Charming, magical fairytale

Wendy Everly has never belonged. Her school mates seem repulsed by her, the teachers pick on her and even her own mother tried to kill her at the age of six. So when the new guy, Finn Holmes takes an interest in her, she’s flattered – and confused. She soon discovers that there is more to his attention than meets the eye. Finn has been sent to find Wendy and bring her home, into a whole new world she never knew she was a part of. It’s a world full of magic, intrigue, danger, forbidden love and politics; a world Wendy’s not so sure she really wants to be a part of.

I’ve had this novel on my Kindle for a while now and wish I’d read it sooner. This is my kind of story. It’s a magical fairytale in a modern setting, with just the right amount of danger, romance and suspense. It’s the kind of story you can really get lost in. The kind of story you dream about.

Finn’s character is intense, yet tempered by duty and diligence. Wendy’s character is less collected, as teenage girls often are, highly emotional, impulsive and yet with a certain level-headed maturity that gets her through confrontations that would have most teens falling apart.

Hocking’s writing is not overly poetic or filled with ambiguous figures of speech. It is simple and neat, showcasing a well-planned and executed story without unnecessarily pretty prose. The plot, while predictable at times, is engaging and leaves you with a rather pleasant aftertaste that begs for more. This is genre writing at it’s best – it’s exactly what you would expect from a young adult series, and yet unique and charming enough to make the author’s name a fixture on your reading list.

I can’t wait to find out more about what’s in store for Wendy and Finn!