Kelley Winslow is just trying to make it as an actress in New York. She’s an understudy for the role of fairy queen Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream when suddenly her life changes — first, the actress playing Titania gets injured and Kelley gets to play the lead. But more radical change is afoot — she is about to find out that the world of faerie is real, not just a collection of folk tales that inspired Shakespeare.

Kelley has to learn fast about the whole faerie world, because her safety depends on it. It’s approaching Halloween, and the gate between the mortal realm and the Otherworld (Samhain, which just happens to be in Central Park) is at a weak point — all kinds of creatures are trying to get into the mortal world, and Kelley is somehow managing to be a magnet for disaster. But she also attracts the attention of a young man who can help her — and together they are trying to avert greater disaster. Of course, love is sure to bloom under these trying circumstances, but can Sonny and Kelley stay together when two worlds are conspiring against them?

Wondrous Strange is a fun supernatural adventure, with lots of Shakespeare thrown in for good measure. Author Lesley Livingston puts her education and theater experience to delightful use in this novel, weaving in the elements of Midsummer and lots of faerie lore to make a lively tale that engages.

Rated: Moderate, for a fair amount of mild language and a few uses of moderate language. It could be mild, but the language use gets more frequent (and just more noticeable) as the book goes on and the action gets more intense. There is some mild violence, but it’s not overly detailed or gory.