As you know, this is the companion novel to the book I previously reviewed, Impossible, and to the one I'm going to read next, Unthinkable, all by Nancy Werlin. You might remember that, while I enjoyed the author's style very much, Impossible wasn't really what I personally was looking for at the time I read it. However, Extraordinary was, well, extraordinary, if you'll pardon the pun.
What I Liked:
- Faeries! YES!!!! I was a bit nervous, since, like I said, I found there to be way less fae-related stuff in Impossible than I though there would be. This book seriously delivered in that respect. There were bargains being struck, faeries of all sorts being depicted, notations being made of the significance of dancing with the faeries, etc. etc. AND I LOVED IT! I love traditional folk faeries so very very much, and it is always wonderful to see them included in YA fiction, especially when it is clear that the author has done their research, which is completely the case with Nancy Werlin. (The edition I have, published by SPEAK in 2010, even has a cool flower/clover type design on the pages in which the faerie queen is speaking. I thought that was a really nice touch.)
- Literary references. At one point, Phoebe mentions Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice, which made me so exceedingly happy. On the one hand, I am an English major, so those two works are pretty close to my heart (the latter infinitely more so than the former). On the other, I find it so odd that book heroines live in a vacuum, sometimes. I live my life according to the principles of my fictional favorites all of the time, I draw inspiration from them, I try to anticipate what may happen from what I have learned about human behavior from them. So, when I see a heroine like Phoebe (or like Katy, from the Lux series) reference other literary characters, it just warms the cockles of my heart.
- Subtle characterization. Phoebe and Ryland, together, man. Nancy Werlin is just so incredibly deft at letting the relationship between two characters open up before you. The same with Mallory and Mrs. Tolliver. There was never one moment where I realized Ryland was simply using Phoebe or that Mallory really cared about Mrs. Tolliver, it just gradually grew and grew until I couldn't imagine having ever not know it. It was amazing. Seriously, Nancy Werlin is an author to watch; something about her style just really fits with my psyche or something...it's hard to explain.
- Ambiguity. As Phoebe went deeper and deeper into Faerie and learned everything about Mayer and all that, I really did find myself hoping that the fae world would be okay. I really, really liked that she didn't play it as solidly the faeries' fault or wholly Mayer's fault. That was a nice twist.
- History. I'd heard of the Rothschild family before this, but I didn't know too much about them, however, I always love when an author references traditional history in their fantasy work.
What I Didn't Like:
- Lack of romance. Obviously, there was Ryland, who was bad news, but then the relationship with Benjamin was simply characterized as in the cards, not really fully realized. I need my romance. Then again, I didn't care for Zach and Lucy of Impossible, so maybe Nancy Werlin's style of romance simply isn't really my cup of tea, generally. (Again, not a criticism, you might love it.)
Final Thoughts:
- The next book returns to the Scarborough girls, so I'm not uber-psyched, but I'm hoping I will love it as much as I did this one.
- I highly recommend this book, it was an engaging, quick read, and faeries!
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