ink exchange

The library finally received their copy of Melissa Marr's, "Ink Exchange." Why it took so darn long is the topic of another rant and I'm not awake enough to tackle that issue this morning.

But a short book review, I can do that! I really liked Marr's first book, "Wicked Lovely." Killer title, great dark faery story. I devoured it and was excited when I learned her second effort would include some of the same characters.

Hats off to Marr. She isn't afraid to hurt her characters. She makes them suffer and often the story starts with them already wounded. Which of course attracts all sorts of the wrong types of fey folk. Our heroine, Leslie, is running from a horrific family situation and in an attempt to reclaim herself she gets a tattoo. The tattoo scene, for someone who will never get one, was fascinating. The concept of linking her to the Dark King via the tattoo was genius. Nothing is ever simple in Marr's stories, and even though the stories deal with faeries, the resolutions are always grounded in hard truths. In this case, Leslie must truly reclaim herself and make hard choices to find even a chance at happiness. These books don't have the classic happy ending motif, but they end well in the sense you are left with a sense of completion.

I really like Marr's characters, her writing voice and the themes she picks to explore. What a refreshing read after the slogging through the last YA title I picked.