Wicked Lovely [Hardcover]

Melissa Marr (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 12, 2007 | Series: Wicked Lovely (Book 1)

Rule #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries.

Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in 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.

Faerie intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr's stunning 21^st century faery tale.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A fully imagined faery world which even non-fantasy (or faerie) lovers will want to delve into.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review) )

“Enjoyably sultry.” (Kirkus Reviews )

“Riveting and dark. I love this tale!” (Tamora Pierce )

“A debut that reads like the work of a seasoned pro.” (Charles deLint )

“The unusual combination of past legends and modern-day life gives a unique twist to this “fairy” tale.” (School Library Journal )

“Melissa Marr adds elegantly to the sub-genre of Urban Faery with this enticing, well-researched fantasy for teens.” (Annette Curtis Klause )

“A modern-day fairy tale, wherein the girl saves herself. Many fantasy readers will find themselves happily at home here. (Library Journal )

About the Author

Melissa Marr is the author of the New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series; Carnival of Souls; and an adult novel, Graveminder. When not writing, editing, or traveling, Melissa is buried under a plethora of books, dogs, and children in Virginia.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 328 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (June 12, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061214655
• ISBN-13: 978-0061214653
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (389 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #441,707 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hmm, I'm never good at the bio bit. I used to teach college & bartend, now I write novels. I love to meet new people, to hear their stories, to walk through new streets and see new vistas. I enjoy art in all its guises--graffiti, surrealist paintings, classic sculptures, tattoos, interesting buildings, Renoir, photography . . . Art & nature, they feed my soul & thus my muse.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

72 of 77 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Succesful Hook April 14, 2010

By NicoBelle

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is a quick, easy, enjoyable read. In the "Twilightesque" fashion, it is about a high school girl, with an uncommon ability (in this case to see the invisible world of faeries) and someone of the supernatural realm finds her desirable. I am a voracious reader, which means I read alot of books that I don't always care for and across all genres. This book kept me interested from beginning to end. Could the author have developed the characters more, better transitions? Sure, but it was still a good, light, entertaining read...AND, here is the important part, it was free for my kindle--the hook worked, I would (will) purchase the other books in this series and would actually search out more by the author--which means that it was a success. As for the bonus materials--it didn't make a difference to me, but I am one of those people who doesn't watch the deleted scenes on DVDs, so it wasn't really a BONUS for me. If you like the fantasy genre, and need something to keep you interested for a long trip or weekend at the beach--this is a good choice!

107 of 121 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too June 12, 2007

By TeensReadToo

Format:Hardcover

Aislinn has always followed the rules. Her Grandmother has drilled them into her since she was a young child. Don't stare at invisible faeries. Don't speak to invisible faeries. Don't ever attract the faeries' attention. Aislinn has developed the skill to ignore them. She walks past them without flinching, even when the faeries are pinching or touching others around her like they love to do.

Faeries come in many shapes and sizes and Aislinn has seen them all. She's seen them in the glamours they wear in order to pass as humans and can pick one out of a crowd even when they are trying to blend in. Aislinn has never been surprised by what she has seen them do - that is, until they start breaking the rules.

Faeries don't like steel. It causes them pain and weakens them. Because of that, Aislinn's "safe" place has always been Seth's house. Seth is a long-time friend who happens to live in a converted steel train car. Aislinn always knew that if she could make it there she'd have peace, because the faeries could never follow her into the train yard. But, something has changed. They are creeping closer and closer and paying more attention to her. They are even gathering outside Seth's place.

Aislinn really begins to worry when two faeries, Keenan and Donia, approach her and speak directly to her. She gets away from them as quickly as possible, now hyper-aware of the growing number of faeries surrounding and following her. She hears them say things like, "Do you think she's the one?" Aislinn realizes that in order to figure out what they want from her she is going to have to break the rules she's grown up with all of her life.

Keenan is the Summer King. His mother, the Winter Queen, has limited his powers and is slowly taking over the elements. Days are colder and eventually everything will be covered in ice, unless Keenan finds the girl who is meant to be his Summer Queen. Together they would have the power to overcome the Winter Queen's chill. Keenan thinks Aislinn is the one and she is in danger because of it. The Winter Queen will do everything she can to prevent her son from getting the power he needs to overthrow her. Another problem, of course, is that Aislinn doesn't want to be Summer Queen. She has avoided faeries all of her life and she sure doesn't want to become one now. Especially when her feelings for Seth have developed into more than friendship - and becoming the Summer Queen would mean spending an eternity with Keenan.

Melissa Marr has written a wonderfully inventive story that incorporates actual quotes from books written on the subject of faeries dating back to the 1800's. Her ability to keep a complicated story with several important characters clear to the reader is phenomenal. The relationship she creates between Aislinn and Seth is heartwarming, leading the reader to fall in love right along with them. If you aren't usually a fan of faerie stories, you might want to give this one a try. The blending of the realistic world and the world of the fey is masterfully done. You'll almost believe faeries are all around you.

Reviewed by: Karin Perry

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Vivid world of faery August 6, 2007

By Kim Baccellia, "YA Books Central reviewer"

Format:Hardcover

Aislinn is used to following three rules: don't stare at invisible faeries, don't speak to invisible faeries, and don't ever attract their attention. But suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore. Everything now is on the line: her freedom; her best friend Seth; her life; everything.

Keenan, the Summer King, has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her summer will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become his Summer Queen at any cost--regardless of her plans or desires.

Similar to Holly Black's TITHE and VALIANT, this urban fantasy follows Aislinn as she fights against a persistent Keenan and the idea of turning into the very thing she'd fought against for so long.

Melissa Marr has done a great job of weaving into her tale the world of faery. One of my favorite scenes is the faery-run carnival that only Aislinn can see. I doubt I'll ever look at a carnival in the same way again without wondering if a faery lurks close by! The author has painted a very vivid world of 1800's style faeries colliding with our modern world.

The problem I had with this story is I couldn't connect with the main character. I wanted to see why Keenan had such an attraction to Aislinn and not someone else. Aislinn's tough girl character was believable but she just seemed to be going through the motions without any real emotion to what was happening around her. Seth, her best friend, also was hard to connect with. There is some chemistry later on between the two but the real tension and conflict is between both Keenan and Donia.

The strength of this novel comes from Donia, one mortal who pays a terrible price for her love of Keenan. I loved this character and felt her pain and anguish as she watched the one she loved go after another. I found myself turning the pages, following both Donia and Keenan. I almost felt this was their story and not Aislinn's.

WICKED LOVELY is for those that like urban fantasies and want an escape into the land of faery.