Review | Tempestuous by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes
Recently banished, unfairly, by the school’s popular crowd, former “it girl,” Miranda Prospero, finds herself in a brave new world: holding dominion amongst a rag-tag crew of geeks and misfits where she works at the Hot-Dog Kabob in the food court of her local mall. When the worst winter storm of the season causes mall workers and last-minute shoppers to be snowed-in for the night, Miranda seizes the opportunity to get revenge against the catty clique behind her social exile. With help from her delightfully dweeby coworker, Ariel, and a sullen loner named Caleb who works at the mall’s nearby gaming and magic shop, Miranda uses charm and trickery to set things to right during this spirited take on Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
The first time I noticed this novel, I passed it by. I’d never read The Tempest so it didn’t really interest me much. Plus, I’m not really a fan of reading Shakespeare’s plays. I’m firm believer that his plays should be seen and not read…at least in their pure form. Add to that, the dreadful Shakespeare professor I had in college and you have all the makings of a book being added to my “Not For Me” list. BUT, I should learn to never say never. When I saw this novel pop up on Goodreads over and over and then on NetGalley, I decided I just had to find out what all the hype was about. So, after wikipedia-ing The Tempest to have a little background knowledge of the play, I read…and actually really liked it. So…without further adieu about nothing…my review.
I think sometimes we overlook the “fun factor” of a book and this was a book that was just plain fun. I sometimes get loaded down with a lot of heavy supernatural, live and death, romances and deep, intriguing dystopias and even heavy contemporaries so every once in a while I need something light and funny to lighten the mood. Often I equate these light and fluffy reads with cotton candy, fun but not a lot there. In this case, though, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The characters were absolutely wonderful. Miranda Prospero is the recently deposed Queen of the Populars at the local prep school. She’s fallen from her throne and is forced to get a job in the mall food court. Nope, I still don’t think you have the image…imagine the prom queen turning in her crown in exchange for a hat with a spinning hot dog on top…yep, now you’ve got Miranda. Then add in Caleb. The first time Miranda sees him, he’s wearing a cape…like a Hogwarts cape…no I’m serious. Let’s just say, these two couldn’t be more different at first glance. Then you have Ariel, Miranda’s quirky coworker/sidekick. The girl is hopelessly awkward and yet…well, I’ll just let you read it. Add in a whole batch of very fun secondary characters and you have all the makings of a great tale.
The story was delightfully crafted with that special Shakespearean humor and banter but modernized. The basic plot is that the mall employees are snowed in for the night. There’s a group of kids from Miranda’s prep school who’ve entrenched themselves on one end of the mall and the food court/other employees are on the other. Meanwhile, someone is breaking into stores at the mall and people are going missing. Add in Miranda and Caleb getting handcuffed together and voila! You have a plot thicker than my old Shakespeare professor.
It’s cute and adorable and fast paced but yet, there’s that little something more which is what really made me like the story. When Miranda and Caleb meet they both make assumptions about one another based on what they see or have heard about the other and it really takes a lot for them to get over it. In the course of one evening, the characters go from being at best indifferent to one another to eventually finding they care for one another. It’s remarkably funny and amusing to watch. You also see Miranda go from a recovering “mean girl” to a truly admirable character.
Overall, Tempestuous was an amusing and interesting read. A fantastic take on a classic with a magic all its own. Highly recommended to anyone looking for a fun, fluffy read with a little meat to it.
Authors: Kim Askew and Amy Helmes
Title: Tempestuous
Series: Twisted Lit #1
Published: December 18th, 2012 by Merit Press
Format: 224 pages Hardcover; Paperback; Kindle; Nook; Kobo; Smashwords
Website: twistedlitbooks.com
Source: ARC provided by NetGalley
My rating: 
Happy Reading!
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- Giveaway | January Review Comment Giveaway | Refracted Light Reviews - [...] Tempestuous by Kim Askew & Amy Helmes (Heather) [...]
- Review | Exposure by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes | Refracted Light Reviews - [...] second book in the Twisted Lit Series (see my review of Tempestuous, the first book in the series, here). It’s ...
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I agree with you. It was meant to be fun, not deep and meaningful. I liked that it also had a message without being outright preachy. Great review!
Exactly! It was a super enjoyable read!
I LOVED The Tempest – the Shakespeare one:)
This one sounds like a modern retelling that I’d really love too. It’s awesome the emphasis is on the fun:)
It’s awesome that the characters were likable and relatable and gave it that extra spark, and I’m really happy the language, the humor was in this, but in a modern way:)
Lovely review:)
Thanks Christina! I would love to hear what you think!
I heard of this book recently and it sounded so fun! I love lighthearted, amusing reads like this and I love retellings, so this book sounds like one I’d love. Thanks for the review!
Definitely! Hope you enjoy it!
I love the cover and I’m glad it’s a good read too. I’m a thriller, horror, paranormal kind of girl but a fun light book is a break I look forward to.
This would definitely be a good break for you! =)
This book sounds great! I can’t wait to get ahold of it!
Great! Hope you love it!