The premise of the story was very interesting but I found it overall hard to read. To me the unfolding of the story was slow. It didn't feel any connection to Etain as the leading lady in the book. The story really just meandered toward the end. Now, I will say this book is the first in an ongoing serial about these same characters. If I had known that I probably would not have read it. I don't tend to read books that are a series centered around one character. Understanding that will perhaps explain why half way through the book it still had the feeling of being the first few chapters of the story. However, that I don't like serial stories does not mean that I have not read them. Laurel K. Hamilton, for instance does a good job in her vampire hunter and fey series of making each book a full stand alone story with a definite beginning, middle, and end. I can understand there has to be a balance struck between making this a complete story but also putting enough in it to draw the reader back for the next installment. Inked Magic fell short in that. There is nothing about that draws me to the next book because the only character I found intriguing was Liam (Eamon's third ranking man- or um elf). Anyway, overall it was a strong premise, but a very week delivery. Nothing about it makes we want to pick up the next book in the series or anything else by Jory Strong. There were too many sex scenes and the plot suffers because of it, in addition those scenes are not original and too repetitive and quickly become boring. The story could have been interesting otherwise, they were some original ideas like the fact that Ethan is a tattoo artist, but there weren't many pages left to develop it.I am generally annoyed when I see a love triangle in a book and the heroine hovering between the two men without being able to choose, that's why I find the resolution here interesting. However, the author doesn't really explain how their relationship could work but instead focus on the sex...Ethan has powerful magic developing and she is losing control of it but she doesn't try anything to understand it. Even when Eamon propose to help, she refuses instead of trying to get answers on her own terms; having sex with him was far more interesting to her... I didn't think that Eamon was credible as a powerful immortal, apart from being a little clueless about human interaction and too authoritative, he thinks and behave like a human. I am also uncomfortable with the use of rape in novels unless it is treated extremely well and it is essential to the plot. Here I think that it was use to carelessly and it annoyed me. For example, Ethan has to relive the rape of a young girl to learn who were responsible for it and, apart from throwing up a little, she has no problem with it, she even have sex just after... For me it's not credible and disrespectful to rape victim.
What do You think about Inked Magic (2012)?
Good read but felt the story has not ended ...is there a follow up?
—piggers
