Tempestuous

TEMPESTUOUS, by Lesley Livingston, is the final book in the Wondrous Strange series, and 'WOW' is all I can say. We pick up right after the destruction of the theater. Sonny and Kelley go their separate ways to deal with what just happened.

Livingston pulls out all the stops for this book. It was full of action, suspense, and romantic chemistry that will blow your mind. I read Darklight in the early months of last year so the details were a bit hazy, but Livingston solidified the story along the way which was helpful. I loved the continuation of characters from the previous books. Tiff, as Kelley's roommate, is sarcastic and witty and I simply love her to death. Also, Livingston introduced newer characters that gave much insight to the show more pasts of others.

The Kelley/Sonny dynamic was interesting in this book. I was still torn between Fennrys and Sonny, and it continued that way until the very end. I wanted Kelley and Sonny to be happy together but Livingston didn't make it that easy for her characters.

Like I said, action and adventure created this fantastic book and there is not much to say without ruining the book. Fans of the series will love it, and newbies to the series should definitely read these books in quick succession because they ARE that good! show less

Lesley Livingston left readers hanging with a gut wrenching conclusion to DARKLIGHT... not only was it intense, but readers were left to wait for answers for months. Luckily, Livingston knows exactly what her characters (and readers!) need. Every bit of emotional turmoil inflicted on the characters and readers in the second installment is essential to fully appreciate Kelley's journey and this phenomenal final chapter to her story.

I don't regret reading these books as they were released, but, if you haven't read any of them yet, I highly recommend reading them all in rapid succession rather than with months in between. Each time I picked up the newest installment, I was worried that I'd be forgetting a briefly mentioned detail that show more would tie everything together. I really love these books, so I have a pretty good memory of the events and whatnot, but there's something to be said about reading a trilogy or series all in one monstrous bite. I'm a strong proponent of Kelley and Sonny's relationship, so I felt the sting of DARKLIGHT's conclusion during the wait for TEMPESTUOUS, but I think some of my wild longing for this third book dissipated over the long months I waited. Take my word for it, these books are well worth reading, and, now that they're all released, it's the perfect time to pick them up.

Livingston writes absolutely fantastic love scenes... and fight scenes. Sometimes she even combines them... there will be an epic battle and then a little timeout for some kissing and then back to the fight. Love it!

I have a love/hate relationship with the Sonny-Kelley-Fennrys love triangle... because I honestly have a hard time choosing and that isn't normal for me. It does, however, show just how good Livingston at writing the romance aspect of her stories. This part of the novel is so realistic to me... Kelley loves Sonny, but that doesn't mean that she can't have feelings for someone else. Still, she must look within herself and determine what her feelings for Fenn mean not only for her, but for her relationship with Sonny. Ahhh, yes. Many of us have had to figure out this confusing debacle.

I appreciate that Kelley is such a strong individual and that her growth is clearly evident throughout each book. Not only does she develop her skills and gifts in regard to her faerie heritage, she also learns to take charge of her life and do what she thinks is right, even if it ends up causing all kinds of trouble and heartache. Even faerie princesses get confused when it comes to duty and love and all the rest... but Kelley takes charge and does what needs to be done.

I would be heartbroken about this trilogy ending, but for the fact that I know Livingston has more stories to tell and worlds and characters to introduce her readers to... and I'm anxious to meet them all! show less

"I don't love Sonny Flannery." The words uttered by Kelley Winslow at the end of Darklight had me anticipating Tempestuous. I have to honestly admit, that the wait was absolutely worth it. Without a doubt, Lesley Livingston had left me enchanted, the same way with the first two books.

First of all, I have to lay it down. This is by far, one of the best series I've ever read. Lesley Livingston never failed to make me laugh, cry, smile, or scream from the beginning of Wondrous Strange to the last period of Tempestuous. Each character had such a rich personality through and through, which made me love them or hate them. I enjoyed each character's development and I enjoyed getting know the new characters. Lesley Livingston's seamless show more descriptive writing made it easy for me to picture the characters and imagine the places of the fairy realm and well, non-fairy realm.

The plot was fantastic and so were the flow of events. Many times the book would surprise me, having not expected whatever to happen at all. I suspected one thing then it turned out that it wasn't what I thought or predicted, it was more than enough to keep me reading more and more. Not to mention that I love how Lesley Livingston ties Shakespearean plays with the books, it just worked easily with the stories.

Rarely, few books and few series can blow me away yet still keep me there, amazed the whole time. Tempestuous is one of those books. With an amazingly written plot and well developed characters, a passionate romance, and a world like no other--the action is a bonus. I applaud, cheer, etc. Lesley Livingston for such a successful series. Livingston's newest book, Once Every Never, is something I'm looking forward too. show less

I began to feel irritated at the dramatically self-sacrificing, yet amazingly arrogant heroine. By the final book, she was rather callously making decisions (many of them hopelessly bad) that impacted all those around her, without stopping to consider that they might like a say in their own fate. Then, she gets her happy ending and everyone still adores her. I would have voted her off the island.

Review posted here: http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/2011/10/book-review-tempestuous-wondrous.htm...

Tempestuous is the final book in the Wondrous Strange trilogy. And boy did Livingston leave this series with a punch. After the devastation of losing the theatre because Sonny lost it when he thought she was dead, Kelley is distraught over what she had to do; break Sonny’s heart. Kelley is slowly growing into her power and trying to find out who wants Sonny’s. But things go downhill when someone is out killing the Lost Fae, Fae who fit in either the Otherworld or the mortal world. And worse, it could be Janus Guards who are getting the order and killing the innocent Fae. Not to mention the order could be coming from whoever show more poisoned and is trying to kill Kelley’s father, Auberon.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I loved that Livingston actually separated Kelley and Sonny for a bit. That way, they learned more about themselves before they could save one another. Kelley gets into her power more and seems to have grown more. And despite her beliefs, Sonny doesn’t go off the deep end. I liked that Sonny grew to like the Lost Fae. He was taught to hate them as well, but found out they were only defending themselves against him and the other guards. But besides our great main characters, the side characters were incredible. We got some new ones that we find have a connection to some of the Janus Guards. We also get more of our favorites; Bob, Tyff, and my favorite character, Fennyrs. I am praying that Livingston makes another series for him. He played a big role in this book and we find he isn’t the heartless smartass we have come to love, that he actually has feelings for Kelley too.

Livingston did such an amazing job incorporating Shakespeare in this book. All the questions we had from the first book were answered and still left me wanting more. The plot was great and this book was complete, but each character needs a story. Like I said, I hope Livingston doesn’t leave this world, there is still so much more to know. Sonny’s and Kelley’s story ended great, but what Livingston has created is complex enough to keep going for a while.

Also need to mention the ending in general. In a word; EPIC! We got everything we wanted and more. The twists and turns were incredible and two specifically had my mouth dropping to the floor. Again, Livingston’s writing is soooo complex. Instead of creating our main characters and a few side characters that you might not remember, the whole world she has made is so rich and memorable. You fall in love with all these characters and I can assure you that if you love Fenn, you will love him even more in the end.

Overall, this book tied up well. Everyone has grown in such a short period of time. We learn much about our great characters and we find new ones that are worth loving. This is such a great ending to a great trilogy. I can’t rave enough about the characters and the room for growth they all possess. If you are looking for a great YA series, I highly recommend this to you. Thank you Livingston and please come back to this world, it begs for more. show less

This is the third book in the Wondrous Strange trilogy and I was so excited to get my hands on it! The end of Darklight left me heartbroken and I could not wait to read the conclusion of Sonny and Kelley's story. The previous books in the series have been a build up of tension and mystery so in Tempestuous answers are coming at you pretty quickly. It was hard to read fast enough to keep up with all the revelations.

Of course as the reader you are privy to a lot of information (since the story is told from multiple perspectives) and the characters are not. Therefore, I started to put some things together before the end of the book, but definitely not everything. There were still a couple of curve balls thrown in there, which I of course show more live for, so I was happy.

In Darklight I felt like we never really got to see a true "happy" moment with Sonny and Kelley and when I finished that book I was left wanting. In Tempestuous we get to see the couple work through their issues and let their true feelings shine. It was nice to see them work through their issues throughout the book and not just wait for the very last moment to make things right.

I have always loved all the Shakespearean references that are woven into this series. I have a little bit of an obsession with Shakespeare so whenever his work gets referenced, I get really excited. With Kelley being an aspiring thespian there are so many opportunities for life to imitate art and those moments are entertaining.

My only regret about this book is that the adventure is over. This is a series I have loved getting to know and I am going to miss the world I have grown to adore. I don't think I will ever look at Central Park the same way since this book has made my imagination come to life when I visit. It is always magical when books take you somewhere else and have you look at things differently. Especially things or places that you see in your everyday life. Central Park is now one of those places for me, it is mysterious and beautiful and I will always think of this series when I see it. If you have no idea what I am talking about, go check out this series and join me in my wonderment of Central Park and the lives of Sonny and Kelly. show less

This was the third, and final, book in the Wondrous Strange series. I am going to be honest and said that this hasn't been my favorite series, I always really think I am going to like the books and then I read them and feel like, eh whatever. I ended up feeling similar with this book. It tied everything up nicely but I had a lot of trouble engaging with the characters and the story and felt strangely ambivalent to it all.

This book picks up where the second one left off. The theater has burned down and Kelley has chased Sonny away by telling him she doesn't love him or want him around. Kelley wants to keep the fact that Sonny is carrying around Green magic a secret, even from him. But someone is taking out the Lost Ones and seems to have show more it out for the Hunter and Kelley needs to figure out who. She also has to deal with the loss of the theater and the new play the group is trying to put on despite the loss of their venue. Meanwhile Sonny seeks sanctuary with some of the Lost Ones and learns some disturbing secrets.

The book moves at a good clip and has some good twists and turns. Sonny and Kelley are on again, off again as in previous books. All of the different pieces of the story are nicely tied up. So overall the book was technically fine.

I always think I love this series and then when I read the next book in it, I am always a bit disappointed. I don't really like any of the characters, I have trouble finding them engaging or interesting. I always feel like the chemistry between Sonny and Kelley just isn't there. The writing style is a bit too simplistic to me and I never feel like I am really able to picture the surroundings or really feel drawn into the story. The author tries to tie in Kelley's acting with all of her faerie involvement, and she kind of does in the beginning...but then the theater stuff is dropped as the faerie action ramps up.

Overall I think if you liked the previous books in the series then you will really love this book. I wasn't a huge fan of the previous books and this book was similar; it finishes the story well enough but I had some trouble staying engaged in it and really caring about what the characters did. In the future I probably won't pick up any more series by Livingston there is just something about her writing style that doesn't click with me. I have a similar problem with Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series. I personally would recommend Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series over this one if you are interested in a YA series featuring faeries. show less