Rating: 
(9 reviews)
Author: Melissa Marr
Publisher: HarperTeen
Product Description
Unbeknownst to mortals, a power struggle is unfolding in a world of shadows and danger. After centuries of stability, the balance among the Faery Courts has altered, and Irial, ruler of the Dark Court, is battling to hold his rebellious and newly vulnerable fey together. If he fails, bloodshed and brutality will follow.
Seventeen-year-old Leslie knows nothing of faeries or their intrigues. When she is attracted to an eerily beautiful tattoo of eyes and wings, all she knows is that she has to have it, convinced it is a tangible symbol of changes she desperately craves for her own life.
The tattoo does bring changes—not the kind Leslie has dreamed of, but sinister, compelling changes that are more than symbolic. Those changes will bind Leslie and Irial together, drawing Leslie deeper and deeper into the faery world, unable to resist its allures, and helpless to withstand its perils. . . .
5 Comments
“Ink Exchange” portrays the development of Melissa Marr as an author. While I was somewhat disappointed with the conclusion of “Wicked Lovely,” “Ink Exchange” was successfully conclusive in that the characters showed signs of growth. The storyline continues from “Wicked Lovely,” and is vital with regards to the history Marr does not delve into.
“Ink Exchange” focuses on Leslie who is a friend of Aislinn (the Summer Queen). From the beginning of the story, Marr is not hesitant in describing that Leslie has been damaged both physically and emotionally. Leslie, wanting to regain control (at least of her body), decides to get a tattoo not realizing this particular tattoo will take away any potential choices she would make in the future. Thus, the battle between the Summer Court and Dark Court intensifies.
Again, development of characters and of the author’s skill to illustrate the story/characters is intense. Marr does a superb job of telling a wonderful tale of escaping fear/pain and the consequences of doing so. Should you choose to read this story, be sure to read “Wicked Lovely” as Marr does not focus on reiterating the events from the previous book.
Now, before you attack me with hate mail, let me explain. I really wanted to like this book. I REALLY did. Wicked Lovely wasn’t the best book I’d ever read, but I thought it was okay. I got an advanced copy of this book and after reading the description, was anxious to read it. I suppose I set my expectations for it too high. I was so hyped up about reading it, that when it came, I wanted it to be perfect. But, to my disappointment, it was far from that. It took me almost a month to get through this one while it took 3 days for Wicked Lovely. I would stare at it, think about reading it, blow it off, later stare at it more, and convince myself that maybe something would happen that would change my perspective on this book entirely. That thing never came. I don’t know why, but I just couldn’t get into the plot or characters at all. So, my advice is use your own judgement if you’re thinking about buying this. It seems that the other reviewers really liked it. My guess is if you loved Wicked Lovely, you’ll adore this as well. But if you were a little iffy on your opinion of Wicked Lovely like I was, you might want to skip this one.
i really really loved wicked lovely and was so looking forward to ink exchange as i thought it would delve right back into the world of the fey and be magnificent.
however barely touched upon is the theme for this book. the characters all had some really interesting back story which was barely touched upon.
the detail to the first book which made me really love it was completely missing, it was almost as if we were expected to know the ins and outs of the dark court already.
and the whole book was just too political.
for me there wasn’t enough romance, detail or edge.
sorry to all those who loved it but i think the epilogue was the best part to the entire thing
Ink Exchange returns us to the world Melissa Marr introduced us to in her debut novel, Wicked Lovely.* This story centers around three characters (all minor characters from the first novel): Leslie, Niall and Irial.
Irial, the King of the Dark Court, has a problem. The curse which bound the Summer King created emotions upon which his Dark Court faeries fed. With the curse broken and the Summer and Winter Courts moving toward truce, Irial and his dark fey are vulnerable for the first time in over 1,000 years. He’s desperate for a way to keep his court fed and strong, without defaulting to open warfare. He’s decided on ink exchanges. Through them, the dark court can feed on the darkness, pain and fear inside the hearts of mortals.
Leslie is a seventeen year old girl with a seemingly normal, middle class life; except it’s not. Home, which should have been a place of safety has become the scene of neglect, violence and the worst kind of betrayal. Cut down to the very center of who she is, she’s not fallen apart. Instead, she focuses on taking her life back and reclaiming her joy. To begin the process, she wants a tattoo: a tangible sign of her renewed ownership of herself. Of course, the tattoo Leslie chooses isn’t ordinary; it’s an ink exchange.
Niall doesn’t want to be the person he was. Like Leslie, he was caught up in violence and betrayal. Also broken, but not nearly as sure about rebuilding himself, he’s been carefully repairing the damage, one day at a time. He can’t help but find himself drawn to Leslie - someone touched by the same sort of darkness. But the person Niall used to be wasn’t destroyed, only buried. And if he gets too close to Leslie, he may end up having to protect her from himself.
Ink Exchange isn’t just one story about three people whose paths collide. It’s three stories woven together like knotwork. Who these people are and the past they are trying to move beyond shape their future. What makes them strong also hurts them most. But nothing is as triumphant as victory coming after a long, arduous battle. At the risk of cliche, sometimes it truly is darkest before dawn and hope really does come in the morning.
Read Ink Exchange. Without exception, it is one of the most hopeful books I’ve read in a very long time.
This isn’t a book for anyone under twelve, as the themes may be too mature.
*(No, it’s not necessary to have read Wicked Lovely to understand and enjoy Ink Exchange.)
Unbeknownst to mortals, a power struggle is unfolding in a world of shadows and danger. After centuries of stability, the balance among the Faery Courts has altered, and Irial, ruler of the Dark Court, is battling to hold his rebellious and newly vulnerable fey together. If he fails, bloodshed and brutality will follow. Seventeen-year-old Leslie knows nothing of faeries or their intrigues. When she is attracted to an eerily beautiful tattoo of eyes and wings, all she knows is that she has to have it, convinced it is a tangible symbol of changes she desperately craves for her own life. The tattoo does bring changes–not the kind Leslie has dreamed of, but sinister, compelling changes that are more than symbolic. Those changes will bind Leslie and Irial together, drawing Leslie deeper and deeper into the faery world, unable to resist its allures, and helpless to withstand its perils. . . .
More of a companion novel than a direct sequel, this book takes three different characters that appeared in Wicked Lovely and gives you their story. The events take place after Wicked Lovely finishes up, and we see those main characters here as well. While you can read this on its own, it is best to read Wicked Lovely first because the ending to it is mentioned right at the beginning of Ink Exchange. Marr does a fantastic job pulling the reader into this novel as well; her prose is addicting and makes the reader want to keep reading more until the whole novel is finished.
– Summary taken from the flap copy.