Inkmistress (Of Fire and Stars 0.5) by Audrey Coulthurst

Inkmistress by Audrey Coulthurst
My Rating: ★★★★

Asra has lived a sheltered life on an isolated mountain. She’s content to spend her life as quiet as possible as the local town’s healer because she has a dangerous secret: she’s a demigod whose blood can do a number of things, including dictate the future. If anyone knew what Asra can do, she’d be a huge treasure for people with nefarious wishes. Unfortunately for Asra, she shares too many of her secrets with the mortal woman she loves, Ina. When Ina asks for help, Asra decides to help her girlfriend by using her blood to write the future. Asra’s blood magic accidentally triggers a terrible tragedy that drives Ina to reveal her true nature as she strives to take revenge on the king. Asra is forced to leave the comfort of her secluded mountain to stop Ina, which triggers a journey of self-discovery.

I absolutely loved Of Fire and Stars, so when I saw that there was a prequel, I knew I had to read it. The fun thing about this prequel is that it takes place 200 years before the first book in the series, so what happens in this story deeply affects society as well as how magic works long before Denna and Mare are born. That said, it’s a completely different story that doesn’t have any of the same characters. I do wonder if a certain character at the end turns out to be one of Denna’s ancestors, but as of right now, that’s a question for another time.

Like the first book, I love how complex the characters are. We get a pretty good idea that things are not what they seem early on. Asra is sheltered and she grew up believing that she’d have to spend her life alone and single. Through her journey, Asra discovers that life cannot be viewed through the lens she did when she was living a smaller life. She learns about herself and her abilities in ways that she might not have had she never set off on a journey to stop Ina. Asra also travels through cities that she had never dreamed of and meets all kinds of people, both good and bad. Along the way, she also discovers that she doesn’t have to be alone and that she can trust some people. While this takes place in a fantasy world, I think that it is relatable to anyone who was sheltered until they broke away and explored the life they didn’t know that they could have.

In addition to Asra, we have characters like Ina who isn’t necessarily evil, but is definitely somewhere in the gray area. She cares about people and has her hopes and dreams that are dashed, which then creates new motives and a harsh shell. We also see that she does soften a bit and that, at her core, she does care about others even though she chooses a violent and deceptive path.

There are a variety of characters that we meet along the way. We see sweet, guarded, sad, angry, distraught, and naive characters. I think that it’s important to see characters like these in books because not everyone is perfect and sometimes those who mean well don’t always make the best choices. In fact, some people eventually become soured by their life experiences, like one of the character’s sisters was. Then there are people who are too trusting and others that do not trust enough, and those are just small parts of who they are.

The story did drag a little around the middle, and Asra’s romantic struggles overshadowed the big picture at some point, but I did enjoy the book. Overall, it’s a wonderful book and I am looking forward to see what book two has to bring and how various parts of this prequel will impact the story.