Ink Exchange by: Melissa Marr

Ink Exchange by: Melissa Marr
Publication Date: May 1, 2008
Publisher: HarperTeen
Page Count: 325
Format: Paperback
Series: Wicked Lovely #2
Buy the Book: Amazon

Summary from Goodreads:

 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. . . .

My Review:

This book was not at all what I initially expected. After reading Wicked Lovely, I thought this would be a continuation of that story, as I am sure a lot of other people thought too. However, Leslie's story was a pleasant surprise once I began reading.

What bothered me, starting off, was that I only got to see Aislinn whenever and however the other characters saw her. This disappointed me a little because I was really looking forward to seeing how she adjusted to being the Summer Queen and being more involved with the Faerie world.

Leslie's life was hard and lots of bad things had happened to her, thus making her stronger and a perfect target for Irial, especially because she thought that getting a tattoo would make things better for her. She was a pretty amazing and resilient character, I think. A lot of times she was kept in the dark about certain matters and even though I know her friends didn't want her involved in Faerie politics, I think she should've been more in the know.

Niall is probably my favorite character in the series so far.  Maybe it was the way he fought his nature or maybe it was the way he would do anything in the world for Leslie, but either way, the complexity of him was so enticing. I loved it.  He was in the first book a tiny bit, and more in this one, and I hope to see more of him later in the series.

The end was kind of heartbreaking to me, but still a proper ending. One of the characters began to gain some serious humanity, thanks to Leslie, and one took on a role that he never intended to play.

This all makes me even more eager to dive into Fragile Eternity!

Official Rating:

Three and a half Un-Birthday Cakes!