Review: Wondrous Strange

Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada
Pub. Date: September 9th, 2009
Pages: 352
Age Level: 14+

Synopsis
Since the dawn of time, the Faerie have taken. . . .

For seventeen-year-old actress Kelley Winslow, faeries are just something from childhood stories. Then she meets Sonny Flannery, whose steel-gray eyes mask an equally steely determination to protect her.

Sonny guards the Samhain Gate, which connects the mortal realm with the Faerie's enchanted, dangerous Otherworld. Usually kept shut by order of icy King Auberon, the Gate stands open but once a year.

This year, as the time approaches when the Samhain Gate will swing wide and nightmarish Fae will fight their way into an unsuspecting human world, something different is happening . . . something wondrous and strange. And Kelley's eyes are opening not just to the Faerie that surround her but to the heritage that awaits her.

Now Kelley must navigate deadly Faerie treachery—and her growing feelings for Sonny—in this dazzling page-turner filled with luminous romance.

Wondrous Strange is a richly layered tale of love between faerie and mortal, betrayal between kings and queens, and magic . . . between author and reader.

Review
Wondrous Strange is an utterly mesmerizing and darkly luminous tale of a girl discovering that there is far more to her than meets the eye.

Kelley was such a strong, sassy, and well written heroine. I thought she handled her circumstances very realistically; at first with disbelief, then caution, and then acceptance. I liked her right from the start and found her an easy character to connect with. As for Sonny, there was something about him I just really liked. I didn't quite love him; I did, however, love getting to know him and thought he was a great, witty, and valiant character. Odd as this may sound, the two characters that really stood out to me most were Bob and Lucky. They were both so original and really helped make this story as great as it was.

I absolutely fell in love with the Shakespearean aspect to Wondrous Strange; it was something that really helped set this book apart from your other YA fantasy stories out there. Though only my second faerie book, I'm finding myself completely enchanted by their magical and alluring world. Wondrous Strange was very well developed and there wasn't a dull moment to be found; because of this, I felt as though I had no choice but to keep the pages turning. My only real problem with this book was that I found it to be somewhat predictable. Other than that, a great story.

All I really have to say about the writing is that is was beautiful and lyrically done and I loved that she wrote both Sonny and Kelley's side of the story. I can't recall having any issues with it.

As for the ending, I felt Wondrous Strange ended just as it should, leaving me ready to grab up and delve into Darklight.

All in all, Wondrous Strange is an imaginative and impressive start to what I believe is going to be a remarkable trilogy. Two thumbs up to Lesley Livingston, a wonderful and very talented author. This is a book I definitely recommend. Now that I have finished and reviewed this lovely book, I'll be starting Darklight any minute now. As a matter of fact, by the time you actually read this I'll probably already be well into it.

Grade
Characters: B+
Writing: B+
Plot: B
Ending: A-
1st in Trilogy: B+
Enjoyment/Likability: B+
Recommendable: B+
Cover: A-

Overall: B+