Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Marr, Melissa. Wicked Lovely.
HarperTeen. 2007.
ISBN: 9780061214677
$8.99. Paperback. 352 pages.

Readers Annotation
Aislinn has always been able to see faeries, and now they taking notice of her.

Plot Summary
Aislinn, a seventeen-year-old Catholic schoolgirl has always been able to see faeries. Her grandmother has warned her to be careful not to acknowledge their presence or the consequences will be dire. Everything is fine until she catches the eye of the faery Summer King, Keenan. As he begins a game of seduction to lure Aislinn into becoming his Summer Queen, the Winter Queen (his mother ) plots to stop him. While the Winter Queen rules faery, winter continues to become longer and colder. The coming of the Summer Queen is destined to restore order to faery. Aislinn’s best friend Seth worries that he will lose her to Keenan. His fears are justified when Aislinn drinks the summer wine and dances in faery all night. Aislinn doesn’t know that the transformation to become the Summer Queen is already taking place. When she discovers that she is changing she runs to her safe harbor – Seth’s boxcar home. There she realizes that it is Seth’s love she craves and not Keenan’s. To save faery she agrees to become the Summer Queen in name only so that she and Seth can remain together as lovers.  This is book one of series.

Critical Evaluation
Marr’s novel is in keeping with the current trend of urban faery stories. Like Holly Black, Marr has created a faery world that exists side-by-side with our own. In both world’s there are only a few that have the gift of sight, and for them the world is far more dangerous place. However, Marr’s novel is not as gritty as the books by Black. While Wicked Lovely has some interesting difference, like Aislinn’s ability to choose which world she will inhabit, it lacks the danger prevalent in Black’s work. Marr tells us that faery is dangerous, but Black shows us it really is. Marr practically skips over the politics of the faery court. Instead, her story is more focused on the relationship between the Summer and Winter courts as parent and child. Marr’s story rambles around a bit, and seems a bit long. After reading both novels I think I could recommend both but for different reasons. If want more drama and violence you should read Holly Black’s Tithe, but if you want a love story, you should read Wicked Lovely.

Information about the author
At this writing Marr’s website is under reconstruction. Some pages are accessible but the home page is not. Instead you can look here for information about Melissa: http://www.harperteen.com/contests/wickedlovely/

Genre
Fantasy, Urban faery mythology

Curriculum ties
None

Challenge Issues
Sexual situations

Challenge defense ideas
· Become familiar with the book and its content.
· Refer to the collection development policy of the library.
· Refer to reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publisher’s Weekly available for viewing on amazon.com https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_4_13?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=wicked+lovely+by+melissa+marr&sprefix=wicked+lovely
· Try to get reviews of the book from teens that have read it.

Booktalking Ideas
1. Discuss how Aislinn can see faeries.
2. Discuss her relationships with Keenan and Set.

Reading Level/Age
Young adult, ages 15 and up.

Why I included this title
The book was recommended at Hickelbee’s books, and I enjoy the genre.

Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie by Holly Black

Black, Holly. Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie.
Simon & Schuster. 2005.
ISBN: 0689868227.
$16.99. Hardcover. 336 pages.

Readers Annotation
Betrayed by her mother, Valerie runs away to New York City only to find herself living in the subway system tunnels and addicted to faery drugs.

Plot Summary
Valerie Russell, a 17-year-old runaway finds herself living in the subway tunnels under New York City with a troop of captivating homeless teens. Lolli, Luis and Dave all work for a mysterious creature making deliveries of a substance called Nevermore: “Never more than once a day, never more than a pinch at a time, and never more than two days in a row,” Lolli tells Val. As Val becomes more and more addicted to the substance, Lolli talks her into approaching the troll who supplies the creatures of New York their drugs. The troll, Ravus agrees to hire Val as another runner to deliver the products necessary for their survival outside of faery. But faery folk are dying, and Ravus is accused of poisoning them. Val finds that she is beginning to fall in love with the honorable troll. Ravus teaches the very athletic Val how to fight with a sword so she can better protect herself against faeries. Val is not there when Ravus is attacked and his heart is stolen. Val travels with Luis to the Unseelie Court. She makes a deal with King Roiben (from the book Tithe). If Val can defeat Mabry she can have Ravus’ heart back. After Val successfully defeats Mabry, and returns his heart, she and Ravus decide to stay together.

Critical Evaluation
Holly Black has written three stories of a beautiful, but brutal faery kingdom. In this novel, Val is an angry, angst-filled teen that quickly becomes addicted to a faery susbstance.
As she descends into addiction she becomes deeply tangled in the politics of the faery courts without even knowing it. She is flawed - but trying to find a way out of the situation. For Val she finds a hero and romantic partner in an exiled troll. Like all of Black’s novels that I have read, there are parts that are difficult to stomach, and this novel is no different. Val witness’s barbarism and cruelty, when she has already been wounded by her mother’s betrayal. Yes, it’s difficult to read, but it is worth it. Black uses easily understood symbolism, which will appeal to reluctant readers.

Information about the author
Holly Black lives in New Jersey with her husband and her secret library. You can find out more about her on her website at http://www.blackholly.com/index.html

Genre
Fantasy

Curriculum ties
None

Challenge Issues
Drug abuse and violence

Challenge defense ideas
· Become familiar with the book and its content.
· Refer to the collection development policy of the library.
· Refer to reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publisher’s Weekly available for viewing on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Valiant-Holly-Black/dp/1416901183/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260220302&sr=8-2
· Try to get reviews of the book from teens that have read it.

Booktalking Ideas
1. Discuss the betrayal that forces Valerie to leave her home.
2. Discuss how Val meets Ravus and begins to work for him

Reading Level/Age
Young adult. Ages 14 and up.

Why I included this title
This book is included on the ALA Best Books for Young Adults, ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, and CCBC Choices.

Tithe: A modern faery tale by Holly Black

Black, Holly. Tithe: A modern faerie tale.
Simon Pulse. 2002.
ISBN 0689867042
$8.99. Paperback. 336 pages.

Readers Annotation
16-year-old Kaye has always seen faeries. She just didn’t know she was one.

Plot Summary
After Kaye, a foul-mouthed teen, is almost murdered by her mother’s boyfriend, she and her mother escape to Grandmother’s house at the Jersey shore. A high school dropout, Kaye rekindles and old friendship with her friend Janet. Strange incidents keep occurring around Kaye. She makes a broken merry go ground pony come to life, and she enchants Janet’s love interest into falling for her unknowingly. When she meets the dark knight Rath Roiben Rye, she is drawn into the politics of faery. She discovers that she is a changling. Her blond asian looks are a glamour to hide her true green skinned, black eyed pixie nature. She has been hidden away from faery for 16 years to hide her real nature so that she will become the next human sacrifice (or tithe) in the Unseelie Court. Corny (Cornelius), Janet’s younger gay brother becomes besotted with Nephamael, a knight of the Seelie Court, who attempts to subvert the current Unseeling Queen. Kaye finds she must also rescue her friend while trying to save herself. Because she is not human the plot is foiled and all the wild denizens of faery begin to roam the town. It is only when Roiben claims the empty throne of the Unseelie Court that Kaye is free again. Kaye and Roiben declare their feelings for each other even though he is now the king, and she remains a disguised pixie.

Critical Evaluation
Holly Black has earned her living writing modern stories of a beautiful, but brutal faery kingdom. Her novels brim with beauty and horror as the two faery courts meet and battle for dominance. In the three novels about modern faery, her characters are deeply flawed but fighting to overcome supernatural odds. While it is difficult to understand the protagonist’s point of view at times, Black makes her characters believably sympathetic but quirky. Kaye is a sarcastic chain smoker who is her mother’s keeper. She is independent and thinks nothing of behaving badly. She is difficult to like. Her love interest Roiben has been spell bound to obey any who use his full name as a command. He is violent and murderous. It is difficult to understand what he finds so alluring in Kaye. There is a great deal of violence in this book – mostly all supernatural. Still, the novel has an original viewpoint, and many will find themselves cheering for a positive outcome for the changeling and her kingly boyfriend. The novel is gritty and dark, and difficult to put down.

Information about the author
Holly Black lives in New Jersey with her husband and her secret library. You can find out more about her on her website at http://www.blackholly.com/index.html

Genre
Fantasy

Curriculum ties
None

Challenge Issues
Drinking, smoking, homosexuality, violence

Challenge defense ideas
· Become familiar with the book and its content.
· Refer to the collection development policy of the library.
· Refer to reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publisher’s Weekly available for viewing on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Tithe-Modern-Faerie-Holly-Black/dp/0689867042/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259128853&sr=8-1
· Try to get reviews of the book from teens that have read it.

Booktalking Ideas
1. Discuss how Kaye meets Roiben
2. Discuss how Kaye discovers she is really a pixie

Reading Level/Age
Young adult. Ages 14 and up.

Why I included this title
This book is included on both the ALA Best Books for Young Adults and YALSA Teen’s Top Teen Booklist.