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anethamroziova's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
razzledazzle24's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault and Rape
There is a lot of mentioning or reference to a sexual assault/rape throughout the book. I was kind of annoyed there was no trigger warning since it’s brought up constantly. There was very little detail or graphics, but if it’s that relevant in the story, I think it should be noted in the beginning as a trigger warning.brendalovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this one, but I felt there was something lacking, something that was there in the first book, but not in this one. I think it may have been a lack of connection with the main characters. I felt bad for Leslie, but I didn't really like her. In fact, I think I kind of felt like all the main characters had things rough, but it didn't make me necessarily like them.
The writing was still great. I liked her descriptions of the different kinds of faeries, even though I couldn't picture what she was describing a lot of the time. I will be continuing on with this series, and would recommend it for urban fantasy lovers or fairy lovers. Actually, I think that may be what makes me like these books, where I might not like them as well otherwise, I'm a huge lover of all things fairy.
The writing was still great. I liked her descriptions of the different kinds of faeries, even though I couldn't picture what she was describing a lot of the time. I will be continuing on with this series, and would recommend it for urban fantasy lovers or fairy lovers. Actually, I think that may be what makes me like these books, where I might not like them as well otherwise, I'm a huge lover of all things fairy.
freadomlibrary's review against another edition
4.0
Actual rating 4.5
Critically
Plot - 4.5 out of 5 stars
Slow in pace. Incredibly dark, twice as dark as the first book. A lot of different POV's. Full of intrigue, magic, really tough subjects are discussed and an unusual ending.
Writing Style - 4 out of 5 stars
Deliberate, detailed, and dark. Really sultry and mysterious. It helps to keep you guessing as to the plot. The whole time it feels like there's something lurking right around the corner.
Characters - 4 out of 5 stars
Overall, the characters in this book are incredibly complex and complicated. They all have so many facets to their personalities and so many reasons for why they do the things they do. Leslie, our main character, is incredibly vulnerable and somewhat naive in the beginning. She gets easily manipulated by different people and gets herself in a tough situation but she grows and becomes stronger and more decisive. We have two other male point of views who are both very different and at the same time similar to each other. They both want Leslie for personal reasons and they go about ways to get to her. They also have a strange dynamic with each other and it's all so crazy and intense.
Emotionally
The plot of this book really took me by surprise. I was expecting dark but not as dark as it actually, twice as much as the first book. We learn about something called Ink Exchange which is basically a process that allows a person to become a conduit of emotions to feed the members of the Dark Court. Leslie undergoes this process and the whole process is, for lack of a better word, dirty. What makes it even worse is the fact that Leslie has no idea what is really going on. She thinks she's getting a tattoo that she likes and them BAM! you don't feel anything anymore because all you feel gets sucked out of you and feeds creepy and scary court members. Intense. The aftermath of that process is even more devastating, for all the characters involved, and Marr has a talent of letting the reader feel everyone's reasons for their actions and reactions, no matter how awful they are.
Leslie is a touchy character. In the first book, we saw some of her and learned a little about her, just on the surface stuff. I am really glad we got to go more in depth in this book even though she is dealing with a lot. There is some hints of her suffering from sexual abuse (pre first page) at the hands on one of her brother's drug dealers and she's still dealing with the aftermath during the book, one of the reasons she chooses to stay with the Ink Exchange for awhile. That trauma made her susceptible to a lot of the horrors that she faced with the Dark Court but her personal character development and growth is insane. Who she starts out with in the book and how she ends is completely different.
Niall is one of my favorite characters in this book. He is so complex. He has so many facets to his character that you don't really know all of them even at the end of this book. He wars with himself a lot and on how she should act and his destiny is open ended at the end of this book and I can't wait to see what happens with him.
Irial is such an intense character. He is the Dark King and obviously makes some questionable choices (starting the Ink Exchanges for one) but you sort of understand where he is coming from, he's trying to do his best for his court but he goes a little too far to do so. Although he's really rough and ruthless, he is still affected and begins to care for Leslie which causes him to give him spot to Niall as Dark King.
Loved that the ending was not your usual cookie cutter happy ending. Not everyone was satisfied with it but a now strong and independent girl made a decision and stuck to it and I have to give props to Melissa Marr for doing something out of the box and unexpected.
Critically
Plot - 4.5 out of 5 stars
Slow in pace. Incredibly dark, twice as dark as the first book. A lot of different POV's. Full of intrigue, magic, really tough subjects are discussed and an unusual ending.
Writing Style - 4 out of 5 stars
Deliberate, detailed, and dark. Really sultry and mysterious. It helps to keep you guessing as to the plot. The whole time it feels like there's something lurking right around the corner.
Characters - 4 out of 5 stars
Overall, the characters in this book are incredibly complex and complicated. They all have so many facets to their personalities and so many reasons for why they do the things they do. Leslie, our main character, is incredibly vulnerable and somewhat naive in the beginning. She gets easily manipulated by different people and gets herself in a tough situation but she grows and becomes stronger and more decisive. We have two other male point of views who are both very different and at the same time similar to each other. They both want Leslie for personal reasons and they go about ways to get to her. They also have a strange dynamic with each other and it's all so crazy and intense.
Emotionally
Spoiler
The first time I tried to read this story, I only got a few chapters in and I didn't like it. So happy and glad that I gave it another chance.The plot of this book really took me by surprise. I was expecting dark but not as dark as it actually, twice as much as the first book. We learn about something called Ink Exchange which is basically a process that allows a person to become a conduit of emotions to feed the members of the Dark Court. Leslie undergoes this process and the whole process is, for lack of a better word, dirty. What makes it even worse is the fact that Leslie has no idea what is really going on. She thinks she's getting a tattoo that she likes and them BAM! you don't feel anything anymore because all you feel gets sucked out of you and feeds creepy and scary court members. Intense. The aftermath of that process is even more devastating, for all the characters involved, and Marr has a talent of letting the reader feel everyone's reasons for their actions and reactions, no matter how awful they are.
Leslie is a touchy character. In the first book, we saw some of her and learned a little about her, just on the surface stuff. I am really glad we got to go more in depth in this book even though she is dealing with a lot. There is some hints of her suffering from sexual abuse (pre first page) at the hands on one of her brother's drug dealers and she's still dealing with the aftermath during the book, one of the reasons she chooses to stay with the Ink Exchange for awhile. That trauma made her susceptible to a lot of the horrors that she faced with the Dark Court but her personal character development and growth is insane. Who she starts out with in the book and how she ends is completely different.
Niall is one of my favorite characters in this book. He is so complex. He has so many facets to his character that you don't really know all of them even at the end of this book. He wars with himself a lot and on how she should act and his destiny is open ended at the end of this book and I can't wait to see what happens with him.
Irial is such an intense character. He is the Dark King and obviously makes some questionable choices (starting the Ink Exchanges for one) but you sort of understand where he is coming from, he's trying to do his best for his court but he goes a little too far to do so. Although he's really rough and ruthless, he is still affected and begins to care for Leslie which causes him to give him spot to Niall as Dark King.
Loved that the ending was not your usual cookie cutter happy ending. Not everyone was satisfied with it but a now strong and independent girl made a decision and stuck to it and I have to give props to Melissa Marr for doing something out of the box and unexpected.
iambadatpickingusernames's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
kmpavsner's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
stephxsu's review against another edition
2.0
Ever since her mother left, Leslie’s had a hard life. Her father is perpetually drunk and useless, and her addict brother Ren actually sells her to dealers he owes. All Leslie wants is a normal life, free from the fear and the pain that constantly plague her. She enters a tattoo shop run by the talented Rabbit one day and is attracted to a dangerously beautiful tattoo that she just has to have, so strong is its pull.
What Leslie doesn’t know is that the tattoo is the mark of Irial, king of the Dark Court of Faery, which feeds on mortal emotions. Ever since Beira, the cruel ex-Winter Queen, was overthrown, there is not enough chaos in the world to feed the Dark Court’s appetite. So Irial is performing an ink exchange with a mortal who chooses his tattoo; they will be linked, and he can funnel human emotions through the mortal and feed his court. What Irial doesn’t expect, however, is the damning love he feels for Leslie, a weakness that will undermine his strength as the Dark King.
Meanwhile, Keenan and Leslie’s friend Aislinn, the new Summer King and Queen, have ordered their friend Niall to watch over and protect Leslie, to keep her unaware of the faery world that exists under her very nose. Yet Niall cannot help but feel immensely attracted to Leslie. He has been with a lot of mortals, gotten them addicted to him until they wasted away pining, but never has he felt such a strong urge to do anything he can for a mortal girl.
Under the ink exchange, Leslie is numbed from all emotion and safe in Irial’s genuinely caring arms. But she is also not really living. Leslie must make a choice: will she stay with Irial, who takes away pain and gives her only pleasure, until she wastes away like other mortals they have tried the exchange on? Or will she ask Niall to help her become free? Either way, she must make the difficult choice by herself.
Melissa Marr’s faery world has the potential to be grand and exciting, but it falls short. I never feel any real connection to the story and its characters.
What Leslie doesn’t know is that the tattoo is the mark of Irial, king of the Dark Court of Faery, which feeds on mortal emotions. Ever since Beira, the cruel ex-Winter Queen, was overthrown, there is not enough chaos in the world to feed the Dark Court’s appetite. So Irial is performing an ink exchange with a mortal who chooses his tattoo; they will be linked, and he can funnel human emotions through the mortal and feed his court. What Irial doesn’t expect, however, is the damning love he feels for Leslie, a weakness that will undermine his strength as the Dark King.
Meanwhile, Keenan and Leslie’s friend Aislinn, the new Summer King and Queen, have ordered their friend Niall to watch over and protect Leslie, to keep her unaware of the faery world that exists under her very nose. Yet Niall cannot help but feel immensely attracted to Leslie. He has been with a lot of mortals, gotten them addicted to him until they wasted away pining, but never has he felt such a strong urge to do anything he can for a mortal girl.
Under the ink exchange, Leslie is numbed from all emotion and safe in Irial’s genuinely caring arms. But she is also not really living. Leslie must make a choice: will she stay with Irial, who takes away pain and gives her only pleasure, until she wastes away like other mortals they have tried the exchange on? Or will she ask Niall to help her become free? Either way, she must make the difficult choice by herself.
Melissa Marr’s faery world has the potential to be grand and exciting, but it falls short. I never feel any real connection to the story and its characters.
baphomeow's review against another edition
5.0
I liked it even more than WL. Maybe because of the whole tattoo idea of marking your body as your own, since I, too, am fascinated with body art. Oh and forget about Seth. I love Niall. Irial is a very interesting character. But I prefer Niall. But yeah, I'll start reading Fragile Eternity today.
michellewalsh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5