Sanctuary (Wicked Lovely: Desert Tales, #1)

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Sanctuary (Wicked Lovely: Desert Tales #1)

by Melissa Marr (Goodreads Author), Xian Nu Studio (Illustrations)

3.58 of 5 stars 3.58 · rating details · 808 ratings · 87 reviews

Discover Melissa Marr's mesmerizing world of Faerie . . .

The desert is far away from the schemes of the Faerie Courts--and that's how Rika likes it. Once a mortal and now a faery, Rika seeks isolation and revels in her ability to appear invisible to humans. Then, she meets him. Artistic and kind, Jayce is the last person Rika wants to hide from.

But change is coming, challe...more

Paperback, 176 pages

Published May 1st 2009 by HarperCollins

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Jul 15, 2009 Yan rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. You would think by now I learned to stay away from Melissa Marr’s books but I thought “hey, I enjoyed the Vampire Kisses manga even though the book series kind of sucks, maybe it’ll be the same for Melissa Marr’s!”. WRONG! Wrong to the infinite suckage power.

Let’s start with the background information. Wait, opps we can’t! There was hardly any! The manga is designed that we have to have had read the Wicked Lovely, understand the court system, understand Keenan’s past, understand the whole “find...more You would think by now I learned to stay away from Melissa Marr’s books but I thought “hey, I enjoyed the Vampire Kisses manga even though the book series kind of sucks, maybe it’ll be the same for Melissa Marr’s!”. WRONG! Wrong to the infinite suckage power.

Let’s start with the background information. Wait, opps we can’t! There was hardly any! The manga is designed that we have to have had read the Wicked Lovely, understand the court system, understand Keenan’s past, understand the whole “finding the ice queen” scenes for the reader to even get pass the first 10 pages! Even that I was willing to slide on some levels. Maybe, just maybe, the manga might explain some of that in the sequels to come.

My biggest issue is the “thing” between Jayce and Rika. Completely unbelievable. Rika practically stalks Jayce for some time before reveling herself. Even then Jayce somehow falls madly in love with her despite the fact that they’ve known each for oh less than 24 hours. They even smooch a little in the end! Someone must have answered my prayers and decided to add a little action in the end! (If you guys can’t tell I’m being super sarcastic then you should just smack yourself in the head).

The lines delivered were unrealistic. The fight scene in the club stupid. I mean so the faeries are invisible to humans but when they were trying to force Rika to speed things along with Jayce (by trying to kill them of course, that’s the answer to all of life’s questions) are they suddenly visible? Because Jayce clearly mentions one of them having a knife later on. And if they were visible, why was no one stopping the desert faeires from trying to kill them!? You’re in a populated club with people surrounding you, just starring! You would think someone would have screamed or cried out stop or something!
And let’s not forget the love triangle-ish. Yes ish because it might happen or Melissa Marr is just leading us on. *sigh* ugh. Let’s all I have to say.

The artwork is also kind of average. Some parts were weird since the head looked kind of squashed. The hair on Jayce—what the hell is that? Dreadlocks? An alien life form suctioned onto his head!?

Overall: I want my 20 minutes back. Might pick up the sequel if I’m in a nasty mood.(less)

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Jan 20, 2013 Karen Wapinski rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is the first in Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely spin-off Desert Tales, focusing on Rika one of the former Winter Girls mentioned by Donia a few times in Wicked Lovely

So, to start: if you haven't read at least Wicked Lovely you are probably going to be a little lost regarding the court systems, Rika's backstory and her complicated relationship with Keenan and mortality.

Assuming you've read the firts book, here goes: Rika is a pretty good lead heroine; she's definately tough and holds her own i...more This is the first in Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely spin-off Desert Tales, focusing on Rika one of the former Winter Girls mentioned by Donia a few times in Wicked Lovely

So, to start: if you haven't read at least Wicked Lovely you are probably going to be a little lost regarding the court systems, Rika's backstory and her complicated relationship with Keenan and mortality.

Assuming you've read the firts book, here goes: Rika is a pretty good lead heroine; she's definately tough and holds her own in a fight, and is even capable of being pretty viscious to other faeries; I liked that she didn't have to stand back and wait for rescue or struggle with harming the faeries threatening mortals she cared about. It was like 'you've been bad' WHAM. No lingering guilt that usually seems to follow female characters like an unhappy cloud and completely miss the males.

While I'm not a fan of insta-love I think it works here. Rika has been watching artist Jayce for a while, and is drawn to his art, his sensitivity, his adventurous spirit. When they meet for real she's already pretty much in love with him. On his part, Rika is a faery, captivating; a mysterious beautiful girl who disappears into the desert. And he's seventeen. That's pretty much a standard recipie for supernatural love at that age; I would've for sure.

Another really interesting character was Sionnach, a faery friend of Rika's. He's got his own agenda but seems to be willing to try to help along Rika's happiness. He provokes the desert fae Maili and her gang to attack Jayce in order to keep forcing Rika and him together (denying all knowledge of this of course) and nobly offers to hold them off so they can escape together. Sion's pretty interesting, I'm curious as to where his machinations are heading.

Finally, there's Keenan. For centuries he was the bound King of Summer; unable to reach his full power without finding his Queen. Rika was one of many mortals whom he thought may be her; but when she took the test and touched the staff that would determine her fate she ended up as a slave to the Winter Queen instead, only released until the next girl takes the test. After so long she still cannot forget the horror of carrying winter's chill within her and this is why she's chosen to live in the desert. Now Keenan is back and unbound wanting her to swear fealty to his court; and Rika's scared as to what's really going on, and wants him to get lost and leave her alone. I'm also curious to see what else is going to happen with the two of them in Volume 2.

The artwork is very nicely done; I liked the four main characters best of course. Keenan's arrogance is perfectly captured, Rika is a suitably mysterious beauty, Sion is sharply adorable and Jayce looks artsy and athletic, the kind of guy I'd love to meet in real life. I love his hair especially. The setting was beautiful, I had the urge to go outside and explore a desert of my own (sadly my own location is a winter wonderland this time of year haha).

Overall, very good manga. Interesting and well-paced and enticing to look for volume 2. (less)

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Mar 28, 2012 Rain Misoa rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Wicked Lovely fans and those who have a high tolerance for pathetic girls.

Recommended to Rain by: Library

Shelves: manga

Yup! You guessed it! I am still going strong with my manga binge. I don't plan to stop anytime soon. I'm just having so much fun with these. I cannot wait to keep going~ So I decided that after the last bomb I reviewed (seriously, that manga was utter crap) I had to go for something that had a little more promise. A little more. I've read the first three books of the Wicked Lovely series and... I have mix feelings of it. I liked the first book enough to read the second. The second was okay but I...more Yup! You guessed it! I am still going strong with my manga binge. I don't plan to stop anytime soon. I'm just having so much fun with these. I cannot wait to keep going~ So I decided that after the last bomb I reviewed (seriously, that manga was utter crap) I had to go for something that had a little more promise. A little more. I've read the first three books of the Wicked Lovely series and... I have mix feelings of it. I liked the first book enough to read the second. The second was okay but I hated the main character with all my heart and found myself only liking the yaoi parts (Niall and Irial are just smex!!!). And the third book... was the worst in the bunch. Nothing happened in it. It basically a waste of time. So... it's a hit and miss with me. BUT! I did like the series as a whole enough to look into the manga series. When I saw that my library has all three volumes, I checked those babies out like a BAMF. Well, I read the first one and it's... eh, okay. I liked it and there were some parts I even went fangirly over but there are somethings, like in the novels, where I was just not into it. There were some good points to the story, but a lot of it was like... "WHA-!?" And some parts that just made me roll my eyes. Point is... I think I'm just so-so with this book.

Let me start off by saying... I have a love/hate relationship with Melissa Marr. I love her writing. I think it's absolutely brilliant and when she gets something down, you bet your ass it's going to be awesome. However, there are some moments where I feel that she just... doesn't get it. She thinks that love has to be right there and then and there's no need to learn about the other person. Another thing that bothers me about the stories that she writes is the fact that she makes all girls appear pathetic when it comes to men. The degrade themselves just so that they can be with the guy for just one more moment. It's annoying and it really comes off as if this is behavior that's okay for teenage girls to go through. It's not. Girls should be strong and not go to the guy first. Especially if he shows little interest in being with you in the first place. Marr also has a habit of writing instalove. Really? You meet for the first time and right away you're in love? That's what happened with these characters in this manga (more on that later). One thing that really confused me with this manga is the fact that it just right into the plot. There wasn't a lot of backstory so anyone going into this would be confused to high heaven. If you didn't read at least the first two novels of the Wicked Lovely series, you would be REALLY confused by this manga. Hell, I was confused for a good half of it and I read the first three novels. Basically, it's a manga meant just for the fans of the series. Not saying that's a bad thing but anyone who is curious and goes into it without much research would be lost quite a bit. Still, I do like Melissa Marr and respect her as a person... I just have my issues with her at times.

I must say that I do love the artwork. Xian Nu Studio did an excellent job in drawing this manga. It's very nice and easy on the eyes. Even the comical scenes are great to look at. One thing I will say about the art that wasn't really to my liking were some of the character designs. Especially with the males. Sure, when their shirts are off they look like males but when you can only see their face, you could swear they are women. The men are REALLY feminine looking. I don't have a problem with that. I read a lot of manga so I am used to men looking some what like girls. But in this manga they REALLY look like girls. There's no distinction unless one of the characters say so or their shirt is off. I also had a bit of a problem with the way Jayce's hair is drawn. It looks bizarre. It appears, to me, as if he has branches or weeds in his hair. I don't think it's an appealing look for him as a character. Other than that, I think the manga is beautifully drawn. I like how the setting is drawn and I like the way the faeries are drawn. They have a lot of details put into their design and I love them all the more because of that. So the artwork is okay in my book!

Some of the characters I had an issue with. The first being our female lead, Rika. I love that she can fight and all that. She doesn't really need anyone to defend her in that aspect. However, she's a little pathetic when it comes to men. She had a relationship with Keenan, the Summer King (of you read the book, you'll know who he is), and despite the fact that she said she doesn't have feelings for him, she still cries over him. Even though he did shitty things to her... she still CRIES over him! You can't be serious! You should never shed tears over a man who did you wrong. It's pathetic and weak. Speaking of being pathetic, Rika stalks her love interest, Jayce, for a long time before she had the guts to show herself to him and expect for him to like her right away... AND HE DOES!!! Instalove at its finest, people! DX She threw herself at him when she thought that he was going to distance himself from her. Rika, a little tip. If a guy questions having a relationship with you, DON'T FORCE HIM TO BE WITH YOU!!! DX One last thing that I didn't like about Rika was that she seems to be a girl that just wants a relationship and it doesn't matter with who. I say this because her friend, Sionnach (I call him Sion for short), was flirting with her and then she starts questioning some feelings towards that. (I know it sounds vague but I'm trying not to spoil it here.) Bah... I hate girls that just want to be with someone without trying to stand on their own. -_-" Moving on! Jayce... he was okay. Typical nice guy. He wasn't too amazing. He was just kinda... there. There to be pretty. Still, I didn't hate him so that's a plus! Then there's Maili, one of the antagonists in the manga. I have to say that I LOVE her character design. I don't know what about it makes me happy but it does! I think she is really beautiful. More beautiful than Rika. Her personality... well, she's evil. A bitch. I like that in my characters. XD Needless to say, I enjoyed her a lot. I didn't get to see much of her but that's okay. I'm sure she'll appear in the other volumes. Last character to talk about Sion! I love him to bits! I mean you get certain hints about him (which I will not say) but I think he's cute, fun, hilarious, sweet, a bit flirty, and everything else I like in a male. He has a female face, too, but that didn't really bother me since he just came off as a fun character. In fact, he's the only reason I am going to pick up volume two. Well, him and Maili.

To sum everything up, it's a good read. It's not the best but it certainly is far from being horrendous. I'm quite glad I gave this manga a try. It was entertaining even if it did have its faults. I cannot wait to read the second volume. Do I recommend this series? Yes but only to those who have read the novels. Non-fans would just not get it. Be warn. There are moments that might drive you up the wall if you have little patience for... well... stupid girls. But you might find yourself enjoying it. Give it a go. Wouldn't hurt you none if you've already read the books. ^_^(less)

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Mar 06, 2012 Vanessa *Bluest Ribbon* rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: eh-nothing-special

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Let me start by saying that I am fan of Melissa Marr's books. She is really talented and boy, can she tell a story. So the moment I saw this in the bookstore, in my most girlish high-pitched voice, I screamed, "Ah! Melissa Marr!". That earned me alarmed looks from the nerds at the manga section. I ignored them. Immediately, I searched for the rest of the Desert Tales series. I even pulled one busy sales person aside and ~~demanded~~ asked for numbers 2 and 3, but they didn't have it yet. *insert sad...more

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Dec 20, 2011 Sonia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Non sono una gran lettrice di fumetti, manga o graphic novels, o meglio non lo sono più.
Un tempo impazzivo per le storie disegnate, parlanti attraverso nuvolette, ma che erano in grado di raccontare un mondo attraverso le immagini, semplicemente attraverso espressioni facciali.
Ritrovarmi di fronte ad una narrazione del genere mi ha un po' spaesata, un po' confusa.
Ero pronta a tornare a quel tipo di racconto, a vivere la storia in maniera diversa... ma l'incanto non è scattato.
Non ne faccio una c...more

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Oct 08, 2011 Cyna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: genuinely-fucking-awesome

Thank God for Melissa Marr, seriously. In an ocean full of been there-done that - or, as our friend Gwen would say, "Same Shit, Different Author" - Marr's stories have formed an oasis of sorts for us. They're beautiful, tragic, unique, and captivating - Wicked Lovely is one of the best contemporary series out there, not to mention one of our favorites. Which is why we were so very EXCITE to find out that Marr had done a Wicked Lovely manga.

Well, that and because manga is AWESOME.

The best part is...more Thank God for Melissa Marr, seriously. In an ocean full of been there-done that - or, as our friend Gwen would say, "Same Shit, Different Author" - Marr's stories have formed an oasis of sorts for us. They're beautiful, tragic, unique, and captivating - Wicked Lovely is one of the best contemporary series out there, not to mention one of our favorites. Which is why we were so very EXCITE to find out that Marr had done a Wicked Lovely manga.

Well, that and because manga is AWESOME.

The best part is that, where a lot of other YA authors have had their stores adapted into graphic novel format, Marr has gone the extra mile here and penned a whole new tale set in the Wicked Lovely universe for her manga. So not only do we get to see some of our favorite characters in action, but we don't have to read the same story over again to do so. We get some new mythology, new characters, and new developments, in addition to a gorgeous rendition of the world we've come to enjoy so much.

Desert Tales is the story of Rika, a former Winter Girl who has fled to the desert to escape the memories of her years carrying the winter chill. When the story opens, she's been in seclusion for somewhere around a century, from both the faery world and the mortal. She has no court, few friends, and has lately taken up "spending time with" a human named Jayce. Which is to say, when he comes out to the desert to sketch, she paints nearby in invisi-faery mode she he can't see her.

The first volume is mostly set-up, obviously. It establishes the characters and their relationships, but the plot is mostly concerned with the development of Jayce and Rika's. We see their meeting, their disastrous "first date", and the events that lead to Rika revealing her true nature. It closes on the two of them admitting their mutual attraction for one another, and I have to admit, I thought that might be it. That Desert Tales might be all about the romance between a faery and her mortal lover, which is okay I guess, but, well, I was hoping for more from Marr.

Oh, ye of little faith...

Read more at You're Killing Me.(less)

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Oct 31, 2010 Larissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own

It has been a long time since Rika has been human, mortal, but now as a faery Rika has chosen a life away from the cities, and not just because the iron and steel makes her sick. Rika has found a home for herself out in the desert, a sanctuary quite literally in the middle of nowhere. Rika has wanted to escape the politics of the Faerie Courts, but even out here as a solitary faery she can not escape her past.

Jayce lives out in the desert, spending his days unknowingly in Rika's company. While h...more

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Feb 11, 2010 Allyson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga

i would actualy give this book 3 1/2 stars cause (a)traditionaly mangas start from right to left, so thats considered readding backwards for us, and thats how i read mangas!! thats how they are supposed to be read!!!but beacause its a western influenced book the story is flipped and it really annoys me. the second reason (b) is mostly it was way to short mangas usually have another 30-40 more pages, the lack of keeping japanese culture alive in western influenced books makes me sad =(. anothe re...more

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May 15, 2010 Angelia Fransisca Rusli rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, ya, comics-graphic-novel

I really loved Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series, especially after the Dark court thingy. Then I read Stopping Time and hey! I enjoy it a lot better than Ink Exchange, which is by far my favourite book! And of course, I expect this manga to be good.

I've read some Tokyopops of course, like Avalon High. And it did okay. But I dislike this one. The storyline is kinda ridiculous and it's not for those who haven't read Wicked Lovely. There are so many unexplained things if you haven't read the nove...more

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Jul 17, 2009 Danielle Arostegui rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'm a big fan of Melissa Marr's and I really loved her first two books set in the Wicked Lovely world. I followed the development of the manga and all the hype surrounding it on Marr's blog with anticipation and excitement. However, I found Desert Tales: Sanctuary, which is the first of her stories to be made into a manga and also supposedly able to be read as a stand-alone, to be unusually full of fluff and weirdly confusing. The panels didn't always seem to match up seamlessly with the story-t...more

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Jul 19, 2011 Krystl Louwagie rated it 2 of 5 stars

This was a short, quick read that left me feeling basically still confused and like I had just seen a preview for the real story. The art was pretty, but conventional and without a lot of feeling or anything unique. It's based off of a young adult novel series I believe, and those might be better. I feel like when manga or comics are made from a book or movie, they're usually just cheap in comparison to the original and unnecessary. However, I am guilty of having fun with the Artemis Fowl and En...more

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Sep 08, 2011 Yuko86 rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels, read-in-2011

Ho appena finito di leggere questo volumetto e devo ammettere di non esserne completamente soddisfatta. Il tratto è molto bello e i personaggi sono molto ben disegnati, su questo nulla da eccepire, ma è la storia a non avermi convinto.

Rika è una ragazza d’inverno che ora si ritrova a vivere nel deserto, lontana da tutto, in pace. Un ragazzo che passa spesso da quelle parti ha colpito la sua attenzione ma lei è un essere fatato e invisibile, non ha alcuna speranza, e poi non vuole fargli del male...more

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May 23, 2011 Gemma rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm not much of a Manga person. Perhaps I would have enjoyed this one a little bit more if I was.

The story, as comics tend to go, is short. Doesn't take more than fifteen minutes to read. I enjoyed seeing Keenan in comic-form, although the character I was reading this book for, in hopes of finding him (read my reviews of the series; you can guess) never actually made an appearance. How disappointing, because ~~Irial~~ he would have been really pretty in Manga, especially this one.

The pictures wer...more

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Oct 30, 2009 Rebecca added it

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the concept but at the same time I'm not sure that there was really much to the book.
I liked the drawings although I found it difficult to tell who was a guy and who was a girl. I only found out when they referred to the person in question.
Also there weren't many words even for a manga type book. So I found it hard to tell what was going on.
One redeeming factor was that it was about fairies and it also had a character I knew from the book Wicked Lov...more

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Nov 27, 2009 Mary (BookHounds) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed

I have just discover manga and find it is very addictive. Whenever I get stuck in a reading slump, I pick one up and find that the pictures stimulate me enough to get over it. This story didn't disappoint me. If you are familiar with Wicked Lovely, you know how faeries can sometimes be dark and this is no exception. The drawings are just fantastic and can convey so many more details that written descriptions. They even help tell the story with showing the emotions of the characters rather than j...more

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Mar 24, 2012 Ashley rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adults, manga

I haven't read Wicked Lovely, and I thought this was going to be a comic adaptation of it, so I was a bit surprised when I was just plopped into what seemed like the middle of Rika's character development. Still, I enjoyed the story well enough and although I didn't really like the characters I was happy to see a person of colour in a manga (even though Jayce looks white on the cover). I would probably read the second one, but I wouldn't seek it out.

Read my full review at http://respectablecolle ...more

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Nov 10, 2011 May rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels, favorites

So I finally managed to find the third one and read the whole trilogy, so I will now post up my review of them.

I liked this. A lot. It wasn't as captivating as the books, but I liked how it wasn't a graphic novel adaption of the books, but rather a parallel story. It made it more interesting, and it's always fun to learn more about side characters.

It's brief, but the characters are Melissa Marr's kick-butt style, and it's not as captivating and intense as the books can be, but it's quick and fun...more

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Apr 25, 2009 Dancechica rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, autographed, manga

This was okay, though not much happened.

Rika is a former Winter Girl who now lives in the desert as one of the solitary fey. She falls in love with an artistic mortal whom she regularly observes, unbeknownst to him. When a group of faeries threaten his life, Rika is forced to stop hiding behind her invisibility to save him.

Even though the plot never really goes far, and it ends on a cliffhanger, I did like the faery world, and the characters interested me enough that I would like to see where t...more

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Apr 16, 2011 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a manga of the series and the art is well done in my opinion. It starts off with the main character, Rika, and she is a solitary fae that Keenan wants in his court. However, she doens’t want that because she used to be a Ice Princess, one of the girls that had the winter’s chill in her thanks to picking up the staff. The story is set in the desert.

Rika falls in love with a human and she tries to protect him. Its a short story that has two more volumes in the series, Challenge and Resolve...more

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Aug 06, 2011 Suzie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: melissa-marr, graphic-novels

I am a HUGE fan of Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely books and usually devour any little scrap I can get my hands on. I had put off reading these graphic novel due to bad reviews but now with the series completed I had been going through withdrawl! Unfortunately I can see why people were disappointed with the spin off. I thought it was a great idea and I'm all about exploring the WL world in every aspect but these graphic novels seem rushed. Maybe they were pushing to get them out too fast because th...more

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May 24, 2011 Krys rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fairy-pixie-themed, manga-graphic-novels, short-length-book, read-in-2010, young-adult, urban-dark-fantasy-paranormal, series

It's the great Melissa Marr reread that won't die! Don't worry folks, I only have two more books to read after this, I swear! (Well, three if you count the third manga to this series coming out in 2011). I just finished the first of the manga spin off series - Wicked Lovely Desert Tales: Sanctuary. Volume 1. There, I think I got the whole cursed title.

Rika was once a consort of Keenan, the infamous Summer Court King. When she picked up the staff of Beira she became of the Winter Court, intaking...more

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Dec 18, 2010 Cathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novel, manga, zz-challenge-bcc-fantasy-2010, elves-fae, fantasy, paranormal, read-in-2010, romance, urban, young-adult, twitter-author

Marr books always make me feel old, just because the kids in the stories feel more like real kids than most books. Add manga and I'm a bit lost. I like the story so far. The main characters are sympathetic. Rika is a former winter girl, if I remember the mythology correctly, which lends her a lot of sympathy for readers of the Wicked Lovely series. Those girls really have been through a lot. Jayce is an adorable human boy (although the manga often makes him look like a girl with odd ropey hair)....more

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May 05, 2009 Karin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels, faeries, youngadult, 2009-reads

It was such a treat to get this graphic novel and realize it was a completely different story within the WICKED LOVELY world. Keenan makes a brief appearance, but other than that the reader is introduced to totally new characters.

Rika lives in the isolation of the desert. She maintains invisibility around humans in order to observe them. She misses her humanity and feels some animosity toward Keenan for turning her into a faery when she attempted to become his Summer Queen. Rika wasn't THE ONE a...more

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Mar 16, 2011 Vi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: girls, paranormal, romance, teen

This is an offshoot of the Wicked Lovely series. It tells the tale of one of Keenan's former winter queens, Rika. Rika is a fairy that lives a solitary life in the desert. She enjoys the life away from the politics and intrigues of fairy court. However, Rika has fallen in love with a human and now, she can't protect him well enough from the other fey.

The book tells the story in a disjointed manner, but should be perfect for teens who are fans of manga and/or fans of paranormal romances.

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Mar 01, 2010 Shannon McGee rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: faeries

Rika, a faerie who used to be human, likes life in solitude away from the faerie world. She finds herself attracted to a human named Jayce. But as Jayce gets pulled into Rika's life, the faerie world comes knocking.

This is the manga version of Wicked Lovely. I wasn't thrilled with this version. I felt like I was dropped in the middle of the story, and sometimes the art work confused me. I wasn't clear who was who and what sex they were. I had to reread the first couple of pages a couple of times...more

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Jan 24, 2010 Rachel rated it 2 of 5 stars

Oh wow. Where to start, the laughably bad dialog, often times lazy art-style or the vast amount of cliches? What's more - it's unrealistic. I mean - who goes from - hey I just met you to - damn - you live in a cave - that's cool let's make out? Not any sane human or otherwise living being that I know of. I would give this 'manga' one star however, the bit at the beginning had potential - even though that got flushed down the toilet - so I'm going with the two star rating.

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Jun 09, 2012 Evelyn rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: graphic-novels, books-i-have-reviewed, 2012-reads

I accidentally took this from the library and when it came in I didn't want to even touch it. I am not a huge fan of manga/anime...this especially looks very poorly drawn. I decided to give it a go though since I already had it and found it very confusing as I find most manga, where all the men look like the women and I cannot tell anyone apart. It was just a boring love story and I can think of a ton of graphic novels that would kick this books ass!

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Jul 06, 2010 June rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Elissa Webber

Shelves: alternative-world, fantasy

It took me a while to get into this. It is not my usual fare. I like my fantasy more wizards & dragons than fairy. It took me a while to care about Aislinn, she seemed a bit passive for me or maybe the future books are coloring my remembrance. However, the story picked up enough that I am now on the third in this series & I am enjoying the later books more than I remember liking this.

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May 27, 2009 Dana rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, manga

I liked the original YA book, Wicked Lovely. It was fresh and well-written and I liked the characters. This spin-off has a pleasing art tyle, by Xian Nu Studio. That's the best I can say for it. The storyline is bland, the frames do not flow well. I will read any novel sequels to Wicked Lovely, but I won't be picking up another graphic novel adaptation from this series.

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Mar 23, 2011 Keri Dodson rated it 2 of 5 stars

As a newcomer to the manga/graphic novel land, I have mostly been pleasantly surprised. This book, however, left much to be desired. Without A definite climax, it felt as if it was written to sell a second book. And I'm cool with second books, but I wasn't invested enough in these characters to follow the story to the next book. Boo. I really wanted to like it!

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Other Editions (4)

Genres

Sequential Art > Manga

67 users

Sequential Art > Graphic Novels

38 users

Fantasy

34 users

Paranormal > Fairies

23 users

Young Adult

23 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

12 users

Romance

11 users

Sequential Art > Comics

7 users

Fantasy > Urban Fantasy

7 users

Young Adult > Teen

6 users

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About Melissa Marr

5 stars= If I love you, I'll buy you a copy from this list of books. (Pls note, if you are my family or dearest friends, feel free to remind me to do so. I am lousy w remembering birthdays/holidays.)

4 stars= Don't even ask to borrow it. You should prob buy it though.

3= If you borrow it, you better not lose it, mangle it, or keep it too long.

2 or 1 star= I don't use these. If it's not a 3 star or...more

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title link	preview: Sanctuary
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Sanctuary (Wicked Lovely: Desert Tales #1)

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