Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr

Release Date: 21st February, 2012

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 432pgs

The Story

Dangerous promises and beguiling threats swirl together in a dozen stories of enchantments dark and light by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr. Uncanny and unexpected creatures appear from behind bushes, rise from beneath the seas, or manifest from seasonal storms to pursue the objects of their attention - with amorous or sinister intent - relentlessly.

From the gentle tones of a storyteller's cadences to the terror of a blood sacrifice, tales of favourite characters from Marr's Wicked Lovely novels mix with accounts of new characters for readers to fall in love with . . . or to fear.

Lush, seductive, and chilling, Melissa Marr's stories revel in the unseen magic that infuses the world as we know it.

The Review

A big thanks to HarperCollins Australia for sending me a review copy of this book!

Anthologies aren't usually my cup of tea but that's not to say I don't enjoy all of them. If they're written by a certain author such as Melissa Marr or any other popular author for that matter, then I'm going to read it anyway since I'm already aware of how those authors write. In this new book edition, Melissa Marr does it brilliantly in this beautiful collection of work and for Wickedly Lovely fans in particular, you're going to love this piece of fiction.

In FAERY TALES & NIGHTMARES, it's a book of twelve short stories that Marr has written over the years - both the published and unpublished. Several of these stories contain characters that readers will be familiar with (ones you love from Marr's series) and you will also remember the Faery Court featured in her Wickedly Lovely world which some of her stories take place in also. Most of the stories are wonderfully written, but you may find some more enjoyable than others. Some of my personal favourites included The Sleeping Girl and the Summer King, Love Struck, and Winter's Kiss.

If you're not sure whether to read this or not, if you're a Melissa Marr fan or simply looking for something light-but-beautiful, then be sure to pick this book up when you can. It's definitely worth your time and money! There's a lot to love about FAERY TALES & NIGHTMARES with all sorts of elements between betrayal, new beginnings, first love, and all the way to the damn right creepy! Overall I thought it was a wonderful book with intriguing characters - which is surprising considering they're short stories! But then again, we're talking about Melissa Marr here whom always impresses me with her writing!

The Rating

5/5 stars

Graveminder by Melissa Marr

Release Date: 1st July, 2011

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 324pgs

The Story

New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr returns in July with her spellbinding new novel, Grave Minder. In her new book, Marr continues her flair of exploring dark fantasy, horror and paranormal suspense with a distinct approach that incorporates desire, mystery and spine chilling thrills.

Rebekkah Barrow never forgot the attention her grandmother Maylene bestowed upon the dead of Claysville, the small town where Rebekkah spent her adolescence. There wasn't a funeral that Maylene didn't attend, and at each one Rebekkah watched as Maylene performed the same unusual ritual: She took three sips from a silver flask and spoke the words 'Sleep well, and stay where I put you.'

Now Maylene is dead, and Bek must go back to the place she left a decade earlier. She soon discovers that Claysville is not the sleepy town she remembers, and that Maylene had good reason for her odd traditions. It turns out that in Claysville the worlds of the living and the dead are dangerously connected . . .

The Review

A big thanks to Lara from HarperCollins for sending me a review copy of this book!

As soon as I heard that a new Melissa Marr book was coming out, I knew it was a must read! I knew I had to get my hands on it. It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely young adult series and while this book is an adult read, but anything to do with the paranormal, graves, and some haunting secrets . . . it doesn't matter whether you're a young adult or an adult reader as there's no doubt that Melissa Marr will never disappoint you. You're going to love anything she brings out onto the reading table.

GRAVEMINDER is a mix between a gothic novel and an urban fantasy. For me, Melissa Marr has brought out all her strengths and creativity into this one book and I honestly enjoyed every moment of it. The story setting itself - for some reason - reminded me a lot of Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series and since Harris herself loved GRAVEMINDER as well, this was pretty much a win-win for me. Unlike Marr's Wicked Lovely series, this book is all about graves and the dead, but it's not the only thing you'll love about it. There's a lot of twisty turns, dark and scary atmospheres, and the characters themselves were very interesting and had there own sets of issues you'll love them for.

Bek, the main heroine of this tale, clearly had the fear of committment and is in denial of her own feelings for Byron. Gorgeous, handsome, and Mr. Hottie Byron was the man she left behind years ago and what complicates things a little more for Bek was that he used to be Bek's older half-sister's boyfriend (wow that's a mouthful) and ever since Ella committed suicide (for reasons we don't know until later in the book) . . . well, even after so many years passing between Bek and Byron, she still feels the guilt of loving her dead sister's boyfriend. Which is understable in this case, but damn you wanted to get these two people together! Even with a complicated relationship being a frustrating one too, but I appreciated the flip of where the hero was more opened with his feelings and the heroine was the one who fled from them. It was a nice change up for me in the romantic department.

Now moving on . . . let's talk about the town of Claysville. Despite it's deadly little secrets, the town alone felt so alive to me and it was the first thing that really invested me in this story of Melissa Marr's. Most of its residents will die in the same town they were born in and well . . . with some zombie-likeness involved . . . it was everything I was hoping for. But what also interested me was the whole duties of being the Graveminder and the Undertaker - a destiny that has been passed down to Bek and Bryon, one they never expected. With the two taking these new responsibilities a little too well, I enjoyed the land of the dead thing that was going on throughout the book and when I heard GRAVEMINDER is suppose to be a standalone novel . . . oh GOD Melissa Marr don't let this be the end of Bek and Bryon's story! I have seen a few articles on the web where Melissa Marr is said to be writing a sequel to this book (which is supposed to come out in 2013), so I hope it's true. I demand more books in the series and perhaps along the same amount of books Charlaine Harris has for Sookie Stackhouse and oh - a tv show perhaps? [Note: I've read somewhere that apparently GRAVEMINDER movie/tv rights have been bought so fingers crossed!]

Overall if you love Melissa Marr or you're looking for a new and interesting read, GRAVEMINDER is exactly what you're looking for!

The Rating 4/5 stars

Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr

Release Day: February 22nd, 2011

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Publisher: Harpercollins

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Pages: 336pgs

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The Story

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The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of of powerful fey.

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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.

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Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win...and some will lose everything.

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The Review

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If you haven't reading anything by Melissa Marr - where have you BEEN?! Melissa Marr is one of my favourite young adult authors, not only because she writes fantastic faery stories, but the fact that she writes with every bit of emotion and intensity, which is beautifully done in this last installment of the WICKED LOVELY series! I could not have asked for a better conclusion than Darkest Mercy. It went beyond my expectations! Also, I found myself a little sad too, seeing as these characters have reached the end of their journey.

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It's no secret to tell you that I've been in love with Aislinn, Keenan, and Seth's story from the very beginning. They are the kind of characters that have sense of realism - not the faery part of course, but with their wide range of personalities, and their differences in strengths and weaknesses. Aislinn is hard and bright, Keenan is is a fool in love (which we already know), Donia is all about strength, Bananach is just CRAZY in my opinion, and as for my dear old Seth (my favourite character) is just so driven and the purest guy on earth! I love him. Though each of these characters make mistakes along the way - some you just want to strangle them to death for - but they are still able to come through on top and surprise you! Keenan for example surprised me alot in this book, what with he was willing to do for his court! Let's just say Melissa Marr is a genius when it comes to writing about self-sacrifice and pushing her characters to fight to the limit!

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Without giving away spoilers, I will say that everything in Darkest Mercy is how you want every book to end and I don't think I would change a thing! Darkest Mercy is beautifully written and if you're one of those readers hmmm-ing and ahhh-ing over reading these books, please DO! They are fantastic YA reads!

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The Rating

4/5 stars