Review: Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr

Series: Wicked Lovely #5

Publisher: HarperCollins

Publishing date: Feb, 22 2011

Pages: 336

Buy it: Amazon

Summary:  The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey. Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.
Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win . . . and some will lose everything.

Rating: 3 stars

WARNING: This review will give away some elements of the first four books of the series.

I expected a lot from this book. First, a well-written and realistic battle against Banananach, a final and clear answer for the love-triangle-but-not-really between Ash, Seth and Keenan, a miracle with Irial and the unveiling of the whole mystery with Seth's nature.

Overall, I was not disappointed. This novel is exactly what it should be: fast-paced with action and revelations, but also tinged with sorrow (there are few deaths), reminiscent of the melancholy you're feeling yourself when reading the final book of an amazing series. The plot was well-developed (as always), Marr's writing is still as entrancing as in Wicked Lovely and I liked that the book focused and all the characters equally for once.

However, it was far from perfect. I liked the plot, I still love the characters (I finally genuinely like Keenan), but some things just didn't ring true. Especially the whole plot revolving around Seth, Irial and Niall.

I also hated the fact that we still didn't get to know Donia. I wanted to like her. And I know I could have. But how can I empathize with her when we barely see her after book 1? Throughout the 4 books, she seemed unemotional and cold to me. I know the Winter Queen is supposed to be calm and collected, and it's not really what bothered me. It's more the way Marr wrote the character. She tells us what Donia's feeling instead of writing it and making us feel sympathetic. Sigh.

I can't really talk about the parings in the book without spoiling anyone, but let's just say I was rooting for a certain couple and even though it didn't quite turn out how I would have liked, Marr worked her voodoo magic once again and somehow I still enjoyed the result (I realised after typing this that this could actually apply to 2 couples in DM).

I still have one question, though: what of the deal Keenan made with a certain fey at the beginning of the book? We never did get to see the consequences of that. I guess we'll never know.