Guest Review: Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

Here is our second Guest Review!

Thank you, Allison Fraclose, for submitting this review.




Title: INK EXCHANGE
Author: Melissa Marr
Imprint: HarperTeen
Publication Date: 4/29/08
ISBN-10: 006121468X
ISBN-13: 978-0061214684
Ages: 12 up
Reviewed for: First Look Teen Program
Reviewed by: Allison Fraclose

Since her mother took off, Leslie’s life has crashed into a nightmare. She works to pay the bills that her drunken, absent father ignores, and does her best to avoid her druggie brother, who has spiraled so deep into his habits that he’s even used Leslie to “pay back” some of his debts. Even Leslie’s friend Aislinn seems to be keeping huge secrets, and Leslie certainly isn’t going to divulge the horrible things that have happened to her. The only solace she finds is in Rabbit’s tattoo shop, where she’s searching for the perfect “ink” to claim back her body.

She finally finds it in a special book of designs that Rabbit shows her, marks given to him by the fey of the Dark Court. Leslie’s ink of choice happens to be the symbol of the Dark King, Irial, who struggles to feed his court now that the cruel Beira has been vanquished. When Rabbit implants Irial’s own blood into the skin of his chosen mortal, the bond between them will allow Irial to siphon through Leslie those negative emotions that the dark fey need to survive.

But Leslie has help. Ever since Aislinn became the new Summer Queen, she has sent her faeries to guard her human friends, and her king’s advisor, Niall, has slowly grown infatuated with the broken Leslie. As one who has suffered at the hands of the Dark Court, Niall is determined to protect Leslie at any cost, even if he must throw away everything he has believed for the past millennium.

Melissa Marr’s second book ties in nicely with her first, which chronicles the Summer Court’s fight against the Winter Queen. However, Leslie’s story is compelling on its own, as are the struggles of the background characters who have now taken center stage. This dark, delicious triangle radiates a passion that one can almost taste on the tongue as clearly as any member of the Dark Court. I eagerly wait to see who will feature in the next tale of this enticing faery world.






I plan on reviewing Ink Exchange myself at a later date - I have an ARC, but with my reading list, haven't gotten a chance to finish it yet. I'm very grateful to Alison for giving us a review before the publication of Ink Exchange!

Allison's blog can be found here.



By the way, if there's anyone here who enjoys webcomics, one of my favorites, The Broken Mirror came back from a hiatus not too long ago. It's a beautifully done dystopian science fiction romance, with impeccable characters. If you like webcomics, I recommend that you check it out!