Reviewed by Mrs. Foley
From library record - Seventeen-year-old Leslie wants a tattoo as a way of reclaiming control of herself and her body, but the eerie image she selects pulls her into the dangerous Dark Court of the faeries, where she draws on inner strength to make a horrible choice.

This is a companion book to Wicked Lovely. I did enjoy reading about the Dark Court of Faeries, but did not like it as much as Wicked Lovely. I am looking forward to reading the sequel to Wicked Lovely, Fragile Eternity.

Review from Booklist (June 1, 2008 (Vol. 104, No. 19))
Grades 10-12. Newcomers and returning readers alike will devour this companion novel to Marr's ragingly popular Wicked Lovely (2007). The new peace between the Summer King and the Winter Queen isn’t good for everyone: those of the Dark Court, who feed on faeries’ destructive emotions, are dangerously weakened. Irial, King of the Dark Court, needs a solution, and he finds one in the Summer Queen’s mortal friend Leslie. Tormented by memories of abuse, Leslie wants nothing more than to reclaim her body by getting a tattoo, but the enchanted design she selects provides Irial with a direct link to mortals’ emotions. The tattoo binds Leslie and Irial together even as a third faerie works to prevent their destructive yet seductive connection. All of Marr’s characters are complex, defying easy description and evoking sympathy and horror in equal measures, and all cast a thrall that will leave readers willing to forgive plotting that can be difficult to follow. This dark fantasy about survival and transformation is as mesmerizing as its urban faery subjects. ( )

Review courtesy of AllThingsUrbanFantasy.blogspot.com

Wicked lovely was one of my favorite paranormal YA reads in recent years. I immediately connected with Aislinn and Seth, and was completely captivated by the Faerie world that Melissa Marr had created. So I fully expected to be equally enchanted by Ink Exchange. After all, it’s the same wonderful world, and some of the same wonderful characters. So why am I left feeling slightly disappointed?

A human girl is singled out by a faery ruler as the one who could save his court and slowly drawn into the invisible world of the Fey. Torn between two men, one of whom she is drawn to despite her better judgment, she struggles to maintain her sense of self, deal with past family issues, and perhaps find true love.

I just described the general plot of both Wicked Lovely AND Ink Exchange. Now do you see why I’m disappointed? Ink Exchange does tell a different story in the details: Leslie is the human in question this time (we met her briefly in Wicked), and Irial is of the Dark Court (as opposed to Keenan’s Summer Court). Leslie has spend her life oblivious of fey until she unwittingly chooses a tattoo that links her to Irial and allows him to siphon dark human emotions (fear, anger, lust, hate etc.) through her to feed all his fey and stave off starvation. The link is eventual fatal to humans and, in the meantime, Leslie lives as a junkie where her only fix is Irial’s touch. The love triangle is completed by Niall, Keenan’s guard who falls for Leslie while trying to protect her from all fey, including himself.

If I hadn’t read Wicked Lovely first, I probably wouldn’t be nit picking. The story is fascinating, but it is also familiar, too much so for me. And to be honest, Ink is not as strong as Wicked nor are the characters as compelling. The world of the fey even seems less vivid. Ink Exchange in not a bad book, quite the opposite. The only real criticism is that it doesn’t live up to its predecessor. And considering how lovely Wicked was, that is hardly a fault at all.

Caution: I had a difficult time reviewing Wicked Lovely as a YA book because of some of the subject matter. I’m faced with that same problem with Ink Exchange. There are a lot of subjects in this book that I would be cautious about introducing to a young audience: Rampant drug use and abuse; child abuse; gang rape, orgies, sex addiction, self-mutilation, etc. Some of these topics are only briefly touched on, while others are recurring features throughout the story. Something to think about before handing this book to a teen.

Sexual Content:

Several references to a past experience where a character was drugged and gang raped. The concept of sexual addiction is present. Sex is implied, but never described. Orgies are implied, but never described. ( )

Very edgy faerie world. Leslie is an intriguing character with a past that keeps stifling her growth but she does have some friends keeping an eye on her. Her tattoo with the dark faerie king's blood had an icky-cool attraction. Great book; highly recommended but probably for 9th-10th grade and up. ( )

Although this second book in the series is decidedly darker than the first, I found it equally engrossing and it added even more depth to the world that the author has created in this series. While the story is based in a fantasy world with its own unique terrors, the fears of the main character stem from a very real terror as she struggles with having been raped and the subsequent loss of confidence in herself and her surroundings. As in the first book, the characters are allowed to be imperfect and, at times, far from admirable, but always so very compelling. One thing I am discovering about Melissa Marr's books is that they are centered on how the characters evolve and learn to make choices that will not compromise who they are, rather than on a storybook ending. That is rather refreshing. ( )

Basic Reason for Beginning: I just wanted something easy to read to set off my course book, which turned out not to be so difficult/awful after all.
Basic Reason for Finishing: I’d say “Well, I started it”, but I think there’s a bit more to it than that.
Texture: Have you ever worn something that fits just that little bit wrong, but when you look there isn’t really reason to? That’s a bit how this feels?

Full comments here.

Book Rereadability: For me? None. But then I wasn’t expecting there to be.
Author Rereadability: This is my second Melissa Marr book. We didn’t mix well in Wicked Lovely and we didn’t mix well here. Therefore I’ll pass.
Recommendation: Honestly? I think anyone who’s looking for a story like Twilight (but then darker and better-written). It’s YA paranormal dark romance, of sorts. There’s rape, drugs, abuse… Dark. And not necessarily romance in the lovey-dovey sense of the word. ( )