Book talk: What do you think of when you hear the word 'fairy'? Well, Faeries are real and they're nothing like the beautiful, bubbly creatures depicted in children's books. Some faeries hardly even look human. They all seem to delight in torturing the humans who are blissfully unaware of their existence. Aislinn wishes they were invisible to her too, but like her mother and grandmother before her she is cursed with the ability to see them. That means that not only can she see the horrible things that they do, but she has to pretend that she can't. The other humans would think she was crazy if she admitted to seeing them. Even worse--if the faeries knew she had the sight it would attract their attention, and a faery's attention is never a good thing.
Rocks my socks: I always liked faeries but I had grown tired of faery stories because they always seemed to be portrayed in terms of black and white: either the faeries are boringly sweet or remorselessly evil. It was nice to read about faeries with a complicated society made up of individuals who run the gamut from good to evil and everything in between. Marr is also a gender studies teacher which brings a refreshing change to the story as she uses creatures that have lived and wooed women for hundreds of years to examine how women's role in society has changed. Neither of those are what kept me reading until one in the morning on a school night though. The faeries and gender concerns are really just tools for examining love in all its splendid (and not-so-splendid) variety. Marr explores the anguish of watching someone you love fall for someone else, the confusion of feeling drawn to someone you know you shouldn't, the phantom pain of feelings that you thought had died long ago rising to the surface, the strength required to move on even when you don't want to, the brief burst of a fling, and the patience required to wait for someone who is worth it. Of course there's also the standard passion of a long-awaited first kiss and the love-that-conquers-all. Despite their being faeries the characters seemed very human and nuanced to me and I quickly grew to care for them and became lost in their world. And a world where the guys woo girls by helping them researching their problems using interlibrary loan is not one that I am eager to leave.
Rocks in my socks: none
Every book its reader: I'd give this to anyone looking for a dark fantasy novel that's focused on characters and their relationships. The novel does explore various aspects of relationships including the faery king's harem and has violence of several varieties although these aspects are more alluded to than described in graphic detail. I'd probably save it for teenagers.
Extras:
Melissa Marr has a general website as well as one specifically for the series complete with official songs, character and discussion guides, and a map of the town
There's an excellent trailer for the novel
There's an entire wiki devoted to the serires
Wicked Lovely has a Facebook fan page
Source: #ALA12
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr: Buy it or check it out today!
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