Saturday, May 15, 2010

Radiant Shadows - Melissa Marr

Hunger for nourishment.
Hunger for touch.
Hunger to belong.

Half-human and half-faery, Ani is driven by her hungers.

Those same appetites also attract powerful enemies and uncertain allies, including Devlin. He was created as an assassin and is brother to the faeries' coolly logical High Queen and to her chaotic twin, the embodiment of War. Devlin wants to keep Ani safe from his sisters, knowing that if he fails, he will be the instrument in Ani's death.

Ani isn't one to be guarded while others fight battles for her, though. She has the courage to protect herself and the ability to alter Devlin's plans--and his life. The two are drawn together, each with reason to fear the other and to fear for one another. But as they grow closer, a larger threat imperils the whole of Faerie. Will saving the faery realm mean losing each other?

Alluring romance, heart-stopping danger, and sinister intrigue combine in the penultimate volume of Melissa Marr's New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series.
(Synopsis taken from goodreads.com)

Title: Radiant Shadows
Author: Melissa Marr
Genre: Young Adult, Faery
Publisher: Harper, An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
My Rating: 4/5

I was a little apprehensive that this book was about Ani as I wasn't a major fan of her character in the previous books. I shouldn't have been worried though, because she really comes into her own in this book. I really enjoyed the chemistry between her and Devlin, and I was actually really happy to learn more about Devlin. I find that I am enjoying the "Dark Court" books more than the other ones. I like the depth and character of the Dark Kings and the Dark Court more so than the Summer Court.
I loved seeing Devlin struggle between his duty, and his heart. I loved seeing the friction between him and Ani. She has really come into her own and she was well-deserving of this story. I really liked seeing her learning to control, or curb her appetite and how this affects her relationship with Devlin.
Based on what has happened in the book, I am really curious to see what is going to happen next in the last book of the series. Everything seems to be in fluctuation and I really want to know what is going to happen with all of the courts.
I found it strange that I didn't really miss any of the characters from the Summer Court that I enjoyed reading about in the previous books. Then again, I love Irial and Niall's characters, so I was really happy with them in this book. I really wasn't impressed with Sorcha though, and thought Bananach was portrayed better--though I don't like her either.
All in all, this was a solid performance, and it opens up the possibilities for the final book of the series. We get a glimpse of the inner workings of Faerie and it is definitely not one to miss!

This book was received through the Borrow My Arc Tour hosted by Katrina over at Bloody Bad.

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