DARKEST MERCY by Melissa Marr

Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr

ONE SENTENCE REVIEW: If this book was a person, I would totally make out with it.

I mean, what's not to love?  This book is like the literary equivalent of a renaissance man.  It's well-written, it ties up all sorts of loose ends, it comes to a very satisfying conclusion without sticking a bow on top, and it's full of surprises. Combine a rugged street fighter with an British prince and this is novel you get. *I know, right? Totally drool-worthy*

For those of you who aren't quite sure why I'm gushing yet, here is the back jacket copy. (And if you haven't read the preceding four books in the Wicked Lovely series, this isn't gonna make a bit of sense.)

“Send the messengers for the faery courts. This is the end.”
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 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.

Publisher: Harper (I did receive this ARC via the publisher via YALitChat)
Release Date: March 11, 2011

As much as I'd like to, I am not going to post any spoilers.  But I will give you some hints.  Remember that predictions post I did a few days ago before I started reading?  Of the five predictions that I made, only one actually happened.  (Yeah, I scored a 20% on my predictions test; guess I fail out of psychic school.) Now all you've got to do if figure out which one I was right about.  :)

Here's what I will tell you though:

*  Although I've become a huge fan of first person voice, there are so many view points here that the book could only work in third.  And even though we "head hop" between all the characters and courts, it's not distracting. It just WORKS in this wonderfully awesome way.

*  There's only one court that does not play a role in "the end" -- for the rest of the courts, you get to see how their fates play out.  Whether Keenan and Ash can be happy for the good of the Summer Court.  Whether Donia will let Keenan's summer into her winter world again.  Whether Seth can truly separate from his new "mother" in the High Court.  And what happens when the Dark Court suddenly isn't the only counter-balance to the High Court.  There are power struggles, plot twists and crazy, wonderful threads I never saw coming.

*  The more I read, the more I loved it.  I wished the series never had to come to an end (because I do adore the characters), but I can't imagine a better conclusion than the one Marr delivers.  In the last chapter, Marr manages to bring her story back full circle, alluding back to Wicked Lovely on many levels, and it's so artful that I wanted to applaud.

If you haven't started in on the series, let me just tell you: Marr puts the urban in urban fantasy.  If you like your street fights dirty, don't mind a lip piercing or two, love being immersed in an almost parallel world, and enjoy some sizzling YA romance, these books are right up your alley.

Overall, I give the novel an OMG! rating and the uber-high 4.5 Greek coins rating.  It's so close to being a 5, but then you'd never believe me that the HFAC rating is "almost unobtainable."  Bottom line?  You might as well pre-order a copy, 'cause you're gonna want this one!

My Crystal Ball Meets Darkest Mercy

SQUEE!  I have an ARC of Darkest Mercy sitting on my bedside table, and I can't wait to dive into it.  If you've been following Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series, this is the must-read conclusion.  Here's the cover copy:

"Send the messengers for the faery courts. This is the end.”

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 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 exhilarating conclusion to Melissa Marr’s New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series will leave readers breathless.

This has me so intrigued, that I decided to make some predictions before I start reading.  A NOTE OF WARNING:  I am the world's worst at predicting endings and plot twists, so at the end of the book, I expect to come back and have to break that crystal ball.

Here are my predictions:

*  The sisters from the High Court and Dark Court destroy each other

*  The Shadow Court ends up dominate

*As much as I want Aislinn to pick Keenan (and not just for the good of the Summer Court, but because he's so swoon-worthy), I think she stays with Seth.

*  The Summer and High Courts form an uneasy alliance as Keenan assumes rule of the High Court

*  Keenan and Donia can't make it work because their summer and winter natures are too strong

What are your predictions?