EMILY’S REVIEW

Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo

by Philippa Leathley

Inkbound

5/5 bushy tails

Emily’s age guide: 9–12

As soon as I opened this book, I knew I was going to enjoy it. After reading the first chapter, I knew I would never forget it.
Meticulous “Metty” Jones goes to receive her Fate on her tenth birthday, in the form of a tattoo on the palm of her hand, just like any other child. She hopes for something exciting and rare, telling of some great adventure that she would have in the future. What appears is a skull in the fingers of a violet glove, which can mean only one thing: Metty’s fate is to be a murderer.
A year later, after being confined to her own house to help postpone her dark fate, her father disappears under suspicious circumstances, and she is whisked off by her Aunt Magnificent to the magical city of New London, where magic is everywhere, and flowing through the city in the form of Ink, keeping it above the Atlantic Ocean.
Meanwhile, a group of terrorists known as the Black Moths keep attacking people during special events, and Metty begins to wonder if they are connected to her own dark fate.

Reviewed by Emily