Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr

...I wanted more! More Aislinn, more SethandAislinn, more Keenan, more action, more sense in the resolutions, more Niall, more Iri...just more. After having developed relationships with these characters over the course of four books, I felt like I spent a lot of time spinning my wheels, waiting, jumping around, hand wringing. In short, I just didn't feel as connected as I had before, and that sorta makes me ticked off.




Not that Darkest Mercy is bad, by a long shot. (possible spoilers ahead...you've been warned...are you still reading?) I thoroughly enjoyed when War got her comeuppance, and I mourned when characters died. I just didn't really care so much about Death's appearance, and I found all the anger and insanity at the "death" of a major character sort of illogical. I wanted Aislinn to become who she was meant to be sooner; I wanted Keenan's actions to make sense ("Choose me! You have a week! No, you've got to do it now! I don't care if you choose me!"), I wanted Seth to get angry. And while everything is wrapped up neatly, it did seem pretty convenient in many ways. But hey, I like happy endings, so I'm not complaining on that score. But now that I think of it...just what did Keenan accomplish by meeting the water fey other than one thing? Kinda pointless, actually.

Marr's world has been painstakingly built and the final book in the series is still good, even if I wish that more attention had been given to the actual characters rather than the impending inevitable battle. I'd still like to know what happens next...will Seth still be sentenced to spend a month with Sorcha (that's actually more like a year)? What chaos will Iri stir up? How do the fey recover? Mostly I'm reluctant to let go of these characters and this world. Even if Darkest Mercy didn't quite live up to my expectations, it is still a good conclusion that leaves just enough hope for more of the story in the future.