Extraordinary -Nancy Werlin

I finished this a few days ago and am just now posting. I know, slacker!

Here is a synopsis from Goodreads.

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 Pheobe'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

I had some very high, or good expectations for this book, and the beginning gave me what I was expecting but other than that, it fell flat for me. There were several things I did like but overall, I was not drawn in.

So, some good things. It plays on Pheobe's self-doubt about herself which is something I think teenagers go through. I liked Pheobe's parents in the story. They were loving, motivated, kind-hearted, and supportive. It's been awhile since I really cared about a set of parents in a book.

The book lacked action. There is an accident that happens but we, as readers, go straight to the hospital room two weeks later. That was about it for the action. Everything moved at a slow pace and everyone was SO accepting to their fates. I don't know if this book has a hero.

I am not one to critique some one's writing, especially if they have been published, because obviously I am not. But the teenage character's in the book are teens. Some of their dialogue was too advanced. Mallory, a fairy had been around for a couple of decades, so OK, she might talk like a 60 year old woman, but Pheobe? She used terms like "beloved" name one teen that uses beloved on a regular basis.

Some quick thoughts:

I wish I had learned more about the fairy world in the book - it seemed limitless

Ryland - who is a major player - super underdeveloped

Ben's a great guy

I think the Queen was a moron for not figuring out how to save her people sooner - and she could have used anyone - I have a feeling she could have.