Marieke Nijkamp (text) and Sylvia Bi (illustrator), Ink Girls, HarperCollins Publishers, November 2023, 288 pp., RRP $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780063027107
This vibrant graphic novel, follows Cinzia, an Avvisi (news writer’s apprentice) living in sunny Sianerra in Italy during the Renaissance. Cinzia and her Mestra (mentor) write news stories for the city, but not everyone likes it when they tell the truth. After an edition is published that exposes the ruling family for corruption and extortion, Cinzia and her Mestra are arrested in the early hours of the night. Through a quick-witted escape, Cinzia meets the Princessa’s daughter; they join forces to fight back against the censorship, after all “trust is the foundation of a city,”
This book is a masterfully created book that weaves together fantasy and adventure with a very real complication which creates a very interesting plot for young readers. The novel is set in a reimagined Italian city with very strong world building. Readers develop a very good sense of the city they explore with the Contessina Elena who lives a reclusive lifestyle behind the walls of the palace with her family. Through this world building, we empathise with the working class who have been subject to exploitation under the rule of Elena’s uncle, the Lord Magistrate, and understand why Cinzia and her Mestra strive to uncover the truth.
Besides the wonderfully imaginative and powerful storyline about speaking the truth despite the risk of incarceration, I love the friendship that develops between Cinzia and the princess. The princess is misunderstood and underestimated but she shines in her partnership with Cinzia to unravel the truth behind her Mestra’s arrest despite risking her own reputation.
I also love the visuals and the diversity in this graphic novel. The main character has a weak leg and gets around with a walking stick, a visible disability that is rarely depicted in graphic novels. I especially loved that there’s no lecture addressing this fact– it is just part of Cinzia life, and she still gets to be the star of her story.
I see this book having major young reader appeal, especially for fantasy and history lovers.
Reviewed by Eloise Marsden