Seven Black Diamonds by Melissa Marr (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Seven Black Diamonds by Melissa Marr Kate Quealy-Gainer, Assistant Editor Marr, Melissa Seven Black Diamonds. Harper/HarperCollins, 2016 [400p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-06-201117-6 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-06-223921-1 $10.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 7-10 When the fae Queen of Sea and Sky lost her baby to a manmade oil spill, she began a guerilla war against humanity and quickly earned her new name, the Queen of Blood and Rage. Her sleeper cells have committed horrific acts of terrorism, and there is none more effective and loyal than her Black Diamonds. Lily Abernathy lives in the human world but suspects she has fae heritage, considering her ability to bend the elements to her will. What she does not know is that the six people she befriends at her new boarding school are indeed the Black Diamonds, and she is meant to complete their group and marry their leader, Zephyr, despite her attraction to Creed, another member of the group. The first half of the book is largely devoted to Zephyr and Creed’s competition for Lily’s affection; fortunately, as the plot moves them from the human world to the faerie world, the setting expands and secondary characters are given more hefty roles, and a tragic backstory unfolds, lending depth and emotional resonance to the story. The spare moments in which the queen’s façade falls just enough to reveal her grief at the loss of her child are heartbreaking, as are the times when the Diamonds admit their guilt and disgust at the acts of murder they have committed. The love triangle might be a familiar trope, but Marr wisely uses it to draw readers in and then enchant them with a compelling world of magic, power, and regret. Copyright © 2016 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois