REVIEW: Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Series: Wicked Lovely #1
Genre: Young Adult, Fiction, Fantasy
Pub Date: April 2008, HarperCollins
Format: Trade Paperback, 352 pages
Source/FTC Disclosure: I purchased my copy of this book. I was in no way compensated for this review and my opinions are my own.

Rule #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries.

Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty—especially if they learn of her Sight—and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.
Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries.

Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.
Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention.

But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost—regardless of her plans or desires.
Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.
Faerie intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr's stunning 21st century faery tale.

MY THOUGHTS

First off, I have to say it's nice to be posting a review again! I haven't had as much time for reading as I would like over the last few days, but in the end I MADE time for Wicked Lovely...

I have to admit that before reading Faerie Wars by Herbie Brennan a few weeks ago, I hadn't really read any books that were devoted to faery folklore. Actually, I'm not sure how devoted to the actual faery lore that book was, but I think Melissa Marr did an amazing job writing about faeries in Wicked Lovely. It's safe to say that I'm now a fan of faeries, whereas before I could take them or leave them. I decided to buy this book after I knew that Marr would be doing a book signing at a nearby Barnes & Noble at the end of the month. I wanted to see if it would be worth going to the signing to get the newest book in the series, so of course I had to at least read the first book. And, barring some unforeseen complication, on April 26th at 2:00pm you can bet I'll be in the crowd waiting to get my books signed!

One of my favorite aspects about this book was the quotes that Marr took from classic books about faerie folklore and used to open each chapter. You can really tell that she did her research before writing this story. Since I began reading this with little knowledge of the faery lore, I feel like I also learned a bit by reading this book. And don't we all like to learn something new? :-)

And best of all, I loved the characters. LOVED them. All of them. From the beginning I was swept into the story and the characters and I didn't want to put the book down. Aislinn and Seth just seemed so real and were very well-developed. Aislinn had natural moments of fear and doubt as her experiences with the faeries unfolded, yet she was also able to draw upon inner strength to face her fears and do what must be done; indeed, what was inevitable. I also enjoyed the romance between Aislinn and Seth--Marr portrayed their blossoming relationship so beautifully. I also liked Keenan, the Summer King, and Donia, the Winter Girl, from the very beginning. Marr simply did a wonderful job with ALL of the characters' personalities, interactions and behaviors, I can't say enough about that!

There was one thing I didn't particularly like, and I'll try not to give too much away here, but this will be a bit of a spoiler, it can't be helped... I thought the final scenes with Beira, the Winter Queen, were rather anti-climactic. However, I was mollified (well, actually quite pleased) as I read how it was all resolved. The whole storyline and the world Marr wrote about really were incredible. I cannot wait to read Ink Exchange and Fragile Eternity.

Other reviews of Wicked Lovely:

Books and Needlepoint ~ Tiny Little Reading Room
The Written World ~ Teen Book Review ~ Becky's Book Reviews
Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic
Paperback Frenzy ~ About Books ~ Wondrous Reads
The Book Reader ~ Literary Escapism ~ Liv's Book Reviews
A Blog of Books ~ Midnight Twilight's Book Blog
Bookluver-Carol's Reviews ~ And Another Book Read...
The Longstockings ~ On The Nightstand ~ Ink and Paper
Gimme More Books! ~ Bloody Bad Book Blog ~ Bart's Bookshelf

Devourer of Books ~ My Favorite Author ~ Things Mean a Lot

Lissa's Long Yarn ~ The Page Flipper ~ Serendipity