Wondrous Strange

Livingston, Lesley. Wondrous Strange. HarperCollins Publishers, 2009. ISBN 978-0-06-157537-2

There are several elements of this book that make it a great read. First, it has a unique setting and several themes that, in themselves, could be the backdrop for a novel: a young actress trying to make it on the Shakespearean stages of New York City, the Shakespearean basis of the world of faeries and that world's intermingling with our own, the identity crises of a young woman who finds out she is not who she thought she was, and a budding romance. Any of these themes could have an interesting story built around it, but once combined, Livingston does a fine job of not making it convoluted, but rather seamless and transparent.

Mystical, beautiful and thoroughly enjoyable, this story is a pleasure to read from start to finish. The descriptions of the Fae (faeries) and their world as both appealing and foreboding is solid, and the sacrifices one will make for true love combined with themes from A Midsummer Night's Dream (and plenty of action) make this an easy book to recommend for all ages.