Wondrous Strange
by Lesley Livingston

    WONDROUS STRANGE by Lesley Livingston
    Category:  Fantasy
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 9+
    Release Date:  12/23/08
    Publisher:  HarperTeen
    Reviewed by:  The Story Siren
    Rating:  5 Stars


    I loved it, I LOVED it. I love it so much I want to marry it. If you are a fan of faerie books, you’ll want to read this
    one. If you’ve tried faerie books before, but didn’t like them, you’ll want to read this. If you aren’t a fan of faerie
    books, you’ll still want to read it. It’s that good.

    Incredible characters, incredible writing, incredible plot. It was really just so fantastic, it’s hard to find the words to
    describe it. I never in a million years would have guessed this was a debut novel. The key to my heart is great
    characters and storyline, and this book had it all and then some. Even the minor characters stood out to me, and they
    were fascinating. Like Chloe - she is a siren, has a very minor role, and yet she is very memorable. As well as a few
    other characters..... but I don’t want to give all the goods away.

    Completely original plot! I figured a few things out, but other things I was oblivious to until they were revealed. I’ve
    read other faerie books about the faerie "royalty" - if you’ve read Melissa Marr you know what I’m talking about
    here. Not that I’d even compare this book to Marr’s because they are at totally two different ends of the spectrum.
    And I don’t mean that in the quality of writing, because they are both fabulous writers. Did I just write fabulous...
    don’t you just love the plethora of "f" adj.!? Do you think I’m subconsciously doing it because of the whole faerie
    thing... freaking fantastic fascinating fabulous faeries! I promise I did NOT do that on purpose!

    Great writers write what they know.... what movie is that from? Never Been Kissed! I think that statement definitely
    has some truth to it. Kelley is an actress (a struggling actress to be more specific).  The theater scenes within the novel
    were marvelous (notice no ‘f’ here!) so I wasn’t surprised to learn that the lovely Lesley Livingston herself is at home
    on the stage. I wonder if she knows any faeries personally?

    I think the thing I loved most about WONDROUS STRANGE was Kelley. She is an exceptional female protagonist.
    I was instantly drawn to her character. She’s honest, she imperfect, and she doesn’t pull the Bella card. When a cute
    guy tells her that faeries are real, she reacts like a normal person and laughs in his face. LOVED IT.

    And I must mention Sonny. Ah... Sonny.. Mom, can I have one? Yeah, that’s really all I’m going to say about him,
    because if I tell you, they you’re going to want him, too, and you can’t have him because he’s mine. No really, I’m
    not going to tell you how incredibly cute he is, and how he kicks major faerie butt, because he’s all about protecting
    the mortal world from the mean faeries.. And yet, he can still rescue the damsel in distress even if she is mean to him
    and laughs in his face.

    I simply cannot say enough good things about this novel. I highly recommend you grab a copy of this book. It would
    make an awesome Christmas present! And I’m even more thrilled to mention that this novel is the beginning of a
    trilogy!