Tempestuous. Lesley Livingston. Toronto, ON: HarperCollins, 2011. 361 pp., pbk., $17.99. ISBN 978-1–55468-455-7. Subject Headings: Fairies-Fiction. Actresses-Fiction. Theatres-Fiction. Fantasy fiction. Grades 7-10 / Ages 12-15. Review by Ann Ketcheson. *** /4

excerpt:

"No!" Sonny screamed as she fell.

"I've got her!" Maddox shouted, and leaped from the bow rail of the tug. He caught the naiad in midair, pulling her in tight to his broad chest before she could hit the ground. They landed in the shallow water a stone's throw away from the safety of the boat. Sonny saw a flash of movement darting out from under the trees. He shouted a warning at Maddox, who ducked as Godwyn came charging like an enraged boar down the narrow strip of beach toward him, swiping at Maddox's head with a long-bladed rapier.

The rogue Janus was laughing wildly. Maddox had dropped his own weapon so that he could catch Neerya, and that had left him vulnerable. The naiad stumbled back toward the boat as Maddox turned to defend himself. But Godwyn was faster. Maddox howled in excruciating pain as the sword pierced straight through his shoulder. Godwyn pulled the rapier out, smiled viciously, and – as was his custom – began to sing.

A mistake, that.

Blood cascaded down the right side of Maddox's chest, soaking his shirt. And then the left side as well, as Godwyn cruelly ran his sword through the Janus's other shoulder joint. Maddox fell forward onto his knees, his arms handing uselessly at his sides as Godwyn reared back for the killing blow that would have taken Maddox in the heart.

If only he hadn't been singing....

Chloe had stayed safely hidden in the tug boat's hold up to that point. But the music drew her up onto the deck. Even from a distance, Sonny saw the rage ignite in the Siren's golden eyes as she realized what was happening to Maddox.

She ran and leaped from the bow of the boat, flinging herself at Godwyn, clawing wildly at his head and shoulders, knocking him to the ground. Godwyn flailed desperately in an attempt to dislodge her, but the Siren clung to him like a barnacle on a ship.

Chloe fastened her mouth on Godwyn's. Her Siren's kiss stopped the singing in his throat, even as she stole every bit of music mercilessly from his mind. Godwyn was dead almost before the echoes of his song had faded into silence.

Sonny Flannery has no idea of the magick he carries within him, and Kelley Winslow hopes to keep it that way because someone is after Sonny and the magick he unwittingly conceals. Kelley is still learning to use her own magick and enchantment, and she gets plenty of practice since Janus Guards are rebelling and hunting down Faerie, and Kelley has no idea who is behind this murderous rampage. In her real word life, Kelly is an actress whose theatre has burned to the ground, and the cast is trying to quickly pull things together in order to mount Shakespeare's The Tempest. Between the demands of the Faerie world and her New York City life, Kelley needs all the magick she can muster merely to cope.

      This book is the conclusion of Lesley Livingston's urban faerie trilogy which has followed Kelley and Sonny and their romantic adventures. Tempestuous brings together characters and events from the previous novels in a series of incredible intrigues. The book is multi-layered. The Kings and Queens of the faerie world continue to wrestle with one another for power. Someone has incited the Janus Guards to rebel and thus bring mayhem to the myriad lesser beings of the faerie world. Nothing is as it seems, and no one can be trusted.

      Livingston describes a world of shape-shifting faeries, relentless faerie battles, magical powers and spells, all within a short distance beneath modern New York City. The setting of New York is unimportant to the story, however; it could happen just as easily in any urban centre. Readers who enjoy the fantasy genre and specifically the idea of urban faeries will love the pace and tense excitement which permeate this novel from the opening page. In this fantastical soap opera, villains are evil and nasty, heroes overcome incredible obstacles, and lovers endure despite unimaginable setbacks. Everything and everyone is larger than life. Given the large role of romance in the story, it seems that Livingston's intended audience is young adult females, and the cover of the book would also appeal to this group.

      Livingston puts her background in Shakespeare and Arthurian legend to good use in this exciting climax to her trilogy of faerie magic and mischief.

Recommended.

Ann Ketcheson is a retired high school teacher-librarian and teacher of English and French who lives in Ottawa, ON.

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