Tempest Sky (The Zenith Trilogy #2) by Leonardo Urso

You may want to continue this series if you:

-Want to get to know the Zenith when they're a bit less depressed

-Are up for a more sexually charged story this time around

-Can tolerate some surreal, nonlinear storytelling

-Enjoy a sprinkling of 80s nostalgia

-Are ready for an extreme amount of time f*ckery

The Zenith trilogy has so far been one of the biggest surprises on my reading list this year, offering a wealth of character development and a refreshing post-superhero story concept. The first book, Indigo Nights, succeeded in getting me invested. I desperately wanted to find out what happens next as soon as I finished, which is why I read Tempest Sky (800 pages!) as soon as I could. I'm happy to report that I was not disappointed by this sequel. While it's a bit of a bumpier road compared to the first book, the new characters and concepts shine bright enough to make up for its errors. I may even like this book more than the first.

The Zenith have been sent back in time to the ’80s, but Aarden is now missing, and the long search for him has failed. Since then, most of the Zenith have settled into new lives. They have jobs and blossoming new relationships, which means that for the first time we get to see some of these characters living normal lives free from their Zenith baggage. These comfortable new lives are short-lived, of course. The plot must go on. But I got the impression that the lives they've lived in the years since the first book have brought out everyone's personalities. Indigo is more confident and less self-loathing. Kyren is able to show leadership and better understand his sexuality. Kamala is more loving and protective of those she loves. Phoenix is… well, Phoenix is sleeping with everything that moves, but he's also more joyful, and his depressed brooding is more directed instead of all encompassing. These four have been brought out of their shells, and their characterizations absolutely thrive in this book.

We also finally get a look at Zephyr now that he's been saved from being stuck in his werewolf form for most of the first novel. Zephyr's defined by fear, frustration, and sense of responsibility that are of great consequence for his relationship with the others and for the story as a whole. It makes him a welcome addition to this series' whirlwind of clashing personalities.

Then there's Aarden, who in the first chapter is revealed to be alive and evidently jumping forward and backward through time. Aarden's surreal journey is by far the most interesting, consequential, and confusing of them all. It's a journey that you can tell has matured him, and you get to see his brilliance working overtime as he manages his adaptation and uncovers world changing secrets about the Zenith Crown.

Finally, there's the new addition to the Zenith: Xenia. Her name and adaptation appear on the back of the book, which intrigued me before I even read the first page. (Again, I'm impressed by how the front and back cover of each book enhances them). So, I won't spoil who this new character is, or where she comes from, but I will say that Velma is vengeful, angry, and carries with her secrets that will upend the origins of the Zenith. She serves as the perfect catalyst for the book's events.

So, the characters are once again excellent, and far more energized than in the first book. Meanwhile, the story shares in that energy. It jumps around from character to character, time period to time period, and the story beats are fast and numerous. The stakes have once again risen, and the Zenith are in near constant danger this time around. On top of that, there’s far more sex in this book than there was in Indigo Nights, easily landing this book in the 18+ category. All of that makes this book much more exciting than the first, and it will likely sate the need for action if you were bored at any point during Indigo Nights. Still, it's a lot to keep up with. I can see some readers getting overwhelmed by the shifting focal character and the nonlinear storytelling, so fair warning if you're a reader who doesn’t enjoy those things, you may have a bit of trouble here.

Surreal, nonlinear storytelling like this is a hard thing to write, and while I think the tightness of this book is impressive for a self-published piece only edited by the author, it still bears some inconsistencies. This usually happens when the narration, or a character, refers to something that happened in the past. For instance, a character may refer to a different motivation for a past action than the one they actually had. Readers going into this book should be prepared to either endure or overlook those inconsistencies.

Readers might also want to prepare to suspend their disbelief, because the time travel in this book is surreal. I enjoyed that surrealism. Usually time travel is treated as a utility in sci-fi, but here it's mysterious and unpredictable, with a dramatic weight to it that I don't often see in time travel stories. However, this means that the time travel tends to defy logic. You sometimes just have to accept that things are the way they are rather than questioning the continuity. I was fine with this, as the surreal elements and concepts are cool and interesting enough for me to overlook any confusion, but it may discourage other readers, so keep that in mind.

I may have enjoyed this book more because I was willing to overlook certain things, but I still believe this is an excellent book that's worthy of readers continuing the series after book one. Plus if you thought the cliffhanger in the first book was intriguing, this one blows it out of the water, so I'm just as excited to read the third book, Zephyr's Dawn, as I was to read this one. I have a few books I need to read beforehand, but Zephyr's Dawn will doubtlessly be taunting me from my bookshelf the whole time.

Print and Ebook: https://www.amazon.com/Tempest-Sky-Zenith-Trilogy-Book/dp/B0DNZ1BNBG