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| Ink Exchange | 
 enlarge | Author: Melissa Marr
Publisher: HarperCollins
Category: Book
List Price: $16.99
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New (36) Used (15) Collectible (6) from $7.79
Avg. Customer Rating:  42 reviews
Sales Rank: 3932
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.2
ISBN: 006121468X
EAN: 9780061214684
ASIN: 006121468X
Publication Date: May 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Should start at the end. June 1, 2008
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
It's an interesting concept, unusual even for a fantasy novel: a certain type of Faery feeds on the emotions of others, particularly the darker emotions, anger, fear, lust, envy. In order to make as much of these emotions available for consumption as possible, these Faeries foment unrest amongst their kind; but of late, the long-standing war between the Winter Court and the Summer Court of the Fae has ended, and the resultant peace has left these poor dark Faeries starving. As it turns out, they need an intermediary in order to feed upon the emotions of humans; there must be a human focus for the emotions, which can then be funneled magically to all of the Faeries through their king. The means by which this human's emotions can be focused and channeled? A tattoo, using for ink the Faery king's blood and tears. The Faery's magic allows the tattooed human to sense the emotions of others, and the Faery king to absorb those emotions through her, and then dole them out to his subjects, like a mother bird with a craw full of worm. This is the Ink Exchange: Faery blood for human fear.
Unfortunately, that concept is the best thing about the book. The plot, if diagrammed, would look somewhat like a topographic map of the US: a great Adirondack peak of interest in the beginning, followed by an absolutely flat plain lasting for far too long to permit a traveler to maintain sanity, let alone interest, and ending with a soaring and majestic peak tailing off into a forgettable lump of an epilogue that should have broken off in an earthquake long ago. (I don't really hate California.) Actually, the book would have been far more interesting if it had begun where it ends: the last quarter of the book is an absorbing depiction of the temptation of emptiness, and examines the morality of sacrificing others to protect or please yourself. It would have been much more enjoyable to explore the aftermath of that sequence than the lead up. As it is, the characters are flat or stock, the descriptions of the Fae are confusing and incomplete, and the prose leans heavily toward the improbably purple ("The wraith's voice drifted over the air, as refreshing as a sip of the moon, as heavy as churchyard soil on his tongue."). The best I could say is that the novel has unrealized potential.
 Marr Definitely Expands Her Skills As An Author! May 6, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
"Ink Exchange" portrays the development of Melissa Marr as an author. While I was somewhat disappointed with the conclusion of "Wicked Lovely," "Ink Exchange" was successfully conclusive in that the characters showed signs of growth. The storyline continues from "Wicked Lovely," and is vital with regards to the history Marr does not delve into.
"Ink Exchange" focuses on Leslie who is a friend of Aislinn (the Summer Queen). From the beginning of the story, Marr is not hesitant in describing that Leslie has been damaged both physically and emotionally. Leslie, wanting to regain control (at least of her body), decides to get a tattoo not realizing this particular tattoo will take away any potential choices she would make in the future. Thus, the battle between the Summer Court and Dark Court intensifies.
Again, development of characters and of the author's skill to illustrate the story/characters is intense. Marr does a superb job of telling a wonderful tale of escaping fear/pain and the consequences of doing so. Should you choose to read this story, be sure to read "Wicked Lovely" as Marr does not focus on reiterating the events from the previous book.
 wonderful young adult fantasy May 6, 2008
4 out of 12 found this review helpful
Leslie's life is totally out of control ever since her mother abandoned the family. Her father turned to alcohol to numb his pain and his gambling debts force his seventeen years old daughter to work as a waitress to pay the bills. Her brother is a druggie who stays calm when he is high on marijuana; all other drugs and abstinence make him violent. To pay for his habit he offers his sister to his druggie pals.
In Faery all is peaceful, which is dangerous for the Dark Court because they feed off of the darker emotions like hate, anger, and fear. Leslie goes into a tattoo parlor and selects a very special design that is run by a half-fey. She choose one and an INK EXCHANGE between her and Irial will occur once it is completed. He will then use her as a conduit to feed the darker emotions from humans and faeries to the whole of the Dark Court. Leslie does not realize that the exchange works both ways and Irial feels more for her then the any other human. She must find the strength to become totally independent or Faery will suck the life out of her.
MIDNIGHT INK, the sequel to WICKEDLY LOVELY and VIRAL FAERY, focuses on a world in which the morality on the paranormal plane differs from those on the mortal realm. The Dark Court is not evil, but they think differently and being true to their genetic make-up see humans as sustenance; in fact other courts are much more ruthless not caring about collateral damage. Leslies has choices to make just like any teen, but her are more magical in nature as Melissa Marr writes a wonderful young adult fantasy.
Harriet Klausner
 Confused? June 4, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Overall, I liked the book; however, I felt it was rather confusing to read and it wasn't written as well as Wicked Lovely. Wicked Lovely assumed you didn't know about the faery world and you learned about the Summer and Winter Courts as Aislinn gathered information, but not much was known about the Dark court. As I was reading, it was written as if the reader should already have information about the Dark Court (which I didn't). It was like it started in the middle of a story and I missed out on the first/important part of it.
With that said, after muddling through the confusion, I did like the book. I felt more for Niall's character than for any other though. The pain of wanting to be with someone and not being able to and then ultimately being forced in a position where you didn't really want to be (though you knew you belonged) and being forced even further away from the person you loved. Sad, very sad.
Not Quite As Good June 30, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I had thought maybe it was just me and my own inability to get into this book. I loved Wicked Lovely and had high hopes for Ink Exchange. Maybe this is the downfall of this book; it just didn't live up to Wicked Lovely. It seems, after reading several reviews here on Amazon, that I'm not alone in my feelings for Ink exchange: It was good, just not as good as I'd hoped it would be.
Leslie, friend of Aislinn from Wicked Lovely, wants to retake control of her life; her mother's left, her father might as well have gone for all the attention he pays the family, and her older brother is a drug dealer who has allowed his friends to use Leslie. In getting a tattoo, Leslie feels she will be regaining her sense of self by taking back her body. Unfortunately, Leslie doesn't realize that the tattoo she's chosen will tie her to the faery Dark Court and will enable Irial, the King, to use her as a conduit for emotions to feed his court. Niall, friend of Aislinn and Keenan, is told to protect her but he finds himself falling in love with Leslie and unable to save her. In the end, Leslie must learn how to save herself, of course.
I liked Leslie and had sympathy for her plight but I was terribly let down by Aislinn's unwillingness to intercede enough to save her friend early on. I loved Niall and could feel his frustration, and I surprisingly liked Irial as well. However, the plot is fragmented with too many characters and unexplained events and ties. I understand that it is a faery court, but I just couldn't believe that the ultimate solution to Leslie's problem was solved so easily really, and I found her rejection of Niall unfulfilling. While I can say I enjoyed this book, I wasn't rivted to it and kept feeling that something was missing. I needed more explanation, more excitement; I was too let down with both Aislinn and Keenan. While I would still recommend this book, I hope the next book set in this faery world has a more compelling plot.
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