Wicked Lovely

Wicked Lovely


By: Melissa Marr
Reviewed by: gothiclolitamaiden, 16
Rating: Really liked it


“Seventeen-year-old Aislinn, who has the rare ability to see faeries, is drawn against her will into a centuries-old battle between the Summer King and the Winter Queen, and the survival of her life, her love, and summer all hang in the balance.”

While most young adult fantasy, horror and romance authors are buying into the vampire craze, some authors just stick to what they write best, which I am immeasurably grateful for. When I’m tired of reading Twilight clones (looking for the diamond in the rough, which I haven’t found yet), and posting mean reviews about said clones, I pick up something like Wicked Lovely and try to relax my inner critic. Wicked Lovely was a refreshing experience, and a great addition to the modern/urban faerie tale genre, which has been quietly growing and thriving under most peoples’ noses.

I was impressed with Melissa Marr’s writing style, especially because this is her first novel. Wicked Lovely is both eloquent and coherent, and there are few character stereotypes to be found. Aislinn is a strong heroine, though she doesn’t exactly start out that way. She learns to stand up for herself, come to terms with her identity and abilities, and to take control of her own life, with help from her friend and love interest, Seth, who is a solid character in his own right. Keenan is a fairly well-developed character, but I’m afraid I cannot say the same of his mother, Beira, who is a somewhat boring villain.

Marr also hints at a wider political game going on in the faerie world, which I’m looking forward to reading about. The writing is very descriptive and almost poetic at times.

It’s obvious that Marr took some influence from Holly Black, a prominent author of modern/urban faerie novels, but she doesn’t copy Holly Black at all. Marr creates her own story and her own style. For example, Wicked Lovely has some mature content, but not nearly as much as Tithe, Valiant and Ironside by Holly Black. Holly Black likes portraying the dark, gritty side of things, and Marr does too, but not as much as Holly Black, which doesn’t really detract from Wicked Lovely too much. Wicked Lovely manages to be dark without being too dark.

In conclusion, Wicked Lovely is definitely worth reading. It isn’t derivative, it’s well written and it has a solid cast of characters (with a few exceptions).


Recommended to: Fantasy fans, teens of both genders. 13+ for a bit of content.