WARNING: This story contains excessive talk of murder, ruthless leaders, injustice, society ranks, war, and terrorism. Reader discretion is advised.
On her tenth birthday, Meticulous Jones, known to her friends as Metty, receives her fate, as all children do, in the form of a magical tattoo on her hand. She hopes that her ink will reveal something exciting: a tattoo that will symbolize travel, or discovery, or adventure. What appears is a skull, balanced in the palm of a violet glove.
Metty’s fate is to become a murderer.
Metty is swiftly hidden away by her father, Moral Jones, in a remote Welsh farmhouse, with only a miserable housekeeper (who’s terrified she’ll become Metty’s first victim) for company. But when Moral goes missing, his sister, Aunt Magnificent, arrives to sweep Metty off to the glittering city of New London. Metty is mesmerized by the magic and enchantment she discovers there. But when she starts to hear rumors of a mysterious and dangerous organization known as the Black Moths, she wonders if they might be connected to her father’s disappearance and to her own fate.
Has anyone else noticed the alarming number of stories, TV shows, and movies targeted at children that talk way too casually about murder? It’s disturbing. The idea that someone could be fated to be a murderer is appalling. Poor Metty spends most of the story convinced that she will one day hurt someone.
The concept of magic fate tattoos fascinated me. They are kind of like ‘cutie marks’ from My Little Pony. While cutie marks appear when a pony discovers what makes them special and different, magic tattoos are acquired when a child turns ten and determines their future profession or personality trait. For example, lion symbols are associated with zookeeping, bravery, or a glorious head of hair. Metty has a book of fates titled, “The Official British Dictionary of Fates: Five Hundred Common Fates and Their Meanings,” which she reads from throughout the story. An Index of Common Fates is included at the back of the book.
My favorite part of the story was the Jones family tradition of odd M names. I love it when an author gives their characters unusual names. Besides Meticulous, her father, Moral, and her aunt, Magnificent, here are a few more Jones family members:
- Majestic
- Monotonous
- Maniacal
- Melancholy
- Masterful
The ink-based magic system was confusing, but I stuck with it because I was curious to see if Metty would actually murder someone. I recommend this book to fans of overly complex steampunk fantasy adventures with deeply immersive worldbuilding.
Tune in next week for my review of the second book in the Inkbound series, Meticulous Jones and the Shadow Compass.