Aislinn has always seen Faeries…always. Her mother could see them and so could her Grams. Aislinn has ‘The Sight’ but it is not a good thing for the Faeries to know this essential fact. For these seemingly mythical creatures are very unlike the Fairies we have grown up reading about. Not all are well-mannered and twee. Aislinn has been warned and coached by her Grams, never to give them an inkling that she can see the heinous deeds that they sometimes indulge in. Don’t stare at them….Don’t speak to them…….Don’t attract their attention.
But this soon proves to be an exercise in futility when The Summer King of the Faeries, Keenan actively begins to seek her out. For nine centuries, Keenan has been searching for his Queen. A Summer Queen who will rule beside him, protect the Summer Fey and help him in overpowering his wicked mother, The Winter Queen Beira. At one time in the past, Keenan had thought that Donia, a mortal girl was THE ONE. But when Donia undertook the necessary test, she failed…relegating her to the endless and icily chilly life of a Winter Girl. Now it’s Aislinn’s turn to prove her mettle. But unlike the previous candidates, Aislinn is adamant in her decision not to join the Faerie world. She has seen the faeries at their damaging worst and prefers the charms of mortal life and it’s inhabitants like handsome friend (and potential lover); Seth. Wicked Lovely traverses the mental journey of Aislinn as she deals with two conflicting worlds and a decision that will change her life forever.
Wizards, witches, vampires and now……..faeries. Mythical creatures are ruling the best-selling roost. Enter a bookstore and everywhere I look, I am bombarded by broodlingly handsome wizards, sparkling vampires and now Summer-unleashing Faeries.
Wicked Lovely left me a tad disappointed. There wasn’t a trace of humour throughout the book. I like oodles of wit and verve in my main characters. From start to finish, all Aislinn seemed to do was walk around under a cloud of despair. Which was kind of ironic, considering the fact that she was supposed to be the Summer Queen-in-waiting. Everyone wants her…whether it’s her goth boyfriend, Seth or Summer King-with-the-copper-hair Keenan. You think the girl would be a little happier. But no, she goes to Seth’s house and moans and whines…..and Seth…..he had such potential, but all he wants to do is show his unflinching love for Aislinn. Infact he seems to be put on the earth for the express purpose of cushioning Aislinn through her many tirades. Now I’m all for a supportive partner…but Seth was ridiculous in his perfection. If you ask me, it’s not the faeries but Seth who was the mythical creature – a perfect boyfriend! It was a bit too pat…the way Seth accepted Aislinn’s fate as an immortal Queen who will rule alongside the devastatingly handsome Keenan. Where was the blind panic? The insecurities? The impotent anger on being confronted by a more-than-worthy competitor?
The only character I truly liked was Donia. The poor girl got a raw deal for her love and she showed the maximum character development. I would definitely like to read more about her in the coming books.
In all, Wicked Lovely was written beautifully. Melissa Marr’s imagination is a lovely splashy-painting unfolding in bits and pieces. The little touch of adding Faerie-Folklore snippets at the start of each chapter was a good indicator of what to expect in terms of plot development. What it lacked was the sheer brilliance and wit that peppered the Harry Potter series. I can only hope that the characters show more facets to their personalities and hopefully display some real fire and ire in the sequels.
