Wicked Lovely

Wicked Lovely

by Melissa Marr

(YP FIC MARR)

Aislinn followed the rules strictly: Don't stare at invisible faeries, Don't speak to invisible faeries and Don't ever attract their attention. She's always known that the consequences for breaking the rules could be severe and cruel. After all, over the years she has seen enough of both the faeries' mischief and cruelty to know that she didn't want any of their attention on her. When two faeries, obviously court faeries--the most dangerous kind, begin following her for no reason, she knows that trouble is coming.

Keenan is a king without power. While he was still an enfant, his mother, the Winter Queen, bound his power until he could find his Summer Queen. Centuries have passed though. The summer court has filled with his mistakes, and those are the lucky ones. Meanwhile his mother's cruelty has gone unchecked for too long. Winter is taking it's toll on faeries and humans alike. The Summer King believes Aislinn is his missing Queen. However, he fears Aislinn's feelings for her mortal friend, Seth, will interefere with his own plans.

The resolution of this story is a surprising twist on the typical girl meets prince/king story which makes the entire story much more interesting. There are some stellar supporting characters including Seth, who is very patient and encouraging, and Donnia, who had once hoped to be Keenan's queen and instead has become a pawn for the Winter Queen and the Summer King to bicker over. Aislinn spends a lot of time consumed by her fears, but when she finally decides to face her fears, she does so with courage and strength of mind. In fact, the end of the story leaves one with the conviction that to become queen one must first have the courage to rise beyond being a pawn.