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/

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