Review | Faery Tales and Nightmares by Melissa Marr

Hey everybody! Cassia here! A couple days ago, I discovered my weakness for Books-a-Million (BAM). Let's put it this way: I walked in with $40. I came out with: The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen, Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen, Until I Die by Amy Plum, and The Selection by Kiera Cass. As soon as I walked in I thought, "Crap. I'm gonna walk out of here with a book, aren't I?" More like four. The anthology I'm reviewing today was also there, along with the whole Wicked Lovely series, which I was happy to see. Here's a review of Faery Tales and Nightmares by Melissa Marr:

Faery Tales and Nightmares by Melissa Marr

This is an anthology, which means it’s made up of short stories that may or may not be related to each other. Five are in the Wicked Lovely world, which I loved! So I did a little mini-review for each short story.

Where Nightmares Walk

This one is from an anthology titled Half-Minute Horrors.  Literally.  It's only about one page, so you really can read it in 30 seconds.
 It is definitely horror, and in that 30 seconds, I was terrified. Four stars!

Winter’s Kiss

This is one about friendship. I like it, but not one of my favorites. Three stars!

Transition

This one is about vampires. Yes, I know, I said I would never read about vampires, but this was really good. It feels real, and it’s one of my favorites in the anthology. Four stars!

Love Struck

Another of my favorites. This one is about selkies (I think that’s how you spell it). It also feels real, and I just loved it. Four stars!

Old Habits

This one takes place in the world of the Wicked Lovely series, between Ink Exchange and Fragile Eternity. It’s about Irial and Niall, their relationship, and how they work to mend it. You get to see Devlin and the Hounds, too. One of my favorites (of course!) and it’s more of a novella than a short story. Five stars!

Stopping Time

This one also takes place in the world of Wicked Lovely, and also takes place after Fragile Eternity. This one is about Irial, Leslie, and Niall, their little what I like to call “perfect love triangle”, Leslie’s life after being bound to Iri, and her longing for both of them. Another of my favorites. Five stars!

The Art of Waiting

I really don’t know what to say about this one. Written well, of course, as everything Marr writes is, but I didn’t like it. Three stars!

Flesh for Comfort

I like this one, and it teaches an important lesson about body image. The cool thing is it’s still fantasy! Four stars!

The Sleeping Girl and the Summer King

This is the short story that turned into Wicked Lovely. The book is definitely different, but I really did like this one. Another favorite, four stars!

Cotton Candy Skies

Also in the world of Wicked Lovely. It takes place sometime after Radiant Shadows, but before the ending of Darkest Mercy. It’s about Rabbit in Faery!! It shows his life after he left the mortal world, and how he heals. Now, you may be thinking, Heals from what? You have to remember, he left in the middle of a fight that his father was leading, he didn’t know what happened, and the last time he saw Iri, he was dying. A character from Fragile Eternity is also in this. Four stars!

Unexpected Family

Another in the Wicked Lovely world. My second favorite after Old Habits and Stopping Time. This takes place after the end of Darkest Mercy, and it’s about Seth. Seth!! You meet his mortal parents, and Seth and Niall’s conflict is addressed. I love their relationship, and I also loved the way they handled what happened between them in Darkest Mercy. Five stars!

Merely Mortal

It takes place in the Wicked Lovely world, but this time, it’s with Donia and Keenan after Darkest Mercy. Another favorite, and it’s beautiful. Oh, wait, correction: it takes place after the ending of Darkest Mercy and before the epilogue. So if you’ve read the epilogue, you already know the ending to this, even though the short story leaves you hanging. Five stars!

Overall, five stars!

Goodbye for now,

Cassia