Radiant Shadows (Wicked Lovely Series #4)

by Melissa Marr

Overview

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

Half-human and half-faery, Ani is driven by her hungers. Those same cravings also attract powerful enemies and uncertain allies—including Devlin, the assassin who is brother to the faeries' High Queen. Ani and Devlin are drawn together, 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061659249
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	02/22/2011
Series:	Wicked Lovely Series , #4
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Melissa Marr is the author of the bestselling Wicked Lovely series as well as the adult fantasy novels Graveminder and The Arrivals. When not writing, editing, or traveling, Melissa is buried under a plethora of books, dogs, and children in Virginia or online at www.melissa-marr.com.

Editorial Reviews

PRAISE FOR THE WICKED LOVELY SERIES:Marr takes her faeries and makes them seem real in her latest breathtaking tale. This entertaining story twists as long-laid plot points come to fruition and readers are kept on their toes throughout. It’s a keeper!”—

Romantic Times BOOKclub

Complex and involving.

New York Times Book Review

"Marr has done it again with this dark, beautifully woven story of love, magic, and belonging. She offers new insight on characters readers will fall in love with all over again. This is one of Marr’s best." (a Top Pick)

Romantic TimesBOOKclub

Radiant Shadows, the fourth book in Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series, is full of familiar characters. Two of them have choices to make that will affect others in the mortal world and Faerie: Devlin, Keeper of Order in the High Court, and Ani, half-mortal, half-Hound of the Wild Hunt. Ani must feed off of both emotions and touch—human and faerie—for nourishment. Her unique genetics made her very appealing to faeries, and several powerful ones are interested in using her to advance their own welfare. Devlin must decide between his continued loyalty to a leader who failed to lead and his own desires. Ani's family is in danger; she is a Hound and a strong fighter, but is there another way to win? This book has action, romance, faerie courts, and mystery. It is possible to enter another world every time you pick up this book. Reviewer: Freida Golden

Freida Golden

Wild-child Ani is a sixteen-year-old halfling who thrives on the negative emotions of humans. Sensuous faerie-assassin, Devlin, is the brother and advisor to the angry High Queen Sorcha. When they meet, they know they should fear each other, but quickly discover a mutual physical—and potentially fatal—attraction. A conflict of interest develops when they must find a way to follow the ruthless rules governing their kind while saving two worlds from impending disaster. Marr has created a complicated and contradictory landscape that weaves the mystifying faerie realm into the popular teen culture of the mortal world. It is difficult to connect with her characters, who tend to be superficial, shallow, and self-serving. Thin on plot and heavy on violence, baffling secondary characters drift into the storyline through contrived circumstances, have prolonged and repetitive conversations, and then drift back out again. Fans of this series, Wicked Lovely, may lament the absence of an Aislinn-and-Seth subplot, wonder why there are so many confusing references to hounds, and be perplexed by the presence of the superfluous and "dreamy" mortal, Rae. They may also be puzzled by the fact that while the two main characters are immediately attracted to each other, there is little chemistry in their relationship. This overlong story does not stand alone. It is dependent on information from the previous three books and is an obvious setup for a sequel. Reviewer: Lynne Farrell Stover

VOYA - Lynne Farrell Stover

Gr 9 Up—This title, the penultimate installment of the series, focuses on Ani, daughter of Gabriel, the leader of the Dark Court's Wild Hunt; and Devlin, brother of Sorcha, the Queen of the High Court, as the faerie world tips closer to the brink of war. Bananach wants to kill Ani, and Devlin has been secretly protecting her since she was a child. When Ani's and Devlin's paths finally cross, they feel an instant attraction, which pits Bananach and Devlin against each other. Meanwhile Sorcha pines for Seth while he spends six months of the year in the mortal world as a faerie trying to rekindle his relationship with Aislinn. Since each book in the series focuses on a different main character, the cast has gotten somewhat large and confusing. Once readers have gotten reacclimatized to Marr's faerie world, though, they will find that the story moves at a rapid pace. Ani and Devlin are fully fleshed-out characters, and their attraction to one another is believable. While the author's world-building is fairly solid, the fact that time runs six times faster in faerie than it does in the mortal world (as established in Fragile Eternity) is never addressed in this book. However, this is a worthy addition to a fine series. Readers who have enjoyed the early books will find this a satisfying read, and will be eager for the series conclusion.—Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH

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