Wicked Lovely (Wicked Lovely #1) by Melissa Marr

Rule #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries.

Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty—especially if they learn of her Sight—and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.

Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries.

Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.

Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention.

But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost—regardless of her plans or desires.

Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.

Faerie intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr's stunning 21^st century faery tale.

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Since I finally found Ink Exchange, the second book in this series, I decided I'd write my review for this stunning faerie tale even though I read it a while ago. Okay, so the story opens to Aislinn hanging out in a pool hall where she watches as humans play pool and faeries--that no one else can see--mess with the humans, unbeknownst to them. While I love the whole, there's-another-world-we-can't-see concept, lately it has been a little too overused in YA literature, but I tried to ignore that fact. And I found it easy actually, because Marr has created such a beautiful, dangerous, complex world of faeries that immerses you the second you step in. If this book was anything, it was consuming, and I finished it in one sitting, not because it was an especially short or easy read, but because I was so into it I didn't notice when it had gotten late. I loved Seth and since I have a thing for best friends falling in love, I found everything about their slow-developing relationship sweet and again, I appreciated the slowed-down, realistic love story. My only complaint regarding their relationship was Aislinn's casual attitude about it. The romance was a little too played-down for my taste. But then again, the main focus was Keenan's sudden obsession with Aislinn. Keenan was a great character, and while he wasn't my favorite--that honor would have to reside with the Winter Girl, Donia--he was great, for one main reason: he wasn't all good or all evil. Beira, the Winter Queen, proved a stark contrast to Aislinn, as she is completely bad and Aislinn is described as all good. So Keenan's lack of complete darkness or light made the book more interesting, since his decisions weren't easy to guess beforehand. The plot moved fast and my only problem with it was the conclusion; it seemed a little too happily-ever-after and while I know the second book doesn't revolve around the same cast, but it seemed like all of the conflict was solved, making a sequel not quite as highly anticipated. That being said, I'm thrilled to be reading the second one. 

A little side note: I loved the little quotes before each chapter. A lot of books have poetry now before each chapter and I found the literature quotes, both factual and fictional, refreshing.

4 stars and a recommendation to modern faerie tales.