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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
This was a book I remember so vividly from middle school- not necessarily the plot but just at my small group of friends passing around our fairy/vampire/etc love stories and giggling together at how romantic we all thought they were. This book overall wasn’t bad but it definitely was made better by all the nostalgia I held for it. It gave the female main character a lot of agency in her story- she made her own choices and there was a lot of emphasis on her consent (in all contexts) which definitely still is lacking in other more contemporary books published today. It holds up well for being 17 years old now (yikes)!
i didn't really expect to like this book very much,but i really loved it, i can not wait until the next one comes out!
Another Urban Fantasy series to get me hooked. Really enjoyed this, love the idea of the Fey Courts and world.
Originally from A Bookworm's Confessions
This is one of the books that is on my favorites list. I often go back and reread it. Melissa Marr has done a wonderful job at creating her world while also including many of the lore that involve faeries. The fey can't lie, they are invisible to humans unless using their glamour, they're cruel, they're allergic to iron, etc. There are two courts that involved in this book; the Summer court and Winter court.
Keenan is the king of the Summer court. He is the son of the current Winter Queen and the former Summer
King. Beira, the Winter Queen, killed Keenan's father and then worked with the Dark Court to bind Keenan's powers. He does not have the full power of the Summer Court and cannot be a good king to his people. Keenan has to find mortal women, hoping they are the lost Summer Queen. They have the choice of picking up the Winter Staff and risk getting the cold stuck inside them or turn into Summer Girls. Summer Girls are forever attached to Keenan basically remind me of clueless girls. Donia is the current Winter Girl because she picked up the staff, hoping that she was Keenan's lost Queen. Unforuntately she wasn't and she took in Beira's ice. Unlike Beira, Donia is in constant pain because she was mortal and turned fey. The ice hurts because it's not her power and she doesn't have much control over it. It's a curse that can only be lifted until the next girl Keenan woos risks the staff. If the Queen is found, Donia is free. If not then the girl who picked up the staff will become the next Winter Girl and Donia becomes fey and is free of the ice as well.
Aislinn, the protagonist, is a mortal who can See the faeries. She's seen them all her life, just like her mother and her grandmother. She follows the rules that her grandmother laid down since she was a child. Don't look, don't get their attention, don't run, don't let them know that you can see them. Sighted mortals are often killed or blinded. Aislinn has lived her entire life seeing the fey and pretending she can't.
One day Aislinn notices that faeries are following her. These aren't just ordinary fey either. She knows that Keenan is a monarch and she does everything she can to stay away from him. Unfortunately, once Keenan chooses a girl, there is no going back. Aislinn begins to change.This scares her and once she confronts Keenan, she realizes that she has no choice any longer. She either takes the Winter Staff or become a Summer Girl.
Usually when Keenan tries to find his queen, he gets the girls to fall in love with him. Donia still loves him even though she knows she won't ever be with him. Aislinn does not fall in love with him though she does have some pull towards him. There is a reason for this. But Aislinn is in love with Seth. Seth is her friend and she's been too scared to lose him if she tried to take the relationship further. Seth has waited patiently. Aislinn confides everything to Seth and tells him how scared she is. Donia gives Seth the recipe for Seeing the faeries as a way of protecting him. Seth lives in train cars that he has converted into his home. This keeps her safe from faeries though royal fey can withstand steel and iron with no difficulty.
I like the relationship between Seth and Aislinn. They take is slow and Seth is a very good guy. Keenan tries to get him out of the way but that doesn't work. Keenan still loves Donia despite her not being the Summer Queen. He wished that he was and we see the heartache in both Keenan and Donia. Keenan is an asshole but he is doing what he must. He has to play the game to get his power back.
I really enjoy this book and it's why I reread it often. The characters are well developed as is the world building. I like that we see different types of fey within the two courts. I like that Aislinn is strong despite being scared. She doesn't want to become Queen and she doesn't want to lose Seth even though she is drawn to Keenan. There really isn't much of a love triangle in this one. Seth and Aislinn love each other and Keenan's true heart belongs to Donia. Keenan wants to be with Aislinn because that is best for the Summer Court.
I highly recommend this book. It's great writing and it's highly enjoyable.
This is one of the books that is on my favorites list. I often go back and reread it. Melissa Marr has done a wonderful job at creating her world while also including many of the lore that involve faeries. The fey can't lie, they are invisible to humans unless using their glamour, they're cruel, they're allergic to iron, etc. There are two courts that involved in this book; the Summer court and Winter court.
Keenan is the king of the Summer court. He is the son of the current Winter Queen and the former Summer
King. Beira, the Winter Queen, killed Keenan's father and then worked with the Dark Court to bind Keenan's powers. He does not have the full power of the Summer Court and cannot be a good king to his people. Keenan has to find mortal women, hoping they are the lost Summer Queen. They have the choice of picking up the Winter Staff and risk getting the cold stuck inside them or turn into Summer Girls. Summer Girls are forever attached to Keenan basically remind me of clueless girls. Donia is the current Winter Girl because she picked up the staff, hoping that she was Keenan's lost Queen. Unforuntately she wasn't and she took in Beira's ice. Unlike Beira, Donia is in constant pain because she was mortal and turned fey. The ice hurts because it's not her power and she doesn't have much control over it. It's a curse that can only be lifted until the next girl Keenan woos risks the staff. If the Queen is found, Donia is free. If not then the girl who picked up the staff will become the next Winter Girl and Donia becomes fey and is free of the ice as well.
Aislinn, the protagonist, is a mortal who can See the faeries. She's seen them all her life, just like her mother and her grandmother. She follows the rules that her grandmother laid down since she was a child. Don't look, don't get their attention, don't run, don't let them know that you can see them. Sighted mortals are often killed or blinded. Aislinn has lived her entire life seeing the fey and pretending she can't.
One day Aislinn notices that faeries are following her. These aren't just ordinary fey either. She knows that Keenan is a monarch and she does everything she can to stay away from him. Unfortunately, once Keenan chooses a girl, there is no going back. Aislinn begins to change.This scares her and once she confronts Keenan, she realizes that she has no choice any longer. She either takes the Winter Staff or become a Summer Girl.
Usually when Keenan tries to find his queen, he gets the girls to fall in love with him. Donia still loves him even though she knows she won't ever be with him. Aislinn does not fall in love with him though she does have some pull towards him. There is a reason for this. But Aislinn is in love with Seth. Seth is her friend and she's been too scared to lose him if she tried to take the relationship further. Seth has waited patiently. Aislinn confides everything to Seth and tells him how scared she is. Donia gives Seth the recipe for Seeing the faeries as a way of protecting him. Seth lives in train cars that he has converted into his home. This keeps her safe from faeries though royal fey can withstand steel and iron with no difficulty.
I like the relationship between Seth and Aislinn. They take is slow and Seth is a very good guy. Keenan tries to get him out of the way but that doesn't work. Keenan still loves Donia despite her not being the Summer Queen. He wished that he was and we see the heartache in both Keenan and Donia. Keenan is an asshole but he is doing what he must. He has to play the game to get his power back.
I really enjoy this book and it's why I reread it often. The characters are well developed as is the world building. I like that we see different types of fey within the two courts. I like that Aislinn is strong despite being scared. She doesn't want to become Queen and she doesn't want to lose Seth even though she is drawn to Keenan. There really isn't much of a love triangle in this one. Seth and Aislinn love each other and Keenan's true heart belongs to Donia. Keenan wants to be with Aislinn because that is best for the Summer Court.
I highly recommend this book. It's great writing and it's highly enjoyable.
Another intriguing and well-written tale of the faerie realm, this time with a cast of characters I liked more than most of the genre.
Aislinn has been able to see faeries since her youth, but her grandmother has instilled a very strict code into her regarding them. Don't talk to them, don't look at them, and never attract their attention. But Aislinn is about to break all those rules...not that she has a choice.
The Summer King of the faeries is following her, convinced that she is the mortal destined to become his queen. But there are many obstacles in the way; complex rituals that require sacrifice and risk that may cost Aislinn her humanity...and others their lives. Trying to balance the terror and allure of the faery world with her normal life, including her mortal best friend and love interest Seth, Aislinn is about to land exactly where she hoped she'd never end up; right in the middle of a magic conflict.
I really did like the characters, from fierce-spirited and strong-willed Aislinn, to tormented and sympathetic Donia, to savvy and loyal Seth. A couple characters were a little flat, but I think that will be remedied later in the series. All in all, it was a good, original story, and the characters kept it from being too much like the other "fey" YA books floating around.
Aislinn has been able to see faeries since her youth, but her grandmother has instilled a very strict code into her regarding them. Don't talk to them, don't look at them, and never attract their attention. But Aislinn is about to break all those rules...not that she has a choice.
The Summer King of the faeries is following her, convinced that she is the mortal destined to become his queen. But there are many obstacles in the way; complex rituals that require sacrifice and risk that may cost Aislinn her humanity...and others their lives. Trying to balance the terror and allure of the faery world with her normal life, including her mortal best friend and love interest Seth, Aislinn is about to land exactly where she hoped she'd never end up; right in the middle of a magic conflict.
I really did like the characters, from fierce-spirited and strong-willed Aislinn, to tormented and sympathetic Donia, to savvy and loyal Seth. A couple characters were a little flat, but I think that will be remedied later in the series. All in all, it was a good, original story, and the characters kept it from being too much like the other "fey" YA books floating around.
I found this book to be shallow, contrived, and faintly ridiculous. I rarely felt connected to the characters, and I never completely understood why certain things were happening. And don't get me started on the 'romance' part of it all or I might just gag.
4.5 Stars!
Such a comfort book. Have read this way too many times.
This was one of the first fantasy/fae books I ever read and it was an incredible way to be introduced to the fantasy world.
Whilst there are no sex scenes, the sexual tension is incredible. I love the plot and I love how the ending is unique.
This is one of the books I would die to read for the first time again!
I can't wait too give this book to my kids as their first fantasy experience!
Such a comfort book. Have read this way too many times.
This was one of the first fantasy/fae books I ever read and it was an incredible way to be introduced to the fantasy world.
Whilst there are no sex scenes, the sexual tension is incredible. I love the plot and I love how the ending is unique.
This is one of the books I would die to read for the first time again!
I can't wait too give this book to my kids as their first fantasy experience!
This book was amazing. It kinda drags on at points but overall very good.
perfectly acceptable YA faerie book. It is as it should be.
