Book Review: Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr

Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: February 2011
Pages: 336
Source: e-book from Library
For: Fun
Series: Wicked Lovely, Book 5

*Spoilers for the first four books in the Wicked Lovely series are inevitable*
With Keenan missing, Aislinn is struggling to run the summer court by herself, all while longing for Seth. Donia is working to strengthen her already strong winter court, against the coming war with Bananach. With the dark court in turmoil and no one quite sure what is coming next, will Bananach defeat all and turn the world to chaos?

Things I Liked:
I can't seem to get away from this series.  I usually have mixed feelings about them, but I can't seem to give them up.  I'm glad I got to the last in this series, because the ending was surprising and satisfying.  Marr has a skill with words and descriptions that can paint an entire world so vividly.  I loved how things progressed to the point that we wonder how she will extricate her characters, and then she does it in surprising ways.  It is a smart, beautiful, complicated series. 

Things I Didn't Like:
I don't care much for several of the main characters, notably Keenan and Aislinn.  I was more interested in what happened to some of the minor characters.  Still, I found it satisfying, if not mind-blowing and amazing.  A really good faery series that has an interesting and unique faery world.

Read-alikes:
The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa
Lament and Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@# 
plenty, some f-words

mrg-factor: XX 
mostly sensuality and off-page action

v-factor: ->-> 
quite a bit of gory fighting

Overall rating: *** 

What books can't you stay away from?

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Book Review: Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr

Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: April 2010
ISBN: 9780061659225
Source: Library

 

Ani is caught between two worlds - Faerie and mortal.  She's neither one nor the other, and even for a halfling, she's quite different.  This attracts attention from many dangerous and powerful Faeries - all clamoring for her blood.  Devlin, assassin of the High Queen is sent to the mortal world for Ani, but finds he would rather keep her safe, both from the High Queen and her twin Bananach.  Soon, he must decide whether to keep Ani safe or to keep all of Faerie safe. 

Things I Liked:
Marr really has a way of sucking you into her world.  Even as I know in my head all of this is imaginary, I still can picture some of the faeries - Ani, Devlin, Irial, Niall, Seth.  They seem so real and full of personality, it's hard to remember they aren't real.  Her writing is gorgeous and the details are rich and vivid, see below for some of my favorite descriptions.  But, it's the story that makes you want more.  The decisions characters must make and the twisting path they take to get there are intense.  I had a  hard time putting this one down, particularly near the end.  Some loved tidbits:

"Like chaos in a glass cage." p 70 (Don't you just wish you'd made that phrase up?)

"Slowly, as if he were spun glass she could break, she leaned in and brushed her lips over his.  It wasn't even really a kiss, just a butterfly brush, but it felt like the sort of kiss that made the world stop turning - which made her even less able to speak." p 199

Things I Didn't Like:
I kind of have a love-hate relationship with these books.  I am not entirely sure what nameless thing is keeping me from outright adoring these, but I don't.  Sometimes, I would get distracted by the repeated use of a character's name.  I really wanted her to use some more personal pronouns, but I suppose it might have become confusing then.  Speaking of confusing, I also found that there were explanations and reasoning that really didn't make sense to me.  Ani, Devlin, and Seth in particular do not make complete sense to me.  Their abilities and power were not clear in my head.  Maybe it's just me, though.

Read-alikes:
Read the first three books in the Wicked Lovely series
Still reminds me of the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare
Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !@#
plenty

mrg-factor: X
mostly "off the page," but the whole book feels very sensual

v-factor: -> 
a couple of incidents

Overall rating: ****

Any books or series you have a love-hate relationship with?

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Book Review: Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr

Fragile Eternity follows the suddenly much-more-complicated lives of Aislinn, Seth, and Keenan as they try to understand their delicate relationships. Aislinn and Keenan are growing closer as the climax of summer approaches, while Seth begins to feel his weak mortality and how he doesn't truly belong with Aislinn. Throw in the rival Winter Court's queen, Donia, who is in love with Keenan, and the Dark Court's new king Niall who once served Keenan, and you get a lot of very complex relationships.

Things I liked:
Marr's depiction of faeries and the Faery courts. I love the history, the descriptions, the characters and personalities of different individuals. She must have done a lot of research into Faery mythology and it really comes through. I also really like the complexity of her characters - they feel many different things and often having conflicting emotions. It makes them more believable.

Things I didn't like:
How all the relationships are about intimacy. I understand when they say in the book that the relationships are more than that, but sometimes they seemed like empty words. And who would want to live for eternity as only the consort of the one you love? I'd rather spend my time finding someone who could be with me and only me. I also was distracted by how much of the book really had no plot. The characters didn't do anything for a while but feel sad and grumpy. Hopefully the next book will have more action (and more of the characters I liked).

Read-alikes:
First two books in the series Wicked Lovely and Ink Exchange (which is more like a companion to the first one, but has important stuff that relates to Fragile Eternity as well)
Reminds me of the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George for a more lighthearted similar story
A bit like Wings by Aprilynne Pike

RATINGS:
s-factor: !@#
Some strong language.

mrg-factor: XX
Lots of references, not a lot of details.

v-factor: ->
Some more frightening stuff than violent.

Overall rating: ***

Book Review: Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

Description of Ink Exchange from Amazon:

"Unbeknownst to mortals, a power struggle is unfolding in a world of shadows and danger. After centuries of stability, the balance among the Faery Courts has altered, and Irial, ruler of the Dark Court, is battling to hold his rebellious and newly vulnerable fey together. If he fails, bloodshed and brutality will follow. Seventeen-year-old Leslie knows nothing of faeries or their intrigues. When she is attracted to an eerily beautiful tattoo of eyes and wings, all she knows is that she has to have it, convinced it is a tangible symbol of changes she desperately craves for her own life. The tattoo does bring changes—not the kind Leslie has dreamed of, but sinister, compelling changes that are more than symbolic. Those changes will bind Leslie and Irial together, drawing Leslie deeper and deeper into the faery world, unable to resist its allures, and helpless to withstand its perils."

Ink Exchange is the sequel (or rather companion volume) to Wicked Lovely (reviewed here). I enjoyed the story, but I was not very thrilled the mrg stuff and the drug references. I like some of the characters, though several of them were simply annoying additions. The most interesting person was Niall - he was complex, but believable. Also, I found that several sections of the book were simply confusing - too much vital information was witheld and not enough explained. But, since I became somewhat invested in the story, I will probably read the next installment.

RATINGS:

s-factor: !@

mrg-factor: XX
Plenty of passing references and situations, though not graphic.

v-factor: ->->
Violent and scary stuff happens.

Overall rating: **

Book Review: Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Wicked Lovelyis an urban fantasy about Aislinn, a girl who can see faeries. But the faeries in this tale are definitely not the short, harmless type. All her life, she has followed the rules to avoid letting the faeries know she can see them. But now, she has attracted the attention of two faeries, and suddenly the rules aren't working anymore.

I had a hard time putting this book down and managed to read it in one sitting. The story was fast-paced and interesting, though I wasn't as thrilled with some of the decisions made or the way things turned out. The descriptions are beautiful and the language pulls you into the world. A great read alike for older Twilight fans.

RATINGS:
s-factor: !@
Not a lot, but a few instances of the "f" word.

mrg-factor: XX
Some suggestive stuff, but not descriptive.

v-factor: ->
Some faerie action.

Overall rating: ***