Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr

Publisher's Summary: 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.

The thrilling conclusion to Melissa Marr's New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series will leave readers breathless.




My take:  The first novel to the series Wicked Lovely, Melissa Marr introduces me to the demented world of faeries with magic, deception, horror, romance and heartbreak. In this last installment to the series (Darkest Mercy), Melissa Marr ties together all the story-lines that were introduced in the previous four books . . . beautifully! What I love most about this book is that Melissa absolutely kept me entertained from start to finish. Each chapter kept my full attention because the story switched back and forth between the intrigues of each court.

I was a little disappointed that Seth only played a small roll in this last book because I was hoping he would be the hero who kills War. And, Niall?!!! He WAS one of my favorites when it came to the court kings/queens, but then he began to act like Caligula (a personification of Rome) throughout the rest of the book.

I never thought I would EVER say this, but Keenan COMPLETELY redeemed himself in this last book, and I actually now like Keenan! Wow! Are you surprised? Well, you would be if you’ve read my previous review of this series. There are 2 HUGE things that he does that completely shocked me! I didn’t think he was capable of being so good! There was one scene with him where I was actually crying because I was so touched. But then there is another scene when he asks Ash if she trusts him, and I was thinking, “Say NO Ash!” But, of course, she lets me down! LOL! But when she does tell him that she trusts him, well . . . that’s when Keenan totally proves that he really should be trusted!

I also became really attached to both Donia and Ash in this last book. I really liked how strong the Winter Court is, because Donia (the winter queen) is able to keep her emotions in check enabling her court to stay strong. And to think she was able to do this even when she lost the one she has loved for centuries and she’s completely heartbroken! With Keenan missing, I loved that Ash was able to take on the Summer Queen’s roll and do it well even though it was an entirely new role for her.

And then there’s the Dark Court!!! Like I said . . . something’s seriously wrong with Niall and he is taking it out on all of his fey. In this book, I wouldn’t recommend anyone getting anywhere near him!

In the end, all the courts must come together to fight for their survival against War! War has been gathering up troops to start a war and has been taking fey from the other courts to do so. War is getting stronger and the courts need to really get their acts together to defend themselves.

I'd say the worst part of this book would be the deaths. There were a couple fey that were killed that I had really hard time dealing with! But their deaths made the war all the more real.

The ending was fabulous and ended with a bang! This is definitely the best way to end a series!


Here is a pic of Melissa Marr and I, right after she signed my copies of Darkest Mercy and Graveminder!

Purchased with my own money.