Title: Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo (Inkbound #1)
Author: Philippa Leathley
Genre: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Contemporary
Publisher: Frenzy Books
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback arc
Release Date: January 28, 2025
Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Enter an extraordinary magical adventure about family, fate and finding the courage to be truly yourself – perfect for fans of Nevermoor and The Swifts.
On her tenth birthday, Meticulous Jones–known to her friends as Metty–receives her fate, as all children do, in the form of a magical tattoo on her hand. She hopes that her ink will reveal something exciting: a tattoo that will symbolize travel, or discovery, or adventure. What appears is a skull, balanced in the palm of a violet glove.
Metty’s fate is to become a murderer.
Metty is swiftly hidden away by her father, Moral Jones, in a remote Welsh farmhouse, with only a miserable housekeeper (who’s terrified she’ll become Metty’s first victim) for company. But when Moral goes missing, his sister, Aunt Magnificent, arrives to sweep Metty off to the glittering city of New London. Metty is mesmerized by the magic and enchantment she discovers there. But when she starts to hear rumors of a mysterious and dangerous organization known as the Black Moths, she wonders if they might be connected to her father’s disappearance–and to her own fate. . . .
Review:
This was such a fun fantasy story! There was a distinct magical world, but it was similar and alongside our real world. I loved that kids found out what their “fate” or magic was through a tattoo on their hand. There were some exciting twists that I didn’t see coming. I’m excited to see what happens in the next book!
Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo is a great middle grade fantasy!
Thank you Frenzy Books for sending me a copy of this book!
Have you read Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo? What did you think of it?
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