Admittedly, stories about fairies aren't my go-to when it comes to fantasy fiction. But I've sometimes got personal reasons for checking out books outside of my usual preferences, so I gave this YA fantasy a go.

I'll further admit that because dust and Dust Bowl themes don't appeal to me when it comes to fiction, I skipped here to Book Two of this trilogy. I certainly am into the Golden Age of Hollywood, and key nuggets of Callie's backstory in this book kept me from feeling lost. While I didn't connect with her character or the whole novel as much as I would've liked, a particular wish/dream of Callie's for the future especially spoke to me.

Now, even with the "golden" theme, this isn't a bright story. Callie has a good deal to learn and go through on this leg of her journey, including times of violence and icky creatures she must face. And a minstrel show depicted as a tragedy left a bad taste in my mental mouth—as I'm sure it was supposed to.

Although I wouldn't have used some of the real historical figures for the fantasy purposes they're used for in this book, the last third or quarter of the action gripped me, particularly the climax.

I plan on reading the third book of this trilogy soon. ( )

Golden Girl by Sarah Zettel is the is the second of the American Fairy books, which started with Dust Girl. Callie LeRoux has arrived in Los Angeles in the hopes of rescuing her parents from the Unseelie Court. Callie needs to find the connection between Hollywood and their prison.

Callie's never been to anywhere as busy as Los Angeles but she's growing used to the sorts of illusions that Hollywood is so famous for. She's got a better handle on her powers and she can sense fairy magic in others now.

Her ability to charm has also allowed her a chance to meet all sorts of new people. One of these is the adorable starlet, Ivy Bright. She's written like a fictional Shirley Temple, though I ended up imagining her more like Jeremy's pesky younger sister, Suzy, from Phineas and Ferb.

Zettel's descriptions of 1930s Hollywood as well as other California landmarks are spot on. She also has a wonderful turn of phrase; there were numerous times where I had to stop reading to share a favorite passage with my husband.

The battle that Callie is readying herself for is very similar to the one Dresden goes into in Summer Knight (review coming in August). Though aimed at a young adult audience, I found Callie's adventure more compelling and more fun to read. ( )