Be still my heart!! I finally got what I wanted out of Melissa Marr: CLOSURE! My one complaint with her Wicked Lovely series has been the lack of definitive endings with each book in the series. Each book had its own arc, but she was introducing new characters before the old characters' stories were concluded. This made for great reading but left something to be desired, in my opinion, because I never got an ending to anyone's story.


I have been anxiously awaiting Darkest Mercy for months now and was thrilled to receive it and start reading. For me to sit and read a "real" book instead of a parenting book or working in Kaitlyn's nursery like I have been for months is a really big deal. I knew I was excited about Darkest Mercy when I actually sat down after work to read for a change!

Darkest Mercy starts with Keenan missing. He has gone a little rogue, so to speak, and Aislinn is left to lead the Summer Court alone. Seth continues to be torn between his love for Aislinn and his loyalty to his adoptive mother, Sorcha, and Bananach is stirring up discord and starting a war. There are a couple of new characters in this book, and they really add a lot to the story. I enjoyed the depth of the plot, the quality of the writing, and the suspense until the very last pages. Marr keeps things interesting and I can never guess where her plots will lead---I love that!

If you have not picked up the Wicked Lovely books, I would recommend them to anyone. They are a great start into the paranormal genre, and a perfect example of YA done right.

Just One Gripe:
I didn't like the lack of definition of Niall and Irial's relationship. Are they or aren't they---that is the question.

The Best Thing About This Book:
While I think that imagery is one of Melissa Marr's defining characteristics, my favorite thing about this book was the conclusion to each characters' story.

Appropriate for a younger audience:
Probably.

Score:
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Setting/Imagery: 5/5
Originality: 5/5
Ending: 5/5
Total Score: 25/25