Wondrous Strange (Young Adult)

Author:  Lesley Livingston

Title:  Wondrous Strange

Genre:  Young Adult

Setting:  Modern Day New York City

Publication Date:  2009

Publisher:  Harperteen:  An Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers

# of Pages:  327

Synopsis:

Kelly Winslow has just had her big break.  The 17-year old actress was the understudy for the role of Titania, the fairy queen, in a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream when the actress playing Titania injured her ankle.  However, after meeting Sonny Flannery while practicing her part in Central Park, things take a turn for the weird.  Sonny is a Janus guard who protects the Gates of Samhain, which connect the fairy world to the human world and are located in Central Park.  It is his job to ensure that no one crosses over between worlds.  He is a human child who was raised by the King Auberon, the king of the Fairies.  After seeking out Kelly at her theater, he recognizes that she is not altogether human but is one of the fairies.   However, Kelly believes he is stalking her and warns him away.

In the meantime, Kelly has almost drowned in Central Park trying to save a horse from drowning.  Incredibly, the horse has followed her home and now resides in her bathtub.  This is not a normal horse but a waterhorse who has crossed the Samhain gate.  Kelly finds herself in danger again in Central Park and is once more rescued by Sonny.  The novel opens on October 31^st and the Samhain gates are open for a period of time surrounding Halloween and the Janus guards must fight off creatures trying to break through the opening during this time.  The spell which has closed the gate lifts during this period.

Kelly and Sonny are both share a similar history and they slowly find out the relationship to each other and the Fairy royalty.  Sonny is a human who was raised by King Auberon.  He was stolen from his mother and raised in Fairy and finally made a member of the Janus guard.  Kelly is the daughter of King Auberon who was stolen from the Fairy King and raised by Sonny’s mother, who she believed was her aunt.  The novel reaches a climax when the Wild Hunt, an event in the past when fairies began to hunt humans for sport, begins to take place in New York City after the Samhain Gate has been flung open.  Can Sonny and Kelly save the City and themselves?

Young Adult Elements:

Fast Pace:  This novel has a fast moving plot and suspenseful details.

Likeable Young Characters:  Both Kelly and Sonny are charming and their shared bond is interesting.

Issues:  Although a paranormal novel, the issues the characters face are ones that all teenagers face:  finding one’s place in the world in both an occupation and around the people that surround one.

Read Alikes:

Clare, Cassandra.  City of Bones.

Angelini, Josephine.  Starcrossed.

Johnson, Christine.  Claire de Lune.