Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

Rating: 3.8/5.0

Re-Read? Maybe, but only in order to remember details for Fragile Eternity.

Recommend? I definitely recommend this series, but not this book in general. Contains sexual context including rape, drugs, alcohol and some cussing. 15 and up, perhaps. A mature reader.

Publisher: Harper Teen/325 pages

Synopsis:

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 Thoughts:

Darker then its predecessor, Wicked Lovely, Ink Exchange is the dark tale that follows Aislinn's friend, Leslie, who we had met in the previous novel. Leslie figures her life can not get any worse. Her Dad pretty much abandoned her and her brother in favor of alcohol. Her brother is a druggie. She has to live with all of the above and her brother let 'them' have her that time... and she just wants the pain to go away. She's lying to her friends and not asking for help, though she needs it. Leslie believes she needs to reclaim herself in order to feel better. What better way then a Tattoo to symbolize the change she wants? But not just any tattoo... a special one that calls out to her: Two beautiful eyes surrounded by celtic knots...

Ink Exchange, in my opinion, was not up to game with Wicked Lovely. It was a necessary read if you plan to read the series, but I felt like I just wanted to get through it, rather then enjoy it. It was repetitive and I believe it really went no where besides explaining the Dark Court more thoroughly. The beginning and middle were both very interesting, but I felt the end was rushed and dragged on at the same time. It also got very confusing towards the end when Leslie went in and out of consciousness and I believe the fix for all the problems came too easily.

Ink Exchange basically contained all the information you need to understand Fragile Eternity. I enjoyed learning more thoroughly all the details about the different courts and their rulers and I also learned about the different natures of certain characters. I really didn't come away with much from this book lesson wise except don't get addicted to anything and stay away from drugs. Also, be careful who you put your trust in-- you never know when it is going to stab you in the back. In the ends, it came out to be an OK book, both un-memorable and worth reading at the same time.