Review: Tempest by Julie Cross

Author: Julie Cross

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Page Count: 352 pages, Hardcover

Date Published: January 17th 2012

Find it on Goodreads: Tempest

Source: I won a signed copy from Julie Cross --> Thank you!!!

Rating:  4.75/5 (... I dunno, just go with it :P)

 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.

My Thoughts: Wow. I was putting off reading this for so long, and I can't remember why. This book was clever and original.

 When I found out that I had won a copy of this book from the author, I was ecstatic. Ever since seeing it on the shelves I had been really hesitant to buy it. I had a feeling I shouldn't and I thought it was because inside I knew I wouldn't like it. BOY WAS I WRONG. Tempest was a fantastic book that pulled me in and kept me reading for hours and hours. I finished this book in one sitting! Tempest combined so many things that I love in a story: Romance, time travel, secret government spy stuff, and a fantastic nerdy best friend.

I think what I really loved about this book was the tone. I don't really know how to describe it. Jackson had a voice that I really enjoyed reading from and his personality was really great. I also loved all the action and adventure that went on. I couldn't put this book down! Then there was the romance, which was super sweet and so heart wrenching at the same time. I just want Holly and Jackson to have a happy ending! I loved Holly. She reminded me a lot of myself and I liked that we got to see her in 2007 and 2009. I thought that was so cool to see how much she had changed. OH. I actually really liked the time travel! I love anything to do with traveling in time, but this type of time travel was intriguing! It was different than anything I had ever read or seen and I really appreciated the originality.

Now I'm reading Vortex and loving it as well. I'm just dreading finishing it and having to wait until next year for the last book. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys time travel stories and thinks that they won't get too confused by it. I will admit that it is a bit confusing, but honestly, I just go with it in stories like this. I mean, take it from the Doctor:  

"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but *actually* from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint - it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly... time-y wimey... stuff."

So, basically... time travel stories aren't exactly ones that you can completely wrap your mind around. It takes a bit of getting used to, and so, if you're going to read this book, don't say I didn't warn you. No but seriously, this was a great book. I am so thankful to Julie for holding the contest to win! Thank you Julie!!!

Happy reading!
~Kristy