Wicked Lovely
 | |
| Author | Melissa Marr |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Mark Tucker (photography) |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Young adult Urban fantasy |
| Publisher | HarperTeen, an imprint of Harper Collins |
Publication date | June 12, 2007 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 328 |
| ISBN | 9780061214653 |
| OCLC | 123118232 |
| LC Class | PZ7.M34788 Wi 2007 |
| Followed by | Ink Exchange |
Wicked Lovely is a young adult/urban fantasy novel by author Melissa Marr. It was published by HarperTeen, a division of HarperCollins, in June 2007. The novel has also been released in the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, France, Denmark, Germany (under the title of Gegen das Sommerlicht meaning 'Against/Towards the Summer Light'.) and in Spain (under the title of "Encanto fatal" meaning 'Fatal Charm'). Wicked Lovely was originally written as a short story, ("The Sleeping Girl"), before the author decided to expand on her work in order to further develop the characters.[1] She completed the novel over a period of four months, and submitted it to an agent in January, 2006. By early March of that year, it had been accepted for publication.[2]
Plot summary
Wicked Lovely is the first novel in a series about a world where fairies and mortals intermingle. The story introduces Aislinn, a teen who can see the faeries around her, but who has been taught all her life to pretend not to see them. She is struggling to cope with the faeries when Keenan, the faery Summer King, enters her life and takes away her mortality, asking her to become the Summer Queen and defeat his mother, the Winter Queen. If she refuses, Winter will take over and kill all the summer faeries and mortals alike. However, Aislinn has no desire to become part of the faerie world, and is already in love with her best friend, Seth. In the end, she cannot avoid becoming the Summer Queen, and reigns alongside Keenan over the creatures she once feared. Upon defeating the Winter Queen, Aislinn brings peace to the world of fey. She also sticks with her best friend and new lover, Seth
Reception
Reviews for the novel have been very positive. Annette Klause in The Washington Post spoke highly of the work, praising the "fully realized" world and the romance,[3] while other reviewers, such as Charles de Lint, highlight both the tight plotting and the characterization.[4] Nevertheless, there is some concern with the character of the Winter Queen: Klause found her to "a little too over the top to be totally threatening",[3] while de Lint simply describes her as "a bit of a stock villain".[4] Wicked Lovely debuted at #8 on the New York Times bestseller list, and reached as high as #2. It stayed there for 11 weeks.The novel is described as being aimed at the Young Adult market, and some reviews chose to emphasize this, noting that the sexual tension and the "underlying darkness" ensure that Wicked Lovely is primarily appropriate for the over 12's.[5][6]
References
- ^ Glogowski, Taylor. "Get a read on otherworldly writings: Melissa Marr". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
- ^ Marr, Melisa. "Frequently Asked Questions". Melissa Marr (Official Site). Retrieved 2008-04-30. [dead link]
- ^ a b Klause, Annette (June 24, 2007). "The Faery Queen". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b de Lint, Charles (2007). "Books to Look For". Fantasy and Science Fiction. 113 (1): p. 30.
{{cite journal}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - ^ Hoult, Lisa (February 23, 2008). "Kid's Books". Taranaki Daily News.
- ^ Melgaard, Tricia (2007). "Wicked Lovely". School Library Journal. 53 (12).