The Wicked Lovely Series
The Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr has to be one of my favorite series about faeries ever. Not only is the writing style beautiful, it also has a way to draw the readers in and make us care about every single one of its characters. The story is about Aislinn, a young girl who's gifted with the ability to see faeries, who are usually invisible to human eyes. All her life she has to pretend not to notice them because she has been taught that they are dangerous, so attracting their attention is out of the question. But everything changes when Keenan enters her life and actually tries to court her. Not only is he a faerie, he's also the Summer King, in charge of all faeries in the Summer Court. And he wants to make her his Queen.
It isn't an easy arrangement at all, and once he has chosen her, there's no going back. As the story evolves, we see Aislinn trying to deal with the new changes in her life and trying to make sure that she still has her choices. That she can still shape her future the way she wants it to, even if everything has now changed. The story isn't your typical young adult romance because the relationships are so much more complex than that. The characters are always torn between duty and love, and betrayals are committed by one's own loved ones. The faerie courts are full of intrigues, and with a full-blown war threatening to tear them all apart, you can bet there's one interesting ride that's so much more than just Aislinn's journey and romance waiting for you.
In the later books, sometimes the story moves away from the characters we know in the first book to the other parts of the faerie world. We get to know about the dealings of the Dark Court in Ink Exchange, the second book. We are introduced to the High Court and the world of the Faerie realm in Radiant Shadows, the fourth book. There are five books in total in the series, with the focus changing every other book. I must say that Darkest Mercy, the final book in the series, is the best of them all. It ties up everyone's stories nicely, gives everyone the happy ending they deserve, although not without some appropriate sacrifices. So many things change throughout the course of the series, and by the end, although I feel happy for the characters for ending up where they're supposed to be, I'm also sad because I can't read any more of their stories.
This series is highly recommended for those of you who like to read a modern story about faeries, get caught up in both romance and political intrigue that is never boring, and a good old epic battle in the finale. And don't forget a tear-jerking conclusion. Because I might have cried a lot by the time the story ends. If all of this appeals to you, then do give the series a try. It has its rough patches, like every other series (nothing is perfect, right?), but by the time you reach the end I promise that the journey will be well worth it.