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| Ink Exchange | 
 enlarge | Author: Melissa Marr
Publisher: HarperCollins
Category: Book
List Price: $16.99
Buy New: $9.81
You Save: $7.18 (42%)
New (31) Used (13) Collectible (6) from $9.81
Avg. Customer Rating:  38 reviews
Sales Rank: 4434
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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Product 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 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. . . .
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| Customer Reviews: Read 33 more reviews...
 no happily ever after here May 5, 2008
24 out of 24 found this review helpful
I'm not ready to pass judgment on INK EXCHANGE. When I turned the last page and closed the book, I thought: this story is not over. Melissa Marr's first book set in the world of faerie, WICKED LOVELY, was self contained - and I'm not sure what, or who, the next book is supposed to be about. If INK EXCHANGE is supposed to be Leslie's whole story, I have to say I'm disappointed. But if it's the beginning of a series, I'm delighted.
INK EXCHANGE starts off with Leslie, the protagonist, getting ready to leave for high school while her brother smokes crack at the kitchen table. It's an early warning to the reader: this is an unrelentingly dark book. Leslie is living in a nightmare version of the human world, and it isn't long before she is unwittingly caught up in a nightmare version of the faerie world: the Dark Court. These solitary fey nourish themselves on pain, hatred, greed, lust, and just about any other ugly urge that man or faerie is capable of. They starve without this nourishment, and peaceful times are lean indeed.
Marr has set herself the difficult task of rendering these Dark faeries sympathetic to the reader. They are emotional parasites, and they literally thrive on suffering. Their King, Irial, shows us that at least some of these repulsive creatures are capable of great virtue: Irial is a devoted caretaker of his people, capable of true friendship, self-sacrifice, and sensitivity. It is moving when he exhibits these qualities, and then doubly repulsive when he sets them aside. Frequently, Marr follows the Dark faeries as they prepare for their hideous feasts - and then fades to black. But we can imagine how they must proceed, by watching how Irial treats Leslie - a girl he loves, and swears to protect. He treats her very, very badly.
I think Marr is a very talented writer indeed. Her worlds, both human and faerie, are gritty, alive, and feel very real. Her teenage protagonists are good kids who grow up too fast, and are wise beyond their years. This faerieland is no saccharine paradise for Tinkerbells and pretty princesses - profoundly alien, both gorgeous and hideous.
INK EXCHANGE was hard to put down, very compelling, but I wonder what will happen next.
 Courtesy of Teens Read Too April 29, 2008
16 out of 17 found this review helpful
Torn up inside after her drug-dealer brother betrays her in the most horrible way, Leslie puts on a brave front with her friends, pretending her drunken dad isn't letting the bills pile up and hiding all her pain. Hoping to take back control over her body, she decides to get a tattoo, and picks out a special design at the tattoo parlor she often hangs out at. Unbeknownst to Leslie, that tattoo is the symbol of Irial, the king of the faerie Dark Court, designed to allow him to filter the unpleasant emotions that feed his court through her into him and his people.
As Leslie finds her vision changing and her feelings shifting in unpredictable ways, Niall, a faerie of the Summer Court who has always admired her, steps in, hoping to help her and keep Irial away. He has his own tangled feelings about Irial, whom he once counted as a friend. But as Leslie sinks further under Irial's thrall, enjoying the escape from the hurt and fear she'd been living with, only she can decide when to pull away--or whether she would rather stay with him, after all.
INK EXCHANGE is a darkly imaginative novel set in the same world as Marr's first novel, WICKED LOVELY. Readers will enjoy exploring the lives of some of that novel's minor characters and seeing more of the shadowy side of the faerie courts. They may find Leslie, Niall, and Irial less engaging than the spirited and perhaps more sympathetic narrators of WICKED LOVELY, but the trio still make for a fascinating "love" triangle as each deals with conflicting emotions and tries to decide what is right both for him or herself and for those who are counting on them.
The imagery is striking and evocative, and the politics of the different faerie courts is intriguing to explore. A great book for dark fantasy fans.
Reviewed by: Lynn Crow
 Rather Disappointed. May 8, 2008
9 out of 13 found this review helpful
Now, before you attack me with hate mail, let me explain. I really wanted to like this book. I REALLY did. Wicked Lovely wasn't the best book I'd ever read, but I thought it was okay. I got an advanced copy of this book and after reading the description, was anxious to read it. I suppose I set my expectations for it too high. I was so hyped up about reading it, that when it came, I wanted it to be perfect. But, to my disappointment, it was far from that. It took me almost a month to get through this one while it took 3 days for Wicked Lovely. I would stare at it, think about reading it, blow it off, later stare at it more, and convince myself that maybe something would happen that would change my perspective on this book entirely. That thing never came. I don't know why, but I just couldn't get into the plot or characters at all. So, my advice is use your own judgement if you're thinking about buying this. It seems that the other reviewers really liked it. My guess is if you loved Wicked Lovely, you'll adore this as well. But if you were a little iffy on your opinion of Wicked Lovely like I was, you might want to skip this one.
Not Quite As Good June 30, 2008
9 out of 9 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.
barely touched upon May 9, 2008
7 out of 9 found this review helpful
i really really loved wicked lovely and was so looking forward to ink exchange as i thought it would delve right back into the world of the fey and be magnificent.
however barely touched upon is the theme for this book. the characters all had some really interesting back story which was barely touched upon.
the detail to the first book which made me really love it was completely missing, it was almost as if we were expected to know the ins and outs of the dark court already.
and the whole book was just too political.
for me there wasn't enough romance, detail or edge.
sorry to all those who loved it but i think the epilogue was the best part to the entire thing
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