Review: Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Wicked Lovely
(Wicked Lovely #1)

Author: Melissa Marr

Publication Date: June 12, 2012

Publisher: HarperTeen

Genre: Fantasy

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Synopsis:

Rule #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries.
Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the 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.
Faery intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr's stunning twnety-first-century faery tale.

My Thoughts: I enjoyed Wicked Lovely immensely. It was a fresh take on a heroine, which I always find myself immersed in. I loved the main characters, I enjoyed the villains and the story didn’t feel rushed.

Aislinn was a unique heroine. She knew what she wanted and refused to be pushed around just because of the situation she found herself in. Most heroines are self-sacrificing, but Aislinn managed to balance her own happiness with the impossible circumstances she found herself in. She didn’t hesitate to step up when the situation called for it and she wasn’t scared to show her emotions. I respect Melissa Marr for writing such a strong female character.

Seth, Aislinn’s best friend and maybe-something-more, is also a unique lead character. He believes that “one can never have too many piercings” and demonstrates that on his own body. He is a renown playboy and has one of the most awesome house I could ever imagine (train cars turned into a house!). Despite his bad-boy appearance, he has a personality that would make any girl swoon.

Keenan, I wish had been a bit more multi-faceted. I hope to learn more about him in the future books, but for Wicked Lovely he fell short as a main character. He was charming, handsome and kingly but I felt that we could have gotten more out of him than what we did. I know it is in there somewhere and I believe that Marr will show it in the future. I really want to know more about him and what makes him tick.

The only real issue I have with Wicked Lovely actually has to do with the series. I get invested in characters and their story-lines. The Wicked Lovely series is one that follows various characters throughout the series which throws me off. I tend to want to stick with two to three and follow them constantly instead of switching. I know that this is a personal preference, but it turns me off to the rest of the series a little bit (especially since the main heroine, Aislinn, is so awesome).

Overall though, Wicked Lovely is a great read for people who like faeries and heroines who don’t let themselves get pushed around (too much).