Ink Exchange Review

First of all..eeeeep!!! I have over 100 followers?! Wow! If I wasn't already hosting a contest, I would totally host another right now. Perhaps when/if I reach 150, I'll host another! Either way, thank you, thank you, thank you so much! Ok, deep breaths, and on to the book review for Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr.

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. . .
Taken from GoodReads.

Ink Exchange follows the story of Leslie, a teenage girl struggling with a dark and difficult life with her single, alcohol-addicted father and her druggie brother, Ren. Numerous times, we're told that Ren was perfectly willing to sell Leslie to his friends, if only to score more drugs. Leslie is a close friend of Aislinn, the main character from Wicked Lovely, so she's constantly watched over and protected by the new Summer Queen's guards. While they can protect her for the most part though, they can't save her from the hell she calls home. Desperate for some semblance of control in her tumultuous life, Leslie decides the wants a tattoo, and the one tattoo that speaks to her is Irial, the King of the Dark Court's, mark. This tattoo binds Leslie to him, and it leads her down a path darker and more terrible than she could ever have imagined.

My first thoughts were about the cover, naturally, so I guess you're not too shallow after all, Jenn! I've got to be honest though...I think I liked the cover for Wicked Lovely better. That said, the cover for
Ink Exchange suits the dark nature of this story, and it's still stunning to look at.

I held off reading this for a long time because I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the main characters from book one becoming minor characters in book two. It's important to note that Ink Exchange is not a sequel to Wicked Lovely. While following the general premise and noting what's happened previously, this book has an entirely new story line, one which I actually ended up loving.

It's definitely not for the faint of heart because this book is really dark, and it delves deep into issues that would affect anyone, especially when you see what Leslie's home life is like. It's a captivating, well-thought-out, and extremely well-told story. Melissa Marr has definite talent, and if you like faeries of the non-Disney variety, you'll really enjoy this dark-twisty tale. I give this a definitive 4 out of 5...nearly perfect, I just wish some of the events at the start of the book were a bit more clear...namely Irial's hold over his fey.

Oh, and the next book in the series, Fragile Eternity is out now.

It's more of direct sequel to Wicked Lovely, and it follows closely the story of Seth and Aislinn as she learns that life as an immortal faerie queen is harder and more difficult than they could have imagined.