Wednesday 4 January 2012

Book Review: Tempest by Julie Cross.


Product details:
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Book.
Hardcover, 432 pages.
Release date: January 5th 2012.
Rating: 3½ out of 5.
Ages: 14+
Source: Received from publisher for review.

Jackson Meyer is hiding a secret. He can time-travel. But he doesn't know how he does it, how to control it or what it means. When Jackson, and his girlfriend Holly, find themselves in fatal danger, Jackson panics and catapaults himself two years into his past, further than he's ever managed before, and this time he can't find a way back to the future. All the rules of time-travel he's experienced so far have been broken and Jackson has no choice but to pretend to be his younger self whilst he figures out a solution. Jackson is tearing himself apart with guilt and frustration, wondering if Holly survived. He's also become the target of an unknown enemy force and it seems even his dad is lying to him. Jackson is racing against time to save the girl he loves, but to do that he must first discover the truth about his family and himself. And stay alive.


An action-packed thrill from start to finish, Tempest, the much anticipated debut novel from author Julie Cross, is an exhilarating blend of time travel and romance that will leave readers wanting more!

Cross hits the ground running in this book which introduces us to Jackson Meyer.  Jackson is pretty much your average nineteen year old guy. When he’s not in college, he’s hanging out with his girlfriend Holly, or partaking in a favourite hobby of his which involves jumping through time. He’s also from a mega rich family, oh and did I mention that he can jump through time? So, maybe not such an average guy.  Still, Jackson doesn’t really let his time travelling adventures get in the way of his every day life. It’s all just a bit of fun to him. That is, until one day he and Holly have some unexpected visitors and Holly ends up getting shot.  Boom! Suddenly time travel is not just a fun pastime, as Jackson finds himself jumping through time trying to find answers about his family, his ability to time jump and most of all, to save Holly from the enemies that are following him through time.

Tempest has a great premise. It’s exciting and fast paced as could be with lots of plot twists and some heart-wrenching moments. I have to say though that while I loved the idea of Jackson’s time jumping, when it actually happened (quite frequently as it turns out), I got a little confused. I found the rules of time travel in Tempest somewhat complicated, even though Cross details everything pretty well. If you asked me to explain the rules to you in any great detail now, I wouldn’t do a good job of it.  This was definitely a book that demanded my full attention, and even at that I found myself flipping back and forth through the pages to get everything straight in my head. Maybe it’s just me, and you’ll figure it all out in no time!

One of the big selling points of this book is that it’s narrated from a male point of view, making it stand out from the majority of other books in the YA market. For me though, this book was not all about the characters as I felt that besides Jackson we didn’t really get to know them all that well. I was pretty intrigued by Jackson, though, and he displayed character traits that endeared me to him. While I warmed to him as the story progressed, his love interest, and the girl of his dreams, Holly, didn’t totally work for me. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t dislike Holly. There was just nothing really standout about her character for me. Maybe there is a whole lot more to her than we found out in this book, but until I find out if that’s true, the jury’s out on Holly. The same can’t be said about Jackson’s family though! Talk about family secrets!  There’s Jackson’s dad who I want to know a whole lot more about, and his sister Courtney who was my favourite character in the book.  Jackson’s relationship with his sister is sweet and touching, it shows the very best of him, and it brought a tear to my eye once or twice.

 Tempest is a solid start to an intriguing new series. Jackson has to make some tough decisions throughout the book, and I want to find out how that all works out for him.  This is a book that will be loved by many, both male and female alike and with its interesting premise, complex plot and older teenage characters, it will have major crossover appeal. The movie rights for this one have already been snapped up by Summit Entertainment and I cannot think of a book that will transfer better to the big screen than this one will.  Tempest was made for the movies!

13 comments :

  1. I loved Holly in it. I thought she was brilliant. I found it fascinating how people differ depending on when you meet them in life. The younger Holly is so different to the older one.

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  2. I was COMPLETELY confused. I wanted to love it! I really, really did! But I couldn't wrap my brain around what was actually happening and what year Jackson really was in...I'm horrible with dates, maybe that's my problem.

    I mentioned in my review, to be posted at a later date, that I loved the male POV and I loved the relationship he had with Holly...that was about it, lol. I guess I just like romance in books...

    I also said in my review, that I think Tempest will make a better movie than it did as a book, in my opinion.

    Great review!

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  3. Of course this one would look good on the big screen! Can you imagine the effects when they illustrate the time-travel portions?! And I'm always looking forward to new manly men finding their way to the movie screen. Lovely review, L, and thanks for making me THIS much more excited!

    - Asher (Paranormal Indulgence)

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  4. Time travel is tough to pull off. I deal with it in the fourth book of my series. I'm interested to see the details in this book,

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  5. Oh I can't wait to meet Jackson!! I definitely plan to read Tempest in January. I'm pretty excited after your review

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  6. @Viv - That was my main point of interest with Holly. How she had changed so much. I didn't dislike her - I just want to know more about her. :)

    @Jacinda (if I have the right reading housewife!;) I'm good with dates, and I still got confused. I'm sure if I re-read it I'd fare a whole lot better!

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  7. I really love male POVs! One of the reasons I'm looking forward to this. In regards to the time thing - I find that I get confused in most books dealing with time. There are so many issues and loopholes and paradoxes, I just can't get my head round it all! It's a shame, but I've just sort of come to accept it now. Glad you enjoyed this one overall - fab review!

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  8. Seen a couple of mixed reviews for this so I'm a bit hesitant about reading it. I watched a lot of Star Trek as a kid so maybe I'll understand all the time stuff? who knows

    The Cait Files

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  9. I like the sound of this one but agree that it gets frustrating to have a hard time following the story like that. I tend to quit when it gets to be too much work. Great Review!

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  10. I agree...the whole male point of view thing is attractive. Young adult literature is so dominated by female authors and female POVs that I'm almost always immediately interested in a book that's written from a male perspective.

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  11. I can't wait to read this book!
    I love to read from a male point of view, maybe because there are few books like that, or maybe because I love more a 'male voice' (not complaining so much, LOL)

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  12. I honestly don't know why but this book really doesn't shout it at me, even though I've seen so many awesome reviews, like this one, that have said its brilliant... It saddens me but I don't think I will ever read it :(

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  13. I like how fast-paced it sounds, but I'm afraid the time travel parts might confuse me too. I've heard similar complaints about Holly, which is disappointing. I do like that the MC's family plays an important part in the story. I love sibling relationships in books. Thank you for all the info!

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