Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel

Genre:  YA Historical Fantasy

The American Fairy Trilogy, Book 1

Sarah Zettel's website

Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Description (taken from Goodreads):

Callie LeRoux lives in Slow Run, Kansas, helping her mother run their small hotel and trying not to think about the father she’s never met. Lately all of her energy is spent battling the constant storms plaguing the Dust Bowl and their effects on her health. Callie is left alone when her mother goes missing in a dust storm. Her only hope comes from a mysterious man offering a few clues about her destiny and the path she must take to find her parents in "the golden hills of the west": California.

Along the way she meets Jack, a young hobo boy who is happy to keep her company — there are dangerous, desperate people at every turn. And there’s also an otherworldly threat to Callie. Warring fae factions, attached to the creative communities of American society, are very much aware of the role this half-mortal, half-fae teenage girl plays in their fate.

This was one of the more different reads I've ever picked up.  Definitely unique to say the least.  I mean, it's set in the Dust Bowl in the 1930s.  How many of you can say you've read something from that time period?  And fairies...  Sarah Zettel plays them out well in this book, and I truly enjoyed learning more about the magic.

This book started out fairly slow for me.  There was a lot of character building and slight explanations that take place in the beginning.  And while some plot lines left me confused, I immediately dismissed it once I was captivated with the fairy magic.  I'd love to delve into it, but that'd ruin the surprise for future readers...

There's some twists and turns.  And not everything is going to be explained.  In fact, I'm fairly certain I'll be picking up the second book as soon as possible just to see what questions get answered and where the plot picks up.  However, the major theme of the plot?  I did have that figured out as soon as things started unraveling a bit to make some sense to me.

Do I think this book is worth it?  If you like fantasy reads involving fairies and magic, then yes.  I absolutely adored A Great and Terrible Beauty.  And this one, while not even close to being the same thing, still has some good similarities.  Pick it up if its caught your attention and plow through that beginning (without asking too many questions).

Thanks goes to Random House Children's Books and Netgalley for providing me a review copy.

Challenges:  Debut Author Challenge and Young Adult Reading Challenge