Ink Exchange (Wicked Lovely, #2)

by Melissa Marr (Goodreads author)

book data

2,257 ratings, 3.61 average rating, 445 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		22%
4		33%
3		29%
2		11%
1		2%

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published

May 1st 2008 by HarperTeen

binding

Hardcover, 325 pages

characters

Leslie, Irial

isbn

006121468X (isbn13: 9780061214684)

description

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

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03/29/08

Elizabeth rated it:

bookshelves: 2008, fairy-tales, fantasy

Read in May, 2008

This isn't a book to read if you haven't read Wicked Lovely. I prefer sequels that can stand on their own and this one doesn't. It also broke one of my *rules* for fantasy stories, which is that the first pages cannot introduce a ridiculous number of unpronounceable or clearly made-up names. It makes the story impossible to get into because you're struggling over names and, in this case, trying to remember if you met them in the last book, or if they've appeared from nowhere. I remembered where ...more

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2 comments

05/02/08

Angie rated it:

bookshelves: good-uns

Read in May, 2008

Wicked Lovely, Melissa Marr's first novel, was on my Best of 2007 list and I've been very excited about the sequel, Ink Exchange. The storyline follows Aislinn's friend Leslie. Leslie is surrounded by a fog of secrets and unable to break through the fog because of something that happened to her while Aislinn was caught up in her own set of the tumultuous events in Wicked Lovely. The gulf between the two girls only grows wider as they find themselves unable to talk about how they have each bee...more Wicked Lovely, Melissa Marr's first novel, was on my Best of 2007 list and I've been very excited about the sequel, Ink Exchange. The storyline follows Aislinn's friend Leslie. Leslie is surrounded by a fog of secrets and unable to break through the fog because of something that happened to her while Aislinn was caught up in her own set of the tumultuous events in Wicked Lovely. The gulf between the two girls only grows wider as they find themselves unable to talk about how they have each been irrevocably altered. While Aislinn negotiates a tricky truce between Keenan and Seth, Leslie is left to fend for herself, waitressing tables to pay the bills, and avoiding going home for any length of time. She is also storing away a little cash to get a tattoo as a symbol of taking her life back and escaping the terror that's dominated it for too long.

Turns out she's not completely alone, though. Aislinn has commissioned Niall, Keenan's friend and right hand man, to watch over Leslie, haunting her steps in order to protect her from the Dark Court faeries who seem to have developed a sudden, unhealthy interest in her. Chief among Aislinn's worries is Irial, the Dark King himself. But, unbeknownst to any of them, Leslie has chosen Irial's tattoo to ink on her back, a process which will link the girl and the Dark King, allowing him to feed off human emotion through her, and thereby keep his people from starving. Add to that the complication that Niall is falling in love with Leslie. Irial is falling in....something....with Leslie. And Niall and Irial have A History. A long, dark, twisted, and surprisingly moving one.

The thing about Ink Exchange is, just when you think it can't get any worse, it does. With a vengeance. A sort of hazy, starbursty kind of worse. Until you want to run screaming onto the page, snatch Leslie (and Niall, and, yes, Irial, too) in your arms and stash them away somewhere warm and safe and dry until they're able to heal. Short of being able to do that, you keep reading. I liked Leslie. I liked her a lot. And I hated that she had so few choices available and that, for the majority of the book, she was being manipulated left and right. By those who loved her, wanted her, and hated her alike. It made me mad. At all the characters, even as I loved them. Even my beloved Seth who seemed to see clearer than anyone, except perhaps Irial. And it made the ending a very satisfying one. But it wasn't an easy read. And it wasn't a pleasant one. And I still, epilogue be damned, have the aforementioned urge to run in and save them all. But I will wait. Somewhat impatiently. For book three.(less)

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01/27/08

Karin rated it:

bookshelves: 2008-reads, edgy, faeries, favorites, youngadult

Read in February, 2008

Welcome back to the world first created by Melissa Marr for Wicked Lovely. A world where faeries exist and roam among humans without their knowledge. In this companion novel to Wicked Lovely, we get to know Leslie, one of Ash’s best friends. Since Ash and Keenan defeated the Winter Queen and gained power, peace has reigned between the Summer and Winter Courts. Ash doesn’t go anywhere without guards and her closest friends are guarded too.
Leslie has had a rough home life e...more Welcome back to the world first created by Melissa Marr for Wicked Lovely. A world where faeries exist and roam among humans without their knowledge. In this companion novel to Wicked Lovely, we get to know Leslie, one of Ash’s best friends. Since Ash and Keenan defeated the Winter Queen and gained power, peace has reigned between the Summer and Winter Courts. Ash doesn’t go anywhere without guards and her closest friends are guarded too.
Leslie has had a rough home life ever since her mother left. Her dad is usually drunk and rarely comes home. Her brother is high all the time on a variety of drugs and brings dangerous people around the house. Leslie learned that the hard way and has the scars to prove it. Leslie enjoyed the time she isn’t at home whether that means she is at work or at school.
Niall is Keenan’s, the Summer King’s, right hand. He often guards Leslie and feels his desire for her growing each time he sees her. He doesn’t realize she feels the same way about him. If he knew, it would only make it harder on him to not be able to have contact with her. Niall can’t physically touch humans. His touch is as addictive as a drug. It leaves humans begging for his constant embrace until they eventually go mad.
Keeping his distance from Leslie becomes impossible when Irial sets his sites on her. Irial is the King of the Dark Court and feeds himself and those connected to him by taking the emotions of fear, lust, anger, greed, and jealousy from other fey as well as humans. Since the peace between the Summer and Winter Courts there hasn’t been enough of the dark emotions to sustain the entire Dark Court.
Irial has developed a way to feed through a human. His blood and the tears from the Dark Court Faeries are mixed with ink used to tattoo the person he’ll use to feed. Leslie has decided getting a tattoo is a way she can reclaim some control over her life and decides on the symbol that will link her to Irial and eventually lead to her death. Niall must break his rule about human contact in order to keep Leslie safe and ends up falling in love with her.
The battle between the Dark Court and the Summer Court revolves around Leslie. Unfortunately, she doesn’t know what is going on since Ash doesn’t want her to know about the Faery world. Ash thinks if Leslie doesn’t know, she’ll be safe. Instead, Leslie gets the tattoo and feels the immediate draw to Irial where she is used to feed the Dark Court.
Niall is willing to do everything he can to ensure Leslie’s safety once she is under Irial’s control even if means breaking his ties to the Summer Court. Can Niall get Leslie’s life back? Can he win her love? Will she be any better with him than with Irial? Read INK EXCHANGE to find out. You won’t be disappointed. INK EXCHANGE is just as captivating as Wicked Lovely. I can’t wait for the third book.
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02/02/08

Laura rated it:

bookshelves: faerie-books, yafantasy, youngadult

Read in March, 2008

recommends it for: people who like young adult noves, paranormal romance, or anything with faeries

I found this book to be much more adult than "Wicked Lovely". Melissa scores a homerun with this book and completely recommend teens and adults to read it.

Melissa has a wonderful voice and a great sense of the faery world. I applaud her.

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

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08/30/08

Elizabeth rated it:

bookshelves: recentlyread, scifi-fantasy, ya

Read in September, 2008

recommends it for: fans of Tithe

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I really liked Marr's first, Wicked Lovely, and while I liked this, too, it just didn't grab me in the same way. I loved the first half/ two-thirds of Ink Exchange, once the ink exchange took effect, I felt like the story got convoluted.

The story focuses on Leslie, a close friend of Aislinn, the main character from the first book and the reigning Summer Queen of the faery courts. She has a very unhappy home life, complete with druggie brother and absentee father, and one of the few...more I really liked Marr's first, Wicked Lovely, and while I liked this, too, it just didn't grab me in the same way. I loved the first half/ two-thirds of Ink Exchange, once the ink exchange took effect, I felt like the story got convoluted.

The story focuses on Leslie, a close friend of Aislinn, the main character from the first book and the reigning Summer Queen of the faery courts. She has a very unhappy home life, complete with druggie brother and absentee father, and one of the few things that gives her pleasure is hanging out at the local tattoo shop. She desperately wants a tattoo, which she feels will give her ownership of her own body, and help her feel some control amid her chaotic life. Unbeknownst to Leslie, Rabbit, the shop's owner, is the half-fey son of the Hound of the Dark Court. He has an agreement with Irial, the Dark Court's king, to use a special faery ink with certain tattoos as part of an ink exchange. The ink exchange allows Irial and the rest of the Dark Court to feed on the dark emotions of mortals, which have grown scarce since the peace made between Summer and Winter in the first book.

Leslie ends up picking the tattoo that represents Irial himself. As she begins to get the tattoo, her friends from the Summer Court notice that she's attracted the Dark King's attention, and Niall, who is Keenan's (the Summer King) right hand man, is asked to guard her more closely. Niall is also interested in Leslie, and he and Irial struggle over Leslie's mortality and her role in the faery world.

Leslie, having been kept in the dark about all this, completes the tattoo, making her Irial's Shadow Girl. Once she is a part of his court, she struggles to maintain her sense of self, even as she witnesses atrocities against mortals. Eventually, she must make the choice between remaining with the Dark Court or breaking her tie with Irial.

I did like that the story wasn't just about hooking Leslie up with the hottest faery out there, but about her making choices about her own destiny. I also liked seeing the POV characters from the other book from another perspective. I think my favorite aspect of the book was that the various faeries and faery courts are not depicted as good/bad, black/white entities. The reader can find Irial sympathetic, and Keenan distasteful. Gabriel (the Hound), who I initially thought was going to be very one-note, actually ended up being a dynamic character with depth. Niall, like Leslie, has to make tough choices about his own path, and it's always nice for me when an author doesn't go easy on their characters.

I think what I didn't like was that I didn't have a firm grip on Leslie as a character- the faeries were much, much more fully realized- and thus when she was with the Dark Court and time was passing in a haze, the plot got very hazy for me, too. It seemed almost like it took too long to get Leslie there, and then things were rushed and not fully explained. I also found it a little convenient that it was one of Aislinn's closest friends who happened to choose Irial's mark. I could understand her catching faery eyes because of her closeness to the Summer Queen, but it was little too coincidental that she ended up being the Shadow Girl. I just wish Marr would have spent more time on developing Leslie as a character, and devoted a few more pages to explaining what the hell, exactly, was going on at the Dark Court.

That said, I would read another book set in this world. I loved the first one, and this one was okay (good-not-great), so I would give Marr another shot before saying Wicked Lovely was a fluke.(less)

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12/30/08

Ardis rated it:

I didn't like the first one, Wicked Lovely, so I don't know why I read the second one, other than I wanted to give the author a second chance...
The teen librarian where I work told me that the teens are eating these books up, but I an only figure that the appeal is the fact that teenagers are being picked to be fairy queens; I don't get it.
These books are badly written, the world the characters inhabit is undeveloped, and the author spends too much time on the build up only to leave ...more

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03/03/09

Jess rated it:

bookshelves: audiobook, fantasy, young-adult

Read in March, 2009

This is probably more of a companion than a sequel to Wicked Lovely, and one of the more entertaining aspects was seeing the characters from WL from a new perspective. This story is a bit darker in tone - Leslie has a bad family situation and was recently raped (although this is more referred to than described), and she is almost unwillingly drawn to darker things. While this might make her a less likable narrator to some readers, it gave some depth to the story that was lacking in Wicked Love...more

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03/26/09

Anna rated it:

bookshelves: fantasy

Read in March, 2009

In her essay "The Collapsible Woman", Vanessa Veselka talks about how society expects all victims of rape to break and collapse. She argues that we don't know how to deal with survivors rather than victims. But clearly Marr knows how. Like the previous book in this series, the human characters are so real, full of all the strengths and weakness that make up real teenage women. This book is particularly compelling because it deals with darker issues like rape and addiction in a real way...more

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04/13/09

Cecelia rated it:

Read in March, 2009

This book surprised me (and not in a good way). Perhaps because I didn't feel as many dark undertones in the first book, Wicked Lovely, I expected this work to be an entertaining, dark-ish, YA fantasy with themes of finding love, belonging, dealing with authority/power, etc. What I encountered was a disturbing novel which addresses themes of extreme violence, questionable ethics, addiction and domestic abuse in a very surface/shallow way. I made myself push through to the end, even when I rea...more

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02/03/09

Ladiibbug rated it:

Read in February, 2009

YA - Sequel to the excellent Wicked Lovely

Melissa Marr's debut novel, Wicked Lovely, was tops on my Best Reads of 2007. Fairies live unseen among mortals and the balance between the various fairie "species" (?) and factions is tenuous at best.

I so wanted to like Ink Exchange more than I did :-(

I wanted more depth, more details of the amazing world Marr has created. She's got the Summer Court (King and Queen) and Winter Court, then the evil Dark K...more

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03/13/09

Stephanie rated it:

Ever since her mother left, Leslie’s had a hard life. Her father is perpetually drunk and useless, and her addict brother Ren actually sells her to dealers he owes. All Leslie wants is a normal life, free from the fear and the pain that constantly plague her. She enters a tattoo shop run by the talented Rabbit one day and is attracted to a dangerously beautiful tattoo that she just has to have, so strong is its pull.

What Leslie doesn’t know is that the tattoo is the mark of Irial, ...more Ever since her mother left, Leslie’s had a hard life. Her father is perpetually drunk and useless, and her addict brother Ren actually sells her to dealers he owes. All Leslie wants is a normal life, free from the fear and the pain that constantly plague her. She enters a tattoo shop run by the talented Rabbit one day and is attracted to a dangerously beautiful tattoo that she just has to have, so strong is its pull.

What Leslie doesn’t know is that the tattoo is the mark of Irial, king of the Dark Court of Faery, which feeds on mortal emotions. Ever since Beira, the cruel ex-Winter Queen, was overthrown, there is not enough chaos in the world to feed the Dark Court’s appetite. So Irial is performing an ink exchange with a mortal who chooses his tattoo; they will be linked, and he can funnel human emotions through the mortal and feed his court. What Irial doesn’t expect, however, is the damning love he feels for Leslie, a weakness that will undermine his strength as the Dark King.

Meanwhile, Keenan and Leslie’s friend Aislinn, the new Summer King and Queen, have ordered their friend Niall to watch over and protect Leslie, to keep her unaware of the faery world that exists under her very nose. Yet Niall cannot help but feel immensely attracted to Leslie. He has been with a lot of mortals, gotten them addicted to him until they wasted away pining, but never has he felt such a strong urge to do anything he can for a mortal girl.

Under the ink exchange, Leslie is numbed from all emotion and safe in Irial’s genuinely caring arms. But she is also not really living. Leslie must make a choice: will she stay with Irial, who takes away pain and gives her only pleasure, until she wastes away like other mortals they have tried the exchange on? Or will she ask Niall to help her become free? Either way, she must make the difficult choice by herself.

Melissa Marr’s faery world has the potential to be grand and exciting, but it falls short. I never feel any real connection to the story and its characters.
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07/23/08

Jackie "the Librarian" rated it:

bookshelves: fantasy, magic, misery--oh-misery, youngadult

Read in August, 2008

recommends it for: dark fantasy fans, but read Wicked Lovely first

I really loved Wicked Lovely by Marr, and this is the sequel. So far, it's a little trickier to get into, you would definitely be a bit lost if you hadn't read the first book, and it's a bit repetitious, but the story, oh! the story! It's one of those books I have trouble putting down.

There are faeries all around us, we just can't see them. At least, most of us can't. Aislinn, from Wicked Lovely can, and now she has become the Summer Queen. But this book is about her friend Leslie, w...more

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02/22/08

Gwen the Librarian rated it:

bookshelves: fantasy, teenbooks

Read in June, 2008

I was anxiously awaiting this sequel to Wicked Lovely but it was just okay. Dark, sexual, set in a faery-filled modern world - sounds enticing but was strangely boring and political. Warring faery kings blah blah. If you love this kind of stuff then by all means pick up the book.

Leslie is Aislynn's best friend, so Aislynn has had her watched to make sure she stays out of harm and away from the faery realms. But Aislynn wasn't watching close enough and Leslie has been abused and ...more

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06/30/08

Emma rated it:

bookshelves: young-adult

Read in October, 2008

recommended to Emma by: Bonnie, Me
recommends it for: Mary Jean, Monica, Lori

Ok I am really reading this one now. Looks like it will be good! I like re-discovereing the Faery world through Leslie's eyes. I love how this author never does anything in black and white. There is always choice, hard choices mostly. There are no easy answers, or simple endings or pat love stories. This book is about living your own life, being your own person and making hard choices. It is about what it means to be human, and what we will sacrifice for safety, and for freedom. I know that is a...more

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01/12/09

Jessie rated it:

I would have actually read this sooner if I realized that it went with Wicked Lovely. It puzzled me that Fragile Eternity was supposed to be the 3rd book in that series when I hadn't heard of a 2nd. This book focuses on Aislinn's friend Leslie. Aislinn tries to protect her friends by keeping them out of the world she's now a part of. By getting a tatoo, Leslie ends up linked to the king of the dark court and more embroiled and endangered in the faerie world that she hadn't known existed.

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01/20/08

Kristen rated it:

bookshelves: paranormal-fantasy, youngadult

Read in April, 2008

I could not put this book down yesterday. It has that interesting view on faeries of a balance of good and evil in each type of faerie. This book focuses on the darker fey in this world and really deals with some serious issues in our world today. The characters are interesting and while good things do happen, you feel torn between the two faeries vying for one mortal girl. I like the way the author balances the good and evil natures of faeries and how they are intermixed, whether that faerie is...more

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03/31/09

khcpl teen scene rated it:

bookshelves: teen-book-reviews-2009

Read in March, 2009

recommends it for: fans of dark fantasy or urban fantasy or fans of Wicked Lovely

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr is the second book in what could be called the Wicked Lovely series. Although reading Wicked Lovely first would give you more insight to the world, I believe both novels can stand alone.
I have to admit that I didn’t like this book as well as I liked Wicked Lovely. While Wicked Lovely is what I would call a dark fantasy (or the more modern term urban fantasy), it wasn’t nearly as dark as Ink Exchange. This book dealt with many addictions, and the answer...more

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02/06/09

Diana rated it:

Read in February, 2009

It may not be the proper sequel for "Wicked Lovely" but you still need to read it. Ink Exchange is darker and the main characters are more conflicted. But i'll only talk about one character that really stand out in this book.

The character Irial, the Dark King, made me think about my perception of "good vs evil". What is good? What is evil? Does doing the wrong thing justifies the good outcome or your good intentions? How can you fight "evil" if it's your...more

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12/21/08

kaysootee rated it:

bookshelves: audio-edition, dark, faeries, romantic, young-adult-fiction

Read in August, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Leslie is a strong girl, but a lot of really bad things have happened to her recently. Her mom split, her brother deals drugs, and her father’s not dealing well with anything at all. It’s mostly Leslie who keeps their household running, and often her paychecks that keep the bill collectors at bay. Still, after being raped by some of her brother’s friends/customers, Leslie is a bit more fragile, and a lot more scared than she wants to be. She can’t wait to go away to college and get a...more Leslie is a strong girl, but a lot of really bad things have happened to her recently. Her mom split, her brother deals drugs, and her father’s not dealing well with anything at all. It’s mostly Leslie who keeps their household running, and often her paychecks that keep the bill collectors at bay. Still, after being raped by some of her brother’s friends/customers, Leslie is a bit more fragile, and a lot more scared than she wants to be. She can’t wait to go away to college and get away from all of her bad memories. Until then, Leslie’s looking for something to help her feel like she’s taken the power back. She finds what she’s looking for in the form of a tattoo – shadowy eyes and feathery wings. Something about it draws Leslie in, and she won’t rest until she’s got it inked on her own skin.

The tattoo is no ordinary ink, however. It forms a bond between Leslie and the king of the dark fae, Irial, that allows Leslie to pick up and then transmit any dark emotions around her to the king. He and his court feed on fear, pain, darkness, anger. As a bonus, Leslie no longer feels any of these things herself. They flit like ghosts through her and leave her feeling strangely empty and wrong – especially when she knows that she should feel a certain way. Leslie initially knows nothing of the faeries or of her friend Aislynn’s relationship with them. And once she’s been inked, she can do little but drift in and out of consciousness, effectively trapped in their world.

Her unhappiness and discomfort, however, affect Irial as well. He loves her enough to allow her her freedom when she takes Niall (another faery) up on his offer to release her. Leslie and Irial continue to have feelings for one another - a strange dark love (that readers of Twilight will probably appreciate). Leslie goes back to her mortal life, which is now devoid of both father and brother (a great improvement), and Irial renounces his title – giving it over to Niall.

Although this left a little more to be desired (it wraps up a bit suddenly and succinctly) than Melissa Marr’s previous novel, Wicked Lovely, fans of the first book should also enjoy this one. It’s a little darker than Wicked Lovely, because of Leslie’s earlier loss of innocence and her relationship with the dark fae. Readers will wonder what will come next as the fae courts realign themselves and test one another’s strengths and weaknesses. (less)

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05/19/09

Tracy rated it:

Read in May, 2009

This book is like others have said . . .a companion book not a true sequel. I agree with many other comments that is not as good as the first. I disagree with some others in that I can see the purpose of the story. In this book we look at Leslie's life after Ash steps into her role as Summer Queen (yes, Keenan, Ash, and Seth are in the book, but as supporting characters mainly). Leslie was the girl in the tatoo shop that walked in with a Faery (we learn is Irial the Dark Court King). Leslie...more

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