In Ink Exchange the companion novel to Wicked Lovely (and its sequel Fragile Eternity), author Melissa Marr continues to explore the interactions between mortals and Fey, or faeries. Leslie is traumatised after a run in with dealers and feels compelled to have a tattoo inked. When she discovers a design of two eyes flanked by wings, Leslie has it tattooed on her back. What she doesn’t know is that the tattoo is part of an ink exchange, a faery bond feeding off mortal emotions allowing Irial, King of the Dark Court, to feed his people.
Billed as urban fantasy, I’ve always liked these kind of stories where the layers of the everyday mundane world are stripped away to reveal otherworldly dealings. I also recently read the graphic novel The Good Neighbours: Kin by Holly Black and enjoyed it immensely. Its storyline also explores the fine line between the mortal world and that of the Fey. The artwork was done by Ted Naifeh (Gloomcookie, Courtney Crumrin).
Tags: Books, Faerie, Fantasy, Fey, Graphic novels, Holly Black, Ink Exchange, Kin, Melissa Marr, reading, Reviews, tattoos, Ted Naifeh
