Disclaimer: I received this arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Kingdom of Ink and Paper

Author: Matthew Newman

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3/5

Recommended For...: fantasy, ya

Publication Date: March 2, 2021

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: 13+ (violence, gore, murder, death)

Publisher: Sandcrest Publishing

Pages: 322

Synopsis: Every book you’ve ever read. Every story you’ve ever heard. What if they were all true?

When high school student Will Morgan goes on a school trip to Boston, he doesn’t expect to witness a murder. But when best-selling novelist Arthur O’Neill is found dead, Will realizes there’s more to this writer’s books than just words.

After O’Neill’s death, Will receives a mysterious package: a copy of The Redstone Keep, one of O’Neill’s famous novels. Upon reading the book, Will passes out and is introduced to a man named Tam Desmond, The Redstone Keep’s protagonist. Tam explains that he is a resident of the World of the Written, a universe parallel to our own where everything ever published by humans comes to life.

Through his conversations with Tam, Will learns that something was targeting Arthur, and that same force is now after him. Armed with his new powers and a magical sword, Will sets out on a journey to solve the mysteries surrounding the murder; however, all the while, Arthur’s death may have just been the start of something much more sinister.

Review: For the most part the book was okay. It had some good world building and this would be great for a younger audience. The book also flows well and has a solid story. The book is kinda reminiscent of Inkspell and if you’re a fan of that then I recommend this read!

However, I just didn’t feel like the characters were well developed and I felt like the pacing was a bit too slow for me. The book also was really cliché.

Verdict: It’s good!