Header image with four cats and the text: Pussreboots, a book review nearly every day. Online since 1997
Now 2025 Previous Articles Road Essays Road Reviews Author Black Authors Title Source Age Genre Series Format Inclusivity LGBTA+ Art Portfolio Purchase Art WIP

Recent posts


Month in review

Reviews
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
Enter, Night by Michael Rowe
Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin
Fairy Bad Day by Amanda Ashby
Heat Rises by Richard Castle
The Homecoming by Ray Bradbury
The Hotel Under the Sand by Kage Baker
How to Party with a Killer Vampire by Penny Warner
If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This by Robin Black
If You Give a Dog a Donut by Laura Joffe Numeroff
Last Night by Hyewon Yum
Listen to my Trumpet by Mo Willems
Little Bo in France by Julie Andrews Edwards
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart
One Moon, Two Cats by Laura Godwin
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
Rise of the Evening Star (audio) by Brandon Mull
Sheep in a Shop by Nancy E. Shaw
The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
The Southernmost Cat by John Cech
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
Tales From Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan
Tell Me the Day Backwards by Albert Lamb
The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan
Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 04 by CLAMP
Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle 05 by CLAMP
The Watchlist edited by Jefferey Deaver
Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey
Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
xxxHolic 11 by CLAMP

Previous month


Rating System

5 stars: Completely enjoyable or compelling
4 stars: Good but flawed
3 stars: Average
2 stars: OK
1 star: Did not finish


Privacy policy

This blog does not collect personal data. It doesn't set cookies. Email addresses are used to respond to comments or "contact us" messages and then deleted.


Extraordinary: 08/22/12

cover art

Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin proposes that the Rothschild dynasty was granted its success through a faerie pact. Years down the line, the Queen of the Faeries has decided it's time to end the alliance and take back the gift. To do that, Phoebe Rothschild (of a fictional branch of the Rothschilds) must be sacrificed.

Although the book is told mostly from Pheobe's point of view, there are chapters interspersed from the point of view of Mallory and her ersatz brother Ryland. While Werlin is up front about the Queen's plans, how and when they will be executed, though she leaves a mystery. Unraveling that timeline and the reasons behind the sudden urgency are what make Extraordinary such a compelling read.

There's one more unusual aspect to this human / faerie book, namely Pheobe's Jewishness. How that comes into play, though, is rather central to the book's climax and denouement, so I can't say much without flooding this post with spoilers. The added tough questions raised by Pheobe's faith and culture, though, bumped the book up from a well deserving four stars, to a full fledged five star read.

Recommended by Tiger Holland

Five stars

Comments (0)


Lab puppy
Name:
Email (won't be posted):
Blog URL:
Comment:




Tumblr Mastadon Flickr Facebook Facebook Contact me

1997-2025 Sarah Sammis