Reviews for Wicked lovely
Publishers Weekly
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First-time novelist Marr gives the oft-tried modern faerie story a fresh infusion of glamour, thanks to a likable pair of protagonists, a page-turning plot and an ample dose of sexual tension. Seventeen-year-old Aislinn has a secret; she sees fairies everywhere-working their mischief and doggedly following her for reasons she does not understand. "Even when she looked away, she heard them: laughing and squealing, gnashing teeth and beating wings.... They were out in droves now, freer somehow as evening fell, invading her space, ending any chance of the peace she'd sought." One of them, the handsome Keenan, takes a particular interest in her. He is the Summer King, on a centuries-long quest for his queen, the one person who will be able to help him unseat his vicious mother, Beira, the Winter Queen. Keenan has chosen incorrectly over the years; the latest to accept his offer is Donia, who now lives in Beira's icy thrall. Beira offers Donia a deal: prevent Keenan from finding his proper queen, and Beira will release her spell over her soul. Aislinn confides her secret to her friend Seth, whose steel-walled home (an abandoned train) protects her from the fey. As Keenan pursues Aislinn, convinced she is his true mate, secrets emerge about Aislinn's family history and she wrestles with the decision to become the Summer Queen. Aislinn and Seth are a smart and compelling couple who must make tough choices throughout. Marr offers readers a fully imagined faery world that runs alongside an everyday world, which even non-fantasy (or faerie) lovers will want to delve into. Ages 12-up. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
School Library Journal
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Gr 9 Up-Aislinn knows about faeries. She has seen them all her life and her grandmother has taught her the rules. Don't stare at faeries. Don't speak to faeries. Don't attract the attention of faeries. She has seen the malicious behavior of faeries and wants a normal high school life. The rules have kept her safe for years. Imagine her dismay when the faeries begin stalking her and whispering, "do you think she's the one?" When Keenan, a faerie king, pursues Aislinn, she confides in her best friend Seth who accepts the idea of the unseen with ease. Together they face the faeries and learn that Keenan is the Summer King and believes Aislinn to be his queen. What develops is an intriguing triangle as both Seth and Keenan begin to court Aislinn. Melissa Marr's debut novel (HarperTeen, 2007) shows strength in both character and setting. Aislinn is an admirable protagonist, insisting on following her own path. Teen girls will flip over strong, sexy Seth. Marr's faerie world Marr is a fascinating mixture of the ancient and the modern. The story translates beautifully to audio, and narrator Alyssa Bresnahan is pitch-perfect in her delivery. The sexual tension is subtle but makes the story more appropriate for older listeners. Recommend this intriguing fantasy romance to fans of Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series.-Tricia Melgaard, Centennial Middle School, Broken Arrow, OK (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Gr 7 Up-Aislinn knows that fairies are real and that they aren't the small, cute, winged beings that most people imagine. She has inherited the gift of Sight from her mother's family, allowing her to see them. She lives by rules that have kept her safe from their notice. All of that changes when Keenan, the Summer King, chooses her as his queen, involving Aislinn in a 900-year power struggle between him and his mother, the Winter Queen. If Aislinn refuses him, summer will cease to exist, killing both mortals and fairies alike. If she accepts, she loses her humanity and ties to the mortal world-as if life as a teenager isn't hard enough when you're "normal." This story explores the themes of love, commitment, and what it really means to give of oneself for the greater good to save everyone else. It is the unusual combination of past legends and modern-day life that gives a unique twist to this "fairy" tale.-June H. Keuhn, Corning East High School, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
This steamy faery story reads like a torrid girl's fantasy and will produce some swoons. Aislinn's spent her life terrified of the faeries ("fey") all around her, invisible to other humans. They smack and trip each other, leer and wound; to remain safe, she can't let them know she sees. Her only safe space is inside the funky train-car home of sexy friend Seth. Fey can't enter because steel hurts them—or does it? The old rules are changing. Two faeries stalk Aislinn, paying unprecedented and disturbing personal attention. Readers know early that Aislinn's destined to become a faerie monarch and rule as Summer Queen beside Keenan, the Summer King, whom readers may find obnoxious or dreamy. Marr's consistent labeling of the situation as a "game" doesn't match the dire possibilities: The earth will freeze if Aislinn isn't Summer Queen, but she wants to live a regular life, including college, cell phones and tattoos. Meanwhile, it's Keenan's job to woo Aislinn, but his old love (currently the lonely holder of winter's chill) may die if he's successful. Overlong wish-fulfillment, but enjoyably sultry. (Fantasy. YA) Copyright ŠKirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Horn Book
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Aislinn has always been able to see the faeries that walk invisible among humans, but she keeps her ability secret because they are dangerous. Unfortunately, the Summer King targets her to be his next queen, forcing Aislinn to take action. Celtic folklore gets a modern twist in this eerie story told from three rotating points of view. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
