Review: Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr

Book Details:
Fragile Eternity (Wicked Lovely)
By Melissa Marr
Genre: Young Adult
Published 2009, Harper
Paperback, 389 pages
ISBN: 9780061214738


Synopsis:

Seth wants to be with Aislinn forever. Forever takes on new meaning, though, when your girlfriend is an immortal faery queen.
Keenan stole Aislinn's mortality to make her a monarch. Now she faces challenges and enticements beyond any she'd ever imagined.
In Melissa Marr's third mesmerizing tale of Faerie, Seth and Aislinn struggle to stay true to themselves and to each other in a milieu of shadowy rules and shifting allegiances, where old friends become new enemies and one wrong move could plunge the Earth into chaos.

At first I was really excited that this book was picking up on Seth and Aislinn from where the first book left off. Sorcha's court is very interesting and uniquely different from the other three courts, and I think that it is the court I would most likely fit into. I like how Marr fashions each court by a different set of rules, so that something that one court has the power to accomplish another court cannot necessarily duplicate. This makes the plot less predictable and allows the monarchs of each court to become more memorable and unique to the reader.
Keenan is just as much of an arse as he is in the other books - I see the least character growth with him, despite how much he is not getting what he wants. Aislinn is obviously still relatively naive about him. Despite how hard she works to be a good queen, she still appears to be an amateur, based on how easily everyone keeps secrets from her. I really like how hard Seth works to be a good boyfriend, but I love how the reader gets to see him in his weaker moments. This makes him more humane and believeable. His courage and determination are quite commendable, but I can hardly believe that he missed that very important detail about Faerie when he makes his bargain with Sorcha. As much reading as he has supposedly done on the subject, it isn't very likely that he would not read about the time differences. I was so disappointed when I realized that Seth had essentially become a "momma's boy" when Sorcha makes him her Faerie son. While this seems to benefit Sorcha, I really don't see how this will benefit Seth - and every other fairy, except for Bananach, seems to agree with this.
As for Bananach, while what she sees is focused on her goals of War, by the end of this book, I don't see how there could be any other outcome. Each of the monarchs are too focused on protecting and strengthening his or her own courts to care about the fate of the fairy world as a whole, which the real world has proven can only have one outcome. While the romantic in me just wants to see each of the monarchs find mates and a happily ever after, I like how Marr deviates from this typical theme and produces books that thrive on unpredictability. I look forward to getting my hands on the next book, Radiant Shadows (Wicked Lovely).

The Cover: I like the picture of the blue butterfly and the fragility of life that it represents. I am guessing that the girl holding it is Aislinn, since it would make since that the butterfly represents Seth - very cool and imaginative.

First Line: "Seth knew the moment Aislinn slipped into the house; the slight rise in temperature would've told him even if he hadn't seen the glimmer of sunlight in the middle of the night."
This third book in the series starts with a return to my favorite character from the first book - Seth. I already know I'm going to enjoy this book.

Favorite Quote: "Were you hoping for a quest? A seemingly impossible task that you could relay to your queen afterward? Would you like to tell her that you found and slayed the dragon for love of her?"

Read For: Pages Read Challenge, Support Your Local Library Challenge, 101 Fantasy Challenge