Darkest Mercy

Description: The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey. 

Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.

Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win . . . and some will lose "everything."

The thrilling conclusion to Melissa Marr's "New York Times" bestselling Wicked Lovely series will leave readers breathless.

My thoughts: I have been avoiding this book like the plague. This is my favorite series, so of course I didn’t want it to end. But I thought, it’ll be 2013 and I still wouldn’t have read this book. So, I begrudgingly started this book. And like I’d predicted, I couldn’t stop once I started. I wanted to savor reading this last book, but it was just so good that I'd finished it before I knew it I was over. My mother now thinks there is something wrong with me because I would be happy and then sad two seconds later for those two days it took to read it.

As far as what actually happened in the book, all of the loose ends were tied. The war came to a head, and some surprises were sprinkled all throughout the book. Besides wanting to know more about Ash and who she choose in the end (their future) and wanting to know how Devlin and Ani were doing (because I’m selfish like that), I was satisfied with just about everything that happened. I just wish this series could last forever. But there’s nothing wrong with going back over the series.

How I felt during this book:

Which means I was two parts sad, two parts happy/excited throughout the whole book.

Radiant Shadows review

Description:

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 the penultimate volume of Melissa Marr's New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series.

My Thoughts: First off, I figured I’d love this book because the Wicked Lovely series is one of my favorites. I can now say that besides the 1st book, Radiant Shadows is my favorite. I slipped back into Marr’s written world as soon as I started the first chapter. Despite me initially thinking that this was another side story, I became invested in Ani and Devlin’s story almost as much as Ash and Seth (not quite but almost). It also helped that the book was packed with multiple characters from the dark court like Niall (yum), Irial, and Gabriel. Out of all the courts, the Dark court is my favorite. Plus, Melissa Marr seems to flourish when writing about this court because, well, her writing seems most addictive when she’s dark.

I always love the full spectrum of emotions she writes about in every novel, but I especially like her description of balance and equality, or shadow and light (or radiance), and order and disorder. Thanks to the examples of balance, I have stopped calling this book and book 2 “side” stories. Each book has had its side and angle of one huge story.

This world was so fascinating; it drew my imagination in and left me with Radiant Shadows redraw. With no new book out for a while, I’m stuck wishing I had a steed and was a part of Niall’s hounds, riding across the earth like shadows. No wonder Wicked Lovely’s shadows shine so radiantly.

Book Teaser

Ani wasn't sure if his words were truth. Faeries couldn't lie, but belief was a tricky thing. If Irial believed the words, they were utterable , and he did believe that her blood was the solution they needed to save the Dark Court.