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![Ink Exchange (Wicked Lovely Book 2) by [Melissa Marr]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/517wj2DjfbL._SY346_.jpg)
Ink Exchange (Wicked Lovely Book 2) Kindle Edition
Melissa Marr (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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The second installment in Melissa Marr’s #1 New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series brings readers back to the land of faerie and delivers another stunning, high-stakes romance.
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. . .
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHarperCollins
- Publication dateMarch 25, 2009
- Reading age13 - 17 years
- Grade level8 - 12
- File size345 KB
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Review
From School Library Journal
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
About the Author
Melissa Marr is the author of the New York Times bestseller Wicked Lovely and Ink Exchange. She has a collection of weaknesses that includes tide pools, folklore, deserts, tattoos, and new experiences.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.From Booklist
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Ink Exchange
By Melissa MarrHarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Copyright © 2009 Melissa MarrAll right reserved.
ISBN: 9780061214707
Chapter One
Early the following year
Leslie slipped into her school uniform and got ready as quickly as she could. She closed her bedroom door softly, staying quiet so she could get out of the house before her father woke. Being retired wasn't good for him. He'd been a decent father before—before Mom left, before he'd fallen into a bottle, before he'd started taking trips to Atlantic City and gods knew where else.
She headed to the kitchen, where she found her brother, Ren, at the table, pipe in hand. Wearing nothing but a pair of ratty jeans, his blond hair loose around his face, he seemed relaxed and friendly. Sometimes he even was.
He looked up and offered a cherubic smile. "Want a hit?"
She shook her head and opened the cupboard, looking for a tolerably clean cup. None. She pulled a can of soda from the meat drawer in the fridge. After Ren had doped a bottle—and thereby doped her—she'd learned to drink only from still-sealed containers.
Ren watched her, content in his chemical cloud, smiling in a perversely angelic way. When he was friendly and just smoking pot, it was a good day. Ren-on-Pot wasn't a problem: pot just made him mellow. It was Ren-on-Anything-Else that was unpredictable.
"There's chips over there if you want some breakfast." He pointed to a mostly empty bag of corn chips on the counter.
"Thanks." She grabbed a couple and opened the freezer to get the toaster waffles she'd hidden. They were gone. She opened the cupboard and pulled out a box of the only type of cereal her brother didn't eat—granola. It was nasty, but his pilfering stopped at the healthy stuff, so she stocked up on it.
She poured her cereal.
"No milk left," Ren mumbled, eyes closed.
Sighing softly, Leslie sat down with her bowl of dry granola. No fights. No troubles. Being home always made her feel like she was walking on a high wire, waiting for a gust of wind to knock her to the ground.
The kitchen smelled strongly of weed. She remembered when she used to wake up to the scent of eggs and bacon, when Dad would brew fresh coffee, when things were normal. It hadn't been like that for more than a year.
Ren plunked his bare feet on the kitchen table. It was covered with junk—news circulars, bills to pay, dirty dishes, and a mostly empty bottle of bourbon.
While she ate, she opened the important bills—electric and water. With relief, she saw that Dad had actually paid ahead on both of them. He did that when he had a good run of luck at the tables or a few sober days: sent extra on the big bills so it wouldn't be a hassle later. It didn't help for groceries or the cable bill, which was overdue again, but she could usually cover those when she had to.
Not this time, though. She'd finally decided to go through with it, to get a tattoo. She'd been wanting one for a while but hadn't felt ready. In the last few months, she'd become near obsessed with it. Waiting wasn't the answer, not anymore. She thought about that act far too often—marking her body, reclaiming it as her own, a step she needed to take to make herself whole again.
Now I just need to find the right image.
With what she hoped was a friendly smile, she asked Ren, "Do you have any money for cable?"
He shrugged. "Maybe. What's it worth to you?"
"I'm not bargaining. I just want to know if you can cover cable this month."
He took a long hit off his pipe and exhaled into her face. "Not if you're going to be a bitch about it. I have expenses. If you can't do a guy a favor now and then, make nice with my friends"—he shrugged—"you pay it."
"You know what? I don't need cable." She walked over to the trash and dropped the bill in the can, fighting back the sickness in her throat at the mention of making nice with his friends, wishing that someone in her family cared about what happened to her.
If Mom hadn't taken off . . .
But she had. She'd bailed and left Leslie behind to deal with her brother and father. "It'll be better this way, baby," she'd said. It wasn't. Leslie wasn't sure if she'd want to talk to her mom anymore—not that it mattered. She had no contact information at all.
Leslie shook her head. Thinking about that wouldn't help her cope with her current reality. She started to walk past Ren, but he stood up and grabbed her for a hug. She was stiff in his arms.
"What? Are you on the rag again?" He laughed, amused by his crass joke, amused by her anger.
"Never mind, Ren. Just forget I—"
"I'll pay the bill. Relax." He let go of her, and as soon as he let his arm drop, she stepped away, hoping the scent
of pot and cigarettes wouldn't cling to her too obviously. Sometimes she suspected that Father Meyers knew exactly how much things had changed for her, but she still didn't want to walk into school reeking.
She put on her fake smile and murmured, "Thanks, Ren."
"I'll take care of it. You just remember it next time I need you to come out with me. You're a good distraction when I need credit." He looked at her calculatingly.
She didn't reply. There wasn't an answer that would help. If she said no, he'd be a prick, but she wasn't saying yes. After what his druggie friends did—what he let them do—she wasn't going anywhere near them again.
Instead of rehashing that argument, she went and grabbed the bill out of the trash. "Thanks for taking care of it."
Continues...
Excerpted from Ink Exchangeby Melissa Marr Copyright © 2009 by Melissa Marr. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
From the Back Cover
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. . . .
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.Product details
- ASIN : B0020Q3FJ0
- Publisher : HarperCollins; Reprint edition (March 25, 2009)
- Publication date : March 25, 2009
- Language : English
- File size : 345 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Not Enabled
- Word Wise : Not Enabled
- Print length : 340 pages
- Lending : Not Enabled
- Best Sellers Rank: #417,465 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Melissa Marr is a former university literature instructor who writes fiction for adults, teens, and children. Her books have been translated into twenty-eight languages and been bestsellers internationally as well as domestically (NY Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal).
Accolades include YALSA Popular Paperbacks, IRA Notable Book Pick, Book Sense Pick, Good Morning America Summer Pick for Teens, Scottish Book Trust, Red Maple finalist (in both Ontario and Manitoba), and Goodreads Good Choice Award (Horror), RWA RITA award (YA). She is best known for the Wicked Lovely series for teens, the Graveminder for adults, and her debut picturebook Bunny Roo, I Love You. She currently lives with her family in Arizona.
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Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2018
Top reviews from the United States
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As Leslie finds her vision changing and her feelings shifting in unpredictable ways, Niall, a faerie of the Summer Court who has always admired her, steps in, hoping to help her and keep Irial away. He has his own tangled feelings about Irial, whom he once counted as a friend. But as Leslie sinks further under Irial's thrall, enjoying the escape from the hurt and fear she'd been living with, only she can decide when to pull away--or whether she would rather stay with him, after all.
INK EXCHANGE is a darkly imaginative novel set in the same world as Marr's first novel, WICKED LOVELY. Readers will enjoy exploring the lives of some of that novel's minor characters and seeing more of the shadowy side of the faerie courts. They may find Leslie, Niall, and Irial less engaging than the spirited and perhaps more sympathetic narrators of WICKED LOVELY, but the trio still make for a fascinating "love" triangle as each deals with conflicting emotions and tries to decide what is right both for him or herself and for those who are counting on them.
The imagery is striking and evocative, and the politics of the different faerie courts is intriguing to explore. A great book for dark fantasy fans
This story is about the dark court. Dark court faeries terrorize and kill humans. None of that is shown. It’s not that I want a lot of gory detail, but that part was vaguely referred to. I was frustrated because I wanted to know what the faeries did to humans. There is also addiction and reference to rape.
I read some reviews for the sequels. Book 3 has low reviews. Books 4 and 5 sound better, but I've lost interest in the series after this one.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 325 pages. Swearing language: mild. Sexual content: none, other than a reference to a past rape with no details shown. Setting: unknown time probably current day in fictional town Huntsdale, Pennsylvania. Copyright: 2008. Genre: fantasy fiction, young adult.
Until one day a tattoo artist named Rabbit shows her some of his personal designs. One time only deals that means each tattoo once used will not be used on another person. Leslie flips through the pages and is immediately drawn to one. She can't get it out of her head and convinces Rabbit to sell it to her. Rabbit says that it will change her life and since that is what Leslie wants she doesn't think about the cost. This is also no ordinary tattoo, it was designed by one of the Fey and it will change its bearer and not always the way that they want.
I enjoyed returning to the universe that Marr created in Wicked Lovely and it was great to see the cameos of all the characters that were in that first book. However, this book didn't have the same draw for me as Wicked Lovely did. The build up for Leslie getting the tattoo was a little slow and often seem stilted. The relationships that were tossed in her path with the two Fey folk Irial and Niall seemed a little too contrived to be believable. Then when Leslie finally does get herself inked the changes seem to go so fast and then before you know it the book is over. I felt as though that there were parts of the story that were untold and these was no easy ending to it. Marr has obviously left the door open for a third book.
Despite the fact that the 1st half of the book doesn't really mesh well with the last half (the 1st was slow and plodding and the ending had that rushed feel) the writing style was the same as in Wicked Lovely.....although of a darker quality to suit the darker aspects touched upon in this novel. I am still intrigued with Marr and the universe that she has created and since she has left things open for a return then I will sit back and wait for the next installment. For I do wonder what mischief all my new Faerie friends will come up with next.
[...]
Top reviews from other countries

Leslie is troubled, afraid that her life and feelings are not her own. Without going into too much detail, Marr makes it quite clear than Leslie's homelife is frankly horrific and that she has suffered abuse. Small details emerge about this as the book goes on, but it is cleverly written. Leslie is determined for her abuse not to be the main marker in her life. She is trying to find her way, reclaim control over herself, not to be a victim. So she doesn't dwell on what happened for the reader to hear. She alludes to it more by explaining how it makes her feel, how she shuts those feelings out. I have been surprised by other reviewers complaints that this aspect of the story was not properly dealt with. Written any other way, it would have been dwelling too much on her past pain rather than her future and how she was going to move forward.
Leslie is resolved to get a tattoo, something to mark her body as her own, but she keeps looking at Rabbit's designs and she just can't see something that draws her in. Eventually she sees something in Rabbit's design book that he doesn't normally show to people. She knows immediately that she must have it. It calls to her. Obtaining the tattoo begins Leslie's connection to Irial, the king of the Dark Fey. She is strongly drawn to both him and Keegan's advisor in the Summer Court, Niall. What connects the three of them and where will it lead? What are Aislinn and Keegan trying to hide from her/protect her from?
The story of what happens to Leslie once the tattoo is completed is the most compelling part of the book. I found that I kept changing my mind as to where I wanted the story to go. Marr writes the characters from an unbiased point of view, so I never felt that I was supposed to favour one character over another or to want one outcome more than another. I just kept swaying between all the options. In actual fact, none of the things that I thought would draw the book to a close, actually happened. I was surprised and very pleased by the outcome. It was true to Leslie's original goal- to reclaim her life and to move on stronger and more in control.
I would recommend that you read it, if you enjoyed the first book. Be prepared for the change in tone and the reduced roles of previously main characters. You will be compensated by the characters of Leslie, Irial, Gabriel and Niall coming much more to the fore. They are much more complex than they appear at first. That's one of the things that makes the book so interesting.

With the tattoo comes unexpected changes for Leslie. Her sight changes, the emotions she feels and the way she reacts. The pain, hurt and fear that had been consuming her, disappears. But at what cost?
The more she changes, the more Niall, advisor to the Summer King and Queen Keenan and Aislinn, wants to help her. Having escaped the Dark Court himself many years ago, he's determined not to let them have Leslie. But in the end, can he himself escape their clutches again?
Wicked Lovely was a really good read, but unfortunately this does not live up to it. The idea behind the story, surviving - not allowing someone else to rule your life, is a good one, but it doesn't work here. The writing tended to ramble on and got confusing at times. You could see what the end was going to be long before you got there, and when you did, it was over quickly. It didn't help that half of the book was from Irial's perspective. As the 'bad guy' I had no sympathy for him or his motives. I didn't like his character and even found him dull at times.
On the good side, we saw some of Keenan's true nature and we got a better look at Niall, easily the most interesting, though least seen, character in the book. I intend to read the third book in the series, Fragile Eternity, because it focuses on different characters. But I don't feel this book really added anything to the series. Long winded, slow and dull at times it didn't do it's predecessor any justice. Hoping for more from the next one.

characters and I'd really fallen for Ash and Seth in the first book. However, melisaa Marr creates
wonderful characters and Lesley is another of these. We do have appearences from Ash and Seth and others from
the first book. We get to know alot more about Niall and meet some other rulers of other fairie courts too.
This book I found alot darker and definately not one for younger audiences. It was very enjoyable and showed us
more of the world that Melissa Marr has created and left me eagerly awaiting more. I have now ordered the 3rd book
which it seems takes us back to Ash again....... I can't wait.

