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. . . .

"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." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

To escape an abusive home, Leslie, a "bundle of terror and fury," yearns for a tattoo to mark her body as her own. But the eerie design she unsuspectingly chooses links her to Irial, ruler of the violent Dark Court fairies.

As the sequel to last year's popular "Wicked Lovely," "Ink Exchange" is even more compelling, thanks to Melissa Marr's more nuanced characterizations. Leslie is... Washington Post Book Review (read the entire Washington Post review) a vulnerable and angry high-school senior eager to escape her human pain, and love interest Niall is a fairy haunted by past mistakes. Teenaged Aislinn, now the Summer Court queen, spices her previous sweetness with strength and guile. And Irial emerges as one of YA fiction's most enthralling bad guys. Ordering tea with a "kiss of honey," he flirts with fey waitresses and strolls city streets looking like "sin in a suit." But Irial is also a king who recognizes the codependence of light and darkness. For centuries, he has struggled to balance the two in the world. In this fairy tale, Leslie, Niall and Irial must come to terms with their Jungian shadow sides. Their fierce, sometimes despairing search for their true selves gives "Ink Exchange" its sinister power.

Mary Quattlebaum's most recent children's book is "Sparks Fly High," a retelling of a colonial American folk tale.

Reviewed by Mary Quattlebaum, Washington Post Book World (Copyright 2006 Washington Post Book World Service/Washington Post Writers Group)
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Melissa Marr continues her tales of Faerie in this dark, ravishing follow-up to the bestselling "Wicked Lovely." Leslie knows nothing of faeries but is attracted to an eerily beautiful tattoo, which brings her sinister, compelling changes that are more than symbolic. Harperteen

The author of the "New York Times" bestseller "Wicked Lovely" continues her tales of Faery in a dark, ravishing story of temptation and consequences, and of heroism when least expected.

Melissa Marr: Although I was voted "most likely to end up in jail" in high school, I decided to get an MA and teach literature and gender studies to college students across the country. Along the way, I've been unable to resist trying new things—including working an archeological dig, slinging drinks at a biker bar, and getting fabulous tattoos.

I call all of this research for my writing. To fill my craving for new experiences, I've lived in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Southern California, and I plan to keep roaming with my family as widely and as often as possible. This year, I think, I'm living in Virginia.