Review: Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr

Radiant Shadows (Wicked Lovely #4) by Melissa Marr
Synopsis (Goodreads):

Hunger for nourishment.
Hunger for touch.
Hunger to belong.

Half-human and half-faery, Ani is driven by her hungers.

Those same appetites also attract powerful enemies and uncertain allies, including Devlin. He was created as an assassin and is brother to the faeries' coolly logical High Queen and to her chaotic twin, the embodiment of War. Devlin wants to keep Ani safe from his sisters, knowing that if he fails, he will be the instrument of Ani's death.

Ani isn't one to be guarded while others fight battles for her, though. She has the courage to protect herself and the ability to alter Devlin's plans—and his life. The two are drawn together, each with reason to fear the other and to fear for one another. But as they grow closer, a larger threat imperils the whole of Faerie. Will saving the faery realm mean losing each other?

My Thoughts: I have put this book off for a year and I can't figure out why. I honestly love this series and I love how Melissa Marr wrote two books in the middle of the series (Ink Exchange and this one) that don't focus and Ash and Seth and Keenan. Okay, so Seth *is* in this one but he's not the focus. I think it works beautifully and expands the world so much that the stories feel like they could go on forever. Now I'm afraid to start the 5th book because I kinda don't want all this to end.

I felt for Devlin. He's trapped by the women who made him, torn between chaos and order, and he needs both to truly be soul-nourished and content. Ani's introduction into his life awakens a hunger in him that he didn't realize he needed. For her part, Ani's need for both emotion and touch is dangerous to everyone around her. Too much of both can harm and even kill the one she's drawing from, too little and she teeters on the edge of starvation. She's wild and dark and her father's restrictions are slowly killing her. In so many ways, she and Devlin are perfect for one another. He needs her wildness, she needs his ability to lock his emotions away. And, good gravy, there's something incredibly hot about the two of them together.

I still love all the members of the courts. Irial and his willingness to do whatever he needs to do to save Niall and the Dark Court. Seth and his passion for Ash. I find it so interesting that Seth is such a pivot point for so many of the big players. Ash loves him, the Queen of Faerie is obsessed with him as her son, Niall calls him brother - and Seth himself has an ability to see things hidden from others.

Now I'm totally thinking about this world. I guess that means book 5 will be slipping its way up the queue.

Books in this series
1. Wicked Lovely
2. Ink Exchange
2.5. Stopping Time
2.6. Old Habits
3. Fragile Eternity
4. Radiant Shadows - Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle
5. Darkest Mercy

Author Links
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