Aislinn has the Sight. She sees faeries everywhere, and faeries are terrifying enough that she spends most of her life trying to make sure faeries don’t notice her. Unfortunately, she comes to the attention of the Summer King, Keenan, who must convince her to become his queen. Keenan is bound to play out a scenario set by his mother, the vicious Winter Queen, which requires the chosen girl to take up the Winter Queen’s staff at his request, at the risk of becoming her pawn. Without the Summer Queen, the world will descend into a permanent, killing, winter. The last girl to take up the staff, Donia, must convince the new girl to reject the staff, but things are changing. Aislinn is different from the girls who have failed- she resists falling under his spell. And she has backup- a grandmother who also has the Sight, and takes the risk seriously, and Seth, a friend who lives in a steel train car where she is safe from faeries, and who is becoming much more than a friend.
Aislinn is a strong protagonist. Caught in events outside her control, she uses her Sight, her knowledge, and her stubborn independence to shape the effect those events will have on her life. She is also loved, and believed, and Seth’s steadiness, resourcefulness, and support are critical to her holding on to her core. The resolution of events is surprising and satisfying, although it’s clear there are still dangerous conflicts ahead, and readers will be eager for the next installment. It’s difficult to believe Aislinn and her friends are teens, or that her Grams, who is portrayed as very strict, gives her the leeway to travel alone through some pretty awful urban areas, much less spend the night with Seth, who is several years older, but readers will forgive the dissonance that creates in favor of letting the story, especially the intertwined love stories of Donia and Keenan with Aislinn and Seth, sweep them away. The first book in a series, Wicked Lovely is followed byInk Exchange and Fragile Eternity, but Wicked Lovely stands alone, and is clearly the standout of the series. Highly recommended for public library YA collections, and for high school library media centers, and for fans of urban fantasy.
Review by Kirsten Kowalewski