Poison Ink [Library Binding]

Christopher Golden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 9, 2009

SAMMI, TQ, CARYN, Letty, and Katsuko are floaters. None of them fits in with any particular group at Covington High School—except each other. One night, to cement their bond, the girls decide to get matching, unique tattoos. But when Sammi backs out at the last minute, everything changes. Faster than you can say “airbrush,” Sammi is an outcast, and soon, her friends are behaving like total strangers. When they attack Sammi for trying to break up a brawl, Sammi spies something horrible on her friends’ backs: the original tattoo has grown tendrils, snaking and curling over the girls’ entire bodies. What has that creepy tattoo artist done to her friends? And what—if anything—can Sammi do to get them back? This deliciously creepy psychological thriller is the perfect summer read.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up—A fast-paced emotional thriller. High school junior Sammi and her four best friends are beautiful outcasts who formed an unbreakable bond. At least, she thought their bond was unbreakable—until she backs out of getting the friendship tattoo they all agreed upon. When Sammi's friends go from being distant to completely unlike themselves—getting into serious trouble with drugs, sex, and violent altercations—she starts to wonder if maybe there is something evil about their tattoos. Sammi tries to stop them from fighting with another group of girls, and her former friends beat her so badly that she is hospitalized. Determined to discover the truth, Sammi investigates the tattoo shop and finds frightening and disturbing links to the occult. The story has explicit language and descriptions and some violent scenes. While the motives of the tattoo-artist bad guy are a bit unclear, it's easy to get past that and go along for the ride. Sammi's interactions with her friends reflect a deeper fear about changing relationships and being alone, and throughout the book, she must also deal with her parents' strained relationship. With a likable protagonist and an eerie plot, this novel will mesmerize fans of the supernatural.—Sharon Senser McKellar, Oakland Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Library Binding edition.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

On the last Friday night of summer, Sammi Holland and the girls went downtown in search of ice cream. They planned to meet at Krueger’s Flatbread for pizza beforehand, a necessary preamble to the main event: an utter debauchery of swirl-ins and sprinkles and fudge sauce at England’s MicroCreamery. Afterward, the five of them would wander Washington Street, peeking in the windows of the candle shop, the art galleries, and the bohemian café on the corner, ending up at Cruel and Unusual Books. No way were they getting out of there without hitting the bookshop. Sammi could be very persuasive.

Downtown Covington didn’t draw a lot of teenagers. Most of their classmates from Covington High School would be at the mall tonight. But Sammi and the girls just weren’t the sort who hung out at the mall.

Unless they were going to the movies, Sammi and her friends steered clear of the Merrimack River Walk. The long, outdoor strip mall had been built less than ten years before, complete with movie megaplex, massive bookstore, and tons of chain clothing stores. On Friday and Satur- day nights, hordes of high school kids from Haverhill, Methuen, Jameson, and other nearby towns roved the sidewalks along the River Walk in gaggles, half of them talking on their cell phones or texting their friends who hadn’t come along. Like the “main drag” in old movies and TV shows, the River Walk was all about seeing and being seen—half mating ritual and half dance of supremacy.

Sammi had no interest in that kind of poseur crap, and neither did the girls she hung around with. The five of them had been oddballs and loners all their lives, until they had found each other. Now they were like sisters, and all was right with the world. Or mostly right. So tonight Sammi walked along a stretch of cobblestoned sidewalk on Washington Street with Caryn Adams.

“Come on,” she said, hooking her arm through Caryn’s and dragging her away from the window of a closed gallery. “We’re late.”

Caryn fell into step beside her, grinning. “You’re just lucky that place isn’t open. Then we’d be really late.”

“Aren’t you hungry? I’m starving.”

“Haven’t you ever heard of the ‘starving artist’? ” Caryn said. “Kind of comes with the territory.”

“Yeah, right. All those fashionistas who design dresses for the red carpet crowd, they’re starving artists. If they’re only eating carrot sticks, it isn’t because they can’t afford a decent meal.”

“No argument. But first they had to suffer. They had to get down in the trenches and fight it out with all the other ambitious artists.”

Sammi laughed. “You make it sound like war.”

Caryn glanced at her, the fading summer sunshine gleaming on her caramel skin. “There are all kinds of wars.”

Sammi blinked. She knew Caryn wanted a career in fashion desperately. Of all of her friends—of anyone she knew—Caryn had the most purpose and drive. But sometimes it verged on obsession.

“You must chill. Seriously. One of these days we’ll watch the Oscars together and they’ll ask, ‘Who are you wearing?’ and the answer will be ‘Caryn Adams.’ I know this. We all know it. But between now and then, you really have to chill. School starts on Tuesday, and tonight’s supposed to be about just being together.”

Caryn softened. “You’re right. That me, the one who was getting all tense? Just sent her home. Girl is not allowed to come out tonight.”

Sammi smiled. “Good.”

Grinning, they turned off of Washington Street into Railroad Square. Sammi and Caryn were roughly the same height—five feet three inches—and close enough in size that they could share clothes. The spaghetti-strap top Caryn had on had come from Sammi’s closet, while Sammi had pulled on a couple of tank tops, going for the layered look. Caryn wore sneakers, but Sammi stuck with the strappy sandals she’d worn most of the summer.

They walked alongside the concrete wall of the elevated train platform toward the old brick factory building that housed Krueger’s Flatbread. Most of Covington had been mills and factories once upon a time, like so many cities built north of Boston on the Merrimack River. In the past few years, the downtown had undergone serious renovation, the old buildings gutted and reclaimed for apartments, offices, and storefront shops. Much cooler than any mall. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 279 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1442004606
• ISBN-13: 978-1442004603
• Shipping Information: View shipping rates and policies
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

More About the Author

CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the award-winning, bestselling author of such novels as The Myth Hunters, Wildwood Road, The Boys Are Back in Town, The Ferryman, Strangewood, Of Saints and Shadows, and (with Tim Lebbon) The Map of Moments. He has also written books for teens and young adults, including Poison Ink, Soulless, and the thriller series Body of Evidence, honored by the New York Public Library and chosen as one of YALSA's Best Books for Young Readers. Upcoming teen novels include a new series of hardcover YA fantasy novels co-authored with Tim Lebbon and entitled The Secret Journeys of Jack London.

A lifelong fan of the "team-up," Golden frequently collaborates with other writers on books, comics, and scripts. In addition to his recent work with Tim Lebbon, he co-wrote the lavishly illustrated novel Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire with Mike Mignola. With Thomas E. Sniegoski, he is the co-author of the book series OutCast and The Menagerie, as well as comic book miniseries such as Talent, currently in development as a feature film. With Amber Benson, Golden co-created the online animated series Ghosts of Albion and co-wrote the book series of the same name.
As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies The New Dead and British Invasion, among others, and has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, the online animated series Ghosts of Albion (with Amber Benson) and a network television pilot.

The author is also known for his many media tie-in works, including novels, comics, and video games, in the worlds of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hellboy, Angel, and X-Men, among others.

Golden was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His original novels have been published in more than fourteen languages in countries around the world. Please visit him at www.christophergolden.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get Inked!, July 8, 2008

By 

Little Willow (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Poison Ink (Paperback)

I drank up every drop of this book.

Poison Ink is a killer thriller, certain to please fans of the suspense genre. This novel offers twists and turns at every corner, piercing as deep as the spoke-like tattoo which changes the lives of five girls forever.

The mark is supposed to bond the best friends forever. When Sammi balks at getting the tattoo, she doesn't expect her friends to react as strongly as they do, and their actions and words leave her hurt and confused. Though her friends cast her aside, Sammi never turns her back on them. She knows something is terribly wrong, and she's determined to figure out how to stop it before they destroy themselves.

Each of the main characters are different in both appearance and attitude, making it easy to picture them and distinguish between them. Their differences are what drew them together in the first place: they didn't fit into any of the established cliques at school, so they drifted together, a group of floaters, then became close friends. How they react to the tragedies in this book prove that that bond is unbreakable, even though they themselves will never be the same.

Once again, Christopher Golden has created a page turner that will keep readers up at night. (It might also inspire them to seek tattoo removal!) Poison Ink is filled with horrors both familiar (fighting with your best friends, getting crushed by your crush) and imaginative. With an action-packed climax, Poison Ink proves to be indelible, and will remain etched in the minds of readers.

Poison Ink is one of my favorite books of 2008. I can't wait to get this book into the hands of teens and adults alike and introduce a new generation to Golden's works.

4.0 out of 5 stars Poison Ink, October 25, 2008

By 

Mrs. Magoo "Mrs. Magoo Reads" (California, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Poison Ink (Paperback)

From www.mrsmagooreads.com


Title: Poison Ink
Author: Christopher Golden
Grade: A-
Ideal Audience: Boys & Girls, 12-19
Reading Type(s): The Fantastical Reader & The Mysterious Reader

Summary: Sammi, Katsuko, Caryn, Letty, and TQ have always been the best of friends, have always been there for each other. During a sleepover, they decide to get identical tattoos to prove their friendship. There's only one problem: it's illegal for underage kids to get tattoos without their parents' permission. As the five of them know that their parents would never agree to their proposition, they are forced to go to a shady shop where no questions are asked.

After all four of her friends have gotten their tattoos, it's Sammi's turn... but then she chickens out. She decides that although her friends will forgive her, her parents might not. Besides, the place they're at may not even be sanitary, and the tattoo artist- Dante- is definitely creepy.

Over the next few weeks, however, Sammi realizes that her friends aren't forgiving her. She is treated as a traitor for not getting the tattoo and is firmly pushed out of their clique. Then her ex-friends start acting in ways they never have before. Even TQ, once quiet and shy, is acting outrageously.

Sammi has to find out what Dante did to her friends to make them act like this, and how she can fix it. But can she solve the problem before it's too late?

My thoughts: I loved the creepy mood of Poison Ink (perfect for Halloween!) Also, the descriptions of the tattoo shop and the repercussions of the tattoos made me long to see a movie version of this.

Although there were a few brief disturbing parts (if you get queasy easily you'll probably just want to skip over a few paragraphs), I fully enjoyed the novel, and I really do hope it's made into a movie! :-)

5.0 out of 5 stars A haunting read..., September 21, 2008

By 

Book-lover Carol "Carol" (Fort Worth,TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Poison Ink (Paperback)

SAMMI, TQ, CARYN, Letty, and Katsuko are floaters. None of them fits in with any particular group at Covington High School--except each other. One night, to cement their bond, the girls decide to get matching, unique tattoos. But when Sammi backs out at the last minute, everything changes. Faster than you can say "airbrush," Sammi is an outcast, and soon, her friends are behaving like total strangers. When they attack Sammi for trying to break up a brawl, Sammi spies something horrible on her friends' backs: the original tattoo has grown tendrils, snaking and curling over the girls' entire bodies. What has that creepy tattoo artist done to her friends? And what--if anything--can Sammi do to get them back?

Poison Ink was a great horror book. You find yourself cringing and widening your eyes at times while reading the story. It's hard to forget about the book. The plot was original and kept you on the edge of your seat. The pace of the book was very good but sometimes you just wished that it was a little bit more fast paced. All the characters felt believable and they had regular teenage problems as well . It was very suspenseful kept you turning the pages. Christopher Golden sure knows how to write a suspenseful horror book that keeps you awake at night.
-Carol
www.bookluver-carol.blogspot.com