Customer Reviews

Stopping Time, Part 1

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is a novella, actually it's part of a novella, if we were talking regular book, I think it would be the first few chapters (3 maybe 5). This is about Leslie, Irial and Niall. I enjoyed reading about Leslie again, but for those who miss Seth Ash and Keenan, you probably won't like this short story.

In a smaller nutshell, Stopping Time shows glimpses into Leslie's life as she tries to move on and live without seeing Niall or talking to Irial. This of course doesn't prevent Irial from visiting her or Niall from calling her on the phone a lot. Leslie I don't think realizes yet that she won't be able to move on. She has a choice that she won't make, she can't touch Irial without fatal consequences, and to be with Niall means she has to become one of the monsters in the Dark Court, either way she loses who she is.

I really enjoyed the story, I'm one of the fans that don't mind branching out with different characters, in fact I hadn't read about Leslie since Ink Exchange, so I was very pleased Melissa Marr gave us this two part story. At only a dollar you have to ask yourself if you want to know whether or not Leslie comes back in to the Fey fold or not. I have already pre-ordered the second part in the book which will be released at the end of this month I believe.

Okay. I want you to prepare yourself for a bit of a déluge in the way of me describing to you just how ecstatically in love I am with this short story. Yes, you heard me right. Short story. What's that you say? You thought I already covered my love for Irial and Niall in my review of Radiant Shadows? Well, I thought so too. But then I stumbled across a little thing called "Stopping Time" and it became clear that this kind of love cannot be "covered" in a single review. Consider this fair warning. I've never actually reviewed a short story before. So here goes. This review will include a few unavoidable spoilers for Ink Exchange and Fragile Eternity if you haven't read them yet, but none at all for Radiant Shadows. So if you're up-to-date on the series, you're good to go as "Stopping Time" takes place in between Fragile Eternity and Radiant Shadows and is the absolutely perfect read right now if you're anxiously awaiting the fourth book's release. And I really recommend that you do read it. Having already read Radiant Shadows, I can testify that it would be extremely beneficial (read: so much more awesome) if you'd read this short story first.

It's been months since Leslie walked away from the allure and abuses of the Dark Court and the two loves of her life and went the equivalent of solitary fae. Going to college, seeing a therapist, and trying to make new friends, it hasn't been anything resembling easy. But it was the right decision. And Leslie knows that. She just wishes her heart would remember. That it didn't race every week when Irial sits across the street from her study group and watches her, silently letting her know he's there. That he loves her. He will keep her safe. Depending on the day, the hour, the slant of light passing through her empty apartment, Leslie wishes just once she could break one of the two defining rules that form the shape of her life now. No talking to Irial. No seeing Niall. With the former and the current Dark Kings, the guidelines "look but don't touch" and "listen but don't look" may be exquisitely hard to follow, but they go a long way toward keeping Leslie the kind of safe and independent she relies on these days. Meanwhile, Irial and Niall circle each other warily, quietly dancing around their loss of Leslie and the impossible chasm that is forgiveness and reconciliation. The three of them push on every day until an outside force alters their routine abruptly and it becomes clear someone who knows the intimate details of Leslie's past is intent on using her (and those who love her) for their own purposes. And Leslie realizes she may be forced to break one of her rules in order to protect herself and the two men she loves.

I could not believe how brilliant this story was. I mean literally just the other day I was finishing Radiant Shadows, half-lost in love with Irial and Niall, and wondering desperately why I was spending all this time with Ani and Devlin when all I really wanted was to cozy up and watch the absolutely riveting drama that is the two Dark Kings. Just ask DH. I turned to him multiple times and said, "These characters are freaking awesome. I need a book of just them. And I need it now." It was like the literary gods were listening to me, smiling knowingly. Because the next day I find out that not only has Melissa Marr written a story featuring my three favorite characters, but it's free. And available for immediate download. DH took one look at my face, laughed, and then wisely left me alone to soak it up. And that is exactly what I did. There are so many beautiful scenes in this story. So much concentrated awesome packed into such a small package. This is exactly what I wanted. And Irial, Niall, and Leslie were exactly themselves in all their heartbreaking loyalty, love, pain, and longing. And honestly I couldn't have asked for anything more. And I haven't been precisely right since. For instance, I may have spent an inordinate amount of time haunting the Rath forum thread dedicated to discussing "Stopping Time." I may have read my favorite bits over and over late at night. (The café scene. *dies*) And I may have listened to Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt" on repeat after Ms. Marr mentioned it makes her think of Niall. And, okay, I may have a problem. But the first step is admitting it, right? My name is Angie. I have an obsession with a couple of fictional characters. It's not the first time. But I absolutely cannot wait for DARKEST MERCY--the final installment in the Wicked Lovely series--to find out what happens to my beloved boys. I, for one, am hoping happiness is in the cards if they're strong enough to choose it. In the meantime, I simply cannot recommend "Stopping Time" highly enough. I am all kinds of in love with it and it has won an instant spot on my Best of 2010 list--a first for a short story. So. What are you waiting for? Go! Soak it up! And don't worry about me. I'll just be over here reading the café scene again...

I picked this short story up when I realized that they were free for the Kindle. (Just use Kindle for PC if you don't have a Kindle and you can read it on your computer, along with many other books!) It is a very short story, readable in one sitting. What it lacks in length it makes up for in content.

The story focuses on Leslie, Irial, and Niall, even Gabriel shows up for a bit, some of my favorite characters from the Ink Exchange series. It is a great filler book while waiting for the next in the series, Radiant Shadows, to come out. I would love to see this short story expanded into a full novel because the love triangle presented here is one worth following through on. Any Melissa Marr fan will delight in having this story to read.

This is very good. I haven't actually read the Wicked Lovely novels, but I am definitely interested after this novella part I. The story begins with Leslie's perspective and switches between her and Irial. The story is I suppose like a side one about how Leslie is coping with not seeing Niall (the Dark Court King) and not speaking to Irial (the former Dark Court King) who is watching her to keep her safe. The story has her trying to balance things when an unexpected harasser begins their plan that starts with her.

It was well written and I can't wait to read part II and even the Wicked Lovely novels!

Poor opening...Although it does draw a person in, it is a not worth reading as a stand alone, obviously one needs to read a prior work and subsequent stories....unless you start from some sort of beginning....don't start here! It's just not worth the effort.

Nice story of what happens to Leslie after she leaves Huntsdale. I like that Irial and Niall are still watching over her and it was nice to have a little closure in their story. This is surely the oddest love triangle I've ever read about, though, and I'm not sure I find all the selflessness believable--especially in characters who are supposed to be so dark. But I enjoyed the story and found it better written and more convincing than the last book I read in this series, Fragile Eternity.

This is really a chapter. Wish the writer would have used the space to write an actual story. Don't have time for a writer that spends the whole time mooning over two guys she loves but can't be with either. I got it the first 10 times.

These short stories are an awesome way to keep feeding readers more of the Wicked Lovely story. Thanks for making them free. After Ink Exchange, you yearn to hear more about Irial, Niall,and Leslie. These books not only filled that need, but make you swoon. I'd definately come back for more!!!
P.S. - Can I just say...God bless your beautiful brain Melissa Marr; and I'd love a prequel about Irial and Niall :D

Don't get me wrong - the author has done well. But, $2.99 is what you are paying for two short chapters in a potentially much longer story. Part 2 continues, for another $2.99 for two more SHORT chapters. Like an a-la-carte meal. Costly way to buy a book.
As for the story, intriguing, but virtually no character development. One feels the real story is way in the back-ground. Full of how characters FEEL about things in the past we know nothing about. I wonder if the umpteenth $2.99 finally reveals what is going on?

I picked this up as a freebie on my Amazon Kindle. You can't argue with the price. It is the story about what happens between Leslie, Niall, and Irial after the events that occur in "Ink Exchange". The story is so-so. Not a horrible read but nothing to write home about.

Part 1 is a total cliffhanger, so download Part 2 at the same time so you can read it right away. It's a very quick read; Part 1 takes maybe 20 minutes to read.

Overall, it was something to read. I didn't hate it, but I didn't enjoy it that much either. So it gets an okay from me. If you are really attached to Leslie and want to know more about her and her boys go ahead and pick up the story to read. Just don't expect anything earth-shattering.