Thursday, July 1, 2010

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

It seems that I, again, have too many plates in the air and am dropping them. I envy those of you out there that manage to post every day, work a full time job, sustain an in person social life, raise kids, go on vacation, *and* still read and review more than 10 books a month. I am not you, but I would give my right arm...well, maybe not my right arm (I'd be nearly useless without it), but definitely my left arm for some of your secrets. Perhaps Megan, you say, you should stop going away every weekend, letting your bad influence parents talk you into watching hours of television, and sleeping for those 8 hours a night. Perhaps, Megan, you might also consider paper plates so there will be no dishes to do or writing blog posts and comments that aren't mind-blowingly longwinded. Nonetheless, here I am, pondering life and time and how to get more out of the little time that I seem to have left after work and dinner and errand running and cleaning up. I've not come up with an acceptable solution that doesn't involve stopping the world from spinning for a few hours in the evening, which is a bit unattainable at this time, so the only good solution is to quit babbling and write a book review before the moment is gone.

Aislinn has a secret. She can see faeries, and they're not very nice. In fact, many are more than a bit sinister and violent. To cope with her unusual gift, Aislinn has some rules. Don't talk to the faeries, don't speak to the faeries, and don't attract the faeries' attention. Aislinn has more or less fared well by following these rules, but when she unwittingly attracts the attention of a powerful faery who emanates the essence of summer, who won't be put off by her usual tricks, she knows the rules are changing completely.

Aislinn wants nothing more than to be a normal teenager whose only concern is whether to take her relationship with her friend Seth to the next level. Instead she finds herself breaking another of her rules and admitting to him that she can see and is being pursued by dangerously powerful faeries. Caught up in a war between summer and winter court faeries, Aislinn can use all the help she can get.

Wicked Lovely is the first in a series of books author Melissa Marr has penned about faeries the fourth of which, Radiant Shadows, was released in April. Though certainly a part of the burgeoning crop of paranormal young adult fiction on the market lately, Wicked Lovely stands out from the crowd. Wicked Lovely isn't just a fast moving plot. It's got good writing with intriguing characters, both good and bad, that are fleshed out and become sympathetic. While Seth is almost too good to be true when it comes to boyfriend material, Aislinn doesn't fall into the crowd of paranormal heroines who are irritatingly whiny or whose most defining characteristic is clumsiness or something similarly shallow. She is a strong and thoughtful main character in a story filled with captivating characters, both mortal and otherwise.

The story is well-paced, and each chapter begins with an interesting and relevant quote from books about faeries. Marr's attention to detail regarding faerie lore makes the world of faerie seem terribly real, and her ability to weave it all into a compelling story makes for an excellent read for young adults and older adults well. This is a series that I'm eager to follow.

6 comments:

  1. This book has been on my shelves for months, so I'm happy to see that the female lead actually has some depth to her!

    As for your problem finding time to read...marry rich? win the lotto? rob a bank? : )

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  2. See, the only reason I have time to read and blog as much as I do is because I don't have a full-time job! :) That and I don't watch any TV at all. I lived for years without TV, so I learned to do without it. Most of the "fun" books I read are more like TV shows to me.

    I loved Wicked Lovely, and liked the 2nd book in the series, but hated the third and haven't gone on from there.

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  3. I think you're being too hard on yourself - everyone is different and you should do what feels right for you!

    The book does sound interesting, but I'm not sure about the faerie element.

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  4. Aww...don't feel you HAVE to have a new post every day...it's hard! (Believe me, I know!) Best suggestion (otherwise known as my two cents if you'd like them)...if you get a free moment, schedule a post or two out so they are off your mind and take advantage of a meme or two...otherwise do it YOUR way, that's what makes your blog you after all....anywho...

    Loved the review! This is one of my favorite series and one I actually read in a wickedly fast challenge earlier this year. If you are planning on reading the other books in the series...be prepared...they are REALLY good too! Happy reading... ^_^

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  5. Trisha - Well, I've always got my eyes peeled for a good single doctor at work, but they seem few and far between. My attempts to win the lottery continue to fail. Maybe I'll look into bank robbing next. I hear the one in the next town over is an easy target....

    Amanda - Ah, well, it's always been my inclination to blame my job for my failures as a blogger. I'll blame it for how much TV I watch, too. If my brain wasn't so dead at the end of the day from all that thinking at work, I'd have some left for thinking at home. Instead I just watch TV. ;-) Sorry to hear the 3rd book drops the ball. I wonder if the 4th will pick it up again...?

    Kathy - Thanks, I'm trying! And faeries are fun! ;-)

    GMR - Oh wow, I gave up on a new post every day, I think, before I even started blogging. Even at my best, I'm afraid I couldn't manage it. Some weeks I'm happy if I've got one post of substance that isn't a meme or something like that. I try to schedule posts when I'm able, but I'm rarely able to get ahead in any meaningful way, but I guess that's life. Most of the time I'm pretty okay with my level of committment to ye olde blog, but that doesn't keep me from occasional jealousy of some people who seem to do it all *and* blog with a good deal more consistency than I do!

    I'm definitely looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Glad to hear you liked it!

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  6. Oh no this looks like another series to pick up. I am with you on trying to find time to do it all. This does look like a great read, thanks for the review.

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