Whispers of Ink and Starlight
by Garrett Curbow

A spellbinding tale of forbidden love and the power of words, where a girl must choose between the life written for her and the future she dares to imagine.

In a small Georgia town, Nelle’s life has been carefully scripted by her creator and captor, the reclusive author Wallace Quill. Born from ink and imagination, every breath she takes is dictated by his pen. But on a star-studded Fourth of July night, she meets James—a young man with dreams as vivid as the fireworks above them—and suddenly, the unwritten becomes possible.

As Nelle and James fall deeply in love, they embark on a breathtaking journey across Europe, each new experience a defiant stroke against the words that bind her. But freedom has a price. With every mile they travel, the ink in Nelle’s veins threatens to rewrite their story. In a world where every moment could be her last, Nelle and James must fight to write their own happily ever after—before the final page turns.

4 out of 5 fairies

If I had to sum up this book in one word, it would be odd. Not in a bad way, it’s unique, and certainly keeps your attention. While I enjoyed it overall, there were a few things that just didn’t hit for me. I loved Nelle as a character, and watching her grow over the course of the book, was a great part of the story. James did quite a bit of growing himself, and while there is some romance between them, I wouldn’t call it your typical romance story, and not just because of what Nelle is. Their adventures that take them across the world eventually were interesting, and overall the story moves quite smoothly. The characters are unique and interesting, although I sometimes found their actions a bit puzzling, I really enjoyed reading it.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Goodreads | StoryGraph

Garrett Curbow is the author of the Daughter of Light trilogy, which was short-listed for the Publishers Weekly Selfies Award. He lives in Savannah, Georgia. For more information, visit www.garrettcurbow.com

Website | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok