September 08, 2010

Review: Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin


Phoebe finds herself drawn to Mallory, the strange and secretive new kid in school, and the two girls become as close as sisters . . . until Mallory's magnetic older brother, Ryland, shows up during their junior year. 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 truth about Ryland and Mallory: that these two are visitors from the faerie realm who have come to collect on an age-old debt. Generations ago, the faerie queen promised Phoebe's ancestor five extraordinary sons in exchange for the sacrifice of one ordinary female heir. But in hundreds of years there hasn't been a single ordinary girl in the family, and now the faeries are dying. Could Phoebe be the first ordinary one? Could she save the faeries, or is she special enough to save herself?




Ever since that day in the seventh grade, when Phoebe stood up for Mallory, the new and "weird" girl in school, they have been best friends. Despite their differences, Phoebe's parents are rich and Mallory lives with her ailing mother, they have built a strong bond. But everything changes when Mallory's mysterious older brother Ryland, whom Phoebe had no idea even existed, comes to town.

Immediately Phoebe finds herself drawn to Ryland, and suddenly she is canceling plans with Mallory to be with him and sneaking around behind her friend's back. But Ryland has an ulterior motive, and it has everything to do with a huge secret that Mallory has been keeping from Phoebe...

I have to say this was a pretty good read. It was more then just a story of two girls' friendship being threatened by a boy. Like an onion, it had many layers. The more you read and figure out what the real dilemma is, the more intrigued you will become. Phoebe learns a great life lesson, that just by believing in herself she can make anything happen. Though it was different from most of the young adult books I typically read, overall I liked it and would recommend it to anyone. 






3 comments:

  1. I read the ARC and wasn't sure about it. The synopsis the ARC gave was different than the one the one in store's says.

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  2. Sound a bit too soap opera-ish, I'll have to ponder it.

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  3. Oo wow! I love the description of it being like an onion and how there are different layers of issues in the story. This is by far the most compelling review I've read for this book. Thank you!

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