This … More. Shelve Darkest Mercy. Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions by Melissa Marr. A journey may take hundreds of miles, or it may co… More. Shelve Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions. If the Summer King doesn't save Summer, humanity w… More. Dangerous promises and beguiling threats swirl tog… More. Desert Tales by Melissa Marr. Return to the world of Melissa Marr's bestselling … More. Shelve Desert Tales. Stopping Time, Part 1 by Melissa Marr.
Shelve Stopping Time, Part 1. Stopping Time, Part 2 by Melissa Marr. In the continuation of Stopping Time, Leslie's dar… More. Shelve Stopping Time, Part 2. Shelve Stopping Time and Old Habits. Summer Bound by Melissa Marr. After centuries of frolicking as a Summer Girl, Si… More.
Shelve Summer Bound. Book The Summer regents have similar worries, but had not yet discussed them. Aislinn attempts to contact Seth to ask him for whatever information he might have, but he doesn't respond to her phone calls or texts.
The next day, Keenan approaches her with a choice: they can either be truly together or truly apart. Aislinn tries to persuade him to stay despite her being unable to love him the way he wants, but he understands what is best for his court.
Through a kiss, Keenan transfers the summer within him to Aislinn, who becomes the single Summer regent; while they kiss, they find themselves flying. Aislinn offers Keenan the safety and friendship of her court whenever he might need it, but -- at Keenan's own request -- she dismisses him so that he can be with Donia instead.
Now required to deal with her court on her own, Aislinn points out that the Summer Girls are now free to leave her court, but that she would like them to stay. She then places Tavish in charge or her guards and makes Siobhan her advisor.
Finally addressing her worries about Quinn, she confronts him and forces him to admit that he has been spying on her court for Sorcha. As he is unable to return to the High Court and being solitary is dangerous with Bananach currently so powerful, Aislinn allows him to stay within her court under several conditions, including that he help to train the Summer Girls to fight. A messenger arrives from the Dark Court to inform Aislinn of the war that has begun and that Bananach has captured Seth, and she instructs her court to prepare for battle.
In the battle, Aislinn joins Niall in fighting Bananach. As the only regent not already worn down from fighting, she is able to attack Bananach with the full power of the Summer Court. As Aislinn's earth and sunlight entrap her, Niall stabs Bananach and kills her.
Aislinn then uses the favor Far Dorcha owes her by telling him to help Keenan and Donia. Niall tells Aislinn where to find Seth, and she flies up to his cage and frees him by heating and bending the metal bars. They return to talk to Niall and Far Dorcha; the latter offers both of them the chance at replacing Bananach, which they refuse, and instead Irial becomes Discord. Back at the loft, Aislinn tells her court to remember the fallen faeries by living and rejoicing; she then tells Seth that Keenan has left her court, that she has chosen Seth and only Seth, and that they should rejoice, too.
Aislinn has straight, blue-black hair and pale skin. She is slight in build and looks wraith-like. When Keenan first sees her, he imagines being able to fit her whole body in the spare fold of his coat. She has one piercing in each ear, but would like to get some other piercing after she graduates from high school and no longer needs to conform to a dress code.
Once she becomes the Summer Queen, her skin darkens to a perfect tan, as if she'd been living on a beach. Her hair also changes to have streaks of sunlight. She has a glow that shines so brightly that no mortal can look at her without pain.
Small oceans shimmer in her eyes with dolphins breaching within them. As a mortal, Aislinn has the Sight and is able to see the world of the fey. She is terrified of the fey and of the almost irresistible urge she has to get closer to Keenan or any of the fey. The things she's seen faeries do frightens her more than the mortal things most people fear. Since she can't be seen by others reacting to things only she can see, feel, or hear, she's learned to maintain a tight control over her emotions and hide them away.
Because of the Sight she views herself as different, and is slow to trust and is very careful when selecting friends. With the exception of Seth, Aislinn has kept many of her friends at arm's length.
Loyalty, dependability, honesty, and a strong understanding of what his right and wrong describes her, and are what she looks for in others. Aislinn can be volatile like Summer and changes mood quickly. She is best known for being loyal, independent, caring, and honest. Aislinn originally viewed being Summer Queen only as a job, however she becomes more attached to the Court as time goes on.
She leads it successfully while Keenan was missing for more than six months. Aislinn and Seth met a couple of years before the events in Wicked Lovely.
Aislinn loves Seth, and has for a long time before their relationship changes from friendship to romantic. She loves that Seth gives her a private space to believe in the illusion of normalcy. Aislinn is worried to tell Seth the truth about faeries because she's worried that he won't believe her.
Elena is Aislinn's grandmother and raised her from birth after her mother's death. Aislinn's name for Elena is Grams. They are very close, but Aislinn sometimes wishes she could talk to her about the faery world. Leslie is one of Aislinn's friends from school.
After Aislinn becomes the Summer Queen, their relationship becomes strained. Leslie knows Aislinn is hiding things and doesn't believe her excuses. Leslie doesn't understand why Aislinn works so hard to keep her away from Niall and Keenan. Leslie feels likes Aislinn no longer wants her around. Keenan wants Aislinn to love him like a queen should love a king. He doesn't understand how she resists him. When Rianne tells him that she thinks he'll be good for Ash, he realizes he's never thought about that, only that Ash would be good for him.
He realizes that with the sacrifices she'll have to make he probably isn't good for her. He eventually learns to accept her relationship with Seth and they remain friends. Keenan has confidence in Aislinn's natural leadership abilities and her determination to care for the Summer Court.
This allows him to be able to give up his title as Summer King in order to be with Donia. Donia is jealous of Aislinn because she can be with Keenan. However, she also thinks that Aislinn is a good person and helps her to become the Summer Queen. She respects her for not backing down against Keenan.
Donia helps Ash "dress for battle" and tells her to negotiate. I want to keep reading their stories, but I think it is best that it ended they way it did. I do not want to say anything that would spoil the ending for you, but I will say this: If you do not cry, you will scream. I did both. These characters, and the writing caused so many strong emotions that I couldn't contain myself. Darkest Mercy is the first book that ever made me scream. And I wouldn't have ended it any other way.
There was one relationship that I believe had a definite destination throughout the entire series, but EVERY other one surprised me. You would have never seen what was coming, and then it changed direction again. I was wrong in nearly all of my predictions. You will not see anything coming, and I am so happy for that. Everything was a shock.
And I love it to pieces. Melissa Marr is as cruel as she is kind. Keenan is a fool in love, but we already know that. Irial is my favourite character and it is rare that I can choose. Seth is driven, and kind, and the most pure. Donia is strength. Aislinn is hard and bright. Niall is as terrible as he is vulnerable.
Sorcha is out of her element. Bananach is crazy … As if I needed to point that out. Darkest Mercy is a love story. Is it tragic? Yes, at times it will rip your heart out. Is it lovely? The loveliest. I won this Advanced Reader's Copy from Goodreads. Receiving this ARC did not influence my review in any way.
View all 5 comments. Apr 26, Danny rated it it was amazing Shelves: arc , december Darkest Mercy was brilliant. I'm in awe! I have no other words to describe it other than it had everything you ever wished for an ending of a series! It was enthralling, full of emotions, it has characters that will surprise you and you will shed tears, but in the end you will close the book and have closure. It has the perfect balance between light and dark.
I thank Mrs Marr from the bottom of my heart for this final piece of awesomeness! Ever since I started Wicked Lovely I was fascinated with this story Mrs Marr created, with the world of Faeries living in the human realm among Mortals but most of all with this incredible characters created. With every book you got to know a new set of characters, yet the other ones were never really neglected and moved on.
With Darkest Mercy this now all came to an end, the captivating story woven together now finally pulled all together ready for the final battle. Decision are about to be made that leave you speechless - from characters you would expect it the least. Questions we asked ourselves will be answered.
Will Ash and Keenan find a way to bring the Summer Court back to his real power? Will Donia - find Peace in being the new Winter Queen, or will be still grief over the loss of Keenan her one and true love? Is there any way she'll ever find love? Will Irial survive the poison or die. What will happen with Niall, with Leslie? What about Seth? Will be fight for Ash - to be with her? The storytelling in the last book was perfect.
We switched back and forth between all the important characters and but everything is perfectly intertwined to that you'll never feel cheated when switching to another scenery. In the end, all have to work together to defeat War, to defeat Disorder who is getting more and more violent. Fey die. The Wicked Lovely books were never just light and sunshine. There was always the darkness and cruelty lingering but I admire this books for this combination. Darkest Mercy had the perfect balance between cruelty, darkness, sunshine and hope.
I was amazed by the development and deepness of all the character. They outgrew themselves and made decisions I never expected them to to. Without any spoilers I can tell Keenan will surprise you the most, but also Ash finally arrived and took the place where she was always ment to be.
Apart from all the amazement you wil shed tears - but truly, what would be a good book without any tears? Emotions is what moves a plot and you have the perfect amount here in Darkest Mercy. I'm thankful that HarperTeen provided us with a copy and I can assure you my review is truly and really honest. I absolutely loved and adored this book, it was the perfect ending for a wonderful series. If you haven't start with the series yet, start now! View all 15 comments. Jan 09, Jenna rated it liked it.
I forced myself to finish this book despite my not liking of the pairing. What can I say about the book? There was the usual conflicts and resolved. Bananach finally destroyed, and all the fae courts are in unity. View all 10 comments. Oct 30, Julie Zantopoulos rated it it was amazing Shelves: read-in , own-it.
Oh heavens, I love these Fae. The rest of the books were 3 or 4 stars and mainly for nostalgia but this book came together beautifully. The motivations were true, the violence and passion these fairies should be feeling was present and the instalove and insta acceptance of other worldly beings or situations stopped.
Everyone had a role to play and they did so fantastically! So good. Feb 26, Heather rated it it was ok Shelves: Over the course of four books and two short stories, I had become emotionally invested in the outcome of this series. Marr has created a fantastical world with extraordinary scope and creativity that I reveled in with zeal that could rival the Summer Court.
I would lose myself in the writing, which I found sparse and yet poetic. And her characters, what can I say of these captivating characters? They made me feel! I cried over their heart break and would break out into a slight sheen when they were tasked with making a difficult, seemingly impossible choice. Naturally, when a reader loves characters as much as I loved these, you want to see them happy; however, I expected, nay, wanted that happiness to have an exacting price.
In a series that trumpets choice and sacrifice as the primary themes, I never imagined or even wanted a bow to be tied around the end. It would never do the series, or these characters, justice. But a bow is what I got. Marr just has a beautiful way with words, and I knew in my heart that if Marr could write such a lovely acknowledgment to her friends, fans, colleagues, and family, she would write one hell of an ending, right?
What a major blow. So what if I cheated and read the last 5 or so pages about 50 pages into the book, I still should have bawled my eyes out when he died. He was my favorite! It was like an out of body experience. Where was his blaze of glory?! I get that they originally loved other people, but there is something enticing about reshaping your heart to fit around a consuming passion.
But maybe that is just me. Nothing happened the way I hoped, or even expected. And the only character who paid an exacting price was Keenan, which was a shocker to end all shockers.
Mostly, I'm befuddled, and scratching my head as to how the events came to pass. View all 31 comments. Oct 16, Aine rated it it was amazing Shelves: own-physical-copy , arc , favorites , own-ebook , andrea , faeries-faery-tales , own-audio.
This book was amazing. I was able to read a borrowed copy the other day. It arrived in my mailbox Thursday, and I was up til AM reading it.
I could NOT put it down. This is one of my favorite series, so when I got the book I hugged it close for a while, and then ate dinner while looking at it longingly, and then I dove into the prologue. When it comes to series that I love so much and have such high expectations of, I'm always a bit nervous to read it.
Will it live up to my e Oh. Will it live up to my expectations? But that doesn't really slow me down And I have to say that this book does not disappoint! It was fabulous the entire way through. I laughed. I cried. And then I was sad it was over. The last Wicked Lovely book But since everything has to end at some point, I'm glad it ended on such a great note.
If you haven't read the previous And then pre-order this one. I think it may be my favorite of the 5! Mar 23, Jen rated it it was amazing Shelves: books-i-own , read-in Brace yourself. This one's gonna be a doozy. And it's gonna be mostly serious, because I am so ridiculously astounded and in love with the end of this series. I don't quite know what Melissa Marr's opinion of the tale of Humpty Dumpty may be, but she seems to be quite efficient in providing the push for that "great fall.
Marr is, if nothing else, a weaver of beautiful we Brace yourself. Marr is, if nothing else, a weaver of beautiful webs. I'll be honest: when I picked up Wicked Lovely a little over a year ago, I was completely intimidated by the intelligent prose and the wide variety of creatures and characters within the book. The author does not talk down to her readers, but rather compels you to do a little research of your own on these wondrous fey creatures.
I had no idea what a Bananach or a Gancanaugh was, but with each subsequent book, I've understood more. Darkest Mercy focuses on the collective whole of each character's tale from the previous four books. The character development that's taken place throughout the four books is put on grand display in Darkest Mercy. There are so many conflicts: one large, omnious problem at hand with smaller ones interspersed throughout the cast.
This could've potentially been confusing, but Marr's transition from one point of view to the next was flawless. I have such an unspeakable amount of love for all the characters. You know that feeling where all the blood drains from your face and you have to double take a sentence because you want to be absolutely sure that's what you just read?
That happened like, 56 times. In like, 30 minutes. Aislinn is no longer the weak, uncertain mortal she was in Wicked Lovely. Niall is no longer the careful, calculating creature he had been in Ink Exchange and with good reason.
Irial is no longer the embodiment of evil, but shows a softer side And Bananach And what a fabulously written villain she is. Even the characters that I didn't have much feeling toward became beloved with this book. It was physically painful to put this down. There was not ever a dull moment. I read every single word carefully, because there was no need for paragraph skimming or skipping. Every detail is golden and necessary.
I didn't know how the massive amount of characters would all be given closure in only pages. I didn't know how, after all of the heart-smashing that Marr did with her bare fist, I could possibly stumble upon an ending that didn't make me hurt--like I said, there were so many terrible losses that made me catch my breath a few times--but this ending was the most perfect way for this series of beautiful, incredible books to bow out.
I cried a lot last night at am when I finished. Tears of happiness and sadness and because I feel like I'm missing a part of my heart now. Series are difficult to bring to a close. There's always something that just isn't quite right or doesn't sit well with me.
I can honestly say that I have no qualms or complaints. You guys. Go buy these books. Pre-order this one. Yes, they're confusing at times.
Yes, you probably won't have much of an idea what many of the characters are, nor their roles, at first. But the end result is so beautiful and makes perfect sense. Each book builds upon the epicness of the last and in the end, there is sacrifice and there is pain.
It's like trying to solve a mystery and each book is yet another mind-boggling discovery. I'm still so happy and so sad This one's imprinted on my soul forever and is not only my favorite Fey series of all time but probably the best series I've ever read.
Feb 14, Angie rated it it was ok Shelves: ya , urban-fantasy. I've been looking forward to some desperately needed closure on this series for awhile now. I still remember running across Wicked Lovely what seems like so long ago and loving it. I fell even more in love with the darker Ink Exchange , which cemented my fascination with and unhealthy substantial interest in His Uber Dark Lordliness Irial.
And the fabulous short story "Stopping Time" sort of pushed me over the edge as far as my admiration for Marr's storytelling skills and my love for some of these characters went. The other two installments in the series fell a bit flat for me for various reasons. And so I held my breath as I opened up the last one, hoping it would resolve things in both a satisfactory and suitably complex way.
High expectations much? Who me? Nobody is where they should be. Keenan is missing by his own choice. Aislinn is grasping at straws trying to keep the Summer Court afloat in his absence. Seth is floating between this world and that, courting disaster with his various alliances.
Niall is losing is grip on the Dark Court with every ragged breath Irial draws. And Bananach is ranging free, inciting death and destruction wherever she goes. Too much discord, too much uncertainty haunts the courts of the fae as their regents struggle to retain power and protect their people. Donia and Aislinn have taken to meeting on a semi-regular basis to discuss their options, though summer and winter have never been pleasant bedfellows.
Seth and Niall dance dangerously around their loyalties. And the Gabriel Hounds are out in force as Bananach's trail becomes more littered with bodies. Then a stranger shows up in Hunstdale, full of foreboding and guile. And he seems to know more about each of the main players than should be possible. But one thing is clear, he is just one more unknown quantity in the path toward conflagration they all seem to be walking.
I really had no clue as to how things were going to pan out. I had hopes. Of course I had hopes. And Donia. I have always loved Donia. Though I'm pretty sure she deserves better than Keenan--she loves him. And I wanted her happy. And, as long as we're confessing, I may have been harboring a few leftover leanings with regards to Seth and Ash.
Because they were great in Wicked Lovely , and what happened to them could not strictly have been avoided. Though there are always choices. And you can choose happiness. And those are my two favorite messages from this series. Ones I won't forget soon.
But, overall, this last installment was a letdown in so many ways. Everything played out expediently and essentially along the lines of what I was expecting. But, somehow, it did so with an utter lack of the feeling and emotion that characterized the previous books in the series. There were scenes and particular moments which elicited a smile or a sigh from me, but they were just too few and far between to balance out the strange sense of rote apathy that pervaded the rest of the story.
I ended it very puzzled by this, as the strongest emotion I felt at the close was gratitude that this character or that hadn't died. That was it. No joy or relish in the way it came about or in the sacrifices people made.
I guess it just wasn't my book. And the ending doesn't taint my love for my favorites of the others. I'm not angry or even too sad. I closed it with a vague feeling of regret at its low impact, and I moved on. Mine is rather an unusual reaction, though, it should be stressed.
By and large, I feel certain fans of the series will think this last book closes things out with a bang. Jun 03, IReadsALot marked it as to-read. All I have to say is Keenan and Ash better end up together. View all 7 comments. Nov 07, Limonessa rated it it was ok Shelves: fantasy , paranormal-ya , swoooooon , ya-lit. I've delayed my review of Darkest Mercy for two days because I'm not sure what I want to write.
First, that i am disappointed -this is, by far, the worst in the Wicked Lovely series. And it is really a pity because, being the final installment, it kind of spoils my general impression on the series. I loved Wicked Lovely and even Ink Exchange , which was my least favorite, is better than this. The plot is confusing to put it mildly, and there is really no action throughout all the book, save for th I've delayed my review of Darkest Mercy for two days because I'm not sure what I want to write.
The plot is confusing to put it mildly, and there is really no action throughout all the book, save for the epic X-Men-like battle at the end. Characters I loved, Ash, Keenan, Donia, Seth, Niall, in this book are just going around Huntsdale visiting each other and having pointless conversations, so much so that at times I couldn't even understand the reason in the economy of the plot of said conversations. Keenan and Donia - I wanted to strangle them both.
Their continuous indecisiveness got on my nerves - i could understand the problems behind their being together but their constant changes of mind were really too much, especially from Keenan. I could not feel his torment for not being able to be with Donia and it seemed to me that, if Ash had let him in her bed, he would have been more than happy about it. BUT she refuses him and, after 4 books, he finally decides he needs to be with the one he really loves and dumps Ash and the Summer Court.
And Donia? Who loved him for ages, got cheated, deceived, exploited, what does she do when he goes begging to her, the dog? No questions asked. Not even one doubt. This is SO not how a woman should be treated or how she should react in such a situation. Bad, bad example. Ash and Seth have somehow slightly better roles but again, Seth, big disappointment. At the end, when there is finally some action, he sits out.
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