the story.
Mansour’s book revolves around a society in which readers have had their ability stripped and books are illegal. The dominant society has burned away all traces of them. In some ways it’s a more modern version of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, but the similarities end there.
Noelle Hartley goes on a quest to reveal the remaining volumes and fight back against modern society. With her is her grandfather, William, and the embodiment of every story ever written, Ledger, who takes over the body of her dying best friend. He’s there to guide her into her destiny and ultimately it is a love story between the two.
The base line story is unique. Ledger is an interesting concept character and the idea of no books and no readers is truly terrifying for book lovers. However, the story has some flaws. The reason the Sovereigns aren’t fully destroyed before Elle comes along isn’t fully explained and little details are grating, like when Elle wakes in a room locked from the inside. How is it locked if no one can lock it from the outside and she was asleep when she arrived there? Elle’s final decision in the book is also puzzling. Why would she do what she did? I believe the story is being left open for a second book, but the ending is confusing.
If you can ignore the hairline cracks of its faults, this novel may be worth reading for its interesting premise. However, if you’re easily annoyed by imperfections in the story, you may want to look elsewhere.
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