Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Aislinn has always been able to see fairies, but she and her Gran know that they aren't to be trusted. Most fairies view humans as toys and treats, to be played with rather than as actual human beings. So, to deal with the unseen fairies everywhere, that most people have no idea are there, She and her Gran have three rules for dealing with fairies: 1) Don't Stare at them. 2) Don't speak to them. 3) Don't attract their attention.

But Aislinn is having trouble keeping the rules lately when a fairie named Keenan has noticed her, and he's been stalking her, making Aislinn feel afraid. And she has good reason to worry. Keenan is the Summer Prince, most of his power held captive by his Aunt Beria, the Queen of Winter. If he can find the right girl, she will free his power and reign beside him as his Summer Queen. But to find out if she is the right one, she must agree to a test: hold the staff of Winter. If she is the right girl, the heat and summer inside her will overpower the staff and set the current holder free. If not, she will become but a shadow of her former self and the new bearer of the staff, under the power of the Winter Queen. Her task? To persuade the next girl Keenan picks not to take the test.

For Aislinn, that's Donia's job. Donia has been a winter girl since the 1920's, and she still loves Keenan. Of course, if Aislinn doesn't take the test, she will simply become a summer girl, a light=hearted, free-loving faerie who no longer remembers much of her human life. And Aislinn, even if she doesn't love Keenan, but Seth, a human boy and her best friend, cannot escape becoming part Faerie herself- either as a winter girl, a summer girl or Summer Queen, that's the only choice she has now.

Which one will she pick? Or will the staff pick for her?

I liked Wicked Lovely. Though the story is pretty self-contained, in the end it all comes down to Aislinn- her life, her choice. But it's not one she arrives at easily. She knows she can't trust Keenan at all, and he'd agree with her- he's overmatched by his aunt Beria, the Winter Queen who pretends to be the ultimate 50's homemaker, complete with high heels and pearls, but who is scarily evil under her human seeming, wanting the power of cold and winter to grow until it smothers all life under a blanket of unending white snow. You definitely get a shiver when she appears in the book.

This series packs quite a lot of punch. Aislinn doesn't want to have to make a choice, but it's already too late to stay a simple human. The moment that Keenan chose her, the moment he entered her life, it was already too late. But unbeknownst to Aislinn, she and her grandmother have an unexpected tie to Keenan that is impossible to ignore.

The ending of the book is completely unexpected, but also wonderful, as there was an actual happy (well, okay, somewhat) ending in all of this. And the fey here are menacing as well as enticing- it all depends on who of them you are looking at. Suffice to say, this is a book that teens will definitely enjoy. If you were in Aislinn's situation. what choice would you make? Recommended.