Review: Tempestuous by Lesley Livingston

"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.

Tempestuous is the final book in Lesley Livingston's "urban faerie trilogy". Throughout the series Lesley has been consistent with her tying in of Shakespeare's work with this fantastic world she has created surrounding Kelley Winslow and Sonny Flannery. So much so, in fact, she makes the reader (that can't spout Shakespeare at will) feel slightly smarter for the experience.

I was happy to see a few familiar "faces" from Wondrous Strange reappear in Tempestuous, particularly Herne; it was neat to see how all of the characters blended into the conclusion. The part I struggled with most was reconnecting some of the mythology and circumstances involved in Wondrous Strange that played heavily into the storyline of Tempestuous. What would be great is to re-read this series, one book immediately after the other. The time frame between each installment did make me forget a few details, though Lesley does an admirable job of refreshing the reader's memory throughout.

There were elements that occurred in Darklight that had left me quite anxious to get right into Tempestuous: the possibility (however slim) of a love triangle, the mysterious actions of Fennrys, etc. All were tied up quite satisfactorily, though. For whatever reason, I didn't love this book as much as I did the first two. In Ms. Livingston's defense, this may only be because I not big on endings when I've come to love the story and the characters.

 I truly enjoyed the parallel worlds created in this series. While Darklight's action happened, for the most part, in the faerie realm, Tempestuous brings us back into New York, Central Park, and some hidden locations around and under the Park. Lesley gives great descriptions, making the pureness of the Faerie courts vivid while contrasting it with the darker, scarier side of New York (mostly because of all the creatures running amuck.)

I also found an educational aspect, with regards to the many mythological beings that pop up in these books. I did have to look up a few, for instance the sylph. Ironically, I was reading a play by Alexander Pope at the same time, only to discover his use of this airy creature, also. So kudos, to Lesley and to Pope for teaching me a little something (Lesley's are bigger because she made it much more fun :-)

Ms Livingston has a style of writing that grabs your attention and keeps it. For this reason, I'm sure this will end up being one of those series that I will read again and again over time!

Review: Darklight by Lesley Livingston

Hardcover, 312 pages
Published December 22nd 2009 by HarperTeen
ISBN13: 9780061575402

Much has changed since autumn, when Kelley Winslow learned she was a Faerie princess, fell in love with changeling guard Sonny Flannery, and saved the mortal realm from the ravages of the Wild Hunt.

Now Kelley is stuck in New York City, rehearsing Romeo and Juliet and missing Sonny more with every stage kiss, while Sonny has been forced back to the Otherworld and into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the remaining Hunters and Queen Mabh herself.

When a terrifying encounter sends Kelley tumbling into the Otherworld, her reunion with Sonny is joyful but destined to be cut short. An ancient, hidden magick is stirring, and a dangerous new enemy is willing to risk everything to claim that power.

Caught in a web of Faerie deception and shifting allegiances, Kelley and Sonny must tread carefully, for each next step could topple a kingdom . . . or tear them apart.

With breathtakingly high stakes, the talented Lesley Livingston delivers soaring romance and vividly magical characters in Darklight, the second novel in the trilogy that began with Wondrous Strange.

I read Wondrous Strange last year and really enjoyed it but for some reason, I didn't jump right into Darklight right away. I think I had too much on the go at the time. But then I got Tempestuous, the last book in this series by Lesley Livingston, for review and I knew I had to catch up with what was happening with Kelley Winslow, Sonny Flannery, et al. Am I ever glad I did!

Reading Darklight reminded me why I had been captivated with the first book: the way Ms. Livingston writes. These books are considered Young Adult, but I don't find the writing overly simplistic, nor are the scenarios involved, drawn with no small measure of tribute to Shakespeare, dull. The story moves from modern day New York to the Otherworld quite seamlessly. It's in the descriptions that the author outdoes herself; you can almost feel the difference in the contrasts of the "concrete jungle" versus the lush, verdant Summer Court or the icy majesty of the Winter Court, and so on. This lends some credence to the legends of mortals being tricked into Faery submission. Really, who wouldn't want to live in such a magickal place, where death is rare?

With a blend of New Yorkers and Faery royalty, Livingston will competently maintain the pompous talk of Kings and Queens, then throw in a word like "ass-hat" that makes you giggle at the juxtaposition. I found her use of metaphors quite entertaining also. She writes on page 227, "So many thoughts and questions tumbled about in her head like puzzle pieces in a box shaken by a child who just wanted to hear them rattle." This is a fantastic image and avoids the typical reference to "deafening silence" etc.

It has been a while since reading Wondrous Strange, but I think I liked Darklight better than the first. Maybe the climactic scene at the theatre or the mystery surrounding Fennrys or Auberon's ailment or the hooded figure's identity, or the combination of all of these that made this an exciting read. Being the middle book of a series can sometimes be a detriment, but not in Darklight's case. It has plenty to keep you interested, not just acting as a bridge to the last book (though there is some bridging of the story involved).

I'm not sure that I would recommend it as a stand alone book, but that's just because I love this series and I think everyone should read all of the books as soon as possible. I give Lesley Livingston two very large thumbs up, and move on to Tempestuous with a bit of a heavy heart as I know the story will end there.

To get a little more info on Tempestuous (and its author), my interview with Lesley can be found here.

Interview with Lesley Livingston!

Thanks to Shannon at Harper Collins Canada, I was given the opportunity to interview Lesley Livingston, author of Wondrous Strange, Darklight, and, most recently, Tempestuous. I met Lesley at a book signing last year, so I know she's a vibrant, fun woman (and Canadian also ;-).  What fascinates me is this author's ability to make readers almost giddy to read Shakespeare again! (Not many can take credit for that feat.)  Lesley's enthusiasm is contagious, I think....but read on and see for yourself:

Can you tell the readers a bit about what to expect from Tempestuous?

Well… I don’t want to be all spoilery for anyone so… in no particular order, I’ll just list a few things readers can expect. Things that may or may not occur in this book: kissing, heartbreak, turmoil, kick-assery, Shakespeare, reunions, separations, reconciliations, vengeance, retribution, redemption, betrayal, kissing, magick, humour, hi-jinx, shenanigans, fighting, battles, skirmishes, fisticuffs, feathers, true love, heartache, blood, sweat, tears, flying, singing, and pretzels with mustard.

Will King Auberon ever show his nice side? Wait! Does he even have one?

Auberon is certainly a… shall we say… multi-faceted character. He has a nice side—I guarantee it. He may even have already shown it. The problem is that, his “nice” side might not exactly resemble what the average person thinks of as “nice”. With Faerie—especially High Fae—it’s always a bit tricky trying to figure out precisely what’s going on in their minds. There. How’s that for a perfectly straightforward answer?

The portal between the human and the Faery Otherworld is in Central Park, but you mention others too. Are any of them in Canada, and if so, where?

There are Four Gates between the Otherworld and the mortal realm and they correspond with the four points of the Celtic calendar. They are—or at least, when they were open, they were—movable, which is why one of them ended up in the middle of New York City. Another is in Ireland, and one is located at Stonehenge. But there is one Gate that I only ever describe as existing in “the far north”. I never specify the far north of where. And there is, after all, a strong tradition of faerie culture in the Canadian Maritimes, so it’s a definite possibility. I suppose I could be a little less obscure with my answer, but the Faerie do like to keep their secrets… and I really don’t want them mad at me!

With your background in Arthurian legend and in Shakespeare's work, how much additional research did you have to do for the books? Was there anything new you learned?

I learned a lot! Mostly about the history and background behind the design and construction of Central Park at the turn of the century. I had to do quite a bit of research into that aspect of the story, and it was fascinating! I was pretty solid on my Shakespeare and the hints of Arthurian lore I used but, even still, there was always some surprising bit of faerie trivia, or a line in one of the plays, or some obscure nugget of folkloric detail that I would stumble across that would enrich the story—or suddenly make something make perfect sense. Discovering certain aspects of leprechaun lore, for instance, was enormously helpful when it came time to deal with those guys. And they had to be dealt with extremely carefully, it turns out! Just ask Sonny…

What is your favourite Shakespearean role to play?

Ooh… tough question! In the comedies, it’s Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing! Smart, sassy, and surprisingly vulnerable. In the tragedies… well, Juliet was wonderful to play, but so was her Nurse (not in the same production—heh!). And then there’s Ophelia, and Lady Macbeth… I mean, let’s face it: any time you have the opportunity to go stark raving bonkers on stage, well—there’s almost nothing more fun than that! Ariel was a joy to play, too—although I think I still have glitter-dust floating around in my lungs, even after all these years, because of that show!

With your company, the Tempest Theatre Group, have you ever had to act in a male role?

I did, actually! I played the Boy in the Henry V and it was huge fun. I got to be in all the battle scenes and had a quarter-staff fight (I love stage combat)… and then got my throat cut horribly at the end when the French soldiers kill all the luggage boys. Henry then carried my poor limp, lifeless (stage-bloodied) body down to centre stage where all the hardened warriors wept over me and then sang Non Nobis… all very poignant!

What is your take on the conspiracy theory of Shakespeare's identity?

Shakespeare was Shakespeare. His “true” identity never came into question until the 19th century and all that speculation has always struck me as a mostly hot air. I’m still not sure why everyone thinks it’s such a stretch to believe that the guy was who he was, regardless of education or social standing. He just happened to be a freakin’ genius, that’s all.

With Tempestuous being the final book in this trilogy, do you have your next project planned out? Can we have a hint?

Well, my very next project is a YA time travel adventure called ONCE EVERY NEVER, about a modern teen girl who spirals back in time to Rome's bloody conquest of Britain—where she befriends the daughter of a fiery queen, falls for a fierce warrior prince, and discovers that she may be the only hope of averting a devastating blood-curse. It’s great fun—and there are flaming arrows!


I’m also hard at work on another trilogy called STARLING and… all I can say is, if you’re a fan of the WONDROUS STRANGE books… you should probably keep an eye out for these in 2012! Yes. Yes, you should.


Thank you for such fun questions!

I want to say thanks again to Lesley for taking the time to answer my questions. I hope that her answers have inspired any of you out there that haven't picked her books to do so...and soon! I'll be posting my reviews of Darklight and Tempestuous shortly, so keep an eye out for them. In the meantime, you can click on the book covers below for Harper Collins Canada's "Browse Inside" feature, and get a taste of what you've been missing, as well as check out the teaser trailer for Tempestuous. As for me, I off to hunt down a warm pretzel with some mustard. Thanks for stopping by!

Review: Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston

Format: Paperback
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd (Jan 13 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1554682738
ISBN-13: 978-1554682737

From the Publisher:

Kelley Winslow is living her dream. Seventeen years old, she has moved to New York City and started work with a theatre company. Sure, she’s only an understudy for the Avalon Players, a third-tier repertory company so far off-Broadway it might as well be in Hoboken, but things are looking up—the lead has broken her ankle and Kelley’s about to step into the role of Titania the Faerie Queen in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. But Faeries are far more real than Kelley thinks, and a chance encounter in Central Park with a handsome young man named Sonny Flannery plunges her into an adventure she could never have imagined. Sonny and Kelley find themselves drawn to each other—and into a terrible plot that could spell disaster for both New York and the Faerie realm alike.

In My Opinion:

I vaguely remember seeing the movie adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream but haven't read the Shakespeare original, so I was very interested in reading a modern day YA version of this story (it's kind of like cheating a bit, I know or at least I thought so, lol)

We start off in modern day New York, meeting the main character Kelley. What struck me as unusual here is that Kelley is 17 and living on her own (though sharing an apartment with another girl.) But Kelley is fiercely independent and strong willed. I think in reality, this probably happens more than I'm aware of out in the suburbs, with young adults heading to the big city to realize their dreams. It also neatly tidies up the sometimes underplayed roles of parents in YA books. So, kudos to Lesley Livingston for making this believable!

As Kelley runs into Sonny and strange things begin to happen, Kelley's true identity is revealed. It also seems that New York is full of people more unusual than we humans could have imagined, though the Fairy King, Auberon, has been trying to minimize the exposure of otherworldly creatues for quite some time. The Celtic mythology woven through the story and the explanation of Old World versus New World was very well done.

I very much enjoyed the ethereal quality of Wondrous Strange. I loved the chemistry between Kelley and Sonny and had my heart in my throat towards the end, wondering if Sonny would escape unscathed from a certain enchantment. I found that the story wrapped up nicely but also left enough curiousity in me that I'll definitely be continuing on with Darklight.

It would have been nice to have had the background of Shakespeare's tale but it was not necessary to enjoy this book. I am curious to see if the Wondrous Strange version of the Fairy heirarchy is similar (or relevant) in both. So, I'll put Shakespeare on the TBR, but Darklight will be up much sooner. Overall, a very enjoyable read.

If you'd like to browse through Wondrous Strange, you can sample the first 20% of the book at the Harper Collins website by clicking on the book cover above. Enjoy!