For a limited time, you can read Melissa Marr’s first book, Wicked Lovely, on the Harper site. I wouldn’t call it a free e-book, since it doesn’t look like you can download it to hug and squeeze forever (or read on a dedicated device), but the site’s preview function has been set to 100%. So has the awesome. Wicked Lovely is a very engaging take on the classic, quasi-Celtic Summer Fae vs. Winter Fae conflict, and the ending in particular is clever and well-tied-up. I’ll definitely be re-reading it in preparation for Marr’s second book, Ink Exchange, which has been waiting patiently on my to-read shelf, and her next one, Fragile Eternity, which comes out April 21. I haven’t seen anything on how long the whole book is going to be available, though, so pipe up if you know and shake a tailfeather if you’re interested; it’s worth it.

Janni Lee Simner’s first young adult book, Bones of Faerie, has a haunting first chapter—you can read it here—that warns readers right away about the dark places the book will go. For all that protective parents worry about what their kids are reading, this is my favorite kind of YA book both now and when I was in middle school. Simner’s 15-year-old heroine Liza encounters major obstacles and works her way around them with the help of a faithful animal companion, a longtime-acquaintance turned friend and some interesting strangers who have more to them than meets the eye. Part post-apocalyptic adventure tale and part folklore, Bones of Faerie is definitely built on familiar ground, until the ground sprouts vines that try to eat you.

[And if that’s not enough of a recommendation, how about some fabulous freebies?]