This debut book is a fantastic kick-off for the budding Amazons series, and author Lori Devoti imbues urban fantasy with new depth in creating her Amazons and their descendants. The author's creativity and resultant storyline are a beautiful blend of the real and fictional.

Melanippe is put in a heart-wrenching predicament when she awakens one night to the gift of a dead girl upon her doorstep. When the second gift is delivered, she can no longer hide from the emotions warring within her. She is an Amazon warrior, growing in great power since her separation from the clan, but any possible renewed connection could leave her new life crumbling to naught. The deaths of these girls hit close to home—they, too, are Amazons, and Mel appears to be the only Amazon aware of their fates.

Mel’s past invades the present in the blink of an eye, and her concern for her daughter grows with the passing days. Unaware of their heritage, Harmony is kept at the outskirts of the building situation at home while her mother’s life cascades into thickening peril. Officials are snooping around, Mel’s family has shown their true colors, the Amazons are intent on revenge, and Mel is the primary suspect in everyone’s eyes. If Mel cannot prove her innocence and find the true killer soon, many more Amazons may become victims—including Harmony.

The difficulties only increase as Mel’s unique talents and increased power begin to reveal her significant strengths and advantages over other Amazons—and the unsettling similarity to the murderer’s skills. With so few who “fit the mold” of the killer, it shouldn’t be so difficult to determine who is behind these acts, but the others seem inclined to exact their revenge where they have already focused their hatred and distrust.

Amazon Ink sets a high bar for future installments in the new series. Filled with continual plot twists, extraordinary characters, and endless creativity, Devoti's cast of Amazons rejuvenates the urban fantasy genre, peopling her world with a group of supernaturals that offers a welcome alternative to the dearly loved yet too-familiar Others that frequent this genre’s leading character types.