Once Upon a Bookshelf

Aislinn has had the Sight her whole life (she can see fairies), as has her mother and her grandmother. And she has lived by certain rules all her life – the main object to never let the fairies know that she can see them. Suddenly, however, a couple of fairies take a keen interest in her; so much of an interest that one of them (and no ordinary one at that) starts posing as a human boy and starts attending her school with the purpose of getting closer to Aislinn. Now Aislinn is learning that all of the rules she’s always lived by can’t save her.

I can completely understand why everyone I know who reads YA has been raving about this book. It was fabulous! It wasn’t as dark as a lot of comparable YA urban fantasy, but certainly does at times have the darker side of fairies that is so enjoyable to read about.

I love how intoxicating Marr has made her fairies. Certainly, other authors show that mere mortals like us tend to get ensared, but to me, Marr showed exactly what makes fairies so hard to turn away from. While Aislinn knows how dangerous fairies can be, especially to someone who can see them, she cannot help but being drawn to them against her better judgement.

A strange warmth seemed to permeate the air when he stood close to her, and after a few moments, it was near painful to resist touching him. Her mind told her to, but her eyes wanted to drift shut; her hands wanted to reach out.

Is it common in stories about fairies for mortals to become fairies? Not the sort where fairies steal babies and leave a changeling behind, but stories where if you are chosen by a fairy, you become one of them? This was new to me, I don’t think I remember reading something like this before, and I love how that could happen in this book. It adds a bit more magic and danger to the world.

Wicked Lovely is yet another one of those “Wow I cannot believe this is this author’s first novel!” that I’ve been reading this year. I am most certainly looking forward to what Marr writes in the future.