Review: Tempestuous

Tempestuous (ARC) by Lesley Livingston
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pub. Date: December 21st, 2010
Pages: 368
Series: Wondrous Strange Trilogy, #3
Age Level: 14+
Source: For review

Synopsis via Goodreads
"I don't love Sonny Flannery."

That's the lie Kelley Winslow told to protect the boy she loves from a power he doesn't know he possesses. Devastated, Sonny retreats—to a haven for Lost Fae that's hidden deep underneath New York City.
But Kelley's not about to let things end in heartbreak. To get Sonny back, she's got to find out who's after his magick—and how to use her own. She's got to uncover who's recruiting Janus Guards to murderously hunt innocent Faerie. She's got to help rebuild the shattered theater company she called family. And she's got to do it all without getting dangerously distracted by the Fennrys Wolf, whose legendary heart of stone seems to melt whenever he's around Kelley.

The intrigue and romance that began with Wondrous strange and Darklight come to a stormy head in Tempestuous, the breathtaking conclusion to Lesley Livingston's ravishing urban Faerie trilogy.

Review (Spoiler free!)
With Tempestuous, Lesley Livingston draws her enchanting trilogy to a satisfying and exciting close.

Both Kelley and Sonny start out on the mopey side, something due to what happened at the end of Darklight. This annoyed me somewhat but more so with Sonny. I say this because I could kind of see where Kelley was coming from with what she did but I was disappointed that Sonny was so quick to believe her, regardless of the faeries don't lie thing. I wanted to see him confront her instead of wandering off, acting jaded, and I confess, he lost some of his charm for me in this one. Thankfully, they overcame their obvious communication issues and I got to see Kelley's fierce and fiery side reappear as well as Sonny's stronger, more determined side. There were some characters I really would have liked to have seen more of, particularly Tyff, Bob, and Kelley's theater folk. However, I did get more of Fennrys, my favorite viking Janus guard, no offense Sonny boy. I'll tell you, there is something about him, the way he takes charge and says what he means, that I love. True, he made a poor judgement call but I felt this furthered his character and he really redeemed himself in the end. I was also introduced to some new supporting characters, my favorite of which was Neerya, an adorable, darling little faerie girl.

Like the lovely books that came before it, Tempestuous was fast-paced and full of action, with never a dull moment. And yet, the book never moved too quickly, but at just the right pace. There was predictability but there was also suspense, a few twists, and I fell even more in love with the New York City setting, especially with the new additions of the underground haven and the island. For some reason though, I couldn't shake the sense that something was missing, something that the other books had but this one didn't and I just can't seem to place my finger on it. Maybe it was knowing that there was nothing left to come after this, that it was the end of this illuminating journey. Also, I had a couple of moments where I felt slightly lost but that was not the book's fault. There just happened to be a huge time gap between my reading Darklight and Tempestuous, but I was eventually able to straighten out all the old facts and details in my head.

Livingston's writing style was just as magical and beautiful as in to the two previous books. Both the third person narrative and the alternating perspectives continued to work just as well as before. The only thing that stood out to me as different was the occasional repetitiveness of the writing, though I'm sure this was probably fixed in the final copy.

Okay so the ending wasn't a total shocker since I kinda sorta already knew who was behind everything. However, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see all the loose ends pulled together and knotted, with all my questions being answered. So while I would have liked to have been a touch more surprised, the ending was, overall, an excellent way to tie everything up.

All in all, while Tempestuous may not be my favorite in this trilogy, I still thought it was a great, compelling final installment. And in case you were wondering, Darklight is my favorite of the three. Honestly folks, Livingston possesses some seriously amazing writing skill and has crafted a delightful, luminous story with her Wondrous Strange Trilogy. As a whole, I love these books and highly recommend them; I know that I'll be revisiting them again in the future.

Grade
Characters: B
Writing: B+
Plot: B
Ending: A-
3rd in Trilogy: B+
Enjoyment/Likability: B
Recommendable: B+

Overall: B+

Cover: A

Buy Wondrous Strange (My Review)
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Buy Darklight (My Review)
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Buy Tempestuous
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