Ink Exchange is a beautifully written book and one which will stay with me for a long time. It is the second in Melissa Marr’s faerie series, although it’s not a sequel to Wicked Lovely in the traditional sense (I believe Seth and Aislinn’s story will continue in Book 3, Fragile Eternity).
There are three main characters in Ink Exchange: Leslie (Aislinn’s best friend); Niall (Keenan’s friend and advisor); and Irial (King of the Dark Court). Despite the three points of view, this is ultimately Leslie’s book.
When we first met Leslie in Wicked Lovely, she was portrayed as flight and slutty – the ultimate party girl – and I dismissed her as such. In Ink Exchange, we see an entirely different side to her. Leslie’s drug-addict brother sold her to his friends in exchange for drugs and she was the victim of a horrific gang rape. Ink Exchange is the story of her struggle to reclaim her body and sense of self-worth. Leslie wants to aid this process by getting the tattoo of her dreams.
Irial, King of the Dark Court, is trying to retain control over his people. Now that peace reigns, the Dark Fae are restless and seek trouble wherever they can find it. It’s Irial’s responsibility to feed their darker desires. In order to avoid doing so by means of warfare with the other fae courts, Irial decides to satisfy his people through a so-called ink exchange with a human. By tattooing his magic symbol onto a human, Irial can control that person and feed his people’s hunger. The human he chooses for the ink exchange is, of course, Leslie.
Unbeknownst to Leslie, Niall has been appointed her guardian by Aislinn and the Summer Court. Although he is usually invisible to her, Niall watches over her and endeavours to keep her safe from harm. Once he becomes aware of Irial’s interest in Leslie, Niall is immediately suspicious. As a former member of the Dark Court, Niall is all too familiar with Irial’s sadistic nature.
The plot in Ink Exchange develops slowly but surely. When I initially learned that Leslie would be the main character, I was disappointed as I hadn’t liked her in Wicked Lovely. However, her harrowing story was wonderfully done and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her character develop.
Irial is fascinating. He’s evil, yet he’s not. To say more would spoil the plot. Niall was the weak link for me. He’s overly worthy and struggles against his baser nature. I wished he would just give in to himself and act according to his wishes, as opposed to how he feels he ought.
The secondary characters provide a tantalizing glimpse at possible future storylines. For example, we learn more about the tattoo artist, Rabbit, and his extended family. Aislinn, Seth and Keenan play important roles. I haven’t said much about them for fear of spoiling Wicked Lovely for those who haven’t yet read it, but I will say this: there is a plot reveal which paints Aislinn in a very bad light and makes me question her actions towards a girl who is supposed to be her best friend. I didn’t like Aislinn in this book and I can only hope she redeems herself in the third book, Fragile Eternity.
Although I’ve read several criticisms of the conclusion to Ink Exchange, I thought it was fitting. As far as I’m concerned, this is Leslie’s story, and I think it ended just as it needed to end for her. I’m not certain Leslie will be featured in future books, but I’m sure we’ll see more of the other characters and unresolved plot threads will continue. I’m definitely looking forward to reading Fragile Eternity in the near future. Grade: B+
Also Reviewed:
Wicked Lovely (2007) by Melissa Marr (Book 1 in the Faerie series)
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I really liked this one too. Admittedly I didn’t love it quite as much as Wicked Lovely, but I enjoyed the darker nature of this book and a look into some of the other characters’ heads. I didn’t like Aislinn here either, and since I just ordered Fragile Eternity, I certainly hope she fixes that!
This book did surprise me when I started it because it had a bit of a different feel than Wicked Lovely, but I enjoyed it just the same!! I am looking forward to reading Fragile Eternity too.
@Meghan I’m hoping Aislinn redeems herself. I’d also like to see a negative side to Seth as he’s almost too good to be true.
@Mandi ‘Ink Exchange’ is much darker than ‘Wicked Lovely’ and definitely has less of a romantic feel to it. Apparently, Seth and Aislinn’s story is to be a trilogy with ‘Fragile Eternity’ as the second part. There will be at least one other stand alone book in the faerie series featuring Rabbit’s sister.
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