The citizens of the three fairy kingdoms clash, forced to live shoulder-to-shoulder alongside ungoverned Outliers. In Summer Cyclone, fourth book of Alan B. Gibson’s Magic at Myers Beach series, unassuming tea-shop manager Stefán tries to find love while keeping all of fairy society from fracturing.
The three fairy kings, Theos, Zsombor, and Christophe, evacuate their people to Myers Beach. It’s only here that they have any chance of recreating fairy dust after their old sources had been poisoned, and saving every fairy life. They take in the Outliers, remnants of a fallen kingdom, and at first find good will between the groups. But with thousands of fairies moving in, they have to keep everyone on a short leash or else risk humans catching wind of their new neighbors. Resentment of these strange Outliers builds.
Stefán, a close confidant to Theos, struggles to keep anti-Outlier sentiment at bay with the help of some enigmatic and knowledgeable new friends. Rumors of him giving the Outliers special treatment grow stronger as some fairies begin to suspect that he’s actually one of them.
As an orphan of asylum-seeking parents, Stefán doesn’t even know his true ancestry.
But though his responsibilities weigh heavy on him, Stefán finds a bright spot in his life. He falls for Julie, the human woman who—even as a relative stranger—offered him kindness and support while he watched over Christophe’s recently-possessed sister, Princess Zoë.
Julie herself hesitates to be honest about her feelings, a recent failed relationship fresh in her mind. They tip-toe around each other, but draw gradually closer. Stefán makes her morning coffee and teaches her to cook. Julie shares her love of skateboarding, and the adventures she and Christophe had while travelling together the past few months. And at first, they bond as they help Zoë recover despite having lost her magic and wings to the witch possessing her body.
Julie worries, however, that Stefán and Zoë are getting too close. And with nearly all of her friends now fairies, it’s easy for her to feel like she has no lasting place in their world.
All the while, a murderous figure from the past—the very man who poisoned the old fairy dust—returns to take advantage of the weakened kingdoms.
Cross-kingdom tension builds beneath the surface until the fairies are nearly erupting. Agitators push greater and greater anger at the Outliers, empowered by the fear of a ticking clock. The royals only have a few weeks left to find the final ingredient to fairy dust before their people starve.
Each time Stefán and his friends think they have a solution to one of their pressing issues, it leads to greater outcry from the populace and more opportunity for sinister forces to take control. The patience of their people wears thin, and eventually, so does the patience they have for each other. Even a loving group of friends can be made to turn on each other with the right combination of fear and magic.
But with his willingness to tackle impossible tasks, and his deep desire to understand himself, Stefán opposes the destruction of his world while easily pulling readers into his shoes.
He and Julie are both outsiders among the people they love. But neither of them lets that stand in the way when their friends need help, proving that even if they don’t have the title of fairy royalty, they have no shortage of strength or nobility.
As it brings together both old friends and old foes from across the series, Summer Cyclone explores meaningful emotional threads.
Myers Beach shines with the return of characters from previous installments, particularly the fairy royals Theos, Lily, Zsombor, and Greta. Their distinct personalities weave together and clash now that they’re a team with the weight of fairy society on their shoulders.
Julie’s just happy to have her best friends back in her life, especially as Lily and Greta reveal that she’s going to be godmother to their future fairy children. But as a human, Julie’s as far from fairy royalty as someone can be. She has no magic. No authority. And as matters of state become overwhelming, she fears she’ll be left out of her friends’ lives once again.
Stefán’s easy friendship with Theos and Alias—nearly his adoptive brothers—is tested by the conflicting demands of royalty. While they all want the same peace between the different fairy peoples, Stefán will have to learn how to navigate changing dynamics of power.
Personal relationships blend into societal strife with dire stakes. Stefán and Julie lift each other up even as they struggle with their insecurities. And as the fairy kingdoms approach a vital choice in how their way of life will change—unity or division—Summer Cyclone delivers on the promises of its preceding books with a suspenseful whirlwind romance.
Read the whole series of Magic at Myers Beach!
