Review - Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

I read this book some time ago, well... a few years now. It has two of my favorite things in the world in it. Fantasy and tattoos. Who wouldn't want to read it? And the covers to all of the novels in the Wicked Lovely series are so striking.

To 17-year-old Leslie, the tattoo is a thing of indescribable beauty, a captivating mark that she must make her own. But this subtle web of eyes and wings brings with it a transformation that no sweet young girl would ever imagine or welcome. Like its predecessor, this stand-alone sequel to Wicked Lovely plunges its youthful heroine into a faery world of almost constant peril. A tantalizing urban fantasy that won't let go.

Leslie has quite a home life. Only part of which holds a drug addicted brother who is completely fine trying to sell her to his friends so he can score in a different way. Poor Leslie can't really control this downward spiral, so she decides to try and find a foothold in the chaos. She wants a tattoo. A chance to dull the pain inside with a little pain on the outside.

Niall, right hand man to the king of the Summer Court, Keenan, has been selected to guard Leslie. Or to watch over her at least. To keep her safe from the Dark Court faeries. The only problem? He's falling in love with her. And he's not supposed to.

Leslie ends up choosing for her tattoo, the mark of the Dark Court king, Irial. A tattoo that binds her to him and allows him to, more or less, feed on her and sustain his fae. But instead of stronger, his bond with Leslie leaves him wondering if he's too weak for his court. On the bright side for Leslie, though, it leaves her numb to pain and sorrow.

But does she want to stay that way?

I loved Ink Exchange. I can't even tell you how much I loved it. Reading the first novel in the series, I disliked the Dark Court. Troublemakers. That's all they were to me. Trouble makers and just bad overall. This story told me how completely wrong I was. I completely fell for Irial and Niall.

Leslie was a strong character, even if she didn't feel that way most of the time. And I completely identify with her. The reason for her getting tattooed. WANTING to feel numb for a while. Leslie proves she's strongest though at the end.

I've seen a lot of reviews where this book fell flat for people. And a lot of reviews where this book was so much better than the first for others. It's a companion book to the first, not necessarily a sequel. And I think honestly, I fall in with the second lot. The first book made me angry. Which I suppose was the right reaction to have. But the second, like I said, had two of my favorite things. Tats and fantasy.

I will recommend this, to anyone who's read Wicked Lovely. If you haven't read that one, you probably won't understand what's going on in this one. I might recommend a minimum age of 15 or 16, because it is a darker book than the first, but other than that, everyone should go pick it up!

Check out a fan made trailer for the book: