Synopsis: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. . . .
Review:
I did not really think of Ink Exchange as a sequel to Wicked Lovely. It was more of companion novel. I was surprised to find that the minor characters of Wicked Lovely became the main characters of Ink Exchange. I was ready for some more Aislinn, Seth, and Keenan, but instead this book is about Leslie, Niall, and Irial. It took me a while to remember who Leslie was from the first book. After I remembered she was one of Aislinn's friends, I was curious how she would get caught up in the world of faeries.
Leslie has had a hard life. She does not really have anyone to turn to. Her family is extremely broken, and they contribute to her life's problems. With everything that she has gone through, it is easy to feel bad for her. She pretty much takes care of herself since her brother is not brotherly and her father cannot keep it together.
In this book, we get to see what goes on in the Dark Court. I found Irial's court to be very interesting. They may be considered bad, but they have their reasons for why they do the things they do. I could not really blame them for how they are.
I liked how Melissa Marr incorporated the old characters into this story. Aislinn, Seth, and Keenan do not have a huge role, but they are there. Actually, Seth is in a good amount of the book. He becomes Leslie's friend and looks out for her as much as he can. Seth is definitely still my favorite character.
One thing that I found interesting in this book was Melissa Marr's reason for unexplained bruises on people being faeries pinching, tripping, bumping mortals. I always have unexplained bruises, but I just blamed it on my clumsiness. This reason or excuse is pretty great. I might have to use it sometime.
Overall, Ink Exchange was a great story. I think I liked Wicked Lovely a little more, but this one was good, too. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Rating: 3.5/5
Books in the Wicked Lovely Series:
- Wicked Lovely
- Ink Exchange
- Fragile Eternity
- Radiant Shadows
Swords are for fighting,
Nice review! I'm interested to see if/how the events of this book tie in with the last book of the series when it comes out. I liked the short story (Stopping Time I think it's called) that features all of these characters as well. It was free from the publisher for awhile so it's probably still available. Glad you enjoyed the book!
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