Life for Seth Morgan is almost perfect. He’s lived free from parental control and supervision for years, and he’s recently found the love of his life, Aislinn. But like all good things, there’s a hitch. His girlfriend is no normal human, but the Summer Fairy Queen – and every queen has her king. The bond between Aislinn and her king, Keenan, grows stronger with every day – and it’s tearing Seth apart.
Desperate not to lose his love, Seth follows Bananach, the Dark Fairy of Chaos, to Fairy, the world on an alternate plane where most fairies dwell. It also happens to be the home of Sorcha, the Queen over all fairies, even Keenan and Aislinn.
Seth exchanges his mortality for the chance to become a fairy and spend forever with Aislinn, but what is the cost? Having left Aislinn without warning, and without further contact, Seth has no idea what he’ll come home to. Will Aislinn fall into the arms of her king? How will the change shift the balance between the different courts?
The one thing neither Seth nor any of the fairy courts are taking for granted is Bananach’s involvement. The epitome of war and bloodshed, her agenda could mean the end of them all. And Seth’s change seems to be yet another pawn in her chess game. War’s coming, and no one knows who’ll survive.
Characterization
In Fragile Eternity (Harper Teen, 2009, ISBN 978-0-06-121471-4), Marr focuses the story on Seth and his inner demons. Having spent all of his life with a loving, but uninvolved mom, and a dad who chose to follow his mom once she decided that Seth was old enough to take care of himself, Seth is very independent.
Seth is someone who is in search of a mothers love and affection. This need is fulfilled by Sorcha, who not only takes on this role, but also gives Seth what he wants most, eternity as a fairy.
Throughout the novel, Seth also illustrates a determination and “can do” attitude that will endear young girls to his character. He truly believes that love can conquer all, which is something that all young people want to believe in. His journey of sacrifice and love is one that readers can easily relate to.
Again, Keenan and his actions continue to cause amazement. His manipulation of everyone around him, especially Aislinn, is brought to the extreme, as he does whatever it takes to heal his stronger, but still weak court. Readers who have a tendency to be logical will understand Keenan’s predicament - he’s trying to do what he feels is right for the good of his people, but his strategy is a bit flawed. Most readers might begin to feel annoyed and angry with Keenan and his actions.
What Makes This Story Different
One thing Melissa Marr does so well is to take a group of characters and interweave their lives together. It’s a change from series who stick with one main character and gives that person’s point of view. If Wicked Lovelywas Aislinn’s story, andInk Exchange was Leslie’s, then Fragile Eternity is all about Seth. And, while the change in point of view can be unnerving to some, Marr keeps enough of the known character’s viewpoints to keep the reader interested.
Marr also does well with introducing new characters in each book. This occurs with ease, and the reader can easily differentiate between them. The mixture of gritty teen issues that are relatable, with the fantasy aspect that most teens love, makes for an exciting and yet edgy story.
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