I have had my eye out for this book for a while now. I had read glowing reviews. I knew it was a hit with the Twilighters. I liked the look of the cover. (bit girly, you reckon? Yeah maybe).
But it was elusive.
Then, suddenly, from nowhere, it was everywhere. As well as its companion novel, Ink Exchange. A cynic might start looking around for a third book. It’s not like there is a sudden influx of prior books, just before a new one is released. Is there? Or that they all have brand new covers? Oh no, I am not bitter (much).
But, moving on. I quickly snaffled up the pair. And read them. Did I devour them? Pretty sure that’s not the word.
These books are as far from the Twilight books as you can imagine. Not a vampire in sight. In Marr’s world we are surrounded by faeries. We may not see them, but they are able to influence us, and enchant us, tease us and manipulate us.
Aislinn is the main character and she has the Sight. She can see the faeries all around and has spent her life pretending she can’t. She can never relax, can never let her defences down. And most of all, she knows never to run. They love to chase. And catch. Ash knows all this from her Grandmother.
But the novel is not only told from Ash’s perspective. We are also shown Keenan’s point of view. He is the Summer King who has been cursed, and cannot rule entirely until he finds his Queen. There are many rules, many complications and he has been waiting for centuries. Can Aislinn be the one?
To complicate matters, Aislinn is very quickly falling in love with the steadfast, loyal (very human) Seth. Can she ward off the advances of Keenan? Look, the plot is not the most important thing about these books. (which is funny that I have spent so much time talking about it, considering in most of my reviews I don’t usually touch upon plot very much). But because of the beautiful way that Marr writes, the focus is very much on the language, on the mood she creates, and on the intense interactions between the characters.
Marr builds up the situation to breaking point. When we think there is no way for her characters to go and they appear to be back up against a very nasty wall, then and only then, does she offer us a solution. Not just a solution, but a completely and utterly realised compromise that allows all the characters to hold their heads up.
I know that I don’t usually go on like this. And I still have two books to go. Oh, did I not mention that the third one has appeared on bookshop shelves? Sorry, my bad. (It did. Yesterday.)
Ink Exchange is set in the same world. 
Aislinn, Keenan and Seth all appear. As do other minor characters in Wicked Lovely. But the main character this time is Lesley. This book is much darker, and more grim. Lesley lives a lonely sad existance. And she has lost contact with her good friend Ash. What she doesn’t know though, is the King of the Dark Court, a faerie called Irial has picked her, and it will take all her strength, and some desperately needed help from her friends for Leslie to find her way back and find herself.
Aislinn, Keenan and Seth all appear. As do other minor characters in Wicked Lovely. But the main character this time is Lesley. This book is much darker, and more grim. Lesley lives a lonely sad existance. And she has lost contact with her good friend Ash. What she doesn’t know though, is the King of the Dark Court, a faerie called Irial has picked her, and it will take all her strength, and some desperately needed help from her friends for Leslie to find her way back and find herself.
Again Marr focuses on the the way the characters want their lives to be and the way they are. She shows the importance of choice and the need to take responsibility and the way we need to reach out to our friends.
Although this was harder to read, I liked the development of some of the minor characters – Niall is a curious creation. We want to like him, but he such dark thoughts and urges. But I guess that is something else Marr wants us to think about. The flaws we all have, and how we have to work to overcome them. We must put aside our selfish thoughts and put others first.
I am in the middle of the third one. We are back to Aislinn and Seth. The book is not the last, so I am expecting it to leave me impatient for the fourth. I think I can see where its headed. I know Seth has some serious decisions ahead of him. Maybe he needs to spend some time with Bella.
I initially said that Marr’s books are nothing like Meyer’s. I stand by that. But in a way, all YA has a similar undercurrent. The angst is explicit. The longing for identity and to belong is paramount. The characters seek, sometimes not even sure what they are looking for. And as readers, we go on this journey, looking for our own answers.
Measuring Up is Gabrielle Stroud’s first