Title: Tempest’s Legacy Author: Nicole Peeler Series: Jane True #3 Cover Art: N/A Genre: urban fantasy Paperback: 368 pages Publisher: Orbit ISBN-10: 031605660X ISBN-13: 978-0316056601 Review Copy Source: Netgalley Reviewed by: Julia

Book Description

Jane True has become proficient in basic magics, confident in herself and her abilities, and happily rooted in Rockabill. Her life is still divided between her supernatural brethren and her human friends and family, but it’s a division she maintains with very little trouble.

Everything changes, however, when Anyan brings Jane news that will force her to confront her dichotomized existence – supernatural females are being murdered, or have simply disappeared.

Jane and Anyan must embark on a desperate search to find out who is abducting these women, and how Jane can be protected from them. Aiding them is Jane’s former flame, Ryu. But can his stated motivations be trusted? And who are the mysterious figures dogging Jane’s and Anyan’s footsteps if not minions of Jarl?

Eventually, the trio stumble upon a secret so huge that it threatens to disrupt the tenuous traditions keeping humanity safe from the supernatural community that has, up until now, been content to lurk in the shadows.

Will they uncover the truth in time to save Jane’s friends? And just how far will Jarl go to protect his secrets?

 Review

I had mixed feelings throughout this book, but not because of the characters or the writing. Simply put, this is a dark book for the Jane True series, with difficult subjects and situations.  Therefore, it evoked a mixed bag of emotional reactions.  I still laughed at Jane, admired her relationship sense, and enjoyed her developing powers, but I already hated Jarl so much before this book even began, reading this installment in the series was difficult. Fans of Jane will not be disappointed, and Peeler doesn't toy with our emotions when it comes to love triangles or super-villains, but I don't think I'm going to be unequivocally happy with the series until I read a book with Jarl's blood on the pages.

TEMPEST’S LEGACY opens a month after Jane and Ryu’s break-up.  Very few relationships end with a clean break and unblurred margins, and Jane and Ryu’s is realistic in the most painful sense.  The doubts, emotions, and make-up/break-up cycles are familiar parts of a relationships ending (or just taking “a break,” which brings the emotional rollercoaster back to “doubts”).  I never felt like Peeler crossed the line to melodrama, but she writes very realistically about a painful subject, and succeeded in bringing my own emotions to the foreground.

Jane’s attraction to Anyan was another well-written, tense subject, and I have to say Peeler writes the best uncertain crush I’ve read in a long, long time.  Jane is never sure of the nature of Anyan’s affection (and seeing as how the man prefers to hang out around Jane as a hellhound, I think her confusion is reasonable).  The chemistry and uncertainty with Anyan kept me going through the dark parts of the book, just as Anyan himself supports Jane.

By “dark parts,” I’m not referring to Jane’s break up with Ryu.  Jane’s ability to navigate relationships, while not without slip ups, is a pleasure to read.  While I don’t want to offer any spoilers, this book contains genuine grief, loss, and despicable cruelty.  Even writing about it euphemistically gets my teeth clenching and heart rate up.  Seriously, Jarl needs to die.  Slowly.  All of the over the top wonderful aspects of this book were necessary to carry me past how much I loath Jarl and am completely impatient for his messy demise.

The further I read into the Jane True series, the more impressed I am by Peeler’s deft writing and emotionally savvy plot lines.  She has created a world that I would like to live in (despite the despicable Alfar), and a cast of characters I would love to be friends with.  Finishing this book would have been easier if I could have rush right into EYE OF THE TEMPEST, but Jane and her friends have given me enough to hang on to until August.

Sexual Content: Explicit sex, threats of rape, descriptions of rape.

My Rating:

4/5
Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now & pre-order the sequel.

Previous books in the series:

1. TEMPEST RISING
2. TRACKING THE TEMPEST

Also reviewed by:

• Pam at Wicked Little Pixie
• Qwill at The Qwillery
• Bea at Bea’s Book Nook