Immortalized in Ink by Aria Glazki – Book Review

Immortalized in Ink by Aria Glazki is a collection of 36 short stories and flash fiction pieces. 

The collection begins with the centre piece and 10-star opening story "Immortalized in Ink". I've read it before in Scripting Changes' anthology Beyond the Words and adored it. I still loved it and can't get enough of it.

"They say the pages give you lives – open the cover and step through. Escape into the words and find your solace, or adventure. Everything you never knew you needed exists within a book."

Glazki denotes from the beginning that the pieces in the collection were mainly part of the Flash! Friday flash fiction writing challenges, which used images to inspire writers, although many of the pieces have long since been revised. On that line, I must note that in some of the stories I felt I wanted to see the image that inspired them, sometimes because I didn't get the story the first time I read it and sometimes because I felt it would make more sense if I knew the source of inspiration.

Still, I must highlight that most of the pieces are easily read as standalones. With or without the picture that inspired them, the flash fiction pieces are easy to read and don't have many – if any – cliffhangers.

I've said it once before – possibly in another review – and I'll say it again: I adore Aria Glazki's writing and style. She has a way with words and Immortalized in Ink is evidence of that.

"Regenesis" took my breath away! Fantasy mixed with excellent visual and the overall theme of rebirth. 10 stars to this one!

"A wash of life carpets the scars of war etched into the land."

"Flight Plan" is an action-packed five-star flash fiction piece. Loved it and highly recommend it.

"Perspective" is a stunningly beautiful piece that artists and writers can relate to. Another five stars to this one.

One of the pieces that mixed several themes is "Heritage", a dash of the paranormal with art and excellent writing. A must read.

I also loved the way Glazki built the pressure in "Lookout". My breath picked up and I was about to start biting my nails!

I've read "On the Job" during the Flash! Friday challenges but I loved all over again. The piece titled "News to Share" is very emotional and made me cry.

Other recommended stories in Immortalized in Ink include: "Beloved", "Winter's Refuge", "Legacy", "Winter Promise", "Untethered" and "Institution".

One of the things I liked about the Immortalized in Ink collection is the fact that several stories handled the theme of writing or art - "Perspective" and "Heritage" are among those - while some had paranormal elements. I also liked several of the dark pieces in there.

Last but not least, "Be a Man" is a story I've read before, but is by far one of my favourites for Aria Glazki. Simply, it's a 10-star piece.

"I've lived a thousand lives, and none at all. Each time the cover opens, the path begins anew, an invitation to the reader to walk, hop, duck, devour, run – or linger. Meander through new minds." – From "Immortalized in Ink"

Overall rating for Immortalized in Ink: 4.5 stars

Note: I normally use British spellings on my blog but since this is a book name so I decided to use its original spelling "Immortalized in Ink" to avoid confusion in case anyone decides to search for it on Goodreads or elsewhere.

Check out my book review of Beyond the Words, where Aria and I have pieces, and feel free to purchase a copy to support literacy. (You can find my poem "Words" in that anthology)

The anthology Breaking Free features "Be a Man" by Aria Glazki and my poem also titled "Breaking Free". You can hear me recite my poem at a local poetry event here (start at minute 2:13)

My first ever read for Aria Glazki was her poetry collection Life Under Examination. Check out my five-star book review here.

About the Author:

Aria Glazki's first kiss technically came from a bear cub. Though no fairytale transformation followed, she still believes magic can happen when the right people come together—if they don’t get in their own way, that is. So now Aria writes heartfelt romances about relatable people overcoming real-world obstacles to build love that lasts.

Available now are steamy paranormal Mortal Musings, sweet contemporary Mending Heartstrings (now FREE on Kindle Unlimited!), and spicy contemporary Tasting Temptation. All of her novels are standalone stories, so you can pick just one or read them all!

Learn more about Aria's books on her website, or catch all the exciting moments by signing up for her newsletter.