Normally I shy away from books about faeries. They're the least favorite of the paranormal beings that I like to read about. I'm not sure why but I'm just not interested in them. Yet when I finished Wondrous Strange, suddenly my interest in faeries has skyrocketed all because of this single book.

What can I say, except that I absolutely LOVED this book. Everything about it was so fantastic! I loved the characters, the whole story, and the references to A Midsummer Night's Dream. It might help if the reader is familiar with the play in the first place, but a simple read through in wikipedia might help to those not wanting to read any Shakespeare.

I'd have to say Kelley is a wonderful character to read. She might seem meek and mild in the beginning but when Sonny comes around to annoy her Kelley gets all riled up and shows her angry side. It was absolutely fun to read, she does have a certain spark and some chemistry between herself and Sonny. I like them both as characters. I also liked Auberon. Yes, he wasn't the most nicest person and was a backstabbing bastage, but there was an aura of suave and calm collected coolness that just emanated from him whenever he came around. You just couldn't help but feel some sort of attraction to him despite his aloof behavior. One can also not forget Lucky, even though it was a horse, it was still a wonderful silent sidekick. Bob was also unforgettable, who even though he was mischievous, he was an excellent supporting character too.

The story is also a great read, I liked the idea of Sonny and his gang being tasked with protecting the gate so the Otherworld faeries don't come in to create mischief or run amok. When things do run amok, the descriptions of what was happening, of bad trickster faeries creating chaos all over the city was just an eye opening read. I just had to keep going I could not stop reading unless I absolutely had to. There were plenty of twists and turns throughout the novel and it provides for much of the excitement. Overall it provided some real interesting and fun reading.

I am definitely grabbing the second book of this series! I can't want to see what happens! there's so much Kelley has to look forward to (and has a lot to learn!) I'm so glad I picked this book up. I give it full credit for getting me back into the world of faeries and fully enjoying it. I definitely recommend this to other YA readers and those that love anything to do with faeries and A Midsummer Night's Dream!

At first, I was a little leary before starting this trilogy but I was impressed... VERY MUCH! I loved how the story has unfolded (thus far). I vaguely remembered A Midsummer Night's Dream from highschool English lit (as I never really "got" Shakespeare)... but Wondrous Strange in particular is not so much about Shakespeare's tale -- so you don't have to know it to appreciate this story.

I LOVED the main character/heroine... Kelley Winslow. She's a 17 year old feisty and passionate girl. She's not a weak character at all compared to heroines in some other stories. She's an understudy, and soon promoted to the lead role of Titania in an off-off Broadway production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Through a series of events... she eventually learns that her life should have been quite different. She was stolen as a baby from the faerie world and raised human. She is the daughter of two powerful faerie rulers, King Auberon of the winter court and Queen Mabh of the autumn court. What's interesting, and at times fun, is watching her journey of acceptance of this life.

And Sonny... oh my dear Sonny... I don't know what else to say... except I have a HUGE crush on him!! Any girl would be so lucky to have someone like Sonny watching over her (although Kelley, at first, thought he was stalking her). He is so very charming in an old-fashioned sort of way. And it's funny that he, being born human (so we think), and raised in the faerie relm, is the complete opposite to Kelley. Fate had a lot in store for these two... and none of it seems to be coincidental.

The romance between them develops slowly... but that is good... as it makes it more believable and relatable. It's a slow, simmering, growing love that started to finally bubble towards the end of the book -- leaving you rooting for them in the next book.

All the secondary characters are awesome... ones that stuck out for me were Bob, Herne, Tyff, Maddox, Gentleman Jack and Lucky (yes... Lucky is the horse -- who wouldn't want a horse comfortably living in their bathtub??!)

What an ending! I LOVE how book one wrapped up... it tied up the main plot of this book nicely... even though Kelley and Sonny are not technically *together* at the end... it still ends with hope for a very promising future for them, and paves the way for the next installment, Darklight.

Lesley Livingston is my favourite Canadian author!

I've often seen this book in the bookstore and never thought to buy it. After meeting Lesley Livingston I decided to give it a try. It is well thought out and wonderfully intertwines the world of fantasy into the real world. The story revolves around Central Park and really captures its beauty and magic. The main characters are a bit invulnerable though, making it a four star read.
A good summer read.

Wow let me first tell you guys that I loved this book. I had my doubts because I knew it featured Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream which I do remember reading in my high school English class but that was a long time ago so I don't remember the story at all. I start reading and on the very first page guess what I see…it's a list of characters from Kelley's script. Luckily for me as I kept reading I found out that you didn't really need to know the play to understand the story.

Kelley is seventeen years old, living in New York and pursuing her dream of becoming an actress. She meets Sonny, a member of the Janus guard charged with protecting the Samhain Gate, the doorway between the mortal and faerie world. I absolutely loved these two together, there was great interaction and can't wait to see more of the relationship. I also really liked some of the secondary characters like Tyff, Bob and even Queen Mabh. They all have interesting back stories that drew me to their characters and I would love to know more about them in subsequent books.

I was immediately enthralled with the Livingston's writing. The world and characters that she created really came to life. She mixes some of the faerie elements in with a modern setting of New York and it works. It was completely believable and I couldn't get enough of the faerie world and wanted to know more about this fascinating realm.

Many surprising twists and coincidences made Wondrous Strange a page turner for me. The mixture of faerie folklore, theatre and a magical quality makes Wondrous Strange a must read.