Tempest (Tempest #1)

Oh my gosh - Tempest is definitely one of the best books of the year. I was entranced from page one and did not want to put it down until I finished. Julie Cross takes a unique perspective on time travel, and it was so much fun to read.

I loved the characters, particularly Jackson, Holly, and Adam. Holly was such a unique character, she was such a strong person. There were a lot of smaller characters too that I hope to see more from in the next 2 books, because I loved them a lot.

I loved that there were so many questions to be asked in Tempest. I felt like everything was new and I loved discovering what was going on, who was behind it, what else it to come, etc. There was nothing I could guess, and even when I thought I was figuring something out, Julie Cross would throw something else new at readers. The plot got more intense and built with every page. I was on the edge of my seat for a good portion of the book.

I am very curious to see where the story will go from here. Julie Cross has designed a story that is so intriguing and unique. I loved that there were so many touching, heart felt moments mixed among the intensity the rest of the book had. It was just really nicely balanced throughout the entirety of the novel.

This was an absolutely thrilling debut and I cannot wait to hear more from Jackson! The wait until book 2 will be painful, especially after the ending Julie Cross has left readers with. Tempest's cover is one of my favorites in awhile. This is a book I will earnestly recommend to all, as it was one heck of a read.

I really had no idea what this book was about. I saw the book in my library, loved the cover, so I grabbed it. And am I ever thankful I did. I absolutely loved (and I mean loved) this book. From the first few pages I was hooked and could not put the book down. I think my family thought I was crazy because I was literally cooking dinner while holding the book so I didn't miss anything.

Let's start with the characters. Jackson Meyer is 19 years old and finds himself able to travel back in time by no more than 2 days. He doesn't know why this happens, but it's happening. He is an intriguing character and I found him very likable. Everything he does he ends up doing for his girlfriend, Holly. He realizes once he is stuck in a time where he cannot save her, how much she truly means to him. We don't get to know Holly very well at first in the present day (of 2009). However, when Jackson travels back to 2007, we get to know her better and we learn more of their relationship during that time period. And I could not help but root for them and love their relationship. Adam is Holly and Jackson's friend who knows of Jackson's ability and tries to help him figure it all out. I loved his wit and personality a lot! Adam is a extremely smart and helps to make the time travel more understandable and believable.

I don't want to say too much more about this book because it would spoil a lot of plot twists. It's a very easy to follow time travel book (which isn't easy to portray). It helps that Jackson keeps a journal, so when he does time travel, he writes about it and it helps the reader follow along. I really enjoyed the characters and they are completely believable. I know people just like them, so they were definitely relate-able.

My heart broke at the end of this book, that's all I'm going to say. Let me know when you finish and want to talk, because yea. I cannot wait, and I mean absolutely cannot wait for the sequel!

I love time travel novels if they work. If the whole premise behind the time traveling aspect of the story seems too far fetched or there are no consequences, then I put the book aside.

TEMPEST though does work in many ways. First, the idea that there might be more behind the ability to time travel. There's a very plausible mystery in this story that kept me turning the pages to see if Jackson would unlock the reason behind his 'gift'. The romance between Jackson and Holly was intriguing. It would have been so easy to just have them fall for each other at the different time lines but even Jackson had to work at getting Holly to trust/love him all over again. I also really loved his side-kick, Adam, who is part computer nerd/genius. His take on Jackson's ability shows how science might have a part of the jumping back and forth from time.

One thing that I did have problems with, and this is only a minor point, is how nineteen year old Jackson goes back and is around the seventeen-year-old Holly. That's where it was a hard one to call for me on whether this book is more New Adult than YA. I think if it stayed in the timeline than maybe it wouldn't be YA per say. Otherwise, the author handles Jackson with the seventeen-year-old Holly in such a way that's he doesn't come across as taking advantage of the situation. Also all the jumping back and forth in time lost me toward the end of the novel. The journal entries do help especially when a couple of major revelations come out that took me off guard.

Fast-paced time-travel story with a new romantic couple. How far would you go to protect the one you loved from being harmed? That's one of Jackson's strengths. Throughout this story he struggles with what happens to those around him everytime he jumps. Sure at the beginning he mentions that there are no consequences but that later changes. This is one thrilling ride!

A must read for those who loved TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE.