Review INK EXCHANGE by Melissa Marr

INK EXCHANGE
by Melissa Marr
Published May 1st 2008 by HarperTeen
Hardcover, 325 pages
It is also out in paperback and on AudioBook

Placement in the Pile: Middle of the Stack

Summary:
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. . . .

Review:
I really did enjoy this one but it was a lot more dark than the first. Leslie lives in a much darker place in this tough urban world that Marr created than Aislinn did/does. And some of the things she had to deal with were a bit disturbing.

I think one of the common issues with this book is Aislinn's story was more romantic and more fun to read about than Leslie's. And if I had been reading these when they came out I would have wanted more about Aislinn and Keenan and Seth specifically, than jumping into someone else's story.

I did enjoy, however, that this book delved deeper into the faery world and we got to see the dark court. I have always liked this type of story, the juxtoposition of the dark and light (of the summer court that Aislinn and Keenan rule). But delving into the dark means there was a lot that was difficult.

Irial was honestly just creepy. Niall was intoxicating though. I love characters that are complex, have depth and have made decisions in their lives that put them on a path that they never expected to be on. Really, I think Niall's story is what saved this book for me.

All in all it was worth reading, more language than the first, more violent content (but none of it was too explicit either). Overall, a good read that makes me want to read the next ones even more.