What I Wore to Save the World by Maryrose Wood

What I Wore to Save the World by Maryrose Wood Trade Paperback: 284 pages Publisher: Berkley JAM Books First Released: 2009

Source: Unrequested review copy from publisher.

Publisher's Website Book Description:
Senior year’s coming up fast and Morgan still has no clue about college, or a career—the whole rest of-her-life thing is basically a blank. Maybe it’s because she spent her junior year obsessing about Colin, the hot Irish guy she fell for last summer (that was right around the same time she discovered she’s a half- goddess from the days of Irish lore… you had to be there). She even saved Colin from a nasty enchantment, but he doesn’t know that. Colin doesn’t believe in magic, not even a little.

But then a mysterious message reunites her with Colin, who turns out to be caught up in the biggest faery-made disaster ever. We’re talking the end of reality—not just reality TV. To save the world, she’s going to have to tell Colin the truth about her half-goddess mojo. But if he doesn’t believe in magic, how will he ever believe in her?


Review:
What I Wore to Save the World was a cute teen fantasy/romance which will probably appeal most to teen girls. It was the third book in the series, but I didn't need to read the first two to understand what was going on (though perhaps those novels explained why the daughter of a mortal and a faery was a half-goddess instead of a half-faery).

The novel was well-written with a good level of detail, fast pacing, and fun characters that acted like real teens. I found the title a bit misleading since Morgan didn't usually make a big deal about what she was wearing (no more than most teens) and picking a "save the world" outfit was not part of the story.

The novel contained about every magical creature known to fiction: faeries, trolls, unicorns, dragons, elves, leprechauns, gnomes, mermaids, Santa, etc. None of the magical creatures were portrayed as inherently bad or good. Also, amazing things in nature, like photosynthesis, were credited to magic.

There was no sex. There was a fair amount of fake bad language, some British bad language, and a lot of swearing (mainly written out OMGs). It's not the type of book I'd normally read or give to teens to read, but I suspect the target audience will find the novel very enjoyable and engaging.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt from Chapter One
"And so, in the immortal words of Polonius--"

"In the words of Shakespeare, he means," Sarah hissed in my ear. "Polonius was fictional! God, that ex-boyfriend of yours is such a dweeb--"

Raph stepped back from the mike and adjusted the tassel that hung over the edge of his mortarboard an eighth of an inch to the right. Apparently it had slipped from the perfect photo op-ready angle.

"'To thine own self be true," he intoned, nodding like he'd just thought of it.

Some goofball guys in the seats up front whooped with fake enthusiasm, but I couldn't see who they were. Sarah and I were seated in the back with the rest of the juniors, way out past where the white tents cast some badly needed shade over the graduating seniors and their guests.

The metal folding chairs were heating up in the sun. My cotton sundress was sticking to my legs, my legs were sticking to each other and my ass was sticking to the seat. If the school administration had actually buttered the chairs before the ceremony they could have served sunny-side up juniors for lunch. "Hot East Norwich Teens Actually Fry to Death," the headlines would read.

At least that would have put me out of my misery. Instead, I had to watch cool-as-a-cucumber Raphael, my onetime boyfriend, now senior class president and valedictorian, as he wrapped up the Speech of His Awesome Lifetime So Far.