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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
Oooooh, a new person for my list of favorite authors!
I loved so many things about this book. I loved that it took a nontraditional angle on the story (since Aislinn wanted nothing to do with the faery king who was trying to win her, and had an obviously-superior love interest of her own); I loved the characters (especially Seth... oh wow); and I loved how the story had so many levels to it, as the author unwinds the convoluted tale of the Summer King and Queen, and the Winter Girl and Summer Girls.
It's a very interesting modern fairy tale and exposes the fallacies of both human- and faery-kind, as well as their more heroic and admirable sides. The end wasn't predictable for me either; I was riveted and worried about what would happen right up til the end.
One more thing... this is definitely the sexiest book I've ever read, and it didn't even have any sex in it. All the people who write what they think are necessary and awesome sex scenes into their novels should read this book and take note.
I'm already into the next book (although Wicked Lovely is perfectly fine as a standalone, in case you're wondering).
I loved so many things about this book. I loved that it took a nontraditional angle on the story (since Aislinn wanted nothing to do with the faery king who was trying to win her, and had an obviously-superior love interest of her own); I loved the characters (especially Seth... oh wow); and I loved how the story had so many levels to it, as the author unwinds the convoluted tale of the Summer King and Queen, and the Winter Girl and Summer Girls.
It's a very interesting modern fairy tale and exposes the fallacies of both human- and faery-kind, as well as their more heroic and admirable sides. The end wasn't predictable for me either; I was riveted and worried about what would happen right up til the end.
One more thing... this is definitely the sexiest book I've ever read, and it didn't even have any sex in it. All the people who write what they think are necessary and awesome sex scenes into their novels should read this book and take note.
I'm already into the next book (although Wicked Lovely is perfectly fine as a standalone, in case you're wondering).
The plot of this story was well formed, compelling and complete. All in all, Melissa Marr seems to write stories that I cannot put down. I devoured this one in two sittings over two days--awesome.
A better, more complete and satisfying read than Ink Exchange (which I read first on accident). I can't wait to move onto the third. I adore Aislinn and Seth (YUM!) And Keenan really is delightful, too. Donia, of course. Well developed backstories make for characters that I care about--and equally so, so that side stories and changes of perspective within the plot didn't feel laborious.
Highly suggest it.
A better, more complete and satisfying read than Ink Exchange (which I read first on accident). I can't wait to move onto the third. I adore Aislinn and Seth (YUM!) And Keenan really is delightful, too. Donia, of course. Well developed backstories make for characters that I care about--and equally so, so that side stories and changes of perspective within the plot didn't feel laborious.
Highly suggest it.
I loved it! Really did. Seth is just an amazing guy and I specially liked Donia... tho I think the last 50 pages were a blur... it went too fast! ... Still, it was really good!
I don't know why I end up reading so many "young adult" novels, especially those of the urban fantasy genre. It's alright, and it works as starting point for the series.
First, I must say that I LOVE the cover for this book!
Ok, now the review...I picked this book up at B&N quite a while back and though I finished it, I really did not enjoy it. I pretty much had no idea what was going on throughout the entire thing! There was no character development, they were all flat and boring. The storyline could have been great if the author had actually developed it further.
Now, I've read my fair share of sidhe-seer books, and I must say that I was really disappointed with this one. I was pretty much set on liking it after reading the blurb, but it just didn't meet my expectations, I guess. I started to read the second book in this series, Ink Exchange, which also has a fabulous cover. I guess I was hoping that it was going to get better, but I had to put it down about a third of the way in. I guess its true that you can't judge a book by its cover.
Ok, now the review...I picked this book up at B&N quite a while back and though I finished it, I really did not enjoy it. I pretty much had no idea what was going on throughout the entire thing! There was no character development, they were all flat and boring. The storyline could have been great if the author had actually developed it further.
Now, I've read my fair share of sidhe-seer books, and I must say that I was really disappointed with this one. I was pretty much set on liking it after reading the blurb, but it just didn't meet my expectations, I guess. I started to read the second book in this series, Ink Exchange, which also has a fabulous cover. I guess I was hoping that it was going to get better, but I had to put it down about a third of the way in. I guess its true that you can't judge a book by its cover.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC❤️
An enchantingly dark tale of the fae world.
Fate and love run closely alongside each other.
This was a nice book and it also reminded me a bit of Holly Black's tales.
An enchantingly dark tale of the fae world.
Fate and love run closely alongside each other.
This was a nice book and it also reminded me a bit of Holly Black's tales.
This is another of the Young Adult books my lovely Jen loaned to me. It was really good. The story was interesting and different from other books in the genre (I think, at least, I haven't read a lot of them). The characters were all very well-developed.
ETA: There IS a sequel coming this year! "Ink Exchange." :)
ETA: There IS a sequel coming this year! "Ink Exchange." :)
An interesting new series by Melissa Marr. At first I wasn't sure how I would like this book. I used to like faeries when I was about 16, but not so much anymore. I'm a fantasy fan though, so I thought I'd try it out.
This book was a lot different than a lot of fantasy novels. It was very unique and a completely new concept by Melissa Marr.
Some of it was a little weird. The way it ended is a little awkward, but it works I suppose. It's sort of a happy ending, but I can't help but wonder, what happens when Seth get's old? I don't know, I never understood the whole immortal with a mortal because of that aspect.
I was very glad that it worked out that she could be with Seth though. I was definitely rooting for him and also for Donia and Keenan to be together so that was a good thing. By some of the comments by Donia at the end though, I'm not sure if she's actually good or not? Maybe that's how it's supposed to be left.
As for continuing the series. Even though I gave this 4 stars, I'm not entirely sure. I'm going to read the description and reviews of the upcoming books, but I'm not sure if I'll continue. I can't see what else could happen without it feeling forced. But we'll see, I may continue these in the future.
Overall, an unexpectedly great book. The one thing I will say is that the world is a little dark for me. Normally the world that's created by the author is hopeful and it makes me actually WANT to be apart of it. But with this book, I really didn't want to be apart of it. I wanted to run away from it. Perhaps that was what it was supposed to give off? I'm not sure.
We shall see about the next books in the series, but I'm happy I read this one for sure.
This book was a lot different than a lot of fantasy novels. It was very unique and a completely new concept by Melissa Marr.
Some of it was a little weird. The way it ended is a little awkward, but it works I suppose. It's sort of a happy ending, but I can't help but wonder, what happens when Seth get's old? I don't know, I never understood the whole immortal with a mortal because of that aspect.
I was very glad that it worked out that she could be with Seth though. I was definitely rooting for him and also for Donia and Keenan to be together so that was a good thing. By some of the comments by Donia at the end though, I'm not sure if she's actually good or not? Maybe that's how it's supposed to be left.
As for continuing the series. Even though I gave this 4 stars, I'm not entirely sure. I'm going to read the description and reviews of the upcoming books, but I'm not sure if I'll continue. I can't see what else could happen without it feeling forced. But we'll see, I may continue these in the future.
Overall, an unexpectedly great book. The one thing I will say is that the world is a little dark for me. Normally the world that's created by the author is hopeful and it makes me actually WANT to be apart of it. But with this book, I really didn't want to be apart of it. I wanted to run away from it. Perhaps that was what it was supposed to give off? I'm not sure.
We shall see about the next books in the series, but I'm happy I read this one for sure.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this book as a teen and now rereading it as an adult there were accepts I either blocked out and didn’t grasp. The date rape and magic to love you thing is so creepy
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Aislinn, a mortal girl with the Sight, is chosen to be the next Summer Queen by the current Summer King, Keenan. She goes through a journey to inevitably accept this position. However, her heart is with another, a mortal called Seth.
Seth is quite a unique and fun character. I’ve never read about a guy with as many piercings or metals in his body as him, and this helps him ward off fae, though it wasn’t the original intention. He helps Aislinn on her journey, and serves as her romantic interest throughout the book. He’s a very lovable character, and he’s quite understanding and sweet. I hope we all find our Seths one day (if we choose to).
On the other hand, Keenan is QUITE the character. Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of him. He literally stalks Aislinn and tries to flirt with her disguised as a human, and she rejects his advances. And this man doesn’t take no for an answer. Of course, this is fiction, so you do have to ignore some red flags (perhaps). The problem is of course, almost the moment he sees her, something clicks in him that she’s his queen. It’s almost like a fated mates situation, but somehow without the romance. Aislinn is indeed chosen, and from that moment her body begins changing unbeknownst to her, but she has no romantic feelings towards Keenan.
Sometimes she feels the magic pulling them together and makes some bad decisions, but otherwise she knew what she wanted. Only not being the Summer Queen wasn't an option. To save the Summer court and humans like herself (until when she began changing), she had to become queen.In the end, she sets her terms with Keenan, and decides to share the throne as co-rulers, but not lovers. Keenan does try to get her attention, but fails, probably because she has Seth. Also, Keenan was still hung up on Donia, his ex and the former Summer Queen.
Personally, the toxic dynamic (which she doesn’t find attractive either) meant that personally, I wouldn’t ship Aislinn/Keenan, but in the world of fiction and imagination, what you do is up to you.
Keenan’s biggest rival is his own, (and abusive) mother, the Winter Queen. She acts like the clear cut villain in the book, doing her best to hinder Keenan and anyone else who stands in her way. Donia made a vow upon taking the staff to warn any future mortals who do the same, so she tries to steer Aislinn away from Keenan. And yet, she stays loyal to, let’s say, the good guys and betrays the Winter Queen. She also owns a wolf called Sasha.
Personally, I really love the writing style as it keeps me going. It’s hard to stop turning the pages. The author is amazing at ‘show don’t tell’ as I can’t predict ways about to happen so easily. I was rooting for Seth, and Aislinn too (but mostly Seth), just because personally, there are better female leads in this series. I just wish we’d have gotten to see bigger reactions to Aislinn’s Sight. While it is always present, and the fae learnt about it, they seemed to have just accepted it and moved on with their lives. I’d have liked to seen more conflict arise just from this ability of hers, and some way she can use it against them. (Of course she does, but I wanna see more, because powers are so fun.)
A random unrelated thought. I loved this book, but just for some tiny things, I thought it was similar to the Sookie Stackhouse Novels (True Blood is based on this) (Spoilers for these ahead). Sookie is a fairie, she discovers maybe around s4 in the show. She also has an ability, not the Sight, but telepathy. Also, her grandma, as seen in the first part, has this ability and knows about the supernaturals existing. She’s also the best person to go to for advice. I’m now a fan of both these series, just keep in mind that the Sookie Stackhouse novels and True Blood is an adult show, whereas this series is Young Adult. But if you like one, you’d probably like the other too.
I really have been trying to get back into reading, and reading this series again has gotten me out of the slump, so I’m very grateful.
Seth is quite a unique and fun character. I’ve never read about a guy with as many piercings or metals in his body as him, and this helps him ward off fae, though it wasn’t the original intention. He helps Aislinn on her journey, and serves as her romantic interest throughout the book. He’s a very lovable character, and he’s quite understanding and sweet. I hope we all find our Seths one day (if we choose to).
On the other hand, Keenan is QUITE the character. Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of him. He literally stalks Aislinn and tries to flirt with her disguised as a human, and she rejects his advances. And this man doesn’t take no for an answer. Of course, this is fiction, so you do have to ignore some red flags (perhaps). The problem is of course, almost the moment he sees her, something clicks in him that she’s his queen. It’s almost like a fated mates situation, but somehow without the romance. Aislinn is indeed chosen, and from that moment her body begins changing unbeknownst to her, but she has no romantic feelings towards Keenan.
Sometimes she feels the magic pulling them together and makes some bad decisions, but otherwise she knew what she wanted. Only not being the Summer Queen wasn't an option. To save the Summer court and humans like herself (until when she began changing), she had to become queen.
Personally, the toxic dynamic (which she doesn’t find attractive either) meant that personally, I wouldn’t ship Aislinn/Keenan, but in the world of fiction and imagination, what you do is up to you.
Keenan’s biggest rival is his own, (and abusive) mother, the Winter Queen. She acts like the clear cut villain in the book, doing her best to hinder Keenan and anyone else who stands in her way. Donia made a vow upon taking the staff to warn any future mortals who do the same, so she tries to steer Aislinn away from Keenan.
Personally, I really love the writing style as it keeps me going. It’s hard to stop turning the pages. The author is amazing at ‘show don’t tell’ as I can’t predict ways about to happen so easily. I was rooting for Seth, and Aislinn too (but mostly Seth), just because personally, there are better female leads in this series. I just wish we’d have gotten to see bigger reactions to Aislinn’s Sight. While it is always present, and the fae learnt about it, they seemed to have just accepted it and moved on with their lives. I’d have liked to seen more conflict arise just from this ability of hers, and some way she can use it against them. (Of course she does, but I wanna see more, because powers are so fun.)
A random unrelated thought. I loved this book, but just for some tiny things, I thought it was similar to the Sookie Stackhouse Novels (True Blood is based on this) (Spoilers for these ahead).
I really have been trying to get back into reading, and reading this series again has gotten me out of the slump, so I’m very grateful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Death of parent