Ink and Ashes

by Valynne Maetani
Hennepin County Library hardcover 380 pages
genre: YA mystery, action, relationships, coming-of-age

The cover of this book looks intense and I expected another hard-core teen novel. It was surprisingly mild. The protagonist is 17 years old and never been kissed. There's almost no swearing at all. Some of the story seemed slow in developing.

That said, it kept me interested until the end. Trying to figure out who was doing frightening things to Claire, why they weren't targeting her brothers, how these things fit in with her father's past . . . It was an interesting book.

I feel as though I ought to write a synopsis here, but I don't feel like it. Amazon says, "Claire Takata has never known much about her father, who passed away ten years ago. But on the anniversary of his death, she finds a letter from her deceased father to her stepfather. Before now, Claire never had a reason to believe they even knew each other. Struggling to understand why her parents kept this surprising history hidden, Claire combs through anything that might give her information about her father . . . until she discovers that he was a member of the yakuza, a Japanese organized crime syndicate. The discovery opens a door that should have been left closed. The race to outrun her father's legacy reveals secrets of his past that cast ominous shadows, threatening Claire, her friends and family, her newfound love, and ultimately her life. Winner of Tu Books New Visions Award, Ink and Ashes is a fascinating debut novel packed with romance, intrigue, and heart-stopping action."

I liked it and may buy it for school. The Japanese culture aspect was interesting - the author's explanation at the end added to the story.