Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Review:The TEMPEST Rages On

Title: Tempest
Author: Julie Cross

Book Summary:

The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.

Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him.

Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.”

           Being able to jump back in time but unable to change past events wouldn’t frustrate me at all. NOT. I would constantly be trying to figure out what the heck is the purpose of my ‘gift’. This is my first impression of Jackson. He has this power. He doesn’t understand it, and he is frustrated by it. Wow does that change fast! In one night, Jackson is thrown into a world of chaos where nothing is as it seems. Unanswered questions, shocking discoveries, and desperate searches all add up to one final conclusion. When a situation is this precarious, Jackson has to find the right person to trust.

           Tempest is like drinking a cold glass of water after being in the desert for a month. Refreshing, fulfilling, and in dire need of a warning label saying: “Don’t consume too quickly -- slow down and savor it”. Seriously. This book is just that good. About a month ago, I began hearing amazing things about Tempest and was instantly intrigued. Then, about a week later… BOOM… Tempest started popping up everywhere. And I do mean EVERYWHERE. So many people singing praises for Tempest confirm my initial reaction: this book is made of awesome.

           The praises and the premise aren’t the only great things about Tempest; the characters and the details Cross adds to the story are a huge reason that I like it. I am not a guy. That said, I think Cross does a fantastic job of getting inside a guy’s mind, and a teen at that! Jackson isn’t perfect. He makes mistakes, he ticks people off, and he says the wrong things. I LOVE that he doesn’t know exactly what to say to Holly or what he says that makes her mad. A lot of guys just don’t have a clue what they do that irks me: I have to explain, and so does Holly.

           I really like the way Holly’s character is written. She comes to life, and her reactions all strike me as genuine. There is a big change from High School Holly to post High School Holly. She becomes more restrained as she grows older, and these changes are obvious. Hopefully, I’ll get a closer look at Holly in book two! Adam is the other crucial character that I really feel connected too. Adam is, without a doubt, the brains of the operation. He is that kid who sits in the back of science class who everyone just KNOWS will discover the cure for cancer. Adam is quirky and fun but still faithful and a wonderful friend to both Jackson and Holly. To sum up this long review, let me just say: I LOVED THIS BOOK TO PIECES!

The Cover:

           This cover is so detailed. Now really, could it be more fitting? I never tried to imagine what a time travel book cover would look like because most authors wouldn’t try it. All those other authors are crying because they didn’t think of this first. I love how the girl is reaching up while I can see she is falling back down away from him. I also like how he is grasping for her hand and seems intent on catching her before she slips to far away. This cover is fantastic!

I give Tempest 5 out of 5 hearts: I LOVED IT!!

For more on Julie Cross visit her website here: http://juliecross.blogspot.com/

Or buy the book here:

42 comments:

  1. This is a wonderful review! Especially loved it when you said how it was like drinking water after a month in the desert :) I'd really like to experience that! This looks great! I'm adding it to my TBR list!! Thanks again for a great review!

    Vivian @ Vivaciously, Vivian

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    1. Thank you :) I am so glad you liked the review and I hope you love the book like I did :) It was one of the best books I have read this year!!

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  2. I absolutely love this cover and you provided such a good review :D Adding to my TBR pile as well.

    Book Enslaved

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    1. I agree the cover is GORGEOUS!! I am so glad you liked my review :) I hope you enjoy Tempest!!!

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  3. I'm not in LOVE with this one but I liked it :)

    Krazyyme @ Young Readers

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  4. "Tempest is like drinking a cold glass of water after being in the desert for a month. Refreshing, fulfilling, and in dire need of a warning label saying: “Don’t consume too quickly -- slow down and savor it”.

    Love it!:) I always think it's really interesting when a female author writes a male mc (and vice versa) it makes me feel like they have all this insider information the rest of us don't, you know? Awesome review Lauren, I'm intrigues!

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    1. I agree! I want all that insider information too! :P I hope you get your hands on a copy!!

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  5. More time travel novels for all!

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  6. I really want to read this! Great review! Happy to hear that you liked it!!!

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    1. Thanks! I hope you get your hands on a copy soon :)

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  7. Thanks for this great review. Wow 5 out of 5. This book is on my TBR list but I think I have to move it to the top. I hardly read books that are form the male POV. It's nice to change it up a little. Love the cover too. Can't wait to read.
    -Maritza R

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    1. Ahhh! I hope you like it :D Definitely worth moving up the TBR list! <3

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  8. Tempest was amazing!! I agree with your review in every single way, which is really rare for anyone. I love Jackson's narration so much and well just everything!!!

    Great review, you really went in depth when describing what makes Tempest the amazing time-traveling adventure it is.

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    1. I am so glad you agree with the review! :) This book was definitely a fantastic read!

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  9. I agree with you on this one! I was happy to find a book that was so different from the stuff that's recently come out. Cross did a great job writing this story. It must have been difficult with all the time jumping and how that affected events for everyone else opposed to how it affected Jackson!
    Great review!

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    1. Yeah I know I;m sure she kept lots of spreadsheets! =D I'm glad you agreed with my take on it (:

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  10. Tempest has gotten a lot of hate, but I thought it was good too.

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  11. great review lauren..

    you make me cant wait to read this book..^^

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  12. Loved your review. Especially, "Tempest is like drinking a cold glass of water after being in the desert for a month. Refreshing, fulfilling, and in dire need of a warning label saying: 'Don’t consume too quickly -- slow down and savor it'." What a great description. :)

    Like you, I've had my eye on this book for a while. I have a thing for time travel, so it immediately piqued my interested. Also, the cover is absolutely fabulous. It caught my eye the first time I saw it. I think the cover is what first made me want to read it.

    It's been on my list for a while...now I'm certain I have to get this one!

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    1. Thanks Becca!! The cover is definitely beautiful :) I hope you enjoy it!

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  13. Great Review! I love the cover and story...it seems intriguing so I better get my TBR going to be able to read this on my vacation. :)

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    1. It would be a great vacation book Clarissa!!

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  14. Really loving this cover and I am sooo excited to read this book. What a great review :)

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    1. Why thank you!!! I hope you LOVE this book!

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  15. I did enjoy this one. Curious to see what the next installment will bring...

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    1. Well I hope it continues to be amazing ;) Glad you liked it Christina!

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  16. i heard a lot of mix reviews about this one..but ur review make me want to read it.. :)

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    1. Well i'm glad Rica! I hope you get a chance to read it soon!

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  17. It's good to hear you liked it so much! I was a little unsure of it, but I'll add it to my TBR list now! :)

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  18. I'm a bit on the fence with this one. I've heard A+ 5 star reviews, and then I've heard a lot of 1/2 stars because of how the main girl is portrayed. I will def pick this book up at my library though because no matter a review, I could still love it!

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    1. Hmm, see I wasn't as worried about Holly because I really liked Jackson!

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  19. +JMJ+

    I never would have guessed from the cover that this is a Time Travel novel!

    You're right that the premise is very interesting. I'm like pre-trauma Jackson: if I had the ability to travel back in time, I really wouldn't mind not being able to change anything. (Well, okay, I probably would mind . . . but I've been thinking about time travel for years and have concluded that it would be unethical to change the past. So I'd be glad to have built-in checks to help me hold on to my principles.) Yet I can imagine that the death of a loved one might make me change my mind about that.

    The "Enemies of Time" are a cool twist. Perhaps they changed the past first, making it the hero's job to restore it? (There's a reason I've always loved Back to the Future II more than the first movie in the franchise.)

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  20. Love the review, which makes me want the book even more. I love your analogy of the book being like a cup of cold water after being in the desert. Then, you elaborate on this and suggest a warning label and that we should drink slowly, savor it. Well said!

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  21. I love, love, love time travel books. Through in some mysytery and romance and it's perfect.

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    1. Me too. This book looks really good too :)

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  22. Great review! I love the idea of being able to go back in time and would be frustrated too if I couldn't change things! I'm glad to hear you liked this book so much because I have it on my shelf ready to read! After reading your review, I'll have to move it to the top of the pile :)

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  23. Great review! Make me curious about this book, and so excited to read this book :)

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