POISON INK

Magically malevolent tattoos bring destruction to a circle of high-school chums. The matching tattoos were supposed to bind Sammi to her four closest friends, but, worried about betraying her parents’ trust, she backs out at the last minute. At school, her friends shun her due to her lack of a tattoo. They also act out of character: They cut classes, do drugs and fight their enemies with superhuman strength. During a fight in which her former friends injure her severely, Sammi discovers that the tattoos have expanded, taking over their bodies with pulsating lines of ink. Now it’s up to Sammi to break the ink’s spell. This is action-packed horror with a sidebar of romance, sure to entice those with a taste for blood and the supernatural. The pacing slows a little toward the midpoint of the book but picks up in its final quarter. Sammi’s discovery of the tattoo artist’s intentions is delightfully stomach-churning, leading to a satisfying, violent and sad ending. A secondary story line about racial tensions in Sammi’s town neither adds to nor detracts from the story. (Horror. YA)