Ink Exchange

Starred review from April 28, 2008
Returning to the faery world of Wicked Lovely
, Marr serves up another highly addictive read, this time centering on Leslie, a mortal girl who made a cameo appearance in that earlier work as a friend of its protagonist, Aislinn. Broken by terrible trauma, Leslie seeks to anchor her mind from slipping into oblivion. She finds salvation—or so it seems—in a strange tattoo that gives her power and strength like she's never felt before. But Leslie's euphoria is short-lived, and the tattoo comes with a shocking price. Its ink has been laced with the blood of Irial, king of the fey's Dark Court. Upon the tattoo's completion, Leslie will be bound to Irial as if a slave, with Court rules forbidding even Aislinn, the new Summer Queen, and Summer King Keenan's guard, the handsome Niall, to sever this dark attachment. Once again readers will find a love triangle that simmers, this time among Leslie, Irial and Niall—all of whom face choices that could cost them everything they prize. Compulsive enough to give the Twilight series a run for its money, and dizzyingly more sinister. Ages 12–up.

Starred review from June 1, 2008
Gr 9 Up-This urban fairy tale, a sequel to "Wicked Lovely" (HarperTeen, 2007), is impossible to put down. Leslie lives with a father who has given up on life, a drug-abusing brother who allowed his dealer to rape Leslie in lieu of payment, and a burning desire to banish pain and fear from her life. Unable to confide in her best friend, Aislinn, she devotes herself to working to pay the family bills and to get the tattoo she believes will help her reclaim her body. What she doesn't know is that the art she has selected will bind her to Irial, the king of the Dark Court of Fairy. He removes her emotions like fear, panic, or anger, and uses them to nourish the fairies of his court. What Irial doesn't expect is his growing love for Leslie and her desire to make her own choices. In Leslie, Marr has created a damaged, wounded character who still comes across as being incredibly strong. Irial needs to care for his court, knowing them too weak to win a war, but his feelings for Leslie make him unwilling to do what needs to be done. The lesser characters are also well drawn: Rabbit the tattoo artist, his father, Gabriel, and also Aislinn, Keenan, and Seth from "Wicked Lovely". While reading that book first would give more shades to some of the characters, it isn't necessary to appreciate the intricate world that Marr creates."Lisa Prolman, Greenfield Public Library, MA"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2008
Newcomers and returning readers alike will devour this companion novel toMarr's ragingly popularWicked Lovely (2007). The new peacebetween the Summer King and the Winter Queenisnt good for everyone: those of the Dark Court, who feed on faeries destructive emotions, are dangerously weakened. Irial, King of the Dark Court, needs a solution, and he finds one inthe Summer Queensmortal friend Leslie. Tormented by memories of abuse, Leslie wants nothing more than to reclaim her body by getting a tattoo, but theenchanted design she selectsprovides Irial with a direct linkto mortals emotions. Thetattoo binds Leslie and Irial together even as a third faerie works toprevent their destructive yet seductive connection. All of Marrs characters are complex, defying easy description and evoking sympathy and horror in equal measures, and all cast a thrall that will leave readers willing to forgive plotting that can be difficult to follow. This dark fantasy about survival and transformation is as mesmerizing as its urban faery subjects.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2008
Leslie, a teenager seeking to forget her traumatic past, acquires a tattoo that, unbeknownst to her, makes her a living tool for the Dark King of the faeries. Heavier and more ambitious (if less enjoyable) than Wicked Lovely, this companion novel also centers on a love triangle but explores a bleaker emotional landscape, resisting a tidy ending.

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)