The Feral Child by Che Golden

This book is a 2014 release that I found at my local library. Maddy lives with her grandparents in Ireland after the death of her parents. She's hard to handle, and it only gets worse when her three-year-old neighbor disappears. You see, Maddy saw a faerie take the little boy in the middle of the night, and everyone thinks he's safe after he's found outside an old castle. However, Maddy knows the boy has been replaced by a faerie, and she decides she must venture into the faerie world to save him. She must face all of the dangers in her imagination and survive the journey to find the Winter Queen.

I was surprised at how well this book captured my interest. I can't put my finger on the reason, but it was easy to read and created a great feeling of mystery and adventure. I expected a cute story with faeries in it, but there were some pretty ruthless characters. The setting had a Narnia feel to it, with the queen and talking creatures. Some were friendly, some were not, and some seemed to change sides. Maddy had to deal with her internal demons before she could complete the quest. Overall, a very entertaining book.