Ink exchange by Melissa marr

Book Name: Ink Exchange

Author/s: Melissa Marr

Language English

Source: Bought

Publisher, year: HarperCollins, 2009

Page total: 352

Date Read: January 02 to 03, 2011

Genre/s: YA, Fantasy, Faeries

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. . . .

First line of Book:Irial watched the girl stroll up the street: she was a bundle of terror and fury.

This was an interesting, albeit weird continuation to the Wicked Lovely series.

In case you don't know, I really like this book's world, with faeries around us without us knowing and royal intrigues and lovers and affection and that kind of things. However, during most of the book I was very very lost, which is odd and should not happen since this is a second book. Yet, most of the time I simply did not know who they were talking about or where they were going, even though I remotely remembered the names from WL. I was very, very lost.

The main character, Leslie is quite likable, though I like Ash better. She was (often) brave, though in the end, her careless attitude really pissed me off. Her relationships with Niall and Irial were flat sometimes and at times I couldn't understand what they saw in her. Especially because they were using her. Please. The romance aspect was underdeveloped- so, one of them uses her, and while he's using her, he falls for her? Does it make any sense?

Leslie's story was a lot darker than Ash's, and that's what made me give this four stars instead of three. I enjoyed reading about the Dark Court and it was also nice knowing what had happened to all the characters from WL. I'll definitely read Fragile Eternity- especially because it seems to be even darker than Ink Exchange -but not on the near future.

4/5

"Sometimes love means letting go when you want to hold on tighter."

"What does it mean when nightmares dream of peace? When shadows wish for light?