I love Tam’s independence, stubbornness, it was nice to see her as a character. Some of the sex scenes were even pleasant and tasteful.

Now my gripe has been that the word “fuck” is thrown around often enough and in context enough to where it has feel of an annoying teenage boy trying to be cool saying it. And it’s one of the most used words in my own vocabulary, so if I’m rolling my eyes at it, you know somethings wrong.

3.5

Well, unsurprisingly, I inhaled this book. I stayed up way too late to finish it and I don’t have any regrets.

To have the opportunity to return to the world of Wicked Lovely, one of my favorite series of all time and one I frequently turn to for a comfort reread, and have more content and context was more than I ever dreamed possible.

In meeting the new character, Tam, a Sighted mortal who catches the attention of Irial as a bold, industrious woman in the late 1800s, so much about what happens before Wicked Lovely takes place is given further context. We get to spend more time with Rika, Niall, Irial, Beira, Gabriel, and more beloved characters, adding layers of relationships and information that was only hinted at, leading to a revelation that made me sit up in surprise and yell “I knew it!”

The court intrigue and politics remain, as well as the delightful characters we know from the main series. If you enjoyed the rest of the books, this is essential reading as more information is revealed about the curse and Irial’s life before Leslie and after Niall. I enjoyed it immensely and couldn’t put it down. I will say, the only thing that took me out of the story was the occasional typo (basalm instead of balm) and small inconsistencies throughout the book (i.e. Tam’s hair is red but once is stated as muddy brown). As a copy edit focused person, I hope those things are fixed in the final print version, as I read an advanced Ebook.

I do think the short story, Love Hurts, included in the book is a necessity beyond the epilogue. Otherwise the story would end on a melancholy note, which is atypical for the series. I would also note that this book has some adult content in comparison to what is only hinted at in the main series. I would certainly classify this installment as adult and not YA.

For anyone who hasn’t read the Wicked Lovely series, now is a great time to start. For smartly woven fairy politics, characters who feel like friends, powerful women, a great example of a queer relationship, as well as great plotting and world-building, this is the series for you. I cannot recommend it enough.

First time reading anything in this series. Definitely interesting and not at all what I expected (honestly, I'm not sure what I expected). Quick read, compelling plot. I'm gathering that it'd have been more impactful if I was already familiar with the series, though.

I loved returning to Marr's world of faery! This book will probably be best enjoyed by people who have already read her other Wicked Lovely books, but you can understand it without reading those first. Reading this and finding out that there is going to be a new book in the series coming out next year has got me re-reading the WL books all over again.

There's a part of me that craved for more; there's another part that wishes Marr would leave this series alone.

Irial was always one of my favorite characters and his and Leslie's story was my favorite of the Wicked Lovely main series.

This is a fun story of Irial and his first mortal love.