Wondrous Strange

Wondrous Strange

 by Kelley Winslow 

You spotted snakes with double tongue,

Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen;

Newts and blind-worms, do no wrong,

Come not near our fairy queen.

 - A Midsummer Night's Dream: Act 2, Scene 2

          Kelley Winslow is a 17 year-old aspiring actress in New York who finally gets a job as the understudy in an off-off-Broadway production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. After the star of the show is injured, Kelley suddenly finds herself going from the understudy to the star of the show as Titania, the Queen of Fairies. When she forgets her lines, Kelley escapes to Central Park to practice. This is the big break Kelley has been waiting for – as long as she does not mess it up. That is where Sonny, a handsome gentleman, comes into her life. Sonny seems to be a nice guy, even offering her a random rose in the park, but he is also very protective of her. It is through Sonny that Kelley quickly learns that faeries are more than just characters in fiction novels, and her life suddenly becomes as complicated as one of Shakespeare’s famous plot twists.

          Wondrous Strange, by Canadian author Lesley Livingston, is an urban fantasy. Livingston based Wondrous Strange on the legendary Shakespearean fantasy A Midsummer Night’s Dream. However, you do not have to be familiar with the play in order to enjoy this story. An urban fantasy novel is a sub-genre of Fantasy that is defined by place as the fantastic narrative must be primarily set in a city. Many urban fantasies are set in contemporary times and contain supernatural elements. It does not matter when the story takes place (for example, in the past, present, future, or fictional), but most urban fantasy books are placed in a contemporary setting, including this one. Other popular urban fantasy books include the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead, The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, or Lili St. Crow’s Strange Angels series. All of these novels are available at your local public library!

Lesley Livingston’s debut novel, Wondrous Strange, is a spellbinding tale filled with fairies, eccentric adventure and star-crossed romances. This teen urban fantasy book creates a great story with strong characters, especially the young female protagonist, which will make a fantasy-lover out of the biggest critic.  Lesley Livingston is from Toronto and writes stories for young adults based on mythology and folklore. Wondrous Strange (2009) is the first book in a trilogy series, followed by Darklight (2009) and Tempestuous (2010). If you enjoy authors like Herbie Brennan, Holly Black and Melissa Marr you will love this trilogy.

Weaving spiders, come not here;

Hence, you long-legg'd spinners, hence!

Beetles black, approach not near;

Worm nor snail, do no offence.

The two other books in the trilogy are Darklight and Tempestuous.