Helpful Score: 5
Reviewed by LadyJay for TeensReadToo.com
When last we saw Aislinn, she had become the embodiment of Summer, and taken her rightful place as Summer Queen.
Aislinn has had to adapt quickly to her new faery abilities, and it is certainly not easy. She struggles with her feelings towards Keenan, her Summer King, and her mortal boyfriend, Seth. She loves Seth, but is drawn to Keenan in a way that is inexplicable.
Aislinn searches for a happy balance, but it eludes her.
Keenan is also facing troubles of his own. Donia, the new Winter Queen, is his heart's desire, but she cannot bear sharing him with Aislinn. They also face a physical barrier that could destroy them both.
Aislinn, Keenan, and Donia continue their search for middle ground, but it all comes crashing down when Seth disappears. Aislinn becomes lost and wonders if joining the Faery Court was the right decision.
Melissa Marr's sequel to WICKED LOVELY is wonderful. She delves more deeply into the story of the Dark and High Courts, and gives a larger presence to Seth, Aislinn's mortal, and Sorcha, queen of the High Court.
Fans of both WICKED LOVELY and INK EXCHANGE will not be disappointed. I am looking forward to further installments in this amazing series!
When last we saw Aislinn, she had become the embodiment of Summer, and taken her rightful place as Summer Queen.
Aislinn has had to adapt quickly to her new faery abilities, and it is certainly not easy. She struggles with her feelings towards Keenan, her Summer King, and her mortal boyfriend, Seth. She loves Seth, but is drawn to Keenan in a way that is inexplicable.
Aislinn searches for a happy balance, but it eludes her.
Keenan is also facing troubles of his own. Donia, the new Winter Queen, is his heart's desire, but she cannot bear sharing him with Aislinn. They also face a physical barrier that could destroy them both.
Aislinn, Keenan, and Donia continue their search for middle ground, but it all comes crashing down when Seth disappears. Aislinn becomes lost and wonders if joining the Faery Court was the right decision.
Melissa Marr's sequel to WICKED LOVELY is wonderful. She delves more deeply into the story of the Dark and High Courts, and gives a larger presence to Seth, Aislinn's mortal, and Sorcha, queen of the High Court.
Fans of both WICKED LOVELY and INK EXCHANGE will not be disappointed. I am looking forward to further installments in this amazing series!
Theresa C. (fantasygonewild) reviewed Fragile Eternity (Wicked Lovely, Bk 3) on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
I followed Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series since it first came out and I fell in love with a bunch of the characters. This third enstallment broke my heart, but not in the way you think.
I really began to care about the characters and the way that Marr left off in the epilogue of Fragile Eternity literally left me breathless. I was so torn between being happy for some characters, while utterly destroyed for others.
I had a hard time falling asleep after reading this, and still have a knot in my stomach about the way things turned out.
Marr makes you fall in love, hate and cry with her characters, which is a tough thing to accomplish as a writer.
Love this series, definitely recommend!!
I really began to care about the characters and the way that Marr left off in the epilogue of Fragile Eternity literally left me breathless. I was so torn between being happy for some characters, while utterly destroyed for others.
I had a hard time falling asleep after reading this, and still have a knot in my stomach about the way things turned out.
Marr makes you fall in love, hate and cry with her characters, which is a tough thing to accomplish as a writer.
Love this series, definitely recommend!!
Helpful Score: 3
It seems as each book comes out this series just becomes darker and darker. Fragile Eternity is a hard book to read. The characters, Seth in particular, are not happy unless they are unhappy. It physically made my heart hurt to read this book and I had a hard time sleeping afterward. It really depresses you. Although it is well written and has a a good plot, if you want a happy ending, don't read further then the first book.
Stephanie S. (skywriter319) -
Helpful Score: 1
You would think that once the malevolent Winter Queen Beira's reign was destroyed and the Summer King, Keenan, was restored to full power when he found his Summer Queen, Aislinn, that the this alternative faerie world, located in Philadelphia, would be peaceful again. But it's not. The monarchs of all three faery courts have changed hands, and former friendships (Niall, Keenan's former advisor, now the king of the Dark Court) and flames (Donia, the new Winter Queen) will become enemies to be wary of.
Meanwhile, in between adjusting to being a faery and learning her duties as Summer Queen, Aislinn struggles to find balance between Keenan--her king, her partner, her friend, to whom she experiences an undeniable attraction--and Seth, her wonderful mortal boyfriend. Seth is frustrated that his mortality hinders his ability to protect Aislinn from faery threats. With a hint from Bananach, the dangerously insane faery of Chaos and War, Seth goes to Sorcha, the faery queen of Reason, in order to be changed into a faery, so that he and Aislinn may stay together forever and equally.
What none of them except Bananach know, however, is that every one of their actions takes them all a step closer to a war that could destroy everything they know...
If you thought the world of faerie couldn't get more dangerously sexy and alluring than Melissa Marr's first book, Wicked Lovely, well, you're wrong. Fragile Eternity focuses mostly on the characters' relationships with one another. And what brilliantly hot and tension-filled ones they are! Lengthy conversations between Keenan and Aislinn, Keenan and Donia--okay, Keenan and anyone--should come with a "sexual tension!" warning/preview. Melissa Marr definitely writes wonderfully complex characters who are stuck in situations that have no easy solutions.
The writing of Fragile Eternity is fantastic: lyrical, magical, completely befitting the ideas it wants to express. This is poetry in motion, beauty in black and white. (And this is not even mentioning the gorgeous cover that this book is graced with.)
When I read Wicked Lovely I thought it was a decently written urban fantasy novel but nothing special. That's why I was so surprised at how much better I thought Fragile Eternity was. Parts of the story are still frustrating to me--despite how well drawn the characters are and how good the writing is, I still can't seem to fully connect with them--but I have no doubt that fans of Wicked Lovely will run out to buy this one. The ending, while rather anticlimactic after so much buildup over 300+ pages, promises a possibly even more exciting and tension-filled sequel. This may not be a hands-down favorite fantasy series of mine, but the love triangle and Melissa's beautiful writing are enough to keep me reading, and far less picky fantasy lovers will passionately declare their ardour for Marr's faerie world.
Meanwhile, in between adjusting to being a faery and learning her duties as Summer Queen, Aislinn struggles to find balance between Keenan--her king, her partner, her friend, to whom she experiences an undeniable attraction--and Seth, her wonderful mortal boyfriend. Seth is frustrated that his mortality hinders his ability to protect Aislinn from faery threats. With a hint from Bananach, the dangerously insane faery of Chaos and War, Seth goes to Sorcha, the faery queen of Reason, in order to be changed into a faery, so that he and Aislinn may stay together forever and equally.
What none of them except Bananach know, however, is that every one of their actions takes them all a step closer to a war that could destroy everything they know...
If you thought the world of faerie couldn't get more dangerously sexy and alluring than Melissa Marr's first book, Wicked Lovely, well, you're wrong. Fragile Eternity focuses mostly on the characters' relationships with one another. And what brilliantly hot and tension-filled ones they are! Lengthy conversations between Keenan and Aislinn, Keenan and Donia--okay, Keenan and anyone--should come with a "sexual tension!" warning/preview. Melissa Marr definitely writes wonderfully complex characters who are stuck in situations that have no easy solutions.
The writing of Fragile Eternity is fantastic: lyrical, magical, completely befitting the ideas it wants to express. This is poetry in motion, beauty in black and white. (And this is not even mentioning the gorgeous cover that this book is graced with.)
When I read Wicked Lovely I thought it was a decently written urban fantasy novel but nothing special. That's why I was so surprised at how much better I thought Fragile Eternity was. Parts of the story are still frustrating to me--despite how well drawn the characters are and how good the writing is, I still can't seem to fully connect with them--but I have no doubt that fans of Wicked Lovely will run out to buy this one. The ending, while rather anticlimactic after so much buildup over 300+ pages, promises a possibly even more exciting and tension-filled sequel. This may not be a hands-down favorite fantasy series of mine, but the love triangle and Melissa's beautiful writing are enough to keep me reading, and far less picky fantasy lovers will passionately declare their ardour for Marr's faerie world.
Helpful Score: 1
Fragile Eternity is the sequel to Wicked Lovely, a continuation of Melissa Marr's tale of faery. It is technically book three in a five- book series, although books two and four follow the stories of other key characters in the series.
If that sounds a little confusing, it is. It's also a little frustrating to know that ultimately, there won't be any major tying up of loose ends in the next volume, and that most likely, readers will be treated to another book's worth of wheel-spinning as Marr parses out more tidbits of the "big" story to whet our appetites, while actually following another set of characters operating in the same world.
Don't get me wrong -- Fragile Eternity does advance the story of once-mortal faery queen of the Summer court, Aislinn; her Summer King, Keenan; and the mortal she loves, Seth. The love triangle -- not to mention the rest of the romantic entanglements of the "love web" created by the other supporting characters -- is complicated further in this book. These players swap partners as often as the cast of Grey's Anatomy.
But in this book, the dialogue has taken on a whiny air. Marr beats the same conversations to death. No one can be with the person they want to be with. Keenan loves Donia, but is drawn to Aislinn. Aislinn loves Seth, but is drawn to Keenan. Seth loves Aislinn, but... well, that's too spoilery for this review. Let's just say, Marr is ever creative in the romantic conflicts she creates.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but much of it really did feel like filler material. I think it would have been a bit more satisfying if it would have ended about 75 pages sooner. I liked getting an inside view of Faerie, though. I hope that Marr revisits that territory in the books she has planned in the future. [close]
If that sounds a little confusing, it is. It's also a little frustrating to know that ultimately, there won't be any major tying up of loose ends in the next volume, and that most likely, readers will be treated to another book's worth of wheel-spinning as Marr parses out more tidbits of the "big" story to whet our appetites, while actually following another set of characters operating in the same world.
Don't get me wrong -- Fragile Eternity does advance the story of once-mortal faery queen of the Summer court, Aislinn; her Summer King, Keenan; and the mortal she loves, Seth. The love triangle -- not to mention the rest of the romantic entanglements of the "love web" created by the other supporting characters -- is complicated further in this book. These players swap partners as often as the cast of Grey's Anatomy.
But in this book, the dialogue has taken on a whiny air. Marr beats the same conversations to death. No one can be with the person they want to be with. Keenan loves Donia, but is drawn to Aislinn. Aislinn loves Seth, but is drawn to Keenan. Seth loves Aislinn, but... well, that's too spoilery for this review. Let's just say, Marr is ever creative in the romantic conflicts she creates.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but much of it really did feel like filler material. I think it would have been a bit more satisfying if it would have ended about 75 pages sooner. I liked getting an inside view of Faerie, though. I hope that Marr revisits that territory in the books she has planned in the future. [close]
This is the third book in the "Wicked Lovely" series by Melissa Marr. Where the second book was from Ash's friend's point of view, this book goes back to Ash's perspective. This was an okay book and seemed to be very much a transition book.
Almost all of the book deals with Keenan, Ash, Donia, and Seth trying to find a balance with each other as Summer gets stronger. Keenan (Summer King) loves Donia (Winter Queen) while Ash (Summer Queen) loves Seth (mortal);unfortunately as Summer peaks Keenan and Ash are drawn together more than ever making their other relationships tough to deal with. To complicate things Lady War ( Bananach) is going around trying to create trouble as she wants all of the courts Summer, Winter, Dark, and High Courts at war with each other.
Mainly this book focused on the above mentioned individuals trying to make progress in their relationship balances. This book seemed to be setting things up for some big events in the next book. I was actually kind of disappointed that this book really leaves you hanging and doesn't really resolve anything.
I also did not enjoy Ash's continuous whining and incompetent attitude throughout the book. Ash talked herself in circles over and over again...I get it, it's a hard decision but geez you don't need to flog the reader over and over with it a hundred times.
Niall and Seth remain my favorite characters. I wish Ash would go away, she is uninteresting and boring to read about. Dania was another great character and really came into her own in this book. The events that happened in the end of this book made it interesting and make me want to read the next book. Personally though I would recommend waiting to read this book until the next book is out. Nothing is resolved in this one and reading it will just frustrate you.
Almost all of the book deals with Keenan, Ash, Donia, and Seth trying to find a balance with each other as Summer gets stronger. Keenan (Summer King) loves Donia (Winter Queen) while Ash (Summer Queen) loves Seth (mortal);unfortunately as Summer peaks Keenan and Ash are drawn together more than ever making their other relationships tough to deal with. To complicate things Lady War ( Bananach) is going around trying to create trouble as she wants all of the courts Summer, Winter, Dark, and High Courts at war with each other.
Mainly this book focused on the above mentioned individuals trying to make progress in their relationship balances. This book seemed to be setting things up for some big events in the next book. I was actually kind of disappointed that this book really leaves you hanging and doesn't really resolve anything.
I also did not enjoy Ash's continuous whining and incompetent attitude throughout the book. Ash talked herself in circles over and over again...I get it, it's a hard decision but geez you don't need to flog the reader over and over with it a hundred times.
Niall and Seth remain my favorite characters. I wish Ash would go away, she is uninteresting and boring to read about. Dania was another great character and really came into her own in this book. The events that happened in the end of this book made it interesting and make me want to read the next book. Personally though I would recommend waiting to read this book until the next book is out. Nothing is resolved in this one and reading it will just frustrate you.
Emily M. (dangerouskitchen) reviewed Fragile Eternity (Wicked Lovely, Bk 3) on + 8 more book reviews
Check out my other book reviews at http://whatbookisthat.blogspot.com!
Fragile Eternity brought to fruition all the hopes that I had after reading Wicked Lovely. I've heard from a lot of people that this is truly the second book in the series, instead of Ink Exchange, and for the most part I agree. However, I appreciate Melissa Marr's way of telling the story, through bits and pieces and from different peoples' perspectives. I like that we as readers get to see the same world and same events from a number of different perspectives.
If the monster theme of A Great and Terrible Beauty was the need for choice, Fragile Eternity's was a cautionary tale about the danger and unexpected effect of inaction. There are several huge decisions that have to be made by various characters: Ash has to choose between Keenan and Seth, Seth has to choose whether to go the distance to pursue a relationship with Ash, Donia has to decide whether to protect her heart from Keenan, Niall has to decide where his loyalties lie and whether or not to articulate them, and Sorcha has to decide whether or not to become involved in the politics and goings-on at the other courts. Some of the characters rise to the occasion and make their own decisions; some of them refuse to act and have the decision made for them. The lesson of the story is definitely that choosing not to act is still a choice, and if you don't make decisions then someone else will definitely make them for you.
One of my favorite things about Melissa Marr's characters in these novels is that they are richly drawn, struggling, and definitely not perfect. I spent a sizeable amount of time while reading Fragile Eternity wanting to smack the stupid out of Ash and Keenan. I understand completely that Ash has had a lot thrust on her in a short amount of time and that Keenan has been around for centuries and views people as disposable for a reason, but their apparent surprise at the outcomes of their treatment of other people was frustrating to the extreme. I will admit, too, that the constant "I love you Seth but I'm attracted to you Keenan, I don't love you Keenan!" business did get tiresome after awhile, and it was difficult to be sympathetic to Ash. She relegated the supposed love of her life to basically being a combination therapist/pool boy, and then was surprised and brokenhearted when he took his fate into his own hands! Keenan treated Niall and Donia like crap with a capital C, whether it was on purpose or not, and then he's shocked and heartbroken when they are looking out for themselves and their courts. These aren't necessarily flaws in the writing, though, just illustrations that everyone had their own imperfections that had to be dealt with and overcome.
I'm definitly interested to see what direction the series will go in next, and will definitely be reading Radiant Shadows (the next book in the series) when it comes out in April 2010. I would advise, though, that if you're interested in Fragile Eternity that you start at the beginning of the series with Wicked Lovely and go from there.
Fragile Eternity brought to fruition all the hopes that I had after reading Wicked Lovely. I've heard from a lot of people that this is truly the second book in the series, instead of Ink Exchange, and for the most part I agree. However, I appreciate Melissa Marr's way of telling the story, through bits and pieces and from different peoples' perspectives. I like that we as readers get to see the same world and same events from a number of different perspectives.
If the monster theme of A Great and Terrible Beauty was the need for choice, Fragile Eternity's was a cautionary tale about the danger and unexpected effect of inaction. There are several huge decisions that have to be made by various characters: Ash has to choose between Keenan and Seth, Seth has to choose whether to go the distance to pursue a relationship with Ash, Donia has to decide whether to protect her heart from Keenan, Niall has to decide where his loyalties lie and whether or not to articulate them, and Sorcha has to decide whether or not to become involved in the politics and goings-on at the other courts. Some of the characters rise to the occasion and make their own decisions; some of them refuse to act and have the decision made for them. The lesson of the story is definitely that choosing not to act is still a choice, and if you don't make decisions then someone else will definitely make them for you.
One of my favorite things about Melissa Marr's characters in these novels is that they are richly drawn, struggling, and definitely not perfect. I spent a sizeable amount of time while reading Fragile Eternity wanting to smack the stupid out of Ash and Keenan. I understand completely that Ash has had a lot thrust on her in a short amount of time and that Keenan has been around for centuries and views people as disposable for a reason, but their apparent surprise at the outcomes of their treatment of other people was frustrating to the extreme. I will admit, too, that the constant "I love you Seth but I'm attracted to you Keenan, I don't love you Keenan!" business did get tiresome after awhile, and it was difficult to be sympathetic to Ash. She relegated the supposed love of her life to basically being a combination therapist/pool boy, and then was surprised and brokenhearted when he took his fate into his own hands! Keenan treated Niall and Donia like crap with a capital C, whether it was on purpose or not, and then he's shocked and heartbroken when they are looking out for themselves and their courts. These aren't necessarily flaws in the writing, though, just illustrations that everyone had their own imperfections that had to be dealt with and overcome.
I'm definitly interested to see what direction the series will go in next, and will definitely be reading Radiant Shadows (the next book in the series) when it comes out in April 2010. I would advise, though, that if you're interested in Fragile Eternity that you start at the beginning of the series with Wicked Lovely and go from there.
Christine H. (solarawynn) reviewed Fragile Eternity (Wicked Lovely, Bk 3) on + 724 more book reviews
Was good,am looking forward to more.
Amanda B. (chefbeyerlein) -
The third book in the Faerie series begun in Wicked Lovely finds Aislinn struggling to find some sort of balance in her life as Summer Queen. As summer draws nearer, she finds herself being pulled more towards Keenan, the Summer King, but her heart is still with Seth, her mortal boyfriend. As Keenan tries to pull her to him, Seth struggles with being a mortal, and therefore weaker, than all those around him, even though he has ties to three Faerie courts. As Seth seeks his own solution, will anyone's heart survive.
I enjoyed this young adult fantasy book, but the romances are still so tenuous and unresolved, so I assume there must be another to come. Each book draws the reader deeper into the politics and checks and balances in this world or faeries and mortals, and the complications become more obvious.
I enjoyed this young adult fantasy book, but the romances are still so tenuous and unresolved, so I assume there must be another to come. Each book draws the reader deeper into the politics and checks and balances in this world or faeries and mortals, and the complications become more obvious.
good book
Ashley B. (daredevilgirl013) reviewed Fragile Eternity (Wicked Lovely, Bk 3) on + 746 more book reviews
This book isn't as "dark" as people are making it out to be. I found the previous books to be somewhat more disturbing compared to this one. This one continues on Seth and Ash's love and what they must go through for that love. The writing was a bit dragged out in spots, but still the story flowed smoothly. It is still hard to keep track of who is who due to the numerous characters and revisits to characters from the previous books (with little mention as to who they really are, or a quick little flash back to jog your memory). Still interesting and cannot wait to get started on the next book!
Really good.....Almost as good a the first book.
This book was kind of all over the place. By the end, the author had pulled it all together and it was good. It was a good read, good ending, just kind of a rough start. Took me about 100 pages or so to really get into it.
This book falls well in line with the rest of the series, but I found myself disappointed by the ending. Very little is settled by the end of this book, other than the fact that I'm starting to worry about Marr's characterization of Aislinn.
Yes, Aislinn is young and has dealt relatively well with a lot of recent changes but her continued wallowing and waffling has me questioning whether or not to pick up the next book.
Yes, Aislinn is young and has dealt relatively well with a lot of recent changes but her continued wallowing and waffling has me questioning whether or not to pick up the next book.
