LitPick Review
I don't like faery stories, but Wicked Lovely has now replaced A Great and Terrible Beauty, Harry Potter, and the Lioness Quartet as my favorite book(s). My problem with Faery tales is that I can't identify with them. But in this book, I saw myself in mortal and faery alike.
Aislinn is everything I want to be (and hopefully am )- headstrong, passionate, tough, willful. She's got kings and queens clashing over, trying to set her path, but she just keeps going, blazing her own trail. She doesn't give in to the pressures, and she doesn't loose her self. And, perhaps most importantly, she doesn't run from her emotions. There are so many female characters out there who are strong because they can control their emotions. But forcing yourself not to feel is just hiding- it requires nothing, proves nothing. Facing and excepting your emotions- that is true strength. It is so refreshing to see an author who really understands where female courage and power are expressed. But Aislinn has already learned to listen to her heart- it is Donia who has perhaps one of the most powerful character journeys of all. She is, by nature, cold and isolated, walking the world alone. Her power comes from destroying her emotions, hiding what is so obvious, keeping herself away. But as she begins to realize the truth she has been hiding for so long, she also realizes who she is will not change. Horrible or not, she needs to accept herself, her role, and who she loves before she can be truly free.
Opinion:
To me, as a teenager, that is a powerful statement. It's a statement for all of us trying to make our way through the crazy worlds of middle and high school. I often motivate myself by thinking of characters in the books I've read, of what they've been able to accomplish. But few of them have character journeys as starkly real as Donia's and Aislinn's are. I think really what this book is about is accepting yourself, and learning just how perfect that person can be. It's got such a powerful message, I cant even begin to describe it. Not to mention the absolutly stunning plot.
The story starts off with a fascinating teaser- litterally, from the first paragraph, you're entranced. The prologoue gets your attention and curiosity up. Then, it moves to Aislinn. And almost immediatly, you can tell theres something diffrent about her. Shes fun, tough- and she can see things that are invisible to most people. Not to mention, shes being stalked by two of them.
And then you meet Seth. As a reader- I don't care who you are, you'll love him. Ladies- even on the page, hes just that hot. Plus, sweet and caring, but with an edge. By the end of the book, you're half in love with him. Guys- he's- theres no other word for it- cool. Like, just sweet. A couple of piercings, a couple of tatoos, just totally awesome. And lets face it, we dont get too many male charcters like that. He's a real highlight, and a great friend for Aislinn.
The book is fleshed out with hints of an emerging romance, an infuriation stream of tantalizing hints that offer no answers, a growing friendship and a ceacless prusit, all getting more intense until the book has you in a vice grip that won't let go. It's almost as much a mystery as it is a modern fantasy epic. It toys with your emotions- by the time you as a reader realize what's going on, you're caught in a complete conflict between all the things you want to happen. Its an exhilarating ride- it suddenly becomes your life's goal to find out what happens. I found the book has a magnetic quality- it refused to leave my hand until I finished it. As someone who hates sad endings it has the most perfect and infuriating ending imaginable. Infuriating because you KNOW you should have seen that coming, but it didn't even occur to you, and perfect because it is the most happy ending imaginable. There are no analogies I can use to describe the joy I felt when I finished it. All I can say is the first thing I did was jump around the house screaming and hugging any random object that caught my eye for about five minutes. Then I sat back down and read it again. I am finding it difficult to express just how good this book is. It is they type of book that will expose teens to stranger danger- just because everyone will want to tell every single person they seen just how great this book is! It's got a stunning plot, eerily real characters, and brilliant writing. Everything is described perfectly- just enough detail to give you an image of the characters, but little enough to let your imagination soar. As someone who wants to be a writer- I want to be her when I grow up! Melissa Marr has more than a talent for writing. It's almost bordering on her life's purpose. There's plenty of room for a sequel- if she writes one, I will camp out at the bookstore to be first inline when it's released!
