Thursday, March 11, 2010

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+


24 comments:

  1. I had this in my hands at the bookstore the other day, perhaps ill pick it up tommaorow if i can get my bf to bring me (he says i live there.. ) hahaha.

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  2. Hey Briana! I'm so glad I saw your review. Besides being insightful and well-written as always, I've been looking at WONDROUS STRANGE and wondering whether I should read it...and the fact that you liked it and wrote a favorable review really convinced me! SO thank you very much, girl! Can't wait to hear what you think for DARKLIGHT

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  3. Darkly Luminous? OooH! The Shakespearean aspect sounds cool. Good review!

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  4. good review. I've seen different things about these books. I'm still interested in reading them though.

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  5. I really liked this one. Kelly was a very cool character. :) Lol, Bob and Lucky! Lucky was amazing :P I liked when he ate (or drank?) the roommate's special soap or shampoo. *memory's a wee bit foggy*

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  6. If you loved Wondrous Strange, you'll love Darklight even more :)

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  7. Wondrous Strange sounds like a good fairy story :) I've only read one so far that I really loved and that was Knife(US. Spell Hunter) by R.J. Anderson.

    Thank you for the great review! I hope you're enjoying Darklight.

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  8. This book was MAGICAL. I hadn't picked it up for the longest time because I'd already read a book with a similar basis, but this book turned out to be a smoothly written, beautiful tale all it's own.
    I'm looking forward to the next book.
    :)

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  9. I was first drawn to this book because of the cover & with the faery element in the plot, I've been wanting to read it ever since.

    You review was encouraging as well. Strong heroine? Check. Faery? Check. Shakespeare-aspect? Check.

    Thanks!
    Christa

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  10. Awesome review! I love when the main character is sassy. I haven't read many books about fairies, but I think I will try some. This book sounds like something I would like :)

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  11. Great review! I've been wanting to read this one for a while, it sounds awesome!

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  12. I read the first chapter, and it was really good. I haven't had the chance to read anymore of it, but I want to.

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  13. great review i so wanna read this

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  14. I can't wait to read this whole series. I like books you can't put down. I understand knowing where the books going and not being surprised but it can still be a good book.

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  15. I am always undecided as to whether or not I like more poetically written books. Your review though makes me want to give this one a go. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

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  16. Even though I hate the cover for Wondrous Strange, I really liked reading it. I agree that Kelley was a very easy character to connect with, even though she's the daughter of the fairy king!

    Great review. I can't wait to read Darklight!

    Kelsey
    krae991 at yahoo dot com

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  17. great review! i really enjoyed reading wondrous strange and i love the cover too

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  18. I love your reviews. They are so good. I like how you rate everything, the characters, cover etc.

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  19. Thanks for this review! I'm looking forward to read the books in this series!

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  20. This is the first book can't wait to read it

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  21. Oh my God. This sounds SO good! I love the whole concept of 'faeries' and wow, Sonny seems hot. 'Steely determination to protect' is always sexy in my book! Haha. Thanks for the great review, though I hope I love him. Romance and faeries. What more do you want?

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  22. I have this book on my TBR stack. I can't wait to get to it. Thanks for the review.

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  23. I love sassy heroines! I will have to add this to my TBR pile. Great review, Briana! :D

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  24. This is an awesome book, I agree that it sucks you in. Kelley was a great character, no wimpy female MC here!

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