Darkest Mercy

January 15, 2011

As the evil faery Bananach prepares to wage war, the Summer and Winter courts search for allies. Keenan, the Summer King, is still caught between Aislinn, who is his queen, and Donia, the Winter Queen, who is his true love. Aislinn, meanwhile, knows that her heart lies with Seth, a mortal turned faery. All of them put their differences aside to fight the war, which is made all the more complex by the presence of Death and the grieving Dark King. Though the threat of war is presented from page one, most of the first half involves faeries talking and debating their powers but doing little. Save for Donia, who comes into her own and takes full control of her powers and her court, the characters remain essentially unchanged from previous books in the series. A slog through this final overwritten chapter in the Wicked Lovely series should prove rewarding for persevering readers who have wondered both how the Keenan/Aislinn/Seth/Donia quadrangle will resolve itself and what they will sacrifice to achieve both love and power. For fans only. (Paranormal romance. 12 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

July 1, 2011
The Faery Courts must unite to defeat Bananach in battle. But first, Seth, Aislinn, Keenan, and Donia must resolve their romantic stalemate, and Niall must overcome the madness of grief. Frequent point-of-view shifts detract somewhat from emotional investment in the exposition-heavy narrative, but the payoff is a resolution of every plot thread from the previous four books and romantic happiness for all.

(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)