In Ink, Leora exposed her community's intolerance of nonconformists. Now, Saintstone's leader forces Leora to spy on the dreaded (untattooed) "blanks"--whom Leora learns aren't the threat she's been conditioned to fear. Readers will be interested in how propaganda and fear rally both populaces against a perceived enemy. Imbued with original fairy tales and symbolism, and lightly touched with magic, this suspenseful sequel will draw readers in.

In this fantasy sequel, a young tattooist learns that contradictory stories can be true.After dramatically defying Saintstone's customs, Leora Flint is exiled to live among the blanks of Featherstone—not in punishment but as a spy. The blanks view her community's obligatory tattooed marks as abominations. To her surprise, they aren't the aggressors she was taught to hate but peaceful, accepting, desperately poor, and hungry. As she discovers more about her own parents' pasts, Leora regrets her mission and is faced with a dilemma: Betray the blanks or the people she loves will face the consequences. Leora's first-person narration remains vacillating, naïve, and guilt-ridden even as others hail her as uniquely special and influential. Additionally, the inconsistent worldbuilding from the first title remains muddled. Still, this entry gains power from the explicit comparisons between the two societies: Both are benevolent utopias on the surface, finding equal beauty in all genders, skin tones, and body shapes, and each slowly reveals dark undercurrents of deception, fear, and anger. Broadway's (Ink, 2018) lush (if occasionally overwrought) prose is especially effective when narrating the dark foundational myths of Featherstone interspersed throughout the narrative, forming a reverse mirror to the tales of Saintstone. The pacing is taut and suspenseful, right up to a shocking cliffhanger which seems to belong to another genre entirely.Interesting, if uneven; will appeal to fans of the first volume. (Fantasy. 14-18)

Gr 7 Up--In this sequel to Ink, readers continue to see Leora's story unfold. This fantasy gives readers two distinct groups of people, the marked, who wear marks covering their skin that detail their vices and virtues, and the blanks, who do not wear any marks but show vices and virtues through their own rituals. Leora is half blank and half marked, having grown up in the marked society and only recently discovered her roots. She has just been branded a traitor but the mayor of her community of Saintstone offers her the opportunity to prove her worth by traveling to the blank community of Featherstone under the guise of being outcast and wanting to understand her roots while actually spying for Saintstone. Leora is tentatively accepted into the community and begins to learn their history and stories, noting the similarities and differences to her own. She begins to realize that what she thought was true isn't and that her perspective can change. Meanwhile, tensions brew as the marked leaders desire war against the blanks to wipe them out. The blanks realize fighting may be the only hope for their survival. Legends of this society's origins are woven through the narrative and the dichotomy between the two sides is interesting. The pages contain beautiful designs in the corners that accentuate the flowing prose. A cliff-hanger ending will have readers anticipating the last book. VERDICT An interesting plot and premise make this a great choice for fantasy shelves and where the first book in the series is popular.-Megan Huenemann, Norris High School, Firth, NE