Ink by Amanda Sun

I'll admit it -- I don't see the point of book trailers. If you're looking for something to read, why would you watch a video? But the animated trailers for Ink by Amanda Sun are clever, not to mention that they actually tie in with the book itself. 

 

When Katie Greene walks out of school still wearing her slippers, her friends warn her not to go back inside, that there's a nasty breakup happening in the hallway. But she can't go home without her shoes, so she slips inside, hoping that she won't be noticed by the arguing couple. She's already struggling to fit into the school in Japan and to learn the language. The last thing she needs is for them to see her.

 

Those concerns are quickly forgotten when Tomohiro's notebook lands on the floor beside her:

 

"The notebook exploded with pages as it trailed down, the papers catching in the air and filling the room like rain. They twirled and twisted as they came down, white edges framing thick lines of black ink and charcoal. They fluttered down to the floor like cherry petals."

 

And then she sees one of his drawings look back at her....

I was completely pulled into the books world, where drawings can move and bite and lift off of the page. Ink is the first book in the Paper Gods Series by Amanda Sun. I'll be keeping an eye out for the second one. Shadow, the prequel to Ink, is available as a free Kindle download. I didn't find out about it until I checked the author's website to see if there was a publication date for the next book in the series, but I've got it on my Kindle now.

I also just finished reading Follow the White Rabbit by Kellie Sheridan. It's an interesting look at Wonderland a hundred and fifty years after Alice left. Here's the book's description:

For centuries, Wonderland thrived as the domain of beautiful bedlam and unapologetic madness. It was a place like no other. All it took was one girl slipping in through the cracks of the universe to start chaos spiraling toward order. In the 150 years since Alice’s visit, the realm has become tainted—almost normal. Rabbits in waistcoats and playing card minions are little more than creatures of myth, and Wonderland is literally falling to pieces.

For Gwen, Rose, and Lucky, Wonderland is home, and yet they know little of its former glory. When the Alice prophecy resurfaces, they’ll have one chance to use Wonderland’s own legends to bring a little mayhem back into their reality. For she who controls Alice controls the fate of Wonderland.

To me, this novella was more of a teaser than a stand alone piece.  Because of that, I don't think I can recommend it.

Disclosure -- both books were provided by the publishers.