Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
Firs published by Harper Teen in 2008 (this edition by HarperCollins Children's Books in 2009)


Book #2 in the Wicked Lovely series






Description (from Goodreads)
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 toWicked Lovely plunges its youthful heroine into a faery world of almost constant peril. A tantalizing urban fantasy that won't let go.


My thoughts
Having really enjoyed reading Wicked Lovely, I decided to buy Ink Exchange on my recent trip to Athens (and all those lovely bookstores that sell English books), and while I was at it, I also bought Fragile Eternity. I was quite surprised when I read the blurb on the back of Ink Exchange and realised that it featured completely new characters. Until I noticed the 'stand-alone' sequel part.


Anyway, I should get on with saying what I actually thought about the story, instead of just random thoughts about the blurb. Ink Exchange was rather enjoyable, but I found that I didn't really enjoy it as much as I enjoyed Wicked Lovely. The reason for that was not the fact that it featured different characters to the ones I had expected to read about. It was mainly because for approximately half the book, I was just waiting for something to happen and when it happened, everything seemed to pass in a long, long blur.


In the first few chapters, we are introduced to Leslie, one of the main characters in this book. Leslie comes from a rather rough household, where she has to look after her father and brother, since her mother has disappeared. Seeing as she spends so much time catering to their needs (and having to work so as to help pay the bills), she decides she wants to do something for herself, something that she believes will change her: get a tattoo. She looks and looks for the perfect tattoo to put onto her skin, until she finally finds it: ''inky-black eyes surrounded by wings like shadows coalescing''.


It takes half the book for Leslie to finally get the tattoo finished, during which time quite a few things happen, which cause her to wonder what on earth is going on. Especially concerning Ash (Aislinn, the main character from Wicked Lovely). What bothered me about the 'ages' part was the fact that the tattooist actually said that they could finish the tattoo off in a few days and then, it seemed to me as if the tattoo took a lot more than that to finish. (All this, while Leslie was absolutely hell-bent on getting the tattoo as quickly as possible.)


The most interesting part of this book was the introduction of yet another faerie realm, in addition to the Summer and Winter Courts we met in Wicked Lovely. The Dark Court, led by Irial, work in a completely different way to the other two courts. And it took my a while to understand exactly how they worked, for some reason. I didn't think it was clearly explained until rather late in the novel.


As for the second half of the book, it felt as if not much was going on. Everything was slow, slow, slow, when suddenly, Leslie decided to grow some backbone and make some decisions for herself. Then, the book picked up a little, but there were too few pages left. So, essentially, I found the book ended a little too hurriedly.


As for the characters, for some reason, I really disliked Irial. Even that seemingly selfless act at the end didn't redeem him in my eyes. On the other hand, I did like Niall! (I really like his name, too, which I suppose helps a little!) He came across as genuinely nice, despite having to fight the 'demons of his past'. Leslie was a bit of a 'meh' character. I wasn't too keen on her, but I didn't mind her either.


Despite the fact that I was a little disappointed by this book, I am not going to give up on the series. I really hope I enjoy the next installments more.


Rating: 6/10


Author:
You can find out more about Melissa Marr at the end of my review of Wicked Lovely.




Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011, 2nds Challenge

Author A-Z Challenge: L + M

I know I missed yesterday's and that today's post is extra late, but I have got an exam tomorrow and I have been rather busy revising. So, here we go:

L is for

Rhiannon Lassiter

Marina Lewycka

Rhiannon Lassiter

I read this one a few years ago, after my brother recommended it to me. The recommendation was on the basis that it was supposed to be seriously creepy. Well, it was... Definitely want to read other books by her.

Marina Lewycka

This one I got as a present. I had seen it in quite a few bookshops before I got it, but I hadn't picked it up. I really enjoyed it! And I think the title is just genius! It does make you wonder, doesn't it??

M is for

Kate Mosse

Kate Morton

Melissa Marr

Kate Mosse

I've really enjoyed both Labyrinth and Sepulchre (the two first books in her Languedoc Trilogy - the third book, Citadel, is expected to be published in September 2011), as well as her short-story-turned-novel, The Winter Ghosts. Can't wait for Citadel! 

Kate Morton

I've read two out of the three books she has written (The Forgotten Garden and The House At Riverton) and I have loved them both! Really looking forward to reading The Distant Hours soon! (When I can find a cheap copy - they all seem to be too expensive right now...)

Melissa Marr

I only recently read Wicked Lovely and really enjoyed it! I particularly enjoyed the different way in which she presented faeries as well as her writing style! I just wanted to keep reading! Definitely looking forward to reading the next books in the series, as well as Graveminder, her newest book.

Sorry for the long post, but I did try to make it less tiring with less words! Just short and sweet, I hope!

Come back again tomorrow for the letter N!

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
First published by HarperCollins in 2007 (this edition by HarperCollins in 2008)


Book #1 in the Wicked Lovely series






Description (from Goodreads):

Rule #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries. 

Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty-especially if they learn of her Sight-and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.

Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries. 

Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.

Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention. 

But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King, who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. His is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost-regardless of her plans or desires.
Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; everything.
Faery intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr's stunning twenty-first-century faery tale.

My thoughts:
I'd first heard about this series quite some time ago, when my local bookshop had stocked one copy of the third book in the Wicked Lovely series, Fragile Eternity. (It's still there, in case you were wondering...) - It actually seems to do that quite a lot; stocking other books in a series other than the first one. I don't know why they do it though... It's rather stupid. - I rather liked the sound of it and wanted to read it, but I hadn't been able to get my hands on a copy of the first book.

So, even though I had wanted to read it, I hadn't known exactly what it was about. I knew it had faeries in it, but not much more than that.... I have to say I was rather pleasantly surprised while I was reading it. In Wicked Lovely, faeries are creatures which exist in the same world that people do, only they can't see them unless the faeries choose to become visible. Aislinn is not like the rest of the people; she has always been able to see faeries. She has had to ignore them for all of her life, as faeries can be very brutal to the people that they know can see them. Strange things seem to be happening, which all lead up to the fact that Keenan - the Summer King - seems to think that Aislinn is his Summer Queen.

This was a completely different take on faeries for me. The only other book about them that I have read it Lament by Maggie Stiefvater. In Wicked Lovely, the faeries seem to be a lot more street-wise, for want of a better phrase. They seem to be rather ferocious and to involve in acts of dubious nature. I liked that. It gave them a different air and made for a completely different faerie story.

I also liked the way in which all the characters were developed. All had a reason for acting the way they did and they were all very well described. My favourite character would have to be Seth, though. You could tell from the beginning of the book that he was going to be there for Aislinn no matter what. He seemed to be able to take everything into his stride, but you can also tell that he is also scared of all that is going on. Though I really did not understand the point of giving him so many rings all over his body (He has a navel ring!! I hate navel rings at the best of times, but on a boy???). Aislinn was a really tough character. Once she decided she had to stop fighting everything, she stood her ground and demanded things in a way that she could not be told no to. I love girls who are not complete pushovers, but have some spunk in them. Donia and Keenan were also great characters, though out of the two, Donia was definitely my favourite.

I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book in this series, Ink Exchange! From an excerpt I read, the 2nd book sees the involvement of the fearies of the Dark Court, which didn't really get much mention in Wicked Lovely.

Rating: 8/10


Author:
Melissa Marr is an American author of young-adult and urban fantasy novels. She is most well known for her Wicked Lovely series, a young adult series about faeries. In 2011, she published her first adult novel, titled 'Graveminder'.

Check out her website HERE!

Ink Exchange (Wicked Lovely #2)  |  Graveminder

Read for the: 100 Books In A Year Challenge 2011, 1st In A Series Challenge