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Dec 03, 2010

Lowed rated it:

With all the werewolves and vampire books flooding the bookstores nowadays, I guess YA lit is really going down to hell (pardon my language). I know there are still YA lit with good quality and are worth the effort, but it's becoming harder to come by.

Luckily we do not have any Filipino authors who jumped into the bandwagon in creating "paranormal romance". Else we would be reading TIKBALANGS (humanoid in form but with head and feet of a horse), MANANANGGALS (the old, beauti More...

8 comments like (3 people liked it)

Apr 24, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

Jack's best friend Charlie has been sucked into a demon-fighting secret brotherhood and Jack's just along for the ride. Charlie suddenly has super-powers and an attitude to match, while Jack is just the same 14-year-old boy he was yesterday. As the brotherhood begins to disintegrate, a powerful demon named the scourge begins to take over and Jack and Charlie are forced to venture into Hell.

The book began with promise but quickly nose-dived after that. The main bad-guy, The Scourge, ( More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 09, 2011

Laura rated it:

First off, I'd like to break down my rating: I give the book 4 stars for its creative concept, but only 2 stars for execution, which averages out to that 3 stars. Okay, I feel better now.

From what I can gather, despite the book's unusual plot, this is basically a coming-of-age book, concerning teenage growing pains (mental and physical) and the point at which one learns to take responsibility for one's choices. The story essentially centers around two friends, Jack and Charlie, wh More...

5 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 05, 2008

Jessica rated it:

Really different. Different from what I was expecting, and different from anything I've read. Wow. It's getting a lot of negative reviews, many of them whining that the protagonist is a self-centered jerk. Um, good morning, readers! That wasn't the protagonist.

This is the story of a sidekick who realizes it's up to him to save the world. This is the story of a hero, trained all her life for one specific task, and how she deals with her world when it all falls apart around her More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Feb 15, 2009

Rachel rated it:

There will be readers who will enjoy this energetic, enthusiastically written book, but I am not among that company. This young adult novel reads like the half conscious fantasy of a teenage science fiction-comics-video game fan, complete with gladitorial battles, emotionally agonized women with superhuman fighting skills, old, powerful swords, immature tyrants, legacies from dying mentors, terrible tapeworms, and the fate of the world hanging in balance. And, of course, a demon made tattoo magi More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 15, 2008

Emily rated it:

Looking over the other reviews for this book, I can identify with both sides. Part of me really wants to like this book and there are parts of the book that are really likeable. The other part of me was ssooooo bored with the whole thing. The characters were poorly developed. Who was Jack? Why would he follow his best friend to Hell? What about Esme? Why should any reader care about someone she knows nothing about? The plot dragged on and on - 500+ pages. Really? But then there were the More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 17, 2009

Erin rated it:

Warning: This is more of a rant than a review. Grrr... traitorous, lying cover... The Black Tattoo bears the triple curse of abysmal characters, generic writing, and an excruciatingly slow pace. I made it through book one before I chucked the book into the recycling bin (that's right, I'm not even donating it to Friends of the Library, that's how ticked I am. I want this puppy reincarnated as toilet paper).

The main character, Jack, is laughable as a "hero". He's whiny, More...

0 comments like

Sep 15, 2011

Ori rated it:

Went into this book knowing nothing, and sort of just sloughed through it through sheer force of will. A fair number of things kept this book from riveting itself to my hands: the lackluster introduction to this universe's version of magic, the switching POVs (which normally doesn't aggravate me, so I'm not sure what Enthoven did wrong), and, most of all, the fairly bland and annoying main characters (Jack and Charlie -- I'd mistake one for the other earlier on in reading the book. As for Esme, More...

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Jul 18, 2011

Kimberly rated it:

You could say that The Black Tattoo is another of the countless good vs. evil tales where a trio of characters battle to save planet Earth from the forces of darkness. You could say that. Until you read this book.

The author's cast of characters could be any of the teenagers attending your nearby school. Charlie, the misfit, is bored with school, doesn't do homework, can't get a girlfriend, hates his life and desperately wants to be like his ultra-cool, good-looking, smart and ever-p More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 16, 2011

Sharon rated it:

Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven is a young adult novel that is about friendship, dreams, life and finding ones true goals and worth in the context of the possible end of the world. This is a fast-paced novel, high in action and with a very interesting premise. However, the execution of the idea and the characterization of the major players seemed to be a little lacking.

Black Tattoo is a fantasy novel is a “teens need to save the universe’ story, with the premise being that a demon is rel More...

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May 05, 2010

Susan rated it:

YA lit has really been going to Hell. So many characters have been visited by demons or are dropping by the place that they've got quite the frequent flyer miles racking up. But of course, not all books about hell (or its inhabitants are created equal. This one disappoints despite the seemingly edgy/cool allure of its title and some imaginative descriptive passages.

Jack and Charlie, two average kids, stumble into an end-of-the-world scheme. Though they start off with the best of inte More...

0 comments like

Nov 15, 2009

Alex rated it:

This book would definitely be classified as fantasy as one of the main characters finds out that he himself has magical powers. What he doesn’t know is that he is not the one with these powers. That what started out as a blessing, would very soon become a strong curse. The reason why I chose to read this book was, and I’m not going to lie, the title and cover of the book intrigued me. When a teenage boy sees a book with the title “The Black Tattoo” and a guy with a cool looking tattoo on the co More...

0 comments like

Dec 22, 2011

Charlotte rated it:

Well, I wouldnt say this was the best book in the Bunch, but nor would I say it was the worst in the bunch. It was different to the other novels that I usually read. It wasn't predictable at all, and there seemed to be no romance in it other than the slightest hint here and there. The story itself was dramatic and vibrant with a lot of energy which seemed to inspire the reader to carry on. But the whole book itself felt a little slow, as if thhey were dragging it out, wanting to get to the point More...

0 comments like

Sep 01, 2010

Angel rated it:

The Black Tattoo is an entertaining book, but not one I'd really recommend. It's childish, mostly because the author tried to write it in the style of an action/adventure cartoon script. The main characters barely get any character development AT ALL, and the way the book is written makes it seem as if the characters are just there to complete a task. What I'd say is missing is the overall THOUGHT. The book is written in a manner like this; Action--->Reaction--->Action--->Dialogue---> More...

0 comments like

Nov 14, 2009

Aria rated it:

The Black Tattoo was a mix of a good ideas and cliches. There were moments when I really enjoyed the story and others where I sighed in frustration from the characters. The relationship of Charlie and Jack has been established through many stories (the popular and the awkward) and honestly half way through the book I really didn't care about either of them. Esme was an interesting character but it seemed that she really didn't get a "clue" until it was too late. Which meant there w More...

0 comments like

Dec 01, 2011

Connor rated it:

Yeah, just not very good. This is one of the few books I have every truly disliked. When people ask me "What was the worst book you ever read?" I answer quickly and confidently: "The Black Tattoo."

The main characters--and pretty much everyone else--were unlikable and annoying. The writing was mediocre, and the story, which could have been good if approached in another way, CRAWLED along.

Readers who have managed to slog through this yawner will get to More...

0 comments like

Jan 14, 2010

Abby rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Sep 28, 2011

David rated it:

I feel bad rating this so low, as it is obviously something the author really worked at. And maybe that is the biggest problem with it-it feels like a random hodge-podge of the authors ideas. He obviously was trying to be unpredictable and random, but this attempt pulls the reader away from the actual plot (which is down there, real deep down). To me honest, it is hard to actually follow all of the characters and their changing roles throughout the film.

Jack's friend is having some pr More...

0 comments like

Feb 05, 2012

Liz rated it:

I picked up this book a while ago and had actually started it but somehow couldn't get into it. Must of been due to another book since this time I wanted to finish reading it as soon as I started it! It's a bit far-fetched for me to believe that the main characters of Charlie, Esme and Jack are supposed to be only about 14 years old...but it has been a long time since I was a teenager. I had just thought of them to be older, like 18 or so...but there were some instances where the characters a More...

0 comments like

Oct 10, 2009

Steven rated it:

Sam Enthoven has written a fun, magical adventure in The Black Tattoo. It seems original in its plot twists and turns while at the same time being very derivative. Jack is the most interesting character in his Sam from The Lord of the Rings way.

The story as a whole is a save-the-universe adventure along with some interesting philosophy and theology all wrapped up in lots of action. There are often three sides to the same plot line going. At times it is slightly past Enthoven’s ca More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 16, 2010

Katie rated it:

While this is certainly not the worst YA fantasy novel I've ever read, it also wasn't my favorite. Although the pacing was good, the twists weren't too hard to see coming. The plot was pretty standard: boy inherits magic abilities, boy must decide to use his powers for good or evil, etc., etc. Really not much more to it than that.

I will give Enthoven some credit, though: one notable aspect of this novel that I enjoyed is that, for the first third of the novel or so, the action happen More...

0 comments like

Aug 26, 2010

Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* rated it:

I had somewhat high expectations for this book that … well, it didn't reach. The plot sounded intriguing to me, and I thought the first few chapters were great. I mean, Hell, a powerful demon on the loose, what could be more exciting than that? Unfortunately, this book dragged out for far to long, to the point where I just wanted it to end. Turned out this book was trying a little too hard to be funny rather than exciting. Don't get me wrong, I love some dark humor, but I felt like the constant More...

0 comments like

Mar 03, 2010

Sandra rated it:

The intriguing plot of this novel centers around hell, complete with demons, (no Satan, but lots of substitutes), and god, who is a reclusive clerk who created our puny world. The real God, who created everything is an unimaginarily large, red dragon, presently asleep, but who could UNmake all of existence, which is the aim of a sinister force locked on our world until he can find a host to help him waken the dragon. The plot is original and features lots of combat and adventure. The character More...

0 comments like

Mar 02, 2011

Meg rated it:

This is a book that exists entirely so that the one climactic argument can happen. And I'll admit, said argument is pretty epically amusing at the least.

However, the book suffers from very flat characters. The demons tend to be the most interesting and dynamic of characters, especially the Scourge.

Of the three main characters, Esme is a rather terrible sue who Does No Wrong. Charlie is the most developed and therefore the most sympathetic, but the book is largely abo More...

0 comments like

Sep 07, 2008

Alisa rated it:

So fun, so readable, and sort of cinematic at times...I don't know why, but it just seemed that way to me, but in a good, effective way.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 22, 2011

和泉美優 rated it:

This book is a book that I would recommend to people that like fantasy-action books.
So the story is about a boy named Jack and how his friend is picked to be the host of an evil demon-blob called The Scourge. His friend Charlie is possessed by Scourge and goes to Hell with Scourge to wake the sleeping dragon. According to the book, if the dragon is woken, then the whole world will end. So Jack must find a way to step out of Charlie's shadow and stop his best friend from destroying the wo More...

0 comments like

Jun 15, 2009

Rosalia rated it:

This book was nothing like what I expected, the protagonists are much younger then you would think and the cover is definitely overly serious when compared to the actual text of the book. Yes the book is an apocolyptic hell will take over the world kind of thing, but it doesn't take itself too seriously. With running jokes like (God)frey, the archivist/librarian being our God and double headed tape worms who argue at every meal over who's the mouth and who's the bum, this book is good for a la More...

0 comments like

Feb 18, 2009

Kristen rated it:

It's funny how much influence covers have on what I purchase when I am just browsing without my list of what I want to get next. I had high hopes based on the cover. And it started out good. But the descriptions of the "demons" or what ever you want to call the inhabitants of the underworld were almost comical to me. Or maybe I should say they felt more like caricatures then characters. I assume there are plans for at least a follow-up based on the ending, and I am sure I will rea More...

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Feb 08, 2009

Debbie rated it:

British teens Jack and Charlie have been friends forever, even though they are very different. When Charlie gets tricked (and possessed) by a demon, loyal Jack, along with Esme, the last remaining member of a secret society bound to protect the world from this demon, journeys to Hell to save his friend. They might also save the world while they're at it.

The book is long and the action drags at times. Overall, though, an imaginative world is created and there is enough gore to ap More...

0 comments like

Sep 30, 2011

Alvina rated it:

Judul : The Black Tattoo
Penulis : Sam Enthoven
Penerjemah : Lulu Fitri Rahman
Editor : Heni Setiani
Penerbit : LiniKata
Cetakan Pertama : Februari 2011
Tebal : 526 Halaman, HardCover

Awas, hati-hati ketika Anda tidak sengaja bertabrakan dengan seseorang yang tidak Anda kenal. Jack Farrell dan Charlie Farnsworth akhirnya harus berhadapan dengan Sang Laknat, Iblis yang terusir dari neraka karena awalnya bertabrakan dengan seorang laki-laki misterius yang More...

1 comment like