Harper, 2010
361 pages
YA; Fantasy; Faerie
4.5/5 stars
Source: From the library
SPOILERS for first two books!
Summary: The conclusion to Livingston's Wondrous Strange Faerie trilogy! After Kelley says she does not love Sonny Flannery, events are set in motion. He can't believe her about-face; she can't believe she managed to lie despite her faerie blood. The illness of her father leads to chaos among the Realms and Kelley has to access both dies of her lineage in order to save the world.
Thoughts: As usual, it took me a bit to jump into the world of Kelley Winslow and her friends and relations. She is so determined to protect Sonny that she is willing to sabotage their relationship, which is admittedly a theme I hate. Why can't couples ever just talk normally to each other?! But the trope does set the plot in motion as Sonny and Kelley independently investigate; the switching between points of view enables the reader to put pieces together (something that I predicted actually turned out to be true!) for the final showdown between our heroes and the villains.
I really liked that Kelley struggled more with her relationship to her father Auberon and mother Mabh. While she did not understand them and had a contentious relationship in the previous books, she moves closer to building a stronger bond with them and accepting their legacy. They really do seem to love her, even if their nature doesn't express that love as a human might understand it.
The appropriateness of the title kicks in as Shakespeare references have abounded throughout the books and Kelley's acting company takes on the challenge of performing "The Tempest" as the conclusion to this novel.
I was sad for a general lack of Tyff, Kelley's roommate and another faerie, but I understand that she didn't really play a part in this story. Other secondary characters remain such as Maddox, Fenn, Chloe, and of course the wonderful Puck/Bob.
Overall: A fitting conclusion to this fantastic trilogy-my favorite Faerie novels! The mix of magic, romance, and mystery please me immensely. I highly recommend reading them all in order now that they're all released as the previous books ended with massive cliff-hangers.
Cover: Another striking cover with her beautiful bright hair grabbing the eye.
I did not read this review to avoid spoilers, as I am interested in this trilogy, but yes, the cover is so beautiful! The girl does look like a fairy.
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