Book Raves Pt. 13: The Skin Books Trilogy by Alice Broadway

"The truth will get under your skin."

Don't you just love having a friend you can share books with? It's like you have your own book buddy. So, Jeyda, if you're reading this, thank you for being my personal library. To all my book buddies, let's share books in the future.

I've actually had my eye on this book series for quite a while now, but being responsible with my expenses were a hinder... I did find the first book, Ink, in a charity shop for £2, but being a student meant I couldn't indulge in buying the book, so I left it. Then I went back the next day and it was gone. That was one of my biggest regrets.

So, I was elated when my friend recommended the series to me. As well as the tagline at the back, the cover art for these books caught my eye; they were so beautiful and resembled intricate tattoos. I was mesmerised.

The Skin Books trilogy, comprising of Ink, Spark and Scar, are YA, fantasy/dystopian novels. They follow the story of protagonist Leora Flint, who lives in a place called Saintstone - a place where people described as marked live. The marked ink important events and special occasions on a person's skin. Because you can read someone's life story on their skin, there are no secrets.

Where there are marked people, there are also those who live far from Saintstone with no ink on their skin - the blanks. With these differences and a chilling past between the two, these communities are not very fond of each other.

Unlike the blanks, the marked practice inking and can even choose it as a profession (it's the same as being a tattoo artist in real life). When a person passes away, their skin is flayed and turned into a book to remember their stories and their life. A Weighing of the Soul ceremony then determines whether an individual's skin book is deemed either worthy or forgotten. If deemed forgotten, the skin book is burned.

Broadway's writing is in present tense and has just the perfect amount of pace to hook you in until the big revelation. One of the aspects I like about the series while reading is its thought-provoking nature. It makes the reader question the idea of secrets and whether how the marked are living is the right way to live. It also provokes the reader to question if the marked's worth is only based on what their skin tells.

"Even if every inch of you was covered and every word you have ever spoken was written on your skin, would it be enough? Would it be all anyone needed to truly know you?"

This is equivalent to asking if what you show on the outside is enough for anyone to know who you really are.

Another aspect I like is the integration of fairy tales. Broadway entwines fairy tales within the story and alters them to fit into Leora's world. Her utilisation of fairy tales to tell the history of the two communities and inform the readers of the background story is perfect. It makes you ponder about fantasy and reality: what is the truth?

The differences between the marked and the blanks, and how both communities don't know each other's stories, reminds me of how society can sometimes refuse to be open to other cultures. The two differing communities are also a representation of society's unwillingness to try to understand and learn about other points of view. Both communities believe their stories are the truth, disregarding the other's teachings. However, this only reminds me of the saying: there are two sides to every story - what could be the truth to you may be different to somebody else's. Just like how your opinions may differ from another person's.

Without the willingness to understand or the openness to learn from others, the little peace we have will deteriorate, which is illustrated by recent events, such as the Black Lives Matter movement.

At the end, Leora grows as her thoughts and views change; she becomes a new person. Leora reclaims her power and who she is, conveying that through understanding and acceptance of differences, we can see a sliver of hope and peace.

Another one of my favourite quotes from the book to bring your day to a positive end:

"... Our bodies heal, our bodies repair. Our bodies are built with redemption running through our veins. We don't consist of failures and mistakes. We are made new every morning. The past doesn't have to define you, Leora. Your mistakes don't have to be for ever. There's redemption. There's always redemption."

{#books #novels #rave #TheSkinBooksTrilogy #AliceBroadway}