Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Novel Facts:

• Published: June 12th, 2007
• Published by: HarperTeen (an imprint of HarperCollins)
• Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult, Urban Fantasy
• Was originally written as a short story as “The Sleeping Girl” but then eventually expanded to further develop the characters
• Pages in Paperback: 328
• Series: Wicked Lovely (5 novels)
• Followed by: Ink Exchange
• Quote: “You. I’ve spent my life waiting for you.”
• Goodreads
• Amazon/Barnes and Noble/Book Depository
• 

Plot:

Rule #3- Don’t stare at invisible faeries

Rule #2- Don’t speak to invisible faeries

Rule #1- Don’t ever attract their attention

Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world. When the rules that have kept Aislinn safe from them stop working, everything is suddenly on the line: her freedom, her best friend, Seth; her life; everything. Faery intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr’s stunning twenty-first century  faery tale.

Review on Characters:

Aislinn- Aislinn, or Ash as I like to call her (because I can pronounce it), snuck up on me. At first I thought she was too bland, too quiet. Then I realized it was a quiet strength she possessed, ready to ignite at any minute. At the end of the novel I truly admired her; she was a girl who had choice ripped away from her and still managed a way to dictate her life. She was a subtle character and it was refreshing to read.

Seth- There’s not much to complain about Seth. His love for Aislinn was endearing, especially his easy willingness to understand about faeries. He obviously had a lot of love for the girl considering it’s not so easy to accept a person who claims to see invisible faeries. (Trust me, I know). I was very glad the author didn’t treat Seth as a purpose to satisfy a love triangle, but rather as important stake in the world of fae. My only wish is that the reader could have known Seth without Ash. We only saw his love for Ash (which was dreamy) but I wish we could have been inside his head for some of the scenes.

Keenan- The Summer King of the Summer Faery Court. I was expecting to instantly love him and wish Seth to disappear, but that was not the case at all. Not to say that he wasn’t appealing, it’s just all to common nowadays in young adult literature for the magical being to sweep away the ordinary girl no matter who the other players are; Marr breaks the mold in this novel. Proving with Keenan that feelings and love are much more complicated than that. Once again, it was refreshing to read.

Doira– I was most fascinated with Doira, the Winter Girl. Her story was a tragic one but all the more compelling. Imagine risking everything for love and finding out it simply wasn’t enough. Then to watch others not take the risk but still get the reward is maddening; enough to drive any heartbroken girl insane. Doira though possesses a spirit that is not so easily broken, you can tell she hurts but her strength is there, even as she watches the one she loves pursue another. I look forward to her development in the sequel, Ink Exchange.

Review of the Story:

The story was captivating. I love the background Marr has built: a world of faery courts that are caught in a struggle for power. The deadly game played between the Winter Queen, Summer King and Winter Girl is hard to watch yet intriguing at the same time. There was not a lot of action throughout the novel, and this is where Marr loses points. She sets up an enchanting world but then makes the reader do a lot of waiting until the end when the characters are forced into action. Hoping the pace quickens throughout the series since the initial story building won’t be needed.

Review on the Writing:

The writing was beautiful and added a fragility to the world of faery. Right away it seemed familiar and then I realized it reminded me of Maggie Stiefvater’s lyrical prose. Now, while Marr is not quite level with Stiefvater (yet) she has that same spellbinding way of writing. Creating a world that seems to stand on glass and can come crashing down at the slightest change of the wind. Quite simply its soft, dream-like and magical.

Rating:

The title is what first captured me with Marr’s Wicked Lovely, then it was her enchanting way of writing, her tragic characters and finally I found myself totally enraptured by the story. While the novel was captivating I feel the book could have used just one more polish, but overall I have to say it was well done. I’m very excited  to dive into the alluring world of faery in the next novel, Ink Exchange. (I can already feel the urge for a Celtic tattoo growing).

Overall Rating:

P.S.- If you can’t already guess, my next read is Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr (lets see is she can top her debut).

Related articles

• Top Ten Tuesday #13 – Freebie 🙂 Paranormal Creatures (unconventionalbookviews.com)
• TAB Book Review: Wicked Lovely (shorewoodlibraryteens.wordpress)
• Wicked Lovely (Wicked Lovely #1) by Melissa Marr (classycatbooks.wordpress)