strange and random happenstance

Longbourn by Jo Baker
Published by: Knopf
Publication Date: October 8th, 2013
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Pride and Prejudice was only half the story.

If Elizabeth Bennet had the washing of her own petticoats, Sarah often thought, she’d most likely be a sight more careful with them.

In this irresistibly imagined belowstairs answer to Pride and Prejudice, the servants take center stage. Sarah, the orphaned housemaid, spends her days scrubbing the laundry, polishing the floors, and emptying the chamber pots for the Bennet household. But there is just as much romance, heartbreak, and intrigue downstairs at Longbourn as there is upstairs. When a mysterious new footman arrives, the orderly realm of the servants’ hall threatens to be completely, perhaps irrevocably, upended.

Jo Baker dares to take us beyond the drawing rooms of Jane Austen’s classic—into the often overlooked domain of the stern housekeeper and the starry-eyed kitchen maid, into the gritty daily particulars faced by the lower classes in Regency England during the Napoleonic Wars—and, in doing so, creates a vivid, fascinating, fully realized world that is wholly her own."

It's Upstairs, Downstairs meets Jane Austen! I have been jealous for weeks over those in the UK who have already had a chance to read it!

Ever After High: The Storybook of Legends by Shannon  Hale
Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 8th, 2013
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"At Ever After High, an enchanting boarding school, the children of fairytale legends prepare themselves to fulfill their destinies as the next generation of Snow Whites, Prince Charmings and Evil Queens...whether they want to or not. Each year on Legacy Day, students sign the Storybook of Legends to seal their scripted fates. For generations, the Village of Book End has whispered that refusing to sign means The End-both for a story and for a life.

As the daughter of the Evil Queen, Raven Queen's destiny is to follow in her mother's wicked footsteps, but evil is so not Raven's style. She's starting to wonder, what if she rewrote her own story? The royal Apple White, daughter of the Fairest of Them All, has a happy ever after planned for herself, but it depends upon Raven feeding her a poison apple in their future.

What if Raven doesn't sign the Storybook of Legends? It could mean a happily never after for them both."

Don't care if the cover is cheesy and the book is based on a line of dolls, it's Shannon Hale, so it will be awesome and a must read for me!

Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier
Published by: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: October 8th, 2013
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Gwen has a destiny to fulfill, but no one will tell her what it is.She’s only recently learned that she is the Ruby, the final member of the time-traveling Circle of Twelve, and since then nothing has been going right. She suspects the founder of the Circle, Count Saint-German, is up to something nefarious, but nobody will believe her. And she’s just learned that her charming time-traveling partner, Gideon, has probably been using her all along.This stunning conclusion picks up where Sapphire Blue left off, reaching new heights of intrigue and romance as Gwen finally uncovers the secrets of the time-traveling society and learns her fate."

I only recently heard about this series, but I was so intrigued that I instantly ordered the first book.

Desert Tales by Melissa Marr
Published by: HarperCollins
Publication Date: October 8th, 2013
Format: Paperback, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Return to the world of Melissa Marr's bestselling series and discover how the events of Wicked Lovely set a different faery tale in motion. . . . Originally presented as a manga series and now available for the first time as a stand-alone novel, Desert Tales combines tentative romance, outward strength, and inner resolve in a faery story of desert and destiny.

The Mojave Desert was a million miles away from the plots and schemes of the Faerie Courts—and that's exactly why Rika chose it as her home. The once-mortal faery retreated to the desert's isolation after decades of carrying winter's curse inside her body. But her seclusion—and the freedom of the desert fey—is threatened by the Summer King's newfound strength. And when the manipulations of her trickster friend, Sionnach, thrust Rika into a new romance, she finds new power within herself—and a new desire to help Sionnach protect the desert fey and mortals alike. The time for hiding is over."

Kind of just skipped over this before because they were manga... much more likely to pick up now... even more likely if they had bothered to release it in hardcover so it would be a matching set. People don't get the importance of the matching set (aside from other bibliophiles), sigh.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Emerald Green, Jane Austen, Jo Baker, Kerstin Gier, Longbourn, Melissa Marr, Pride and Prejudice, Shannon Hale, Wicked Lovely

Death of a Kingfisher by M.C. Beaton
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: February 21st, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When Scotland is hit by the recession, Police Constable Hamish Macbeth notices that the Highland people are forced to come up with inventive ways to lure tourists to their sleepy towns. The quaint village of Braikie doesn't have much to offer, other than a place of rare beauty called Buchan's Wood, which was bequeathed to the town. The savvy local tourist director renames the woods "The Fairy Glen," and has brochures printed with a beautiful photograph of a kingfisher rising from a pond on the cover.

It isn't long before coach tours begin to arrive. But just as the town's luck starts to turn, a kingfisher is found hanging from a branch in the woods with a noose around its neck. As a wave of vandalism threatens to ruin Braikie forever, the town turns to Hamish Macbeth. And when violence strikes again,the lawman's investigation quickly turns from animal cruelty to murder."

My mom's favorite series ever, hands down!

A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison
Published by: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: February 21st, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison returns to the Hollows with the electrifying follow-up to her acclaimed Pale Demon!

Ritually murdered corpses are appearing across Cincinnati, terrifying amalgams of human and other. Pulled in to help investigate by the I.S. and the FIB, former witch turned day-walking demon Rachel Morgan soon realizes a horrifying truth: a human hate group is trying to create its own demons to destroy all Inderlanders, and to do so, it needs her blood.

She’s faced vampires, witches, werewolves, demons, and more, but humanity itself might be her toughest challenge yet."

I really need to get on this series. I ahve friends who say they think it's going down a bit, but I'll be the judge of that... one day!

Fairy Tales and Nightmares by Melissa Marr
Published by: Harper Collins
Publication Date: February 21st, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Dangerous promises and beguiling threats swirl together in a dozen stories of enchantments, dark and light, by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr. Uncanny and unexpected creatures appear from behind bushes, rise from under the seas, or manifest from seasonal storms to pursue the objects of their attention—with amorous or sinister intent—relentlessly.

From the gentle tones of a story-teller’s cadences to the terror of a blood sacrifice, tales of favorite characters from Marr’s Wicked Lovely novels mix with accounts of new characters for readers to fall in love with . . . or to fear.

Lush, seductive, and chilling, Melissa Marr’s stories revel in the unseen magic that infuses the world as we know it."

Short story fun from the writer of the Wicked Lovely series.

Fever by Lauren DeStefano
Published by: Simon and Schuster
Publication Date: February 21st, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The second book in The Chemical Garden Trilogy reveals a world as captivating—and as dangerous—as the one Rhine left behind in Wither. Rhine and Gabriel may have escaped the beautiful prison of Wither’s mansion, but they are far from escaping danger. First they’re chased for stealing a getaway boat, and then the fleeing pair ends up in the eerie den of Madame, an old woman who collects girls and sells them to the highest bidders. Worst of all, Vaughn, Rhine’s sinister father-in-law, seems to be on her trail every step of the way. Rhine remains determined to get to her brother in Manhattan—but the road they are on is long and perilous.

Now that Rhine has finally regained her freedom, what lengths will she need to go to in order to keep it?"

People have been feverish (haha) with anticipation for the second book in the Chemical Garden Trilogy.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
Published by: Vintage
Publication Date: February 21st, 2012
Format: Paperback, 672 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the concluding volume of Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy, Lisbeth Salander lies in critical condition in a Swedish hospital, a bullet in her head.

But she's fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she'll stand trial for three murders. With the help of Mikael Blomkvist, she'll need to identify those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she'll seek revenge--against the man who tried to killer her and against the corrupt government institutions that nearly destroyed her life."

It's finally out in paperback if you where actually patient enough to wait...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Chemical Garden Trilogy, Hamish Macbeth, Kim Harrison, Lauren DeStefano, M.C. Beaton, Melissa Marr, Stieg Larsson, The Girl who Kicked a Hornet's Nest, The Hollows, Wicked Lovely

Graveminder by Melissa Marr
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: May 17th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The New York Times bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series delivers her first novel for adults, a story about the living, the dead, and a curse that binds them.

Rebekkah Barrow never forgot the tender attention her grandmother, Maylene, bestowed upon the dead of Claysville, the town where Bek spent her adolescence. There wasn't a funeral that Maylene didn't attend, and at each Rebekkah watched as Maylene performed the same unusual ritual: three sips from a small silver flask followed by the words "Sleep well, and stay where I put you."

Now Maylene is dead and Bek must go back to the place--and the man--she left a decade ago. But what she soon discovers is that Maylene was murdered and that there was good reason for her odd traditions. It turns out that in placid Claysville, the worlds of the living and the dead are dangerously connected. Beneath the town lies a shadowy, lawless land ruled by the enigmatic Charles, aka Mr. D--a place from which the dead will return if their graves are not properly minded. Only the Graveminder, a Barrow woman, and the current Undertaker, Byron, can set things to right once the dead begin to walk."

Previously known for her teen fairy series, Melissa Marr goes into the land of the adult... which I can't wait for. The Wicked Lovely series was always best when it went into the dark places, so this should be a great read. Plus my friend John from Murder by the Book says it's awesome, 'nuff said!

Embassytown by China Mieville
Published by: Del Ray
Publication Date: May 17th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"China Miéville doesn’t follow trends, he sets them. Relentlessly pushing his own boundaries as a writer—and in the process expanding the boundaries of the entire field—with Embassytown, Miéville has crafted an extraordinary novel that is not only a moving personal drama but a gripping adventure of alien contact and war.

In the far future, humans have colonized a distant planet, home to the enigmatic Ariekei, sentient beings famed for a language unique in the universe, one that only a few altered human ambassadors can speak.

Avice Benner Cho, a human colonist, has returned to Embassytown after years of deep-space adventure. She cannot speak the Ariekei tongue, but she is an indelible part of it, having long ago been made a figure of speech, a living simile in their language.

When distant political machinations deliver a new ambassador to Arieka, the fragile equilibrium between humans and aliens is violently upset. Catastrophe looms, and Avice is torn between competing loyalties—to a husband she no longer loves, to a system she no longer trusts, and to her place in a language she cannot speak yet speaks through her. "

I haven't read any of China Mieville's books, but the review in Entertainment Weekly for this one really capture my attention. Could be total crap, or could be awesome, we'll just have to see now won't we?

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: China Mieville, Embassytown, Graveminder, Melissa Marr, Murder by the Book, Tuesday Tomorrow, Wicked Lovely

Old Habits by Melissa Marr
Published by: Harper Collins
Publication Date: January 11th, 2011
Format: Kindle
Challenge: Horror and Urban Fantasy
Rating: ★★★
To Buy
Old habits die hard. For me as much as for Niall and Irial. I have to read everything in a series, even if it's pretty pointless short stories that are really cheap on Amazon. Melissa Marr has to keep adding addendums to Niall and Irial. As with her other short story, Stopping Time, Marr seems to have this sick need to return to the story that had a perfect ending in Ink Exchange. I should add that I haven't finished the Wicked Lovely series, so I'm sure there's much more to the story, but I just really like where Ink Exchange ended. Adding all this fluff on, because, if it wasn't worth putting in the book it's fluff, just cheapens the story. Sometimes you have to know when to quit. So Melissa, quit it already! Niall and Irial will figure out a way to make there tenuous relationship work, we don't need to hear about it in excruciating detail. Sheesh.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: 2011 Reading Challenge, Amazon, Ink Exchange, Irial, Melissa Marr, Niall, Old Habits, Short Story, Stopping Time, Wicked Lovely

Stopping Time by Melissa Marr
Published by: Wally Lamb Books
Publication Date: March 16th & 23rd, 2010
Format: Kindle
Rating: ★★
To Buy Part 1
To Buy Part 2

Leslie has been doing better since she left the world of fairies behind. With no more Irial or Niall, she might be alone, but she is safe. They are of course watching over her, forever bound together in a love triangle that none can escape. While Leslie and Irial had their time together, albeit with her in a drunken haze as she was the conduit for Irial to feed his people, she never got her time with Niall. While it's impossible that her and Niall could ever be together, could they perhaps stop time and get just one night?

I really loved where Ink Exchange left off, with Leslie reclaiming her life. This just seemed to be two steps back for her. The fact that they will never really be apart and that their lives are a convoluted mess, a quagmire that she was stepping out and distancing herself from as best she could made great sense. To go back and temporarily revel in that mire seemed part wish fulfillment, part falling back into bad habits. Sometimes you should not go back into stories, sometimes the ending you wrote is right. Also sometimes you get too much information between Niall and Irial and this makes it even more of a love triangle. I liked the vague. I didn't so much like this.

But, if you want to check it out, and if you're a fan of the series who wouldn't, it's wonderfully free for Kindle on Amazon, likewise it's included in the extras of the paperback release of Fragile Eternity.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Fragile Eternity, Ink Exchange, Irial, Kindle, Leslie, Melissa Marr, Niall, Stopping Time, Wicked Lovely

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
Published by: HarperCollins
Publication Date: April 24th, 2008
Format: Hardcover, 325 Pages
Challenge: Fantasy
Rating: ★★★
To Buy

Leslie has had a tough go of things lately. Tough might even be too nice of a word. Her mother split, her Dad is mentally gone, if physically there, and her brother Ren is into drugs and consorting with the worst type of lowlifes. Her best friend, Aislinn, has a weird threesome going with Seth and Kennan and has taken to keeping too many secrets. But who's Leslie to judge, she also has her dark secrets, horrors that happened because of what her life has become that she'd rather forget. She has one remaining hope, one thing that will keep her going till she's able to head off to college in the fall, a tattoo. If she can just find the right ink to adorn her body she can reclaim it as her own and move beyond the something that happened. But all is not right at the tattoo parlor... the proprietor, Rabbit, is having bizarre back room dealings with dark faeries for nefarious purposes. Leslie is destined to be a victim once more... the tattoo that calls to her happens to be the mark of the king of the Dark Court of fairies, Irial. Because the secret her best friend Aislinn has been keeping is that fairies exist, and she is the Queen of one of the four courts, the Summer Queen. Aislinn thought she was keeping Leslie safe by holding out on her, by having her guarded unknowingly. But things have a way of becoming complicated, especially when her guard, Niall, is falling for her, and he has a past relationship with Irial, who he forsook for the summer court.

Things start to become more dangerous and more inevitable once Leslie's inking has begun. With a mixture of dark blood, tears and shadows, Leslie becomes slowly entwined with Irial. But a simple ink exchange binding a mortal to a king for the purposes of sustaining his people has the unintended effect of making Irial care for Leslie. Victim she might be, but Irial wants only the best for her, as does Niall. But is it too late? Could Leslie stop the process before it is complete? Her new feeling of empowerment and the control over her own life might all be an illusion, feelings lent from Irial, and not her own. In trying to feel safe and protected she has placed herself unwittingly in the worst type of danger. Aislinn's codling of her friend helped to create another horror in order to assuage her guilt over not being their before. But things will of course get far worse before there is any chance of them getting better.

Looking back on my previous review of Wicked Lovely, I said what this series needed to hook me was a darker edge... well I sure got it! Leslie is a far more compelling character than Aislinn ever was. For all Aislinn's "problems" with fairies, she had a relatively easy life. Leslie has not had this easy life, her encounters with humans are far worse than what Aislinn has had to deal with... she was made queen after all! Whereas Leslie and her dark past attracts the worst kind of fairies who desire to use her as their conduit to human emotions. She is turned into the very thing she abhors most, a junky and a drug source in one. The two things that destroyed her life in the first place she unwittingly evolves into. In an effort to escape, and who wouldn't want that after what she's been through, she destroys herself more. For a time I was very worried that Leslie would have no redeeming quality, that she wouldn't be able to reclaim her life and her body, that her descent into debauchery would continue. I, of course, should have had more faith in the author. A helpless female is all well and good just so long as she isn't that by the close. I enjoyed this darker tale in Marr's world of fairies, a sort of depraved version of Labyrinth, with the Goblin King being played with equal elan by Irial and Niall... at times the boy's seemed more stilted and less engaging than Leslie, but soon all was well and the story kept the pages flying. Final verdict... the next book is near the top of my to be read list, and I'm far more optimistic after reading Ink Exchange than after reading Wicked Lovely... I think this series has the potential for hooking me yet!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Aislinn, Dark Court, Drugs, Ink Exchange, Irial, Kennan, Labyrinth, Leslie, Melissa Marr, Niall, Rape, Reading Challenge, Ren, Summer Queen, The Goblin King Tattoo, Wicked Lovely

Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr
Published by: HarperCollins
Publication Date: April 20th, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Hunger for nourishment. Hunger for touch. Hunger to belong.

Half-human and half-faery, Ani is driven by her hungers. Those same appetites also attract powerful enemies and uncertain allies, including Devlin. He was created as an assassin and is brother to the faeries’ coolly logical High Queen and to her chaotic twin, the embodiment of War. Devlin wants to keep Ani safe from his sisters, knowing that if he fails, he will be the instrument of Ani’s death.

Ani isn’t one to be guarded while others fight battles for her, though. She has the courage to protect herself and the ability to alter Devlin’s plans—and his life. The two are drawn together, each with reason to fear the other and to fear for one another. But as they grow closer, a larger threat imperils the whole of Faerie. Will saving the faery realm mean losing each other?

Alluring romance, heart-stopping danger, and sinister intrigue combine in Melissa Marr’s next volume of Melissa Marr’s New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series."

Oh can't wait! While I liked Wicked Lovely, it was the darkness in Ink Exchange that really brought me into this series. This looks like a dark one!

This Body of Death by Elizabeth George
Published by: Harper
Publication Date: April 20th, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 704 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"While DI Thomas Lynley is still on compassionate leave after the murder of his wife, Isabelle Ardery is brought into the Met as his temporary replacement. The discovery of a body in a Stoke Newington cemetery offers Isabelle the chance to make her mark with a high profile murder investigation. Persuading Lynley back to work seems the best way to guarantee a result: Lynley's team is fiercely loyal to him and Isabelle needs them - and especially Barbara Havers - on side. The Met is twitchy: a series of PR disasters has undermined its confidence. Isabelle knows that she'll be operating under the unforgiving scrutiny of the media, so is quick -- perhaps too quick - to pin the murder on a convenient suspect. The murder trail leads Lynley and Havers to the New Forest, and the eventual resolution of the case. Its roots are in a long-ago act of violence that has poisoned subsequent generations and its outcome is both tragic and shocking"

Sure they cancelled one of my most favorite shows when they cancelled Lynley. But that didn't stop Elizabeth George from writing! Yeah! More Lynley and Havers!

The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith
Published by: Pantheon
Publication Date: April 20th, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The delightful new installment in Alexander McCall Smith’s beloved and best-selling series finds Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi traveling to the north of Botswana, to the stunning Okavango Delta, to visit a safari lodge where there have been several unexplained and troubling events–including the demise of one of the guests.

When the two ladies of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency arrive at the Okavango Delta, their eyes are opened, as if for the first time, to the natural beauty of their homeland. With teeming wildlife, endless grasslands, and sparkling rivulets of water running in every direction, it is breathtaking.

But they can’t help being drawn into a world filled with other wildlife: rival safari operators, discontented guides, grumpy hippopotamuses. On top of that, the date has still not been set for Mma Makutsi and Phuti Radiphuti’s wedding, and it’s safe to say that Mma Makutsi is beginning to grow a bit impatient. And to top it all off, the impossible has happened: one of Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni’s apprentices has gotten married. . . . Of course none of this defeats the indomitable Precious Ramotswe. Good sense, kindness, and copious quantities of red bush tea carry the day. As they always do."

You could always do with a little more of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency!

The Bedwetter: Storise of Courage, Redemption, and Pee by Sarah Silverman
Published by: Harper
Publication Date: April 20th, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Dear Reader:

My name is Sarah Silverman. I was once primarily known for saying the word "poop" and getting paid above market rates for it. But those days are over, because I am now going to be known for having written a book. Why did I write a book, you might wonder? Because it just seemed like the right time to be getting into the publishing industry.

I'm kidding. Publishing is rotting like an abandoned possum carcass on the shoulder of I-95. I know that for a fact, because shortly after my book deal was announced, I kept hearing people lament the imminent demise of literature. These days there is only one reason to write a book: to be taken seriously. And that is exactly what is about to happen to me. I'm an author now! Like Ernest Hemingway and Fyodor Dostoevsky!

When I was asked to provide text for an author page, I decided to approach it in a scholarly manner, because that's what authors do. I looked to other author pages for inspiration, and I learned so much. For example, while Hemingway and Dostoevsky do not have their own author pages on Amazon.com, Paris Hilton does. And so does former teenage porn star and multi-tasking fellatrix, Traci Lords. Hemingway and Dostoevsky might be wondering, quite literally, "Whom do I have to blow to get my own author page?" If someone had a cruel sense of humor, they might respond to Hemingway, "How about your head off? Oh wait – you already DID that!" But such a remark would be in bad taste, and as a serious author, I'm above all that.

I also learned that Paris' dog, Tinkerbell Hilton, has her own book too. I read a few pages and found the prose to be overwrought, but you can imagine that, being a dog, she'd be coming from a place of needing to prove something. By the way, here's a quote from a review of Paris' book that I found on her Amazon.com author page:

"Heiress, socialite, model, actress, singer and media darling Hilton loves her life, knows how to get what she wants and matter-of-factly explains how anyone can be a glamorous, fun-loving, tiara-wearing heiress just like her… [Paris’] advice to 'channel your own inner heiress, create your own image, and project an extreme sense of confidence' is an empowering message for young women."

This was profoundly inspiring to me. It made me realize: if young women can read Hilton's book and become heiresses, they can likewise read my book and become anxiety-ridden bedwetters. And amidst this generation of disposability that favors the digital over the physical, shopping online rather than in stores (oops, this is awkward!), and reading from LCD screens rather than from print on paper, it's nice to know that I will have left a permanent stain by which future generations shall know of my existence. So read The Bedwetter, if not for me, then for the children."

Sarah Silverman is either really really on, or really really off. She can be the funniest or the cringe worthiest. We'll have to see what this one is, though I will always love her for "I'm Fucking Matt Damon." (Warning, profanity to follow, which, it being Sarah Silverman, you should have guessed.)

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alexander McCall Smith, Elizabeth George, Lynley, Melissa Marr, Radiant Shadows, Sarah Silverman, The Bedwetter, The Double Comfort Safari Club, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Wicked Lovely

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
Published by: HarperTeen
Publication Date: June 2007
Format: Hardcover, 328 Pages
Rating: ★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

This book is the first in the Wicked Lovely Series by Melissa Marr. I have to say, I'm really undecided about this series, I just started it and I really want to like the series but everything ended up too nice and neat at the end for my taste. The book revolves around Aislinn, a young women still at Catholic school who can see fairies, and not nice Tinker Bell happy fairies but evil degenerate fairies. She was raised by her grandmother who also has the gift, some might say curse. Her grandmother has strict rules and behaviour protocalls that Aislinn must adhere to, they all boil down to don't let the fairies know you know and keep your head down. But what's a girl to do when a fairy starts stalking her? She can only hide out at "best friend" Seth's abandoned train car for so long till she has to face the truth, she's loosing her mortality because of something stalker fairy boy did.

Now stalker fairy boy turns out to be Keenan, the Summer King who has had his powers bound by his mother, Beira, the Winter Queen (think Brea on Desperate Housewives, she has to have been the inspiration) and the world is getting colder and colder because of this. Now the King and Queen have a little wager, the cost, the women who Keenan falls in love with who aren't the Summer Queen, they either get turned into fairy nymphos or get turned into the Winter Girl, who suffers with cold to her very bones and being unable to be with Keenan. Anyway, Keenan thinks Aislinn is the Summer Queen, and of course she is and this accounts for her mortality leaving her, and there's lots of back and forth of destiny versus what the heart of a teenager wants. In the end the wicked witch (Beira) is defeated and Keenan has his Queen in title only, Aislinn's keeping her life as is, Seth included. And we learn the valuable lesson that when everyone is willing to compromise everyone wins, except the witch who must die.

It was ok, I feel cheated that everything ended up well for everyone, all the foreboding and angst, couldn't we get one person dead in the crossfire who didn't deserve it? I do like very bad fairies though. The concept that they aren't nice and sweet is appealing to me, I think that Terry Pratchett did it best in Lords and Ladies, likewise the episode of Torchwood "Small Worlds." The problem here is that while they are evil fairies, once Aislinn starts changing, she seems to think they aren't that bad, basically she ends up wearing fairy enhanced rose-tinted glasses...Also enough with boys who can glow already! Final verdict...must read more to decide, this series could go either way, but start throwing in some real problems and some casualties, and we might have a good thing going.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 2:01 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Book Review, Lords and Ladies, Melissa Marr, Terry Pratchett, Torchwood, Wicked Lovely