Wondrous Strange starts out...oddly. Like a nightmare. Well technically speaking it starts out like a play's script, but the actual start of the novel begins like a nightmare. All I really saw was 'THE WILD HUNT' and suddenly I was so interested. I love The Wild Hunt--the mythology, stories based around, whatever have you. So for me that was an insta-bonus point.

I've heard remarks that this is very similar to Tithe, which I have not read. I'm not sure why...just haven't. Which might be for the best. I wanted to enjoy this book on its own merits after all.

And I did enjoy it--I enjoyed Kelley's sparking anger, Sonny's oddly innocent bravery, Maddox's protectiveness, Puck's malicious playfulness and the casual cruelty that only those with lots of power over someone can inflict so easily.

Sure some of the twists were predictable, but that's not a bad thing since its fun watching the characters all sort of go 'How did THAT happen?'. And this really is a sort of 'Who's Who' of Celtic mythology. You name it and it does appear. Which was fun for me because I got to flex my way out of use Celtic lore skills.

The pace is set pretty quick, with the timeline being roughly nine days long and once things are set into motion they don't stop. Character development is sparse for the most part, with only the major revelations spurring any true growth. It would be kind of hard not to grow as a person honestly after some of what is said.

Truly my favorite character was Puck. Say what you will--the man knows how to have a good lark. ( )

I liked the general story, but the characters weren't very well developed.
( )

Nostalgic reread after many years ( )

This book was really good, and I enjoyed it very much.

BUT

I had one major annoying thing that kept coming back to me. According to the maple leaf sticker on the back of this book, that someone at the library stuck on, and Lesley's own blurb about herself at the back of the book, Lesley lives in Canada. Toronto to be exact. She went to U of T, as far as I can tell lived there her entire life, and probably says the name of her city the way most locals say it, Toronno and she probably smirks inside while listening to Americans say Toronto when they pronounce the T.

So what does she do, as soon as she writes a book, and gets to show her opinion to the world, show people a place that they would never be able to go to through her pages??? She sets her book in New York City. NYC. Possibly one of the most written about places North America. I have no issue with New York. In fact, I want to go there very badly, and see a musical on Broadway. It is the fact that the author wrote about something that she knows nothing about. She probably sees New York from a tourist's point of view, instead of a person that has lived there for any length of time.

I find that I lose myself and enjoy the book more when I can tell the author knows the place that she is writing about, even if I have never been there. A great example of this would be any book by Melina Marchetta. She lives in Australia and is Italian. So she writes books set in Australia, near Sydney, where she lives, and many of her heroines are Italian. Even when she writes about Aussies, she knows what she is talking about because she is surrounded by them. She has lived through being an Italian in Austarlia and puts that knowlege into her books. She assumes that the reader knows what she is talking about, so she doesn't explain any culture-related things. And it works. When i read her books, I don't give a shit that I don't know that the hell a "wog" is, and I don't find it strange that they find it cold in June and want to wear scarves. Because I trust in her knowledge.

But it's also a pride thing , I geuss. Also, it maybe could help her with publicity if she set the book in T.O. instead of NYC. Think of all the books set in New York. You could probably name a couple off the top of your head, right? Now think of all the books set in Toronto. Can you think of any??? I know I can't. It would have been something unique. But oh, well.

The book is really good, and has a different vocabulary than most YA novels, and I can appreciate that. Plus, I love all the Irish-ness! ;D ( )

Definitely strange, I found it felt a bit rushed and forced. She didn't seem upset enough by any of the events, and took everything in stride too easily. I'm glad she wasn't a pushover though, she took her powers in hand and did the right thing. ( )