I choose to do a review of the entire Wicked Lovely series under INK because it is my favourite. I am obsessed with this book, its world, its prose, and its characters. Characters that come alive on the page and make you want to know them at a personal level. I am going to try and be as unspoily as possible because I want someone to read this and enjoy every twist and turn, every tear, every laughter as much as I did. What I loved about these books is the characters, as a writer myself I am very character driven, and Melissa delivers some of the most real and amazing characters i have ever read. They are not one dimensional, good or evil, they all have flaws and fears. A character who is the hero in one book could be the villain in another. No one is black and white which even in a fantastical world about faeries makes it believable. 

The series in its entirety is:

Wicked Lovely

Ink Exchange

Fragile Eternity

Radiant Shadows

Darkest Mercy

The Desert Tales Manga and Novel

and many short stories in the Anthology Faerie tales and Nightmares 

"Favourite title of a book"

 

Gravity's Rainbow, Thomas Pynchon - currently (attempting) to read this one, not sure what the title has to do with the plot of the book (Which is hard enough to know what the hell's going on) but I kind of love the title. 

 

Darkest Mercy, Melissa Marr + City of Lost Souls, Cassandra Clare. Both books in series I have to read, but the mysteriousness of the title promises something dark and mesmerising. At least to me.

 

Goddess With A Blade - Lauren Dane, again I own it but not read it, sounds awesome. Sounds like a kick ass heroine.

 

Anna Dressed In Blood + Girl of Nighmares, Kendare Blake. While I wasn't overly impressed with Anna Dressed In Blood, I love the title and the sequel title. Conjure up something twisted and freaky, not of the norm for the YA stuff I usually like.

 

Born of Illusion, Terri Brown, Heiress to a Curse, Zandria Munson, Bleeding Violet, Dia Reeves. These titles I love cause they sound good.  

Full post here!

 

It’s abundantly clear form the first few chapters what the biggest strength of “Carnival of Souls” is — Marr’s ability to craft a tangled plot criss-crossed with power plays, political maneuvering, and backdoor deals that seem to abound in the tumult of The City. It’s hugely entertaining keeping track of who’s allied to whom, and the constant wheeling and dealing adds another layer of tensions to the one already built-in to the Competition.

 

It’s also wonderful that the people who populate The City and move the plot along are also such great characters. Aya is a study in complexity, and it’s fascinating to read about her inner conflict as she grapples with her desire for power and respect and her love for her former betrothed, Belias.

 

Adam, Mallory’s witch stepfather, is a pleasure to read as well. Deeply flawed but also deeply protective of his stepdaughter, her actions throughout the book will have readers raising their eyebrows and maybe even their voices in consternation.

 

The City, while not as fleshed out as one would like, is still likely to engross readers with its brand of danger and deceit. Pain and pleasure coexist side by side in The City. It’s something its citizens seem to enjoy all the more because of the constant threat of the Untamed Lands knocking right on their doorstep.

 

Marr should also be commended for the unflinching way that she depicts the savageness that exists in The City. Kaleb and Zevi have had to murder and whore themselves to survive, and Aya is working against a society that is deeply masochistic. Their lives and what they go through may not be pretty to look at, but one certainly can’t look away.

 

“Carnival of Souls” does have some missteps, foremost of which is the character of Mallory. It’s hard to root for her the way Marr has written her — someone devoid of her own choices and whose concerns seem to revolve only around Kaleb and Adam throughout the course of the novel.

 

There is also the fact that Marr’s engaging plot isn’t matched by equally engaging prose. More often that not, the words on the page come off as dry and listless, completely out of sync with the quick-moving plot. If the readers keep on turning the pages, it certainly isn’t for the prose.

 

“Carnival of Souls” ends on a cliffhanger, and while there is certainly enough plot to fill another book, the question is whether the book’s strengths outweigh its weaknesses enough for readers to want to have another go. As it is, the series has a 50/50 chance.

A fitting end to the series, this book ties up all the threads that were left dangling by the other books without too neat a bow.

Dei cinque libri che compongo la storia di Aislinn, Seth, Keenan, Donia, Lesley, Irial e Niall, Darkest Mercy è sicuramente quello che mi è piaciuto di più.
Ho sempre amato i racconti di fate, tanto che sia questa serie che quella di Lesley Livingston l'ho comprata a occhi chiusi e se della seconda mi sono sono innamorata alla prima riga, con questa il rapporto è stata più difficile. Tra un libro e l'altro, e relative riletture, in mio giudizio oscillava: un giorno mi piaceva e quello successivo storcevo la bocca. Quindi ero molto curiosa di vedere come sarebbe finita questa serie e devo dire che non mi ha assolutamente delusa!
Come dicevo questo romanzò è indubbiamente è il migliore scritto dall'autrice, quello capace più degli altri di catturarti e trascinarti nel mondo delle Corti fatate.

Il panorama che ci si presenta dal primo capitolo è quello della Corte dell'Estate dove Ash si ritrova a governare da sola dopo la sparizione di Keenan e quella di Seth. La sua infelicità si riflesse sulle sue creature, rendendole più deboli. Donia, invece, divenuta Regina dell'inverno dopo la morte Beira, è riuscita a rafforzare la sua Corte con la sua calma e le sue scelte e tuttavia anche lei non riesce a scacciare dai suoi pensieri il Re dell'Estate.
Alla corte del Buio invece Niall, Re del Buio, non riesce a fare i conti con la morte di Irial e ogni istante di veglia lo porta verso la pazzia.
A fare da coronamento a tutto questo Guerra è determinata a distruggere le loro vite e loro non possono annientala senza trascinare con loro l'intero regno fatato.

In questo romanzo si mescolano tutti gli elementi e le storie che avevano caratterizzato i libri precedenti, in un mix impossibile da non amare e che porta a un finale perfetto, in cui ogni personaggio trova il proprio posto.

Quindi, un libro super consigliato!