Book Review: Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr is the second book in what could be called the Wicked Lovely series. Although reading Wicked Lovely first would give you more insight to the world, I believe both novels can stand alone.

I have to admit that I didn’t like this book as well as I liked Wicked Lovely. While Wicked Lovely is what I would call a dark fantasy (or the more modern term urban fantasy), it wasn’t nearly as dark as Ink Exchange. This book dealt with many addictions, and the answers presented in the book were not clear cut. I guess it is a more accurate reflection of the world in that sense, but I have to admit a fondness for nice tidy endings in my fiction.

After a slow start, the story of Leslie and her tattoo begins to pick up. Niall, a fairy sworn to the Summer Court, is assigned to protect Leslie, but he is unable to protect her from her choices that lead her into the grasp of the king of the Dark Court. This novel has a much more gritty feel than Wicked Lovely, but it does begin to appeal to you later in the book.

While I don’t believe reading Ink Exchange will be necessary to understand Marr’s next book Fragile Eternity (due out 4/28/09) which will pick up where Wicked Lovely left off with Aislinn and Seth, I think it offers interesting insight in to the world of fairy courts that may be beneficial to the readers.

Recommend this to fans of Wicked Lovely, dark fantasy, and urban fantasy.

Cautions for sensitive readers: This book is definitely written for older teens. There is sex, drug additions, and a mention of the main character’s rape before the events of this book. There is also violence among the fairies.




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Review: Neptune's Children by Bonnie Dobkins

Neptune's Children by Bonnie Dobkin

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
It happened when they were at the Isles of Wonder, designed to be the “ultimate theme park.” For them it would soon be their home.

When a mysterious, genetically engineered virus kill all the adults and older teens, the younger teens, children, and infants, have to find a way to live in a world with no parents or any other adult. They have to recreate their own world and new lives. For Josh and his little sister Maddie this means creating their new life where the old one had abruptly ended in the Isles of Wonder Amusement Park.

As the older kids come to terms with the tragedy, they begin to organize and follow the charismatic Milo who steps up as the leader of the Isles along with a core group of kids who volunteer to help him. They create borders and try to protect the Isles from those from the outside who would try to steal what the surviving islanders have. As time progresses, Josh, his new friend Zoe and some of the other islanders begin to wonder if there are other reasons the core insists that they shouldn’t venture out of the Isles.

This novel was terrifying. In a sense it was a modern Lord of the Flies. The thought of infants and small children suddenly left to be raised by older brothers and in some cases complete strangers was a difficult concept. At the same time it was a book that was very hard for me to put down. I had to know what would happen next. I recommend this to anyone who likes books about survival, dystopian futures, or is looking for a quick read.

Cautions for sensitive readers: In the very beginning of this book all the adults die and the kids have to organize the burials for all of the dead while this is not explicitly described it is referred to. There is also violence in this novel. As the teens get older they do form families, and some sex is referred to although there are no explicit details.


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Looking for a Good Book? Check out this Award Winner!

Looking for a good book? Then you might want to check out "Jellicoe Road" by Melina Marchetta, the winner of the 2009 Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature. Join Taylor Markham now 17, a girl abandoned by her mother on Jellicoe Road at the age of eleven, as she confronts her past and seeks her identity.

Book Review: Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman

I had an opportunity to read this one ahead of publication and it looks to be a definate winner. It comes out 4/28/2009 and we already have it on order in our catalog, so place your requests now!

Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
In this stunning debut, Whiteman elaborates on the myth often called The Rape of Persephone. Whiteman’s Persephone however, is not the damsel in distress that you often find in the traditional myth. What sets Whiteman’s Persephone apart is that everything that happens to her is by her own choice.


Tired of being treated like a child and ignored by her mother the goddess Demeter, Persephone silently rebels against her mother who refuses to acknowledge that her daughter is no longer a child, but a young woman. When Hades appears to Persephone in the protected vale Demeter has created, Persephone finally has someone who treats her as an adult rather than a child. Hades offers her the choice to stay in the vale or become his queen, and Persephone makes her choice. What follows is the story of how Persephone transitions from self absorbed child to a caring and determined young woman and finally to a radiant queen.


Radiant Darkness was a quick read. I have always loved mythology and truly enjoyed this version of the story. It was engaging from the beginning. Although I felt that it took Persephone a little too long to catch on to both her husband and her mother’s desire for more power, the story is still entertaining. Persephone’s chafing at the beginning under her mother’s over-protectiveness will be something that teens ready to experience their own independence will easily empathize with.


I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.


Cautions for sensitive readers: Persephone is married to Hades, sex is implied, but not detailed or mentioned in the text. There is no language and no violence.




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Read and Feed Book Discussion Wednesday on Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Don't forget to join us on Wednesday March 25th from 7:00pm to 8:00pm for pizza and a discussion of the book Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. You can pick up copies of the book at KHCPL Main or KHCPL South.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Everyone wants to be pretty right? This futuristic novel looks at what happens when everyone embraces plastic surgery and allows the government to tell you what is right. Brainwashing, plastic surgery, and free will clash in Uglies.




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