Tempest

[Kerry *Pale Daughter*]

Tempest (Tempest, #1)
by Julie Cross (Goodreads Author)





Kerry's review
Jun 10, 12 · edit




bookshelves: young-adult, time-travel

Read from May 23 to June 03, 2012


Before I begin the review, let me get this out of the way - this book was probably meant for the older YA reader. The two main characters are in college and, yes, they have a sexual relationship. However, Julie Cross does not use sex gratuitously and does not go into details. She actually has a very good discussion on her blog titled "Actual Teens Talk Sex, Language, and Banned Books" which I found very interesting.
You can tell from the reviews that this novel is not for everyone. It seems to evoke strong responses from its readers. However, some people could argue that this is what makes a novel worth reading. As you can see, I am on the side of the "lovers". The concept of time travel is not an easy thing to wrap your mind around and I like the fact that the author took her time, unfolding its complexities to prevent overwhelming her readers.
Things I loved about this book:
1. The main characters are older than those found in traditional YA books.
2. The love story does not involve the overused love triangle, is not mushy, and is not "love at first sight". Instead it is like many relationships of people their age. Jackson starts off as a rich, entitled 19 year old guy who is used to getting what he wants. He is afraid of committing to his girlfriend Holly, who is clearly in love with him. His emotional growth throughout the book is seen not only in his relationship with Holly, but also with his father and sister.
3. How Jackson responds to the younger Holly and in the attempts that he makes to rectify the mistakes that he made with his sister.
4. The fact that you never really know who are the "good guys" and who are the "bad guys".
5. Who is the mysterious girl who looks like Courtney but has Jackson's eyes?
6. What?!!! An appocolyptic scene?
7. What separates Jackson from the other jumpers so drastically that Thomas must rip out his hair?
8. The book has a satisfying ending, yet the author cleverly leaves many ideas for the reader to ponder on until the next installment arrives.
I could go on forever. This book has action, surprises, twists and turns in abundance. There are so many different types of jumps and each one is just as mind-blowing to Jackson as it is to the reader. I think that the author has succeeded in setting up an exciting, complex work of science fiction that is so suspenseful that it will ensure that her fans will be hooked until the very end of the trilogy. And then cry out for more.

[Kimm]

You have intrigued me....I am jonesing for something new...