Review: Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

Ink Exchange

Author: Melissa Marr
Publisher: HarperTeen
Young Adult
352 (hardcover)

Companion novel to Wicked Lovely. 

Summary:
All Leslie wants is to just get away; an escape from her alcoholic father and drug-dealer brother.   She wants to find some outlet to let out her frustration, a way to signify her owning her own body.  That’s when she sees it.  The perfect tattoo, but not perfect for just anyone, perfect for her and she must have it.  It’s hers as if it speaks to her inner being.  It calls to her, a voice so twisted but sweet.  She’d do anything to have that tattoo painted onto her skin, but once the needle touches her skin, the ink changes her more than she ever imagined.

She thought it would make her feel free, like she could take care of herself.  Instead it made her weak and tied her to the King of the Dark Court.  For it was the Dark King’s blood in the ink of her tattoo.  As their lives are woven together, Leslie must deal with the fact that she’s needed by the Dark King.  He’s a part of her, which is exactly what Aislinn, her friend the Summer Queen, was trying to avoid.

Despite all the protection placed upon Leslie by the Summer Court, Niall in particular, Irial would stop at nothing to have his Shadow Girl.  She’s his isn’t she? She should be by his side, helping him feed his court. 

Meanwhile Niall, one of the Summer King’s top advisors, stands by Leslie the best he can, even when she was still mortal.  And as he gets to know her better he begins to fall.  He becomes addicted to her, because it’s in his nature.  Niall is a Gancanagh (comes Gean Cánach meaning "love talker" in Irish; In Irish mythology Gancanaghs were male faeries known for seducing human women) .  Gancanaghs are addicted to mortals, making it hard on Niall to stay focused.   No one can truly understand why it pains him so much when Irial takes an interest in Leslie.  People can try to understand their history, Irial and his, but only Niall wears the effects in his scars and lives with the true turmoil in his mind.

Can Leslie ever break free from her ties with Irial?  Will Niall rescue her? 

My Rating: 4 stars

Have you ever been scared to read a sequel because you thought it might not be as good as the first?  I was wary of reading this companion novel to Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely because it’s almost like a whole other story.  You no longer have Aislinn, Keenan and Donia’s points of view.  Basically you’re plopped right onto another couple characters as they show you their story.  I guess you could pick up Ink Exchange without being completely confused because you’ve never really met the characters before; they’ve only been briefly introduced in the earlier novel.  Those whom you meet and essentially “live with” for the span of your reading are Irial, Leslie, and Niall. 

Like I stated before, Ink Exchange is just a companion novel to Wicked Lovely, meaning you don’t necessarily need to read it before Fragile Eternity (3^rd in the series).  I wouldn’t suggest skipping it though, because you lose insight to characters in the later books and wouldn’t quite comprehend the choices they make and why.  This book may be by far the darkest of them all.  You spend most of your time learning about how the Dark Court runs and how they feed on emotions.   Your also better acquainted with Bananach (a.k.a. War), a blood-thirsty raven –like faerie, whom you may or may not have nightmares about.

My favorite part of this book may seem pretty small and unimportant to others but I loved Rabbit, Ani, and Tish; Gabriel’s children.  They are half human and half faerie.  Melissa Marr doesn’t focus on them very much, but when she does you see their cute sibling relationships.  To read more about the siblings, Melissa Marr wrote a companion novel called Radiant Shadows (very pumped to read this; however, at the moment the library only has it on ebook).  This novel follows Ani and her life being a Halfling.

Do you find Leslie’s obsession with that tattoo kind of creepy?  Do you have nightmares of Bananach and her raven claws of fury?