Author: Nancy Werlin
Genre: YA fantasy
Published: September 7th 2010
Publisher: Dial
Pages: 393
Source: Purchased Hardcover
Available at: Amazon | Barnes of Noble
Goodreads Summary:
Phoebe finds herself drawn to Mallory, the strange and secretive new kid in school. Soon the two girls are as close as sisters . . . until Mallory’s magnetic older brother, Ryland, appears. Ryland has an immediate, exciting hold on Phoebe—but a dangerous hold, for she begins to question her feelings about her best friend and, worse, about herself.
Soon she’ll discover the shocking, fantastical truth about Ryland and Mallory, and about an age-old debt they expect Phoebe to pay. Will she be strong enough to resist? Will she be special enough to save herself?
In the vein of Nancy Werlin’s previous novel Impossible, Extraordinary is a tale of friendship, romance, and the faerie realm.
My Rating of this Book – 3 out of 5 Stars
My Review:
Extraordinary was enchanting and written well enough to keep me engaged, but the novel was just not really to my taste. Even though I could relate to certain aspects of both Phoebe and Mallory, I couldn’t really connect to the actual plot. It felt more like I was watching an image in a crystal ball than actual feeling like I’m living the character’s life.
Also, I became very lost when it came to understanding the ‘Faerie Realm’ and their plans for using Phoebe. The fairies’ motivations seemed unclear throughout most of the book and when they began to use the mental abuse as part of their methods, I become really confused and frustrated. I didn’t understand why such measures were necessary or how it even related to the fairies’ goals.
The ending of this novel, however, does bring out a good message and it was definitely an interesting concept. The execution just didn’t grab me.
Kelsey Ketch 