Indelible (The Twixt #1)

This book was originally on my 'must-read' list but I'm afraid it just fell a little short to me.

It's incredibly hard to love a book if you don't like its main character. Joy was immensely hard for me to like, I struggled to see where she was coming from time and time again. But her reliance on others and tenancy to over react just got on my nerves. However I liked her "best friend," Monica, even less. What kind of friend best or otherwise abandons you right after you've experienced a traumatic event? I hope none of my friends ever do that to me, I cant even begin to express how unfriendly I would feel towards them. It would be exceptable, I suppose, if they had a good reason for doing so. Let me just say that Monica had just about the worst reason ever, and Joy just brushed it off! Ugh!

Ink and Inq were the only reason I ended up enjoying reading this book. Their unique perspectives were intriguing. I especially liked Ink because he saw everything involving humans through fresh eyes. Unfortunately his lack of experience with humans was probably what drove him to be interested in Joy who I imagine he would have been much better without. Inq I liked a little less than Ink because of some of her strange behaviors that I didn't particularly agree with. Overall I really enjoyed their opinions and ways of seeing things.

But just please. Please let me throw something heavy at Joy. Like refrigerator heavy or so. She reminded me just a little too much of Bella Swan.

If I had to summarize this book in one word, it would be: Strange. I'm just not certain where on the 'strange' spectrum I would place Indelible. It could be closer to the 'so strange it's amazing' area or the 'this is whacked out strange.' For now, I'm going to say it's somewhere in the middle.


The idea behind Indelible is unique. I can guarantee that you have read nothing like this. I would even bet a kidney on it. However, because it is such a unique concept, it was hard for me to buy into it 100%. I never made it past the relationship between Ink and Joy. How can one instant take you from "I hate your guts" and "I could care less about what I did" to "you may be my soul mate". That was too much of a stretch for me. I think if more time would have been spent making the transition between those feelings, I would have been more okay with it. Buuuuut, then there is that whole thing about Ink not really being anything (I got the impression of some oozing, swirling vortex inside of a pseudo-human candy coated shell). Now, that was just weird. So naturally, I just couldn't see how Joy could have romantic feelings towards something that was described repeatedly as nonhuman-- and to the extent of being nothing at all. Way too far into left field for me.


Other than the relationship aspect that really seemed to drive the majority of the book, I had a few issues with the story telling aspect too. I hate to admit it, but I got confused sometimes-- which is not easy to do. I can't really say what it was that had me baffled, but I ended up rereading entire paragraphs trying to grasp what was being said. That made me almost give up on the book. I was around 30% finished when I felt like I didn't want to read anymore. Then I picked it up the next day and read about 30% more. Something pretty important happened, and I figured I needed to find out what the cause was (because I had my hunch). I did end up finishing it, but I do not think I will read the next book in the series. It just didn't move me the way I've seen others proclaim. I felt like once I looked beyond the dazzle of the uniqueness, I was left with too much of an unbelievable story. (and yes, I know it was a fantasy but it still didn't click with me)