Book Review: Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

Description of Ink Exchange from Amazon:

"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."

Ink Exchange is the sequel (or rather companion volume) to Wicked Lovely (reviewed here). I enjoyed the story, but I was not very thrilled the mrg stuff and the drug references. I like some of the characters, though several of them were simply annoying additions. The most interesting person was Niall - he was complex, but believable. Also, I found that several sections of the book were simply confusing - too much vital information was witheld and not enough explained. But, since I became somewhat invested in the story, I will probably read the next installment.

RATINGS:

s-factor: !@

mrg-factor: XX
Plenty of passing references and situations, though not graphic.

v-factor: ->->
Violent and scary stuff happens.

Overall rating: **