Fragile Eternity (Wicked Lovely Series #3) by Melissa Marr

From Barnes & Noble

Wicked Lovely and Ink Exchange author Melissa Marr delivers another little masterpiece of Urban Faery, that budding subgenre. In this ethereal romance, Aislinn has achieved the fragile eternity of the title; she has become an immortal faery, complicating both her life and that of Seth, the man who loves her.

From the Publisher

Seth never expected he would want to settle down with anyone—but that was before Aislinn. She is everything he'd ever dreamed of, and he wants to be with her forever. Forever takes on new meaning, though, when your girlfriend is an immortal faery queen.

Aislinn never expected to rule the very creatures who'd always terrified her—but that was before Keenan. He stole her mortality to make her a monarch, and now she faces challenges and enticements beyond any she'd ever imagined.

In Melissa Marr's third mesmerizing tale of Faerie, Seth and Aislinn struggle to stay true to themselves and each other in a milieu of shadowy rules and shifting allegiances, where old friends become new enemies and one wrong move could plunge the Earth into chaos.

The New York Times - Regina Marler

Marr's fantasy world is complex and involving.

Children's Literature

Many little girls dream of growing up to be faeries. To be a faery queen, they think, would be perfect. Aislinn, however, is finding out the truth. Recently crowned the Queen of the Summer Faeries, she is realizing that it really is not as much fun as the faery tales make it seem. She has to maintain her court, despite possible attacks from other faery courts. Although she is madly in love with her human boyfriend, his mortality is a constant source of worry for her. She is irresistibly drawn to her king, Keenan, despite her efforts to remain only friends. People who were once her close friends are now other faery queens and kings who value their courts more than her. The more she tries to control her life, the more she seems to lose control. This is a book for fantasy lovers. The plot is intricate, and there are numerous major and minor characters to know. The story is exciting and quickly-paced. While magic is key, the plot is driven by characters, not faery dust. Although some scenes seem to be repeated, the action will draw readers into the book. However, this is a sequel. If readers liked Wicked Lovely, they will probably like this book as well. Those who have not read the first book will be left confused about many of the details. Some of the magical creatures may be unfamiliar to non-fantasy readers as well. This is a good book, but buyers are encouraged to think about who they are buying it for before make a purchase. Reviewer: Heather Robertson Mason

VOYA

This sequel to Wicked Lovely (HarperTeen, 2007/VOYA June 2007) finds the ever-patient Seth living in a dual mortal/faery world and dealing with a unique relationship. His girlfriend, Aislinn, is now the Faery Summer Queen. Aislinn's new role requires that she balance her longing to be in Seth's company with her mandated duties to the stunning Summer King and their court of loyal, whimsical, and dependent faeries. Seth soon realizes that if he is to secure Aislinn's steadfast love, he must level the playing field. To this end, he embarks on an uncertain quest that has the potential to change his mortal status, allowing him to spend eternity with his beloved. Woven throughout is an undercurrent of an impending war among the various self-motivated Faerie Courts that has the potential of inflicting devastation upon an unsuspecting planet. Completely reliant on its predecessor, this modern fairy tale's themes of responsible choice, independent thought, and love versus duty are often contradicted by the actions of the characters. The author's use of internal monologues, rather than give insight to the characters' thoughts and reflections, often confuse and are redundant. The intriguing concept that the earth's seasonal changes are dependant on the faery realm's interpersonal struggles gets lost in the complex and overwrought "love polygon" among the mundane mortals and fickle faeries. The meager plot is slow moving and convoluted until the rushed and unresolved ending that alerts the frustrated reader another book will be forthcoming. Reviewer: Lynne Farrell Stover

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up

Fans of the fey world will devour this sequel to Wicked Lovely (HarperTeen, 2007). The groundwork laid in that book makes navigating the world of the Summer Queen, Winter Queen, and Dark Court easier, although determined readers could make it through this book alone. Marr has created a world both harsh and lush, at once urban and natural, with decaying buildings covered with blooming vines, unkempt Victorian mansions, an overgrown park for the Summer Court, with living Rowan people, gazing ravens, and a mysterious fountain. This world exists within the mortal world and yet remains invisible to most. Aislinn moves uneasily between high school life (although she rarely seems to attend class or study) and her "job" as Summer Queen, a role that increasingly pervades every aspect of her life and draws her deeper into Faerie. Chasteness is not a particularly valued faery trait, and descriptions of interactions, while not explicit, have a mature sensuality and desire. Keenan, Seth, and "Ash" are respectful of boundaries, although the longing to be physically close is never far from the surface, and is sometimes acted upon. Tattoos, body piercing, pool halls, and smoking are portrayed as glamorous parts of teen life. Wicked Lovely, Fragile Eternity , and their companion, Ink Exchange (HarperTeen, 2008), would be good suggestions for fans of Maggie Stiefvater's Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception (Flux, 2008).-Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley School, Fort Worth, TX

Kirkus Reviews

Three months after the events of Wicked Lovely (2007), Aislinn and her boyfriend, Seth, are still trying to figure out the complex world of Faerie. Though Aislinn, as the Summer Queen, has an antagonistic relationship with the Winter Queen, Donia, Donia's frigidity is the least of Aislinn's problems. Elsewhere in the city, two sisters representing Order and Chaos predict war for Faerie. The overwrought, repetitive writing (one character "quirks his brow" at no fewer than three points in the book) that is Marr's trademark does not let up for a moment here. In spite of this, the plots of multiple love triangles and impending war manage to move much more smoothly from scene to scene than in Wicked Lovely or the companion Ink Exchange (2008). Romantics will be touched by Seth's undying, if blind, devotion to the ever-more-untouchable Aislinn; he goes so far as to become a faery himself in order to be with her forever. Like its predecessors, this book is a few hundred pages of mediocrity underneath an exquisite cover, and it will fly off library and bookstore shelves. (Fantasy. YA)

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