Ink Exchange (Wicked Lovely #2)

Reader reviewed by Tori Phillips

Beautifully written. Nerve wracking suspense. Something every reader thirsts for. Whatever words are descriptive, this companion to Wicked Lovely focuses on Leslie, whose mother abandoned her husband and children, and now Leslie wants a mind-blowing tattoo to reclaim her body following a traumic rape. However, the tattoo does change her, but not the way she wanted, like what they mean by be careful what you wish for. Insteads, the mysterious eyes and breath taking wings plant her into another world- the world of Faerie.

Reader reviewed by cosmicdustbella

Unbeknownst to mortals, a power struggle is unfolding in a world of shadows and danger. After centuries of stability, the balance between the Faerie 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.

17-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 changesnot the kind that Leslie had 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 faerie world, unable to resist its allures, and helpless to withstand its perils.

Ink Exchange is the companion book to Wicked Lovely. The story of young Aislinn has ended and the point of view of Leslie, a friend and fellow classmate at Bishop O'Connell High School, begins. The book begins soon after Aislinn has taken her place as Summer Queen, and turmoil has beguns again. When the king of the Dark Court takes an interest in young Leslie, Aislinn and her friends must help fight to keep her safe.

In Melissa Marr's second novel, she has done exceptionally well. The book involves characteristics that teachers and students both wish for. For the teachers, it is literary elements and social issues. For the students, it is a strong heroine, fantasy, and a contemperary setting. This book deals with serious issues that, even though it is a fantasy, make it extremely realistic. This book will get under your skin with not only Leslie's story, but the background characters as well.

Reprinted here with author's permission

Reader reviewed by Julie

This book was awesome and exciting. I liked this book better than the first one. This book was very predictable, but that made it better. You could take your time reading it because you knew what was going to happen. It had some twists and turns, but not too many, and that made it more realistic to me. I give this book 5 stars! :)

Reader reviewed by MichieBee

So now I'm officially in love with Melissa Marr. While I didn't like this book as much as Wicked Lovely (though
by just a smidgen), it was still a great read, and I managed to
complete it in two sittings (but that's only because I had to go to
work, haha.)

This time around, we see from Aislinn's friend, Leslie's, point of view. It follows the events after Wicked Lovely
and Aislinn and Seth and the faeries still play a role (just a less
major one). Leslie is a girl who's struggling with her life after her
mother walks out and she's stuck with her negligent father, who's
hardly ever home, and her drug addict brother Ren, who's sold her body
to fulfill his cravings. In an attempt to reclaim her life and her
body, Leslie saves up to get a tattoo, When the tattoo parlour offers
her one of his special designs, Leslie knows it's the one for her, but
putting it on her skin will have more dire consequences than she could
imagine..

The story in this one follows up on the same theme as Wicked Lovely,
with almost all the characters having difficult choices to make. Again,
this is the driving force of the story and what kept me reading. This
time around though, there's some forbidden love thrown in the mix. The
mortal-faerie relationship wasn't really prevalent in Wicked Lovely,
so it was cool seeing it this time around. The reader also gets a
glimpse of one of the other faerie courts (the Dark court), which we
didn't get to see in the previous novel, so that was cool too. I'm not
going to say any more than that because I don't want to possibly ruin
or spoil anything.

As for the characters, they were great too. Aislinn is still the stubborn and steadfast character she was in Wicked Lovely,
who cares for her friends well-beings and will do anything for them to
not get sucked into her world. Leslie is a very strong character too,
but not in the same way that Aislinn is. She has different ways of
showing her strengths, which is nice, because Marr is obviously not
falling into the trap of making all her heroines the same. Niall (one
of faeries) plays a much more prominent role in this novel, as opposed
to Wicked Lovely, and his character development was great to read.

Overall, it was another great novel set in the faerie world that Marr has painted for us. I'm really excited about Fragile Eternity! I give Ink Exchange a 4/5 rating.

reprinted from my blog: http://michiebee.blogspot.com

Reader reviewed by Katelyn (The Bookshelf Sophisticate)

In the second book in the Wicked Lovely series readers will get a closer and more in-depth look at the supporting characters from Wicked Lovely. Leslie, Niall and Irial take center stage in this companion novel and readers will get some of their questions answered regarding these characters. While I loved Aislinn, Keenan and Seth from Wicked Lovely, they have not completely gone away; they still remain as supporting background characters throughout this novel.

The world Melissa Marr created in Wicked Lovely still blows my mind, the creativity that goes into her work despite this being a genre that has been done and re-done so many times impressed me with each turn of the page. I felt that Marr took Ink Exchange and went beyond just the superficial to delve deeper into larger issues, real issues and fae issues as you would have it. Leslie is a girl with a clouded past&readers are never given the full picture up front as to what lies in her past or what spurs her to make the choices she does throughout the novel. And although I'd love Marr to answer every question that pops into my head as I'm reading her work, I enjoy and appreciate the intrigue and reasoning behind her careful planning as to when she reveals her information. When all was said and done I appreciated her character and the struggles she went through because Marr helped readers feel as if they experienced some of those struggles with her character.

The triangle between Leslie, Niall and Irial took me a few minutes to adjust to. I will say I came into this novel doubting that it would rank up there with Wicked Lovely and the love triangle that was present because all three main characters in Ink Exchange were not given much of a spotlight in the series' first novel; however I was proven to be a little short-sighted. Niall was not just nother male hunk with a tortured past, as I first thought he would be. Marr went deeper than that. I found myself aching for him for all the difficulties he dealt with on a daily basis, and was hoping someone would come to understand his pain and only love him more for it.

Irial was nother tough sell for me because for starters, I usually always root for the good guy. And let's face it, if you're the king of the dark faery court that pretty much puts you in my "bad" guy column. Again Marr proved that I needed to exercise a little more patience. I'm not saying that I'm on "team Irial" but after finishing the book I will say that I enjoyed his character and what he brought to the table. He frustrated me to no end because he refused to stay in my "good vs. bad" column. In my mind he was constantly switching sides.

Im looking forward to continue reading the Wicked Lovely series and to see what Fragile Eternity, the third novel in the series delivers. On a side note Im hoping to see more of the character Gabriel in future novels, because he is yet another character who was put into the background but yet still fought to come to life on the pages he was given. He fascinates me and stirs up my curiosity, so Im crossing my fingers to see more of him in novels to come.

All in all I truly do enjoy Marrs work. The world and characters she creates and brings to life never fail to impress.

Reader reviewed by michaela

i was not very happy after i read ink exchange.i know that the unseelie court is bad but i wish melissa marr continued the story with ash,seth,and that fariy guy.but the book is okay it shows the darker side to the good neighbors and i like that ,but i would have preferred the book to have more of ash in it.

Reader reviewed by jocelyn

Anyone who reads Melissa Marrs debut, Wicked Lovely (not necessary to reading this book, but certainly highly recommended, as its quite brilliant, and will give readers a fuller grasp of what is going on in Ink Exchange), will have very high expectations for Ink Exchange. I know I did, and I was far from disappointed.

Ink Exchange is not a sequel to Wicked Lovely, but the main characters here were minor characters there, and the main characters in Melissa Marrs first novel do have parts to play in her second. Leslie is a friend of Aislinns from schoola good friend of hers, one of the friends that Aislinn wants to protect from her new life as a faerie queen.

Leslie has a tough life, no question about it. A father who hasnt been much of a father since her mother left and a brother whos addicted to drugs are Leslies family, and, add that to the dangerous people her brother brings home, you can see why Leslie doesnt like to go home more than she has to. Aislinn has guards protecting Leslie, but they cant keep her safe from her own family very well.

Leslie wants to take control of her own body after an awful experience, and the way she sees to do it is to get a tattoo. None of the typical images, however, appeal to her, so Rabbit, the tattoo artist, shows her a book of designs that most customers dont get to see. When she finds one that she likes, however, she has no idea of what the consequences will be, that she will soon be involved in a world that has, up until now, been invisible to her. I dont want to give too much away, but, trust me, its awesome. Ive talked about Leslie, but shes not the only main characterIrial is the king of the Dark Court, and he certainly plays a major part in this story, but I feel like talking about him might be giving a little too much away, more than Id like. The same goes for telling Nialls part of the story, beyond the fact that he is one of Keenans top people, and one of Leslies guards, and that she has feelings for him, but neither of them can act on it.

Ink Exchange is a captivating, well-told story. Its haunting and dark and lovely and amazingjust as good as, and maybe even better than Wicked Lovely (though I couldnt decide for sure). Its a darker story than its predecessor. Melissa Marr creates a wonderful story, dealing with serious topics such as addiction and rape (yes, it is a faery story, but these are certainly not of the Walt Disney variety!). There is also the same fascinating mythology from Wicked Lovely, and Melissa Marr again shows her talents at creating wonderful characters. This is yet another brilliant book from a brilliant author! I cant wait for her third book, which will be a more direct sequel to Wicked Lovely.

Reposted from http://teenbookreview.wordpress.com

Reader reviewed by the book muncher

Leslie has led a troubled life ever since her mother walked out on her family. Her father has turned to alcohol and cant be depended on to do anything like paying the bills unless hes in a good mood. Her brother Ren has turned to drugs, and unfortunately, hanging out with than crowd under the influence has caused horrible things to happen to Leslie. But Leslie is so ashamed and tries to hide it. She refuses to tell her friends and works as a waitress so she can pay the bills. She feels trapped inside her life.

Release comes in the form of a tattoo, only Leslie doesnt know that its just another trap. She sees the tattoo as a way of finally claiming her body as her own, as a symbol of taking over her life. What she doesnt know is that Irial, the king of the Dark Court, is forging a bond between the mortal and faerie world in order to gain nourishment for his court. Leslie still doesnt understand until she is forced into Irials world.

Throughout the novel, Leslie experiences attraction for two different faeries who both like her too. Unfortunately, both those faeries, Niall and Irial, have a sort of drug inside their skin that makes them addictive to mortals such as Leslie. Nialls job is to protect Leslie from the faerie world, so hes not allowed to get close to her; in fact, its forbidden by Aislinn, the Summer Queen and friend of Leslie. Irial on the other hand, does not expect to fall for Leslie, but after spending so much time, he realizes that he loves her.

In some ways, Ink Exchange was just as confusing as Wicked Lovely, also by Melissa Marr. However, if you get into the book, it becomes easier to understand. This novel is primarily in Leslies perspective, although there are sections told from with Nialls or Irials point of view. The characterization is amazing, and although none of these three characters were very developed in Wicked Lovely, I felt that I had read about them for a long time. The plot is filled with so much emotion, but not to the point that I started crying. Ink Exchange is a beautiful story about the choices you make, how they affect your life, and how you can live with them.

I definitely recommend every fan of Wicked Lovely and other faerie books rush out to buy Ink Exchange at the end of April or pre-order a copy now. And if you havent yet read Wicked Lovely, go do so now before Ink Exchange gets published. This is definitely one of my new favorite books, and one I will recommend to everyone.

reposted from http://thebookmuncher.blogspot.com/

Reader reviewed by Allison Fraclose

Since her mother took off, Leslies life has crashed into a nightmare. She works to pay the bills that her drunken, absent father ignores, and does her best to avoid her druggie brother, who has spiraled so deep into his habits that hes even used Leslie to pay back some of his debts. Even Leslies friend Aislinn seems to be keeping huge secrets, and Leslie certainly isnt going to divulge the horrible things that have happened to her. The only solace she finds is in Rabbits tattoo shop, where shes searching for the perfect ink to claim back her body.

She finally finds it in a special book of designs that Rabbit shows her, marks given to him by the fey of the Dark Court. Leslies ink of choice happens to be the symbol of the Dark King, Irial, who struggles to feed his court now that the cruel Beira has been vanquished. When Rabbit implants Irials own blood into the skin of his chosen mortal, the bond between them will allow Irial to siphon through Leslie those negative emotions that the dark fey need to survive.

But Leslie has help. Ever since Aislinn became the new Summer Queen, she has sent her faeries to guard her human friends, and her kings advisor, Niall, has slowly grown infatuated with the broken Leslie. As one who has suffered at the hands of the Dark Court, Niall is determined to protect Leslie at any cost, even if he must throw away everything he has believed for the past millennium.

Melissa Marrs second book ties in nicely with her first, which chronicles the Summer Courts fight against the Winter Queen. However, Leslies story is compelling on its own, as are the struggles of the background characters who have now taken center stage. This dark, delicious triangle radiates a passion that one can almost taste on the tongue as clearly as any member of the Dark Court. I eagerly wait to see who will feature in the next tale of this enticing faery world.

Reader reviewed by Rin




Leslie, a good friend of the new Summer Queen, Aislinn from Wicked Lovely, leads a harsh life. Ever since her mother left, Leslie's father has given up all responsibility and so running the household falls to her and her druggie brother Except Ren isn't exactly the best brother. He brings home dangerous people...

Because of an incident involving said dangerous people, Leslie finds herself wanting to take control of her own body and thinks that a tattoo will help her do so. Since none of the usual tattoo designs seem to call to her, Rabbit, the tattoo artist, shows her a book with special designs. Of course Leslie falls in love with one. And has to have it.

The tattoo is a catalyst, one that will cause her to see a world that she's never seen before and help her grow into herself.

Also, Niall, Aislinn's guard for Leslie and Irial, the King of the Dark Court, both are prominent characters in the story, creating a love triangle somewhat similar to the one in Wicked Lovely.

This book was awesome and I'd reccommend it to any fairy lovers/ fans of wicked lovely.