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| The Black Tattoo | 
 enlarge | Author: Sam Enthoven
Publisher: Razorbill
Category: Book
List Price: $10.99
Buy Used: $2.00
You Save: $8.99 (82%)
New (33) Used (20) from $2.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 305616
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 528
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.5 x 1.6
ISBN: 1595141332
EAN: 9781595141330
ASIN: 1595141332
Publication Date: January 10, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
SciFi fans will love this one October 17, 2006
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader's Views (10/06)
The Scourge has been released again. It's up to Esme, Jack, Charlie and the Brotherhood of Sleep to stop Scourge in its plot to destroy the world.
Fourteen year old Charlie has been chosen to lead the Brotherhood of the Sleep. Charlie insists he won't do it without his friend Jack's assistance. The Brotherhood of Sleep is an ancient organization that is the "jailer's of Scourge, a demon." Scourge is "a being of pure liquid darkness, bent on a path of destruction." A member of the Brotherhood is a traitor and has freed the demon. But all is not as it seems. Nick has passed the Scourge on to Charlie. A black tattoo suddenly appears on Charlie's back, seeming to radiate from his spine. "It was an odd sort of pattern. The tattoo's broad, curving shapes reminded Jack of certain tribal designs, Celtic or Native American ones, but it wasn't quite like anything he'd ever seen before. The shapes seem to radiate out of Charlie's spine, scything across his back like a crest of broad feathers or a set of great curved sword blades. The shapes were black against Charlie's pale skin-completely, utterly black-and each and every one of them ended in a perfect, razor-sharp point. Charlie clenched his arms, and the black shapes seemed to bunch and shift of their own accord as his muscles moved underneath them." A needle did not make this tattoo.
Esme has been training for this battle for years. She is proficient in martial arts and sword fighting. She will need this and more to survive her encounter with the demon.
The cover of "Black Tattoo" entices the reader to delve inside. The print is easy to read. The plot flows smoothly. I was hooked from page one. Work had to wait, I couldn't put the book down, and I had to continue reading. This book contains a bit of humor and a lot of cliched dialogue. The best description for this book is dark. Science fiction fans will love this one.
 Misleading, A Scourge of a Book January 3, 2007
2 out of 11 found this review helpful
This book was a let down. It was dark, depressing, and not appropriate for the age group in which it is targeted. If you are a parent, you need to know what your children are reading. I am up for a great story and a great read - but this was not one of them. Go ahead and let children read about a demon who posesses a young boy (who the demon thinks is an absolute idiot), just to provide him as a blood sacrifice, to annihilate all of the universe and all life in it. Oh yeah, and Earth and humans? Just an old experiment, left to run amok by God, because he got bored. Whatever. I can't wait for my brain to forget this book. One star- for the fact that the words on the page moved from left to right top to bottom and made complete sentences.
Good, But Drags On In the Last 100 Pages January 5, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book isn't really what I expected. It's a good and memorable read, yes, but when I read the synopsis I expected something a bit darker. Much of the story was light hearted, but in the end instead of darkness there was cynicism. I wouldn't recommend this book to religious fanatic, or someone easily offended in that department.
Otherwise, the story is good. Jack, Esme, the Chinj, and Number 3 are good characters, as in the Scourge and the Dragon, but Charlie is nothing but a prat. For the life of me, I can't understand why Sam Enthoven would have anyone trust Charlie before OR after the events of this book. The book is very much reliant on the atmosphere and setting, so we're lucky that "Hell" is an interesting place. The gladiator scenes were particularly interesting.
"The Black Tattoo", it seems, would make a great television show. It's very much in the vein of Angel, Supernatural, Buffy, Smallville, etc. One more negative tidbit about the book was that it was too long for the story that it told. Many parts could have been cut out, or at least shortened, that would have made for a better reading experience.
Overall; rewarding.
8/10
 To The Very Depths of Hell (and back?) January 9, 2007
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
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-popular friend. Jack, of course, is that friend. Then there's Esme. She's trained her whole life for this mission. It has been her total focus for as long as she can remember. Just think of Lara Croft in Tomb Raider and you've got the talents, skills and finesse of Esme.
The author draws the reader into this story through his integration of vividly described action scenes, fantastical settings, realistic characters, and quick pacing. As the main characters are deeply involved in surface issues, they are also dealing privately with individual issues of ethics, morality and loyalty. They must each deal with their own personal demons regarding these issues in order to be ready to accomplish the task at hand. Cleverly, the author provokes the reader's contemplation of these issues as well.
Join Charlie, Jack and Esme as they battle inner demons, interpersonal relationship issues, and the battle of their lives. Together they must go to the very depths of hell to save planet Earth from total destruction. You won't want to miss it!
Happy reading!
Awesome book!!! October 27, 2006
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
Wow! I wasn't really sure what to think when I picked up this book, but as soon as I started it, I couldn't put it down. I got it from my younger brother, who is fourteen and loved it. He usually doesn't get this excited about books, so I thought I'd give it a try. This book was awesome! It has a great mix of fantasy and reality. The characters are well drawn and provide a really interesting and real sub-plot for this exciting book about the fight between good and evil. Don't misuderstand me- this book is totally original. It's like nothing I've ever read, and although it is great for pre-teens and teens too, it's definitely written well enough to interest adults. The story is about Jack and Charlie, two friends living in London. Charlie has always been the cool one, but one day he suddenly gains super powers- mind-reading, flying and super kung-fu skills- and things get interesting. Jack finds out that Charlie is actually being used by an ancient demon called the scourge, who has evil plans. He teams up with Esme, a girl who's been trained since birth to fight the scourge, and they follow the demon through London and into Hell in order to save Jack's friend. This book is exciting, funny and original. I loved the dark, edgy storyline, the well researched, detailed kung-fu scenes, the hilarious descriptions of Hell and the character Esme, who is a unique and strong female character- unlike any I've ever read. This author has a great sense of humor and imagination. If this turns into a series, I think it will be the next Harry Potter (though completely different. It's much more adult and darker-with some seriously suspensful and scary scenes!). I would love to read more.
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