Review Detail
Young Adult Fiction
208
Pleasant Companion
Overall rating
3.7
Plot
N/A
Characters
N/A
Writing Style
N/A
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
N/A
What I Liked:
Melissa Marr’s writing actually really works for me. It’s not super ornate or incredibly simple, residing in that happy medium that’s both impressive, but not particularly pretentious. She also writes the kind of paranormal where everything isn’t shiny and happy and innocent. Though the faeries in her world are beautiful, they’re also mostly cruel and deceiving, even if they can’t lie. Her love interests stand out in YA, though they would blend in with NA heroes these days perhaps, tending to be more edgy than clean cut.
Another thing to love about these books is that Marr writes strong heroines. Rika lives a quiet life in the desert, nursing her long-broken heart, but she is a force to be reckoned with. She is protective and quick to love, even after all of the pain. Actually, I think the ease with which she falls in love might be part of why she hid herself in the desert, that and trying to feel warm again after her stint as the Winter Girl.
The plot of Desert Tales will spoil Wicked Lovely, but, if I remember correctly, it won’t spoil much, if any, of the rest of the series. Not remembering things too clearly, Desert Tales wasn’t confusing, and I think it could be read by someone new to the series. Some of the impact might be lost, but it should still work fairly well.
What Left Me Wanting More:
My main issue was with the romance. It irritated me most of the way through. These freaking paranormals always want to date humans, and I do not see the appeal, especially when the paranormal is decades old and the human is a teen. Gross, right? Plus, Jayce is boring. And Rika stalked him for a long time before they talked, which apparently doesn’t bother him. 3 starThat said, the epilogue pulls the romance together perfectly. Marr explains everything in a way that really made sense, and she ended up bringing things to a conclusion I really approve of, even if getting there was frustrating.
The Final Verdict:
This late addition to the Wicked Lovely proved to be a pleasant addition to the series. Fans will likely not be disappointed.
Melissa Marr’s writing actually really works for me. It’s not super ornate or incredibly simple, residing in that happy medium that’s both impressive, but not particularly pretentious. She also writes the kind of paranormal where everything isn’t shiny and happy and innocent. Though the faeries in her world are beautiful, they’re also mostly cruel and deceiving, even if they can’t lie. Her love interests stand out in YA, though they would blend in with NA heroes these days perhaps, tending to be more edgy than clean cut.
Another thing to love about these books is that Marr writes strong heroines. Rika lives a quiet life in the desert, nursing her long-broken heart, but she is a force to be reckoned with. She is protective and quick to love, even after all of the pain. Actually, I think the ease with which she falls in love might be part of why she hid herself in the desert, that and trying to feel warm again after her stint as the Winter Girl.
The plot of Desert Tales will spoil Wicked Lovely, but, if I remember correctly, it won’t spoil much, if any, of the rest of the series. Not remembering things too clearly, Desert Tales wasn’t confusing, and I think it could be read by someone new to the series. Some of the impact might be lost, but it should still work fairly well.
What Left Me Wanting More:
My main issue was with the romance. It irritated me most of the way through. These freaking paranormals always want to date humans, and I do not see the appeal, especially when the paranormal is decades old and the human is a teen. Gross, right? Plus, Jayce is boring. And Rika stalked him for a long time before they talked, which apparently doesn’t bother him. 3 starThat said, the epilogue pulls the romance together perfectly. Marr explains everything in a way that really made sense, and she ended up bringing things to a conclusion I really approve of, even if getting there was frustrating.
The Final Verdict:
This late addition to the Wicked Lovely proved to be a pleasant addition to the series. Fans will likely not be disappointed.
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