Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr

Darkest Mercy:
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.



This is the last book in Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series, I put off reading it because I was not ready to say goodbye to the characters and the story. And with Melissa's incredible talent for storytelling...what an ending it was! I found there was, at times, so much going on that my head was spinning trying to keep up with Melissa's imagination. The descriptive prose made it easy to visualize the world she created, and although I would have liked to see a little more action in the first half of the book, I truly enjoyed the story to its conclusion. Keenan has been absent from his court for so long that Aislinn (with the help of a trusted advisor) has become more confidant in her ability to rule her faeries. But torn between her duty to Keenan and her love of Seth has made her unhappy which in-turn weakens the Summer Court. Add to that Keenan's own unhappiness at being separated from Donia, the Winter Queen, and the court will not be able to defend itself against the coming fight with Bananach (the embodiment of Discord). Violence fills the streets of Huntsdale as the faeries are pitted against one another under the command of Bananach's evil machinations; she has become more powerful and only by becoming allies will the courts have a chance at survival. Seth returns to the mortal realm and discovers that by closing the veil into faerie, Niall, the Dark King has become unbalanced, and in his time of mourning accuses Seth of betrayal and imprisons him within the Dark Court. Only Seth, being heir to the High Court has the ability to balance Niall, but first Niall must truly understand what is happening within himself. Many deaths and sacrifices are made within each of the Courts to bring balance and peace to Huntsdale once more. The decision to be with Keenan in all ways has always been Aislinn's, and when she makes her choice, things change drastically for everyone involved.