Of Love, Despair, Betrayal, & War

Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr

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. 

Melissa Marr has done it again! Darkest Mercy captivated my every sense; brought me closer to the brink and never wavered. I have been to the deepest abyss and returned a man (LOL just kidding about the man part :D)! But, I did return from the abyss because I absolutely hated the book before this one, Radiant Shadows. I thought I was going to dye of non-captivating reading, so I am so glad that Ms. Marr redeemed herself with this book. 

Even though I never fully read Radiant Shadows I was still capable of understanding everything that went on in Darkest Mercy. That's one of the things I love about Melissa's writing. Even if one book isn't as interesting as the others you can still comprehend what is happening in the story. That right there is what every good author needs, and is my favorite thing about Melissa. There has never been a moment where I was like Huh? even when I skipped over Radiant Shadows. You are so connected with the storyline that you can fill in the blanks yourself and that makes the imagination and the plot stronger. But, this isn't just about Melissa's writing style, even though that is important, you're probably wondering about the actually book so I try to focus. 

All of the main characters are back, blending the story from their own point of views. Whether Keenan is speaking or The Gabriel, the story flows. You can never fault Melissa's way of making the story flow even from so many different point of views. The tension of coming War is there in everyone's point of view and it gave me a stronger understanding of what everyone really felt about it.

In Darkest Mercy Keenan isn't in Huntsdale in the beginning, leaving Ash to rule the Summer Court alone. Tensions are high in every court and Donia and the Winter Court are the strongest ones right now. Niall is struggling with himself, fighting the despair he is feeling about Irial while trying to rule the Dark Court. Seth's abilities as a seer are revealed and he is trying to figure out his role as heir to High Queen Sorcha and how it can help balance the bleeding Dark King. But all isn't well when Death itself walks the streets of Huntsdale. Far Dorcha is Death embodied and can kill even the court regents with just a touch. His and his sister's presence unsettles all because when Death is around that means War is close at hand. 

Now, I will tell you about each of the main characters emotional state in the book.

Keenan - strong, weak, unsure then sure, loved, protective, anger, determined, despair

Ash - passionate, strong, despair, confident, self assured, protective, anger, powerful

Donia - calm, collected, frightened, loved, despair, anger, revenge 

Niall - depressed, unsure, lost, angry, moody, aggressive, troubled

Seth -  scared, sure, confident, weak, confused, hurt

This is just the main ones, but in this book Melissa made it from several other people's perspectives too; such as The Gabriel, Chela, Far Dorcha. I loved this book, it was the perfect end to the series and every moment was surprising. 

Overall, this book is rated:

- Gilbert