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A review by cattatonically
Love Hurts: A Wicked Lovely story by Melissa Marr
4.0
Wicked Lovely explores a very dark and terrifying area of mythology and folklore. The Fey are just as entrancing as they are terrifying - they're cruel, brutal, and speak of sugary sweet promises laced with arsenic. Aislinn - Ash - knows this all too well.
Growing up with the Sight, Ash has seen this cruel beauty first-hand. When she's targeted by the Summer King, Ash fights tooth and nail against him, knowing that she is in extreme danger having caught the attention of the Court Fey. She follows all her rules, and fights against his advances as best she can, with the help of her best friend, and lover, Seth. Ash is determined not to become one of Keenan's conquests, and will do everything in her power to keep him at a distance. Ash is not afraid to ask Seth for help - and he is more than willing to give it.
Keenan, however, is not taking no for an answer. At least, not politely. He is incredibly forceful, and exceedingly disrespectful of her boundaries and her wishes. This behaviour is worrisome and very creepy, but that's what the Fey are like - they care nothing of mortal comfort. When they find something they want, they go after it, and they don't leave it alone until they get it. This is especially true for mortals that catch their fancy.
Keenan is especially forceful as the Summer Court is in extreme danger should Ash not take up the mantle of Summer Queen. His mother, the Winter Queen, is a sadistic, manipulative faery determined to remain in power - at the expense of all of the Fey, as well as the mortal world. There is a chill sweeping over all living life - a chill of the Winter Queen's doing. The only way to stop her is for the Summer Court to regain it's full power, and stop the Winter Queen's sadistic cruelty once and for all.
If Ash is going to proceed - if she's going to take the test, and prove whether or not she truly is the Summer Queen - she needs to set down some ground rules - major ground rules.
Ash is very strong, very determined, and extremely independent - everything Keenan is not accustomed to in a woman. It's refreshing. She's determined to keep her mortal life as intact as possible should things turn in Keenan's favour. She is not willing to give up her love, her family, or her own life for his sake. And Keenan's just going to have to deal with that, whether he likes it or not.
Wicked Lovely melds the old with the new very well. The Fey are represented in all their cruel, sadistic beauty - keeping close to original mythology and folklore. I really liked that. I especially liked that Ash remains strong, and remains herself. Her purpose isn't just to strengthen her male counterpart - she has her own purpose, her own set of rules, and none of them revolve around Keenan.
It occurs far too often that a female character is simply acquired by a male character as a sidekick, or to fulfill a prophecy - her role, then, is comprised entirely of how she is beneficial to him. Wicked Lovely does not fall back on this trope - at least not much. The friendship between Keenan and Ash has to be mutually beneficial - Ash needs to get something out of this other than being part of the Summer Court. And she does, she makes sure she does! I love that, so very much.
Growing up with the Sight, Ash has seen this cruel beauty first-hand. When she's targeted by the Summer King, Ash fights tooth and nail against him, knowing that she is in extreme danger having caught the attention of the Court Fey. She follows all her rules, and fights against his advances as best she can, with the help of her best friend, and lover, Seth. Ash is determined not to become one of Keenan's conquests, and will do everything in her power to keep him at a distance. Ash is not afraid to ask Seth for help - and he is more than willing to give it.
Keenan, however, is not taking no for an answer. At least, not politely. He is incredibly forceful, and exceedingly disrespectful of her boundaries and her wishes. This behaviour is worrisome and very creepy, but that's what the Fey are like - they care nothing of mortal comfort. When they find something they want, they go after it, and they don't leave it alone until they get it. This is especially true for mortals that catch their fancy.
Keenan is especially forceful as the Summer Court is in extreme danger should Ash not take up the mantle of Summer Queen. His mother, the Winter Queen, is a sadistic, manipulative faery determined to remain in power - at the expense of all of the Fey, as well as the mortal world. There is a chill sweeping over all living life - a chill of the Winter Queen's doing. The only way to stop her is for the Summer Court to regain it's full power, and stop the Winter Queen's sadistic cruelty once and for all.
If Ash is going to proceed - if she's going to take the test, and prove whether or not she truly is the Summer Queen - she needs to set down some ground rules - major ground rules.
Ash is very strong, very determined, and extremely independent - everything Keenan is not accustomed to in a woman. It's refreshing. She's determined to keep her mortal life as intact as possible should things turn in Keenan's favour. She is not willing to give up her love, her family, or her own life for his sake. And Keenan's just going to have to deal with that, whether he likes it or not.
Wicked Lovely melds the old with the new very well. The Fey are represented in all their cruel, sadistic beauty - keeping close to original mythology and folklore. I really liked that. I especially liked that Ash remains strong, and remains herself. Her purpose isn't just to strengthen her male counterpart - she has her own purpose, her own set of rules, and none of them revolve around Keenan.
It occurs far too often that a female character is simply acquired by a male character as a sidekick, or to fulfill a prophecy - her role, then, is comprised entirely of how she is beneficial to him. Wicked Lovely does not fall back on this trope - at least not much. The friendship between Keenan and Ash has to be mutually beneficial - Ash needs to get something out of this other than being part of the Summer Court. And she does, she makes sure she does! I love that, so very much.