**I'm reviewing the two books together as I read them in such quick succession I don't remember where one began and the other stopped!
17 year-old Kelly Winslow doesn’t believe in Faeries. Not unless they’re the kind that you find in a theatre, spouting Shakespeare—the kind that Kelley so desperately wishes she could be: onstage, under lights, with a pair of sparkly wings strapped to her shoulders. But as the understudy in a two-bit, hopelessly off-off-Broadway production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, wishing is probably the closest she’s going to get to becoming a Faerie Queen. At least, that’s what she thinks...
Is it just me or are faeries taking over from the vamps? It seems like every second YA book that comes out is about them. Truthfully, I find it hard to get into a lot of them. I just can't get over the idea Disney and countless children's books have put in my head of tiny fluttering child-like people who couldn't possibly be taken seriously, much less dashing, charming and totally crush worthy. Can I just say that Sonny from Wondrous Strange has definitely changed all of that? Okay, so maybe he wasn't a faerie as such, but he will definitely have you wishing he was your boyfriend. And Kelley, our lovely protagonist, is definitely not frail and wispy- she was stubborn but likable, and so very real.
I loved how she made each of the characters so complex- there isn't really any just plain good or bad characters in this series and each have a back story. You feel for each of them. Mabh, the dark queen is one of my favourite characters, despite being kind of evil and all.
The Wondrous Strange series is absolutely stunning. I found myself thinking about it during the day in class and rushing home after to finish it (much to the detriment of my studies unfortunately). I loved every moment of it and cannot wait for the last installment!
Overall: ♥♥♥♥♥
