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Ink Exchange (Wicked Lovely #2)

by Melissa Marr (Goodreads Author)

3.65 of 5 stars 3.65 · rating details · 31,986 ratings · 2,243 reviews

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...more

ebook, 281 pages

Published March 31st 2009 by HarperCollins (first published April 24th 2008)

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Dec 06, 2009 Tatiana rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: those who love tattoos, fairies, and confusing writing

Recommended to Tatiana by: Heather

Shelves: 2009, ya, romancelandia, series-dropped-lost-steam

So, I gave Marr another try. I didn't like "Wicked Lovely" that much, but was told "Ink Exchange" was better. In some ways, it was.

For one, Leslie as a protagonist is more interesting than Aislinn. There is definitely more depth to her and although I don't get that whole idea of a tattoo being able to free you of your troubles, to liberate you, make you stronger, Marr makes Leslie relatively easy to understand. Again, there are interesting ideas about faery lore that I would like to know more ab...more So, I gave Marr another try. I didn't like "Wicked Lovely" that much, but was told "Ink Exchange" was better. In some ways, it was.

For one, Leslie as a protagonist is more interesting than Aislinn. There is definitely more depth to her and although I don't get that whole idea of a tattoo being able to free you of your troubles, to liberate you, make you stronger, Marr makes Leslie relatively easy to understand. Again, there are interesting ideas about faery lore that I would like to know more about. The ending is also very logical and satisfying to me. Considering that there are no true feelings between Leslie, Irial, and Niall, feelings based on real knowledge of each other, feelings not induced by magic of some sort, Leslie's decision is a correct one.

But just like with Marr's first book, I find the writing style of this book extremely confusing. Once again, there is a lot of jumping from 3rd to 1st person narration, a lot of examining of one's feelings inserted in between the lines of conversations, a lot of hints, a lot of partial/incomplete descriptions. After finishing the book, I still don't know how any of the faeries look underneath their human disguises. I still don't know what are some fae introduced very early in the book are: the Hounds (I only know they are half-humans and assume they are some kind of guards), Ly Ergs, thistle-fey, etc. Still have no idea about the structure of the Dark Court, the exact position and role of Bananach. Have no idea what the High Court is. I am not sure if Marr expects me to already know all these things or I am supposed to deduce what I need to know from bits and pieces of mythology she gives throughout her book, sometimes in the very end of the story. I am convinced that if I need someone who have read all her books several times to explain to me what's what, the narration is just not that great.

Overall, "Ink Exchange" is an OK book. It could have been better without endless often redundant self-reflection and with better delivered, cohesive mythology. Not sure if I will read any more of Marr's book. Her writing is just not my cup of tea I guess.

Reading challenge: #14, 4 of 4 (less)

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Nov 29, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, reviewed, fantasy-sci-fi, fey

Note on this edit.
Funny. I broke one of my own rules in my original review of this book and yet criticized the author for breaking my rules. I am going to correct this now.

Four and a half years after reading this book (view spoiler), I still think about it from time to time. It's one of the books that sticks with me because of an extra special something-som...more

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Apr 02, 2012 Lyndz rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mypod-audiobook, reviewed

3 & ½ stars

I wanted to give the prequel to this book Wicked Lovely 3 & ½ stars but I opted for 4 stars in the end because of the cute little excerpts that Marr included at the start of the chapters about fae folklore. I found them charming. Unfortunately those little quotes were not included in Ink Exchange. I thought that omitting these took from the atmosphere of the book. Should something like that had been included, I would have easily given this one 4 stars as well.

I wanted to like...more 3 & ½ stars

I wanted to give the prequel to this book Wicked Lovely 3 & ½ stars but I opted for 4 stars in the end because of the cute little excerpts that Marr included at the start of the chapters about fae folklore. I found them charming. Unfortunately those little quotes were not included in Ink Exchange. I thought that omitting these took from the atmosphere of the book. Should something like that had been included, I would have easily given this one 4 stars as well.

I wanted to like this book, and I did, but I didn’t feel that it as effectively captured the “spirit” of the fairy world as did Wicked Lovely. I should bring up that one of my contentions with Wicked Lovely was the fact that it has such a predictable happy ending. And to give Marr some well deserved credit on Ink Exchange; this one did not. The ending was well done but far from a happy little fairy tale ending with a pink bow on the top. Don’t get me wrong; it was wrapped up nicely, but the bow was probably not pink satin, but dirty black lace, and has strands of barbed wire sticking out of it.

Leslie, the protagonist, was indeed a strong female character but frustrating at the same time. One of these characters that you like but you keep going, “are you some sort of an idiot?” and smacking said book against your forehead at the decisions she is making. Potential spoilers ahoy: (in italics) [[As in Wicked lovely, our different but fearless female protagonist Leslie has the undying love and attention of 2 hot male suitors. -Every little girls dream. (Cue gagging.) Anyway, this time, both guys are of the fairy variety. Niall and Irial vie for Leslie’s love throughout the book. Both Niall and Irial are dark fairies, and as such, they have the ability to make mortal females become physically and emotionally addicted to their touch.]]/End spoilers I don’t think I will ever get the song Your Love Is My Drug by Ke$ha out of my head now. Thanks a lot for that by the way Ms. Marr. ♪♫Because your love, your love, your love, is my drug. Your love your love your love...♪♫

All in all, Ink Exchange is a cute book, of all the YA teenage love-triangle books I have read, this is one of the better ones. I would recommend it if you like YA and/or you have a thing for books about fairies.
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Feb 12, 2013 kari rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, ya

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm not really sure what to say about this book. It disturbs me that the protagonist, Leslie, who has survived a horrible sexual assault is, by the end of the book, repeatedly used both emotionally and sexually for weeks by the Dark Court king. Yet we're supposed to think this is a healing thing because her proximity to the Dark King feels so good that she forgets everything except being with him. But she wouldn't need him or feel anything toward him were it not for the tattoo using his blood th...more

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Dec 30, 2008 Ardis rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: teen

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 can 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 us with hur...more

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Apr 19, 2009 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, signed-books

Ink Exchange is the companion novel to Wicked Lovely, which basically means that it is not the sequel to Wicked Lovely, but is still set in the same world and has many of the same characters as Wicked Lovely.

Personally, I like Ink Exchange better than I did Wicked Lovely. To be fair, WL was one of the first fae novels that I’d read, along with the Holly Black series, so I was just getting to know about the glamours and the sight and all that fae lingo.

Ink Exchange is definitely the darker nove...more

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May 02, 2008 Angie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: good-uns, urban-fantasy, ya

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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Feb 20, 2008 Karin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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 le...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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Mar 20, 2011 Cathy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, read-in-2009, paranormal, fantasy, elves-fae, urban, ebook-read, ebook-library-available, ebook-owned, twitter-author

Beautiful, haunted, extremely teen angsty (is that a word?), with another very abrupt resolution. Frankly, I'm just too old to properly appreciate this series. But I'm glad to know what all of the fuss is about and am enjoying them for they are. If you like dark fairie tales with lots of shadows and gray areas, give these a try. I do like quite a lot that nothing is black and white in this world, a good lesson for teens. I stick with my advisory that these books are not for young teens and proba...more

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Mar 21, 2008 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who like young adult noves, paranormal romance, or anything with faeries

Shelves: faerie-books, yafantasy, youngadult

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.

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Sep 11, 2010 Jen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010, bought-at-half-price-books, books-i-own

Most definitely one of my surprise favorite 2010 reads so far. It was more of a 4.5 or a 4.75, but due to the characterization, I'm willing to overlook the slight drag in the middle.
I will admit that I was reluctant to read this one. I am a huge fan of Wicked Lovely and will not lie when I say that I put effort into holding off on Ink Exchange. I walked past my bookshelf everyday, made eye-to-spine contact, grunted and scurried away. The idea of alternate characters did not sit well with me, esp...more Most definitely one of my surprise favorite 2010 reads so far. It was more of a 4.5 or a 4.75, but due to the characterization, I'm willing to overlook the slight drag in the middle.
I will admit that I was reluctant to read this one. I am a huge fan of Wicked Lovely and will not lie when I say that I put effort into holding off on Ink Exchange. I walked past my bookshelf everyday, made eye-to-spine contact, grunted and scurried away. The idea of alternate characters did not sit well with me, especially considering that Leslie was so boring and one-dimensional in WL.

I. Was. So. Wrong.

Leslie's got serious issues. I sympathized with the poor girl because she was no damsel-in-distress. She had a backbone, but she was also so damaged, which is realistic. I'm glad that Melissa Marr did not paint a world of problems only to have Leslie act totally functional throughout the book. Lots of the reviews I've read stated that getting a tattoo is not a way of coping with a difficulties in life, but I disagree. At least from a teenager's point of view. Of course getting a tattoo does not solve life's problems, but in some deluded way, it makes sense to a 17-year-old attempting to grasp at any "sense of self" that she can. I can't explain why, but I recall being that rebellious teenager.

At any rate, my favorite character was Irial, hands down. There's just something about the evil-doer-unveiling-a-hidden-sensitive-side that makes me cheer for them. And Irial *swoon* was such an intriguing character.

*SPOILER*

I'm a little sad that Leslie didn't end up with someone at the end of the story, but I feel like Marr went against the grain with the lack of happy ending. Which, AGAIN, is sad but realistic. The girl wanted nothing to do with faeries. She wanted to pick up the pieces on her own and didn't want anyone's help. She gave up Niall and Irial at her own discernment, which is so different from the route that some YA novels take.

*END SPOILER*

Seriously, this book stayed with me long, long, long after I finished it. It's been about a month now and I still think about it. And I'm really excited to buy the Fragile Eternity paperback with the continuation of Leslie's story in it, called "Stopping Time."

READ THIS BOOK!(less)

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Sep 05, 2008 Elizabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of Tithe

Shelves: ya, scifi-fantasy, recently-read

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 things that...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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Feb 04, 2010 Lady Valee rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adults

This book is so different from the first one. First of all before reading this book you must know that there is not a HEA ending, at leat not in what romance is concern. I was expecting for another romantic and enjoyable fast read and found out that this book involves so much more. Much darker and real than her first book.

If I must found a word to describe the book it should be realistic. The story is about a disfunctional girl, Leslie, and her troubled life. She will have to find the way to sol...more

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Mar 07, 2009 Jess rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, fantasy, young-adult

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 Lovely...more

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Mar 27, 2009 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fairies-and-friends

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. Marr mak...more

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Apr 13, 2009 Cecelia rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 realiz...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Jewel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: series-wicked-lovely

3.5 - I don't like Leslie as a female lead but Niall and Irial made up for her lackluster personality. I admit that I would have given this a better rating if the heroine were more likeable though.

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Feb 07, 2009 Ladiibbug rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 King. I kept wondering where the Dark King fit in...more

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Mar 13, 2009 Steph Su rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 Da...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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Feb 24, 2012 Merve Özcan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: faerie, paranormal, romance, teen, translated-to-turkish

Kitap çok güzel bir hızla başladı ve hiç beklemediğim bir sonla bitti. Sevinsem mi üzülsem mi bilemedim, ama çok etkiendiğimi itiraf etmeliyim. Sonuçta okuduğum yüzlerce kitabın hiç birinde kız 2 kişiyi sevsede hiç birini seçemeden hayatına devam etmedi. gerçekten ve erkeklerde kızın iyiliği için onun gitmesine göz yummadı. Çok etkilendim.

ÖZET
Leslie torbacı bir abinin ayyaş bir babanın kızıdır. Abisi onu müşterilerine satıyor ve kız tecavüz ediliyor. Bunun üzerinden 1 yıl geçmesine rağmen atlata...more Kitap çok güzel bir hızla başladı ve hiç beklemediğim bir sonla bitti. Sevinsem mi üzülsem mi bilemedim, ama çok etkiendiğimi itiraf etmeliyim. Sonuçta okuduğum yüzlerce kitabın hiç birinde kız 2 kişiyi sevsede hiç birini seçemeden hayatına devam etmedi. gerçekten ve erkeklerde kızın iyiliği için onun gitmesine göz yummadı. Çok etkilendim.

ÖZET
Leslie torbacı bir abinin ayyaş bir babanın kızıdır. Abisi onu müşterilerine satıyor ve kız tecavüz ediliyor. Bunun üzerinden 1 yıl geçmesine rağmen atlatamamış. Dövme yaptırmak istiyor, özel bir dövemeyi seçiyor. Yalnız bu dövme büyülü karanlık peri sarayının kralına ait. Bu dövme ile ölümlülerden Leslie aracılığı beslenebilecek. Aisline, yaz karliçesi ve Leslienin en iyi arkadaşı,onun periler iyi vesamimi olmasını istemediği için bu kimliği saklı tutuyor ve ona açık açık yardım edemiyor. Niall bu kızı sürekli koruyor ve ona aşık. Dövme bizim Leslie'ye yapıyor.Irial Leslie üzerinden besleniyor. Niall( eski bir karanlık saray üyesi ama ölümlülerin kendisini bağımlı olduğunu fark edince korkup yaz krallıgına sığınıyor.) yaz ve kış krallığında yardımla kendi kanı ve bazı büyülerden yapılan dövmeyi güneş ve buz ile bozuyor.Çünkü Karanlık saray beslenme sırasında insanları öldürüyor ve Lesli'nin bununla yaşayamayacını biliyor. Ama Irialda zevk için değil yaşamak için öldürüyor.(tüm karanlık saray Leslie'ye hayran onu çok seviyor onu mutlu görmek istiyor. Ayrıca bu büyü Leslie'nin acı, keder yani kötü duyguları hissetmesini engelliyor.)
Irial Lesliyi gerçekten umursuyor ve seviyor dövme gidince Leslie ve Niall Lesliden onun isteği üzerşne uzak duruyorlar. Çünkü Leslie kendi hayatını istiyor ve perilerle yaşamaktan mutlu değil. Dövme gidince Irialla bir konuma yapıyor konuşmada bana söz verdin eğer bir ölümlüyü kendine bağlarsan beni mutsuz eder falan diyor. hem İrial hem niall gidiyor ayrılıyorlar hayatlarına devam ediyor. bir gün Irial, Niall'i izlerken yanına geliyor ve krallık gücünü ona devrediyor. ona göre Lesli onu değiştiriyor. ve Niall'i zaten ilk baştan beri kendi yerine atayacağını, yni onu hep sonraki kral olarak düşündüğünü söylüyor. Bunların ikide kızı kendi hayatını yaşaması için bırakıyor.
Onlarca kitap okudum ama hiçbir kitapta kız iki erkektende birini seçmeden yoluna devam etmiyordu.Bu yüzden sonu çok değişik ve dahada büyüleyici geldi.(less)

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Oct 29, 2010 Heather Hamilton rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, 2010, paranormal, series

=*=*=*= October 29, 2010 Review: 3 Stars =*=*=*=
I think my nature is to attempt to BE the characters in the book, rather than just mentally catalog what is happening to them as the story is told. I re-read this novel, purposefully taking a step back from it, and (with the benefit of already having read the next two novels in the series), could enjoy this story.

=*=*=*= December 29, 2009 Review: 1 Star =*=*=*=
I was quite disappointed in this book. Admittedly, the faery realm is not my favorite, bu...more

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Nov 29, 2009 Krystle rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ink Exchange is the sequel to Wicked Lovely. I wasn’t expecting this book to be from the pov of another character but that doesn’t matter, I wasn’t attached to Aislinn in the least.

If I have to say something about this book, it’s that the two prominent male leads were vibrant and quite tasty, making this a much more enjoyable experience. The chapters were easier to zip through but while this book improved in areas from Wicked Lovely there were still glaring problems.

Melissa Marr’s prose is qui...more

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Nov 25, 2010 Mariya rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: faeries, young-adult

ink exchange focuses on ashlinn's best friend, lesie who hasmade an ink exchange withe dark king, irial. this book isnt as good as wicked lovely. i thought it was okaiexz though. it was kind of sad though. i wish that all the fairy court books focuses on ash, seth, & keenan b/c i think i like reading about them more. i liked that we got to know nial a little bit more in this book and look inside his head. i was really happy about that. my thoughts were it was just okaiexz..

Published on my bl...more ink exchange focuses on ashlinn's best friend, lesie who hasmade an ink exchange withe dark king, irial. this book isnt as good as wicked lovely. i thought it was okaiexz though. it was kind of sad though. i wish that all the fairy court books focuses on ash, seth, & keenan b/c i think i like reading about them more. i liked that we got to know nial a little bit more in this book and look inside his head. i was really happy about that. my thoughts were it was just okaiexz..

Published on my blog:Mystifying Paranormal Reviews
Ink Exchange is very different from Wicked Lovely. It is much darker. Instead of Ash, Keenan, and Seth, this book focuses on the side characters from Wicked Lovely, Niall, Leslie, and Irial. I do admit I was hesitant to read Ink Exchange, because I knew that it did not focus on the main characters from Wicked Lovely. But Ink Exchange is a companion novel, where we get to see what is actually going on between the different courts. We don't just have the Summer and Winter Court, we also have the Dark Court. In Wicked Lovely we were introduced to Leslie as Ashlinn's friend. Leslie has had a very rough life since her mother had died and at home it is really bad for her and she is drawn to the darkness. Leslie decides to get a tattoo and the tattoo that she is drawn too and immediately wants to get is the tattoo that will link her soul to the dark king, Irial. Niall cares for Lesley and tries all he can to keep her safe from Irial.

For some reason, I really thought that I was not going to like Ink Exchange for the fact that it focuses on the side characters, but it really wasn't that bad. It was an interesting and engaging read. I really liked that we get an inside look at the other courts and different players in the world. I wasn't as into the main characters as much as the ones in Wicked Lovely. I sympathized with Leslie, because of what she has to come home to everyday. I felt like she got to be a stronger person by the end of the book. I admit that I love Niall and Irial. Irial is so dark and he is such a bad boy and mysterious in a way. We get to see a different side of Niall. I mean he turns into a different person by the end. And things between Niall and the Summer king and queen may never be the same again.

I liked this book, but I was not into it as much as Wicked Lovely, because I liked the focus on Ashlinn, Seth and Keenan and that storyline. I find those characters more interesting to me. But it was just nice to see what was going on in the other courts. But book 3, Fragile Eternity will be back on the Ashlinn, Seth and Kennan storyline, so I am very excited to find out what will happen in that book.(less)

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May 24, 2011 Krys rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fairy-pixie-themed, young-adult, urban-dark-fantasy-paranormal, court-intrigue, banshee-themed, third-person-narrative, read-in-2010, twins, own, autographed, series

Ink Exchange is my favourite of the Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr. I was beyond happy to reread this one. It's the one that has (thus far) resonated with me the most. There's something in Leslie's story that I, as a woman, identify with so much. It hurts to read this book, because I see so much of this character in myself. Sigh. My review, yes. My review.

Leslie has it really hard since her mother walked out of her life. Months later the absence echoes through her home; her father has succ...more

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May 25, 2010 Andrea Ivonne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

When I first read Wicked Lovely I fell in love with the world and the characters. Everything was amazing, so when I found out there was gonna be a second book, well I was like I'm gonna get it. I L O V E everything about Ink Exchange. I had never read anything like this. It's beautiful, the characters are amazing. I had to say, once you read a book like this, your gonna get in a world fool of darkness and magic. The first character, Leslie. She was so different from all the other characters of g...more

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Aug 07, 2008 Jackie "the Librarian" rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: dark fantasy fans, but read Wicked Lovely first

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

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, who has been...more

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Aug 20, 2010 Tandy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: did-not-finish

To finish or not to finish? I'm having a hard time deciding if I want to truly finish this book. I maybe have 100 pages left and I have no desire to finish. I don't care what happens.

As I'm reading this book, it gives me the feeling of what I guess it would feel like to be on drugs. The ups and downs, the darkness, the hopelessness. This book is dark and leaves me with sad ugly feelings.

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Jun 27, 2008 Gwen the Librarian rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: teenbooks, fantasy

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 assaulted by the...more

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Oct 21, 2008 Emma rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Mary Jean, Monica, Lori

Recommended to Emma by: Bonnie, Me

Shelves: young-adult

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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Jul 27, 2012 Dalia721 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Best book in the series!
It was much more creative then Wicked Lovely, and more exiting.
Since you already knew the fey world from the first book, marr was able to expand on the courts besides Aislynn's.
Highly recommend this to anyone who likes VERY dark fantasy.

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Wicked Lovely fan...: Rereading Book	1	2	Dec 26, 2012 05:13pm
ink exchange	25	103	Oct 05, 2012 02:49pm
Is this just about Leslie?	7	37	Oct 05, 2012 02:43pm
Sexy faerie-boys	6	38	Oct 05, 2012 02:40pm

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About Melissa Marr

5 stars= If I love you, I'll buy you a copy from this list of books. (Pls note, if you are my family or dearest friends, feel free to remind me to do so. I am lousy w remembering birthdays/holidays.)

4 stars= Don't even ask to borrow it. You should prob buy it though.

3= If you borrow it, you better not lose it, mangle it, or keep it too long.

2 or 1 star= I don't use these. If it's not a 3 star or...more

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Ink Exchange (Wicked Lovely #2)

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